nokones Posted March 26 Report Share Posted March 26 Recently, a local Phoenix family drove up to the mountains northeast of Phoenix several days ago and got caught in a snow storm and they were stranded for several days. The family did survive and made it out unharm. They were lucky to be found by local Payson Area residents during the snow storm. While they were stranded, they attempted to call for help using their cell phone but unfortunately, they were in an area of no cell service, which is not unusual in the remote mountain areas of Arizona. However, the area they were in was well covered by the Diamond Point GMRS Repeater which is linked to other repeaters of the Southwest Community Radio System (SWCRS) that serve the Flagstaff, Phoenix, Tucson, and the eastern mountain communities in Arizona; and throughout the state of New Mexico. If they had a GMRS radio and if they were licensed and knowledgeable about the GMRS repeater system they could have use their GMRS radio to summon for help. The point is, you can’t always rely on a Cellular Telephone for help, especially in remote areas. So, don’t leave home without your GMRS radio even in the metro areas. You can never plan when a GMRS radio will be the most valuable tool in the time of need. WRWE456, WRXB215, WRXP381 and 6 others 8 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WRXP381 Posted March 26 Report Share Posted March 26 Totally agree. But my I add never go to remote areas with out a plan, chains, back up clothes/jackets blankets or sleeping bags, food, water, stove, knowledge…. RayP, WRQI583, WRKW564 and 4 others 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RayP Posted March 27 Report Share Posted March 27 On 3/26/2024 at 10:27 AM, nokones said: Recently, a local Phoenix family drove up to the mountains northeast of Phoenix several days ago and got caught in a snow storm and they were stranded for several days. The family did survive and made it out unharm. They were lucky to be found by local Payson Area residents during the snow storm. While they were stranded, they attempted to call for help using their cell phone but unfortunately, they were in an area of no cell service, which is not unusual in the remote mountain areas of Arizona. However, the area they were in was well covered by the Diamond Point GMRS Repeater which is linked to other repeaters of the Southwest Community Radio System (SWCRS) that serve the Flagstaff, Phoenix, Tucson, and the eastern mountain communities in Arizona; and throughout the state of New Mexico. If they had a GMRS radio and if they were licensed and knowledgeable about the GMRS repeater system they could have use their GMRS radio to summon for help. The point is, you can’t always rely on a Cellular Telephone for help, especially in remote areas. So, don’t leave home without your GMRS radio even in the metro areas. You can never plan when a GMRS radio will be the most valuable tool in the time of need. A few months ago, watching this Mr Ballen YouTube video, I couldn't help but wonder if a ham, CB, or GMRS, radio in their car would have gotten this family help much sooner. Ideally, they would have had all three but even a CB or 2m ham mobile might have made the difference and the husband and father might be alive had they been in possession of something other than their cell phones. A firearm would have provided additional comfort given the interest that bears were showing the family in their unenviable situation, but this was the West Coast and they were from California, areas where the government keeps citizens generally disarmed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nokones Posted March 27 Author Report Share Posted March 27 Not a lot of people don't have CB radios like they did years ago. These days very few Truckers run with CB radios. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WRQI583 Posted March 27 Report Share Posted March 27 I keep 2m/70cm, CB, MURS, and GMRS in my vehicle. I have it mainly to have the ability to communicate with almost anyone, but in the case of emergency, I am pretty well covered. WSAW350 and RayP 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WSBZ540 Posted March 28 Report Share Posted March 28 I've tried to give radios out to my family for this purpose. They come back with the cell phone argument. @OffRoaderX just made a vid about it too. My wife and kids all have one, but my extended family just plans to use their phones, despite life experience telling me that's a bad idea. RayP and WRXB215 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lscott Posted March 28 Report Share Posted March 28 Despite the government's denials, a cell phone kill switch, I'm sure in the case of some "domestic disturbance" cell phone use would be restricted or disabled completely by their order. After J6 if it didn't exist then I'll bet it does now. That's when you're likely to need your radio the most to coordinate with others to get out of an area to a safe place. WSAV716, RayP and WRXB215 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.