GMRS and FRS

[SteveShannon]

1 minute ago, wrci350 said:

Having a plan to "just call anyone" isn't really a plan.  As has been mentioned, that's the flaw in "I got my GMRS (or technician) license and bought a radio that I store in a box in case of emergencies but have never actually used it".

Rumor has it that there is a TLA agency that monitors "the full spectrum of radio communications" but they are looking for particular types of radio traffic and are not going to send help, no matter what the disaster.  There is no way for local authorities to listen everywhere all the time.  Chances are they don't have the resources to even listen to a few frequencies.  Back in the day, CB 9 *was* monitored in a lot of places, but those days are long gone.

 

 

Exactly right. Buying a radio and putting it away in case you need it someday is no smarter than buying a gun and failing to learn how to use it. 

[nokones]

The answers to all the OPs concerns and questions, are addressed in Code of Federal Regulations, Title 47, Chaper 1, Sub Chapter D, Part 95, and Subparts A, B, and E.

[WSHH887]

3 hours ago, Davichko5650 said:

SERE Training at Ft. Devens, MA - with the 10th SFG after were done with K3 (ECM) training.  Fun times with the "snake eaters".

The drunk afterwards was good. But the course?  This s from a kid who grew up hunting, fishing, etc. 

Did you have anyone go exactly 180* backwards on your map & compass work?  

[WRYZ926]

3 minutes ago, WSHH887 said:

The drunk afterwards was good. But the course?  This s from a kid who grew up hunting, fishing, etc. 

Did you have anyone go exactly 180* backwards on your map & compass work?  

I have only seen new butter bars do something like that .

I received a lot of good training while stationed at Ft Devens in 1991. I went through Jungle Warfare in Panama in 1989 and combat lifesaver course while stationed in Germany in 1993.

Like a lot of skills, using military radios is a perishable skill after a while. I doubt that I could operate a SINGARS radio now days.

[WSHH887]

2 hours ago, wrci350 said:

Having a plan to "just call anyone" isn't really a plan.  As has been mentioned, that's the flaw in "I got my GMRS (or technician) license and bought a radio that I store in a box in case of emergencies but have never actually used it".

Rumor has it that there is a TLA agency that monitors "the full spectrum of radio communications" but they are looking for particular types of radio traffic and are not going to send help, no matter what the disaster.  There is no way for local authorities to listen everywhere all the time.  Chances are they don't have the resources to even listen to a few frequencies.  Back in the day, CB 9 *was* monitored in a lot of places, but those days are long gone.

 

 

I think you misunderstood. "Call anyone" is simply putting out a general call to see who is still up and running as a first step to self organization. 
After recent events I'm not sure how fast or well government organizations will respond. 
Even Red Cross takes time. You have to start with what you have. GMRS is fairly short range in simplex. You start close to home and work out. 
Best case scenario you are going to have days before any help arrives. 
As to who might be monitoring, well relief assets may or may not, but it's sure worth a shot. Experience has taught me that in bad situations you try anything you can think of some stuff works some doesn't. You take what works and run with it. 

[Davichko5650]

21 minutes ago, WSHH887 said:

The drunk afterwards was good. But the course?  This s from a kid who grew up hunting, fishing, etc. 

Did you have anyone go exactly 180* backwards on your map & compass work?  

We did a "Kobiyashi Maru" style rewrite of the night compass exercise.  We zig zagged past the ambush and got a few seconds of stunned silence when we called in "at Point Orange"  Every other team followed the exact instructions and were captured, so we got to watch the fun as they were interrogated...

[AdmiralCochrane]

3 hours ago, SteveShannon said:

Exactly right. Buying a radio and putting it away in case you need it someday is no smarter than buying a gun and failing to learn how to use it. 

Are you saying there is shooting than just putting bullets in and pulling the trigger?  jk

[WSHH887]

1 hour ago, Davichko5650 said:

We did a "Kobiyashi Maru" style rewrite of the night compass exercise.  We zig zagged past the ambush and got a few seconds of stunned silence when we called in "at Point Orange"  Every other team followed the exact instructions and were captured, so we got to watch the fun as they were interrogated...

Most of the guys taking the course had spent little to no time outdoors.  They suffered and complained.  I think attitude was a lot of it. We knew they couldn't kill or seriously maim us.  Well, we hoped anyway.  There were times we weren't entirely sure about that.  

 

[WRTC928]

On 3/21/2025 at 11:58 AM, wrci350 said:

Rumor has it that there is a TLA agency that monitors "the full spectrum of radio communications" but they are looking for particular types of radio traffic and are not going to send help, no matter what the disaster. 

I don't know to what extent any agency monitors radio traffic, but I know with absolute certainty that the US government has the capability to hear and talk to basically anything that puts out a signal. Many years ago, I was in an "off the road" village in central Alaska when an earthquake took out the phones for an area about the size of Colorado. There were quite a few isolated villages in that area. Within a few hours, there were aircraft in the air (E-3 AWACS would be my guess since they're stationed in Alaska) which could talk to literally anyone with a radio -- CB, marine, GMRS, Ham, you name it and they could talk to it. It was critical in knowing which villages had casualties, etc. You feel a lot less lonely just knowing you can get a message out. Satellite phones didn't exist yet. I suppose it would be different now. I once asked an AWAC crew member about their comms and he said, "If we want to, we can pick up the infrasound elephants communicate with."

[WSHH887]

I think WRTC928 has it right.  Monitor gmrs normally?  Maybe not, big maybe.  But during an emergency when communication is critical as in his Alaska situation, I'm pretty sure emergency agencies are listening.  Not only for calls for help but for information from the ground.

I can tell you this,  Back in the early 70's I busted up my knee and ended up working the FD alarm center (the military doesn't let you just sit around if you're just sort of banged up, they will find something for you to do).  Obviously we had our radios, sky cop, EOD, aircraft and hospital radios.  In addition, we had the ability to monitor and communicate with the various local civilian (all volunteer) FD's, county sheriff and CHP.  We responded to a lot of off base mutual aid emergencies.  And while our vehicles didn't have anything but FD radios, our alarm center could relay information from the other folks.

 

My point is, you never know just who is listening.

[WRYZ926]

Yes the US Military has the equipment to monitor and transmit on all frequencies. This includes cell phones even though they are not suppose to listen to cell service in the states.

[WRTC928]

On 3/23/2025 at 4:27 PM, WSHH887 said:

Monitor gmrs normally?  Maybe not, big maybe.  But during an emergency when communication is critical as in his Alaska situation, I'm pretty sure emergency agencies are listening.  Not only for calls for help but for information from the ground.

As easy as it is to do these days, I'd be amazed if emergency service agencies didn't fire up a scanner or scanning radio in the wake of a major event. My local amateur radio club has a plan to activate a network of volunteers to call in reports on the local repeaters. The net operators sit in the emergency operations center with county and state emergency service coordinators and pass information along. Presumably, the officials could just listen in on a scanner, but they have their hands full with their own comms and having net controllers allows them to triage the information and pass along the most important stuff first. This actually turned out to be very useful recently with a tornado and a series of fires in Oklahoma. I never had any useful information to pass along, but it was interesting to hear things reported in real time. A monitored radio net is still the fastest way to communicate when it really matters. There's no reason a group of GMRS users couldn't do the same thing. Perhaps they do, but I'm not within range of any of the repeaters in my area. 

[WRTC928]

On 3/23/2025 at 6:49 PM, WRYZ926 said:

Yes the US Military has the equipment to monitor and transmit on all frequencies. This includes cell phones even though they are not suppose to listen to cell service in the states.

I didn't know him personally, but I knew of an airman who got caught using Air Force equipment to intercept his ex-wife's phone calls. His command was not amused. It ended badly for him. So, yes they can, and no they're not supposed to.

[Jaay]

On 3/23/2025 at 2:14 PM, WRTC928 said:

I don't know to what extent any agency monitors radio traffic, but I know with absolute certainty that the US government has the capability to hear and talk to basically anything that puts out a signal. Many years ago, I was in an "off the road" village in central Alaska when an earthquake took out the phones for an area about the size of Colorado. There were quite a few isolated villages in that area. Within a few hours, there were aircraft in the air (E-3 AWACS would be my guess since they're stationed in Alaska) which could talk to literally anyone with a radio -- CB, marine, GMRS, Ham, you name it and they could talk to it. It was critical in knowing which villages had casualties, etc. You feel a lot less lonely just knowing you can get a message out. Satellite phones didn't exist yet. I suppose it would be different now. I once asked an AWAC crew member about their comms and he said, "If we want to, we can pick up the infrasound elephants communicate with."

Two words ... "Pine Gap"  Very capable place that you can't visit.

[Davichko5650]

15 minutes ago, Jaay said:

Two words ... "Pine Gap"  Very capable place that you can't visit.

I prefer Menwith HIll.  Great place to hear the Middle East from...