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ehall
Super Nomad
Posts: 1906
Registered: 3-29-2014
Location: Buckeye, Az
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Mood: It's 5 o'clock somewhere
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emergency radio channel
http://www.race-dezert.com/forum/threads/emergency-radio-in-... anyone heard anything about this?
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TMW
Select Nomad
Posts: 10659
Registered: 9-1-2003
Location: Bakersfield, CA
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Sounds like a good ideal but an FRS radio maximum output is 500mW and at 462.7125mHz you are not going very far. CB and ch 1-7 on GMRS radios are 5
watts, higher channels 50 watts.
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Gulliver
Senior Nomad
Posts: 651
Registered: 11-18-2013
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As stated, the 462 mHz. stuff is line of sight for any range more than a mile or so.
I dunno about other areas but no one is monitoring any frequency in my area with two exceptions.
If you are near the water you have a fair chance of raising someone on a marine VHF channel. 16 for starters and then maybe 22 or 21. It varies with
location.
The ranchos on the mountains near me use ham radio VHF radios. No licensing, of course, and all sorts of frequencies. I have put my radio in scan mode
when wandering about and heard a few transmissions. All in Spanish and highly intermittent. One, you would have to know the frequencies in use, and
two, be reasonably fluent in Spanish.
My option, available only to licensed hams, is to carry a small H.F. radio with a wire to throw over a cactus. I can talk to people all over the world
and can usually get someone state side to call my partner in Mulege on our U.S. phone (magic jack).
But hey, it's my other hobby.
The racers and promoters mostly use commercial VHF radios in the 162 mHz. range.
Be self sufficient and get a tracker or a sat phone. The prices are coming down.
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ehall
Super Nomad
Posts: 1906
Registered: 3-29-2014
Location: Buckeye, Az
Member Is Offline
Mood: It's 5 o'clock somewhere
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Are you able to tune a ham radio, race radio , or marine band to 462.712 mhz?
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BooJumMan
Senior Nomad
Posts: 897
Registered: 8-11-2007
Location: San Diego
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My 2m/70cm ham radio would tune into it, but I cannot transmit (Yaesu mobile). That is an odd frequency. I'm a novice ham though.
I've picked up a lot though in the backcountry with the standard 70cm/2m bands.... yeah they are all in Spanish, but you could probably get help if
needed with the right setup. The handheld ham radios might not have the power and range to transmit to them though.
In that pre-Google Earth and social media epoch, The Code was adhered to. It was based on a simple verity: if a locale had been transformational for
you, and you had put the hard yards in to get there and to learn it, to know it, why in god�s name would you broadcast the news, thus ruining the
future experience not only for yourself, but for future adventurers?
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Gulliver
Senior Nomad
Posts: 651
Registered: 11-18-2013
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I have at least one handheld ham rig that works fine on 462 mHz. but the problem is still that the combination of low power and pretty much line of
sight makes for poor performance. If you had a 1000 watt radio it still wouldn't reach out more than a few miles unless you were on a mountaintop and
the other station was similarly located. I have talked to the International Space Station with only a watt of power on a handheld VHF radio. But when
it pops over the horizon it is as if the radio had been turned off.
My partner and I sometimes caravan down here from Washington and we communicate with 50 watt vhf radios (147 mHz ham radio) with fairly decent
magnetic mount roof top antennas. We find that even in open country the signals get unreliable beyond five miles or so.
To work around the topography and distances involved requires lower frequencies and a bit of power. CB takes you part of the way by being down at 27
mHz.
As I said in an earlier post, being able to depend on ionospheric propagation makes for at least half way reliable communications over wide areas.
The associated problem is that of having someone listening when you need them. The hams partially solve the problem by having regularly scheduled
gatherings, called nets, on agreed upon frequencies. There are scads of them so unless you are trying to get time critical medical help the system
works well.
The hard reality is that there is no way to have time critical help down here. Even with a sat phone there are only a few operations, such as
Antonio's in El Rosario, that are at all prepared to come and stop the bleeding.
You just have to carry enough water to walk out and rely on a goat farmer to happen by.
At 73 I have more years dealing with emergency communications that I care to think about (starting at age 15) so if anyone is after more detailed
information I watch my U2U closely.
[Edited on 4-13-2017 by Gulliver]
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Enrique2012
Nomad
Posts: 105
Registered: 4-19-2012
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FRS handhelds for emergency situations?
Sounds like another Escalera Nautica.
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Gulliver
Senior Nomad
Posts: 651
Registered: 11-18-2013
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I Googled 'Escalera Nautica' but my Spanish isn't up to figuring it all out.
Something about a bunch of marinas?
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TMW
Select Nomad
Posts: 10659
Registered: 9-1-2003
Location: Bakersfield, CA
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The Baofeng handhelds work from 136-174mhz and 400-480mhz. They are a dual channel radio, set the VHF frequency and a UHF frequency and you can switch
between them. They are 1 and 4 watts output.
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64850
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
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Mood: Have Baja Fever
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Quote: Originally posted by Gulliver  | I Googled 'Escalera Nautica' but my Spanish isn't up to figuring it all out.
Something about a bunch of marinas? |
Do a Nomad search... it was a huge deal 10+ years ago! The harbor and wide paved road at Santa Rosalillita are most of what came of that before the
land ferry across Baja and yacht marinas every 100-200 miles plan was abandoned. The paved wide spots every so often along the L.A. Bay highway was
also done for the land ferry (so it could pull over and allows cars to pass).
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Gulliver
Senior Nomad
Posts: 651
Registered: 11-18-2013
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Ah. I knew about the road and harbor at Santa Rosallita. Didn't know that it was anything more than the trans peninsular boat hauling fiasco.
You can barely launch a kayak there now due to the silting.
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Maderita
Senior Nomad
Posts: 667
Registered: 12-14-2008
Location: San Diego
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My understanding is that the primary use of FRS channel 7-7 is for convenient communication between hikers/outdoor sports participants and rescue
team, and between rescue team members. Many outdoor enthusiasts and groups have simple FRS radios. Many of the rescue personnel are volunteers and do
not have more expensive/sophisticated radios. They also need to communicate with government agency fire/rescue and air support.
This is in response to a dangerous increase in the recent number of accidents, missing/lost, and deaths in northern Baja. The Sierra de Juarez in
particular. Ecotourism and adventure group activities have expanded exponentially over the past couple years. Many are ill-prepared, lack contingency
planning, and unfortunately seem to have a travel plan that is mismatched to the weather conditions (extreme heat or cold).
The Facebook group Prevención Emergencia Agreste is working to address those problems.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1691363387781324/
https://www.facebook.com/canal77BC/?fref=nf
Btw, the new emergency telephone number for BC (Baja California North) is 9-1-1.
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Gulliver
Senior Nomad
Posts: 651
Registered: 11-18-2013
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Very good. I think that FRS radios, given the low cost and anticipated use will be as good as anything else I can think of at this time.
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Gulliver
Senior Nomad
Posts: 651
Registered: 11-18-2013
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Maderita. Or anyone.
Given my poor Spanish skills, I need some assistance reading the many posts there on the Facebook pages.
Can you tell me if they are recommending regular use and monitoring of that channel? Or only using the channel for calling for help and responding. It
strikes me that having it be in regular use might promote more listening. No good calling for aid if no one turns on their radios.
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StuckSucks
Super Nomad
Posts: 2323
Registered: 10-17-2013
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Best advice. I spend a fair amount of time in canyons and far away from humans - I need a communication device that's agnostic toward topography.
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64850
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
Member Is Offline
Mood: Have Baja Fever
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The DeLorme (now Garmin) inReach Explorer transmitted out from Agua Caliente and El Berrendo canyons, and the Matomí narrows and Azufre Wash camp,
among other spots, pretty well.
Text messaging and email to anywhere from the middle of off-grid Baja is pretty cool.
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Gulliver
Senior Nomad
Posts: 651
Registered: 11-18-2013
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As far as getting help, we often forget how populated much of Baja still is.
I cannot speak of other areas but within maybe a hundred miles of Mulege, my Winter base, I would have to work hard to be able to get more than ten or
maybe fifteen miles from a rancho.
Again and again I stop for a break or a snack and within a few minutes I hear a goat, a cow or a bell. And before long an old battered Toyota rattles
down the road.
There are exceptions like dead end roads that are totally wiped out. But even then, they seem to end not more than five miles beyond the last
habitation.
Not to get careless and get hurt so you can't walk but carry plenty of water and basic survival stuff like fire makings and you are unlikely to be
the subject of one of our stories.
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Maderita
Senior Nomad
Posts: 667
Registered: 12-14-2008
Location: San Diego
Member Is Offline
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Gulliver,
I don't know the answer to your question about regular monitoring of channel 7-7. I just assumed that it is only used or practical during a search and
rescue operation. The range on an FRS is only 2 or 3 miles; less in canyons. That is not of much use in wilderness areas to call for help, but useful
when help arrives nearby.
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Gulliver
Senior Nomad
Posts: 651
Registered: 11-18-2013
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I have programmed up my two FRS radios and one ham HT to Ch 7-7. I carry a bag of communications, first aid and basic rescue gear when on the road.
For you hams out there, FRS channel 7 (also known as GMRS channel 15) is 462.7125 mHz and the FRS tone (the second number) is the same as CTCS or PL
tone frequency 85.4 hZ.
http://wiki.radioreference.com/index.php/FRS/GMRS_combined_c...
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Enrique2012
Nomad
Posts: 105
Registered: 4-19-2012
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There is really no new information to add to this topic. If you're in an emergency (life or death) situation and you're banking on your FRS radio to
save your life, chances are you're going to die.
Sat phone, SPOT, Delorme. That's it.
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