My god if my house is on fire and my family is in danger. Pleas show up with a non certified Baofeng, a shovel a sprinkling can or whatever might help. I will forgive you if you mess up NCR and a prairie home companion long enough to help. We should be very grateful for all the volunteers who show up and not belittle them for not carrying a $3000 hand held.
I have donated Baofeng radio to volunteer firemen. It is not like we are giving them to 10 year olds to play with.
It does set funny in my craw that some of the amateurs would complain that a volunteer civilian might endanger his life to save others while the arm chair quarterbacks wine about spectral purity and certification of equipment with extremely limited range.
Good God get a life and while you are at it thank a volunteer emergency person. You might even consider buying the local volunteers a Baofeng and diner for his family. IF your conscience bothers you that much. Buy him a multi thousand dollar radio and tell him he can buy his own diner. If it bothers you that much please don’t bother yourself with the complicated questions like. Do I really want that guy helping if he is going to use a non certified radio.
I do know one thing that is certifiable and that is the idgit that worries non paid professional who are willing to risk life and health for others are better off with no equipment than non certified equipment.
My god what have we become?
Joe KA9UCN
In a real life situation, it would be hard to argue against that.