FRS group talk/intercom heard

[DeeEx]

I’ve been in the hobby since decades before any scanner had Close Call, and to this day I rarely have found anything using it— but that changed this past weekend!

I was letting the scanner run on CC mode as I ate lunch during a training exercise at the University of Vermont. There were no hits except paging, presumably from the nearby hospital.

Suddenly I get a hit on 462.5875, CSQ. Scratchy and faint and then quickly growing to overwhelming signal strength. I looked around and lo and behold, the campus was using Segways or some similar little stand-up vehicles to give tours to new students. I only caught about a minute of chatter. It seemed the tour leader was communicating with the students and nobody was replying. I got out of my car and couldn’t hear anything like a PA was being used, so what was it? A headset that was perhaps broadcasting to others?

 

[footage]

We hear these in San Francisco routinely, usually on MURS frequencies. As you say, they're wireless headsets for Segway tour guides typically operating on MURS freqs or 151.5125. Haven't yet heard them on UHF. The tours roll around Golden Gate Park and can be heard up to 1.5 miles, depending on elevation and line of sight.

 

[DanRollman]

We hear these in San Francisco routinely, usually on MURS frequencies. As you say, they're wireless headsets for Segway tour guides typically operating on MURS freqs or 151.5125. Haven't yet heard them on UHF. The tours roll around Golden Gate Park and can be heard up to 1.5 miles, depending on elevation and line of sight.

These systems seem to show up in just about every band. Over the years I've seen "tour guide systems" that use MURS, FRS, 900 MHz, wireless mic frequencies, and the 72-76 MHz band popular with various devices for the hearing impaired (some of which can double as tour guide systems). Here are a few:

Tour Guide Headsets: Tour Systems & Headphones | Plant Tours

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Audio Tour Guide System & Tour Guide System Equipment | Tripp Communications Sales

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https://www.amazon.com/Simultaneous-Translation-Assistive-Listening-Transmitters/dp/B01GB85RNO

Amazon.com: EXMAX ATG-100T 72-76MHz Wireless Tour Guide Monitoring System Microphone Earphone Headset for Church Simultaneous Interpreting Teaching Conference Travel Interpretation(1 Transmitter 10 Receivers): Musical Instruments

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Tour Guide Solutions - Tour headset systems for all types of tours

With TourGuide Solutions, your tour group will hear every word with one of our wireless tour systems - Tour Guide Solutions

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Most of the cheaper ones are basic analog transmitters and a big box of smaller crappy receivers with a 1/8" headphone jack, but some higher end brands like Sennheiser make digital systems that have more robust feature sets.

Maybe even before digital thievery like the original Napster, was bringing a scanner to a museum and following the tour guide you didn't pay for!

 

[chief21]

In Florida, one-way FRS broadcasts are often used for keeping groups together and narration during small speedboat tours.

 

[ecps92]

In Boston [when we had Segway Tours] used FRS/GMRS for the Tour Guide, the radios were Bubble pack brands with an Ear Bud [Pre Pre COVID etc] Same for the little motorboat in the harbor

I’ve been in the hobby since decades before any scanner had Close Call, and to this day I rarely have found anything using it— but that changed this past weekend!

I was letting the scanner run on CC mode as I ate lunch during a training exercise at the University of Vermont. There were no hits except paging, presumably from the nearby hospital.

Suddenly I get a hit on 462.5875, CSQ. Scratchy and faint and then quickly growing to overwhelming signal strength. I looked around and lo and behold, the campus was using Segways or some similar little stand-up vehicles to give tours to new students. I only caught about a minute of chatter. It seemed the tour leader was communicating with the students and nobody was replying. I got out of my car and couldn’t hear anything like a PA was being used, so what was it? A headset that was perhaps broadcasting to others?

 

[DeeEx]

Thank you all. Very educational. I wasn’t familiar with such systems.

 

[BrianKmetz]

Sometimes when driving near warehouses I hear employee chatter on FRS. It's usually someone looking for something or someone.