Scotty,
I would always suggest that you go through your department supervisors for the information that you are requesting, as well as permission to use a radio not supplied by the department on the specified channels.
It really is a cover-your-butt situation. If your radio does not work properly, or is stolen and someone else misuses it, you're less-likely to be putting your firefighting status on the line.
The worst time for your chief to learn you had a radio programmed outside the department is when your talk button sticks open, and puts a repeater channel out-of-service for a few hours.
Since we are talking about VHF for both departments, make sure the radio is capable of narrowband, splinter channels, digital coded squelch, etc. The radio may need all three capabilities to be programmed properly for some of the Boone / Watuaga Co channels.
Depending on what method is used to program the radio, get a printout of the programming from the person doing it. That will help if you need to have it reprogrammed at another time. Also keep your radio's serial number stored somewhere, in case the radio is lost or stolen.
Final suggestion ... if you have a channel programmed into the radio that the fire service is not authorized to use, have the transmit disabled for that channel.
Good luck with the radio, and at Appalachian State ... good school !
Jeff Multer
Fort Mill. S.C.
(occasioanlly monitor Watauga Fire and EMS,
- and ASU Maintenance, when things are slow)
