Search & Rescue Group Adopts GMRS/FRS Channel 3

[KK6HRW]

“Colorado Search and Rescue Association FRS Radio Use for Backcountry SAR

Position Paper : 04/10/23

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

If someone becomes lost or injured in the Colorado backcountry and is using family radio services or general mobile radio service radios (both types referred to herein as “FRS” radios), Colorado Search and Rescue Association (CSAR) designates FRS radio Channel 3.0 [462.61250 MHz] as the default during backcountry search and rescue (Backcountry SAR) emergencies. If other methods of communication are not being used, Backcountry SAR responders, if equipped, may default to Channel 3.0 to communicate with those involved. If possible, others are encouraged to monitor Channel 3.0 but not to use it for routine communications, so that in the event someone calls for assistance they can help get word to the local 911 dispatch center or assist directly. Backcountry SAR teams in Colorado do not actively monitor FRS/GMRS channels but most will be able to utilize FRS radios once they have been alerted by a 911 dispatch center and have arrived in the area of the incident.”

 

[RFI-EMI-GUY]

There should be some national standard protocol. Most rescue helicopters as well as news gathering have a Technisonic or equivalent UHF FM radio capable of tuning FRS.

 

[mmckenna]

This gets batted around every few years.
I remember back in the early 2000's, someone was trying to do the same thing with Channel 1. (problem was there wasn't standardized channel numbering between all the FRS radio brands at the time)
Then there was a group in Wyoming trying to use 3-07, as that's their area code. Again, no standard on the PL tone numbering...
There was another group claiming that FRS 9 was the one to use, so as to ride on the CB channel 9 thing.


Problem with all this is when it gives people a false sense of security.

-or-

"The nice thing about standards is that there are so many to choose from".

 

[AK_SAR]

It sounds like a variation on what's being done for winter snow safety in popular backcountry areas. Take a look at what they are doing in the Wasatch:

Group to Group Radio Channel Initiative - Utah Avalanche Center

utahavalanchecenter.org

And also at Snoqualmie Pass:

Backcountry Radio Channels - Northwest Avalanche Center

Photo: Scott Rinckenberger This program is not designed, managed, or monitored by the Northwest Avalanche Center forecasters and staff. Program Development The following radio program is a community-driven initiative intended to facilitate party-to-party communication in the backcountry. This...

nwac.us

I believe they are doing something similar in Telluride, though I don't have a link for that. For some background, see the paper from the ISSW:

https://k2sports.a.bigcontent.io/v1/static/BCA-utilizing-common-radio-channels-avalanche-terrain-issw2016

Note that the idea here is not so much to call for help in a avalanche incident. Calling for help in that case is calling for help with a recovery, not a rescue. Rather the idea is to prevent accidents, like starting down and triggering an avalanche on a party you were not aware was below you. They seem to be assuming that most skiers and snow machiners will be using the Backcountry Access BCA Link radios, or one with a similar Channel and Privacy Code scheme.

 

[PACNWDude]

+1 on this coming around every few years. I know in the Olympic Peninsula of Washington State, they used to have Garmin Rino handhelds in the search and rescue helicopters, telling people to use FRS channel 1. This was, as mentioned above, there was no standard band plan (pre 2017 changes by the FCC).

Any comms is better than none, so a smart hiker, campers, skier, outdoors man will research the area and see if there is some standard for that area. Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT) used to push for FRS use as well, since they are cheap and abundant radios.

No matter which channel, keep it simple....no CTCSS tones, simplex, and times to monitor/talk.

 

[RFI-EMI-GUY]

Using smartphones for back country emergencies sounds risky to me, but these folks do seem to have come up with an interesting and well thought out concept for SAR.

PROTECT. EVERYONE. - Airflare - Wilderness Safety App

airflare.com

 

[mmckenna]

Using smartphones for back country emergencies sounds risky to me, but these folks do seem to have come up with an interesting and well thought out concept for SAR.

PROTECT. EVERYONE. - Airflare - Wilderness Safety App

airflare.com

So, requires people to download an app before getting lost?

I think once SMS over satellite gets more widely deployed, and/or the smart ones get a PLB or similar device, most of these stopgap measures will go away. I personally never understood why someone would pay thousands of dollars on top tier backpacking gear, multi-thousand dollar mountain bikes, skis, kayaks, etc. but then balk at the idea of buying a $300 device that will save their lives. I spend a lot of time outdoors, and even my little radio guy brain lead me to buying a PLB device since I figured my life was worth it.

 

[RFI-EMI-GUY]

So, requires people to download an app before getting lost?

I think once SMS over satellite gets more widely deployed, and/or the smart ones get a PLB or similar device, most of these stopgap measures will go away. I personally never understood why someone would pay thousands of dollars on top tier backpacking gear, multi-thousand dollar mountain bikes, skis, kayaks, etc. but then balk at the idea of buying a $300 device that will save their lives. I spend a lot of time outdoors, and even my little radio guy brain lead me to buying a PLB device since I figured my life was worth it.

It has a work around for people who get lost without the app. Basically their tracking receiver is programmed to mimic the WIFI networks the lost person has at home, or the guest WIFI from their hotel etc. The idea is that someone that has reported them lost and can furnish these details. Normally the APP provides the default connectivity.

I agree, I would not find myself in the wilderness depending solely upon a cellphone.

 

[mmckenna]

It has a work around for people who get lost without the app. Basically their tracking receiver is programmed to mimic the WIFI networks the lost person has at home, or the guest WIFI from their hotel etc. The idea is that someone that has reported them lost and can furnish these details. Normally the APP provides the default connectivity.

OK, that makes a bit more sense. Kind of a novel approach.
Not sure I'd have my phone turned on if I was in an area with no cell coverage.

I agree, I would not find myself in the wilderness depending solely upon a cellphone.

I like my Garmin, but am awaiting a time when I replace my cell phone with something that will SMS via satellite.

 

[iMONITOR]

I'd honestly rather rely on S.O.S. smoke signals or a signal mirror over FRS radios for seeking rescue in mountains and forests. Beating a stick on a hollow log might even yield better response. I think the attempt to default to CH-1 in the past was a total failure because that's what all the kiddies use for nonsense because they most likely don't even know they have channel choices, let alone knowing how to change them.

 

[mmckenna]

I'd honestly rather rely on S.O.S. smoke signals or a signal mirror over FRS radios for seeking rescue in mountains and forests. Beating a stick on a hollow log might even yield better response. I think the attempt to default to CH-1 in the past was a total failure because that's what all the kiddies use for nonsense because they most likely don't even know they have channel choices, let alone knowing how to change them.

I might agree.

In reality, one should have more than one means of getting help in an emergency.
Something as simple as a loud whistle will get someones attention from quite a distance. I carry one in my pack.
Signal mirrors are great during the daytime. We were once doing survival training in Alaska and were practicing with them. The tower at the airfield about 15 miles away called on the radio to say they could easily see them.
Smokey fires will draw a lot of attention and can be visible from a long ways off. Knowing how to get a good smokey fire going is important.

I'd absolutely use a radio if I had one with me, but I would not count on FRS or the luck of some random person hearing me.

I still carry the Garmin InReach with me whenever I'm out like that. Kind of hard to screw it up.

Unfortunately many of these plans seem to give a false sense of security and reward those that refuse to plan ahead.

 

[mmckenna]

To be absolutely fair, these plans are better than nothing. My concern would be there's no common standard. I still think people need to do a better job planning ahead.

 

[iMONITOR]

OK, that makes a bit more sense. Kind of a novel approach.
Not sure I'd have my phone turned on if I was in an area with no cell coverage.



I like my Garmin, but am awaiting a time when I replace my cell phone with something that will SMS via satellite.

I frequently see a lot of Garmin's all the DNR, Fish & Game TV shows. They are decent for some applications such as sting ops/stake-outs, and multi-officer evidence gathering. The ability to send/receive GPS coordinates is great too!

 

[KK6HRW]

It has a work around for people who get lost without the app. Basically their tracking receiver is programmed to mimic the WIFI networks the lost person has at home, or the guest WIFI from their hotel etc. The idea is that someone that has reported them lost and can furnish these details. Normally the APP provides the default connectivity.

I agree, I would not find myself in the wilderness depending solely upon a cellphone.

I have the AirFlare App and don’t mind giving them all of $6 per year for encouragement, but I suspect that their real business plan is to sell lots of those WiFi mimicking devices to search and rescue organizations,

 

[KK6HRW]

If there ever is a national standard, I hope that a channel in the 15-22 range (with NO ‘Code’j is chosen, due to the higher power allowed on GMRS. If a repeater happens to be using that channel, so much the better. The presence of a repeater means that some people may be listening without a CTCSS/DPL ‘filter’, and thus in a position to hear any distress call made on the repeater output frequency. For this purpose I would recommend GMRS Channel 21, an easy to remember number with an easy to enter frequency of 462.7

 

[PrivatelyJeff]

+1 on this coming around every few years. I know in the Olympic Peninsula of Washington State, they used to have Garmin Rino handhelds in the search and rescue helicopters, telling people to use FRS channel 1. This was, as mentioned above, there was no standard band plan (pre 2017 changes by the FCC).

Any comms is better than none, so a smart hiker, campers, skier, outdoors man will research the area and see if there is some standard for that area. Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT) used to push for FRS use as well, since they are cheap and abundant radios.

No matter which channel, keep it simple....no CTCSS tones, simplex, and times to monitor/talk.

The only real way to get it done is for the FCC to designate a frequency, and mandate it as a channel on FRS radios. It would be channel “E” and wouldn’t allow a tone.

 

[vagrant]

I like my Garmin, but am awaiting a time when I replace my cell phone with something that will SMS via satellite.

The Garmin inReach devices, even your Mini, put out almost 1.5 watts (31.7 dBm) at 1.6 GHz. I am curious what dBm/watts the iPhone 14 uses for the satellite communication and the freq for whatever service it uses.

 

[sallen07]

For this purpose I would recommend GMRS Channel 21, an easy to remember number with an easy to enter frequency of 462.7

Which would be great, except that GMRS users aren't allowed to use that frequency above Line A:

Federal Communications Commission

FCC Maps

www.fcc.gov

Not only does that include a number of cities (including Detroit, Cleveland, Erie, and Buffalo) but large areas of wilderness (Adirondacks, Michigan's Upper Peninsula). "Some People" will argue that doesn't matter (since it doesn't directly affect them) but if we use one channel for 85% of the country and another for the rest, then we don't have a single standard anymore.

There are also those who will proclaim, "That doesn't apply anymore since I cannot find it in Part 95 E" but it's right there on the license.

 

[sallen07]

I still think people need to do a better job planning ahead.

THIS.

Not to go off on too much of a tangent and get reprimanded by the mods, but there are FAR too many people who go "outside" and are totally unprepared. "Oh, it's OK. If I get lost or hurt I'll just use my cell phone to call for help." Yeah great. Especially if you are in an area where there is no cell coverage ... which is unfathomable to many.

The New York State DEC (Department of Environmental Conservation) publishes periodic press releases that highlight activities by their Forest Rangers and Environmental Conservation Officers. They are filled with stories of people who go into the wilderness and have to be rescued. Most of the time that is not because they got injured, but simply because they were not prepared at all.

Press Releases

But it's not just the back country. At least once or twice a year we have a hiker who goes for a walk in one of our county parks, gets lost, and calls 911 to get "rescued". Understand that we're talking about parks where one is never more than a couple miles from a road. I recall in particular an incident a year or two ago where someone went for a walk (at dusk), didn't have a light, got "lost", and dialed 911. This was a day when the low temps at night were expected to stay in the 60s and no rain was forecast. The individual could have easily found some place to rest and waited until daylight and walked out. (I think they were even on a trail.) Sure, they might have been hungry and thirsty since they didn't bring water or food, but their life was never in any danger. But no, they called 911 and tied up a number of fire and law enforcement resources for a couple hours searching for them, just because they didn't bring a flashlight.

I believe the searchers found them on a trail about 1/2 mile from the parking lot.

 

[KK6HRW]

Which would be great, except that GMRS users aren't allowed to use that frequency above Line A:

Federal Communications Commission

FCC Maps

www.fcc.gov

Not only does that include a number of cities (including Detroit, Cleveland, Erie, and Buffalo) but large areas of wilderness (Adirondacks, Michigan's Upper Peninsula). "Some People" will argue that doesn't matter (since it doesn't directly affect them) but if we use one channel for 85% of the country and another for the rest, then we don't have a single standard anymore.

There are also those who will proclaim, "That doesn't apply anymore since I cannot find it in Part 95 E" but it's right there on the license.

I forgot about Line A and Channel 21. Well, how about “Line 19” then (with a tip of the hat to CB Folks) for high power emergency use?