VCalling10 - VTAC38 programing file information

motorcoachdoug

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Those radios are not public safety grade at all and unfortunately the company that makes those radios market them as public safety radios walkies talkies . I know a lot of vol FD/EMS can not afford their own radios due to the size of the budget that is given to small fire depts so they have to make due and I wish their was some way they could get the radios they really need.
 

SVILLE-TF17

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Scottsville VA
Those radios are not public safety grade at all and unfortunately the company that makes those radios market them as public safety radios walkies talkies . I know a lot of vol FD/EMS can not afford their own radios due to the size of the budget that is given to small fire depts so they have to make due and I wish their was some way they could get the radios they really need.
I am in dealing with that exact issue that i am facing with my Task force
 

BigLebowski

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Piedmont NC
Everything I am seeing on here, your Facebook, and website points to this being a Task Force of you.

I think that it's great that you want to volunteer, but perhaps there are other opportunities for you to do it where you will get some real-world experience? Civil Air Patrol has a large SAR component and i'm sure they have a group in your area. They can also teach you about communications.

For any big operation in VA they would likely request the VDEM Communications Cache for communications support. They can respond with a truckload of radios, portable towers, and even a portable trunked radio site. If you were in fact on the ground working they would provide the radio(s).
 
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n4jri

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I second BigLebowski. It's generally not a good idea to start your own organization of this type in an area that already has so many overlapping services. You need training and experience, and VDEM requires certain certifications even for folks who are organized as ARES/RACES, REACT, etc. before permitting any sort of official involvement on their part. And frankly, I don't think there's going to be a lot of VTAC activity where Albemarle County is concerned. They have 700/800 MHz P25 trunked system, and likely a boatload of mutual aid/interop frequencies already programmed in their radios--and State Police already have the same stuff programmed in their portables.
Glad to see that you've licensed your 'Ops' freqs, but as others have pointed out, your license requires them to be set to Narrowband FM. It looks like you're using CHIRP to program them.
You can volunteer for Civil Air Patrol, Virginia Defense Force, Blue Ridge Mountain Rescue Group or even the VDEM radio cache--though some of those may be a bit of a drive for you. How about volunteering for your local Fire Dept and/or Rescue Squad in Scottsville?

73/Allen (N4JRI)
 
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