If FRS is useless,then what about the fellow that was in the News ....I believe it was in the midwest....He was hiking in the mountains and fell and broke his leg....he was able to contact some kids 40+miles away and they were able to get him some help..????....In the small town I live in we have a weekly net on channel one and have people check in ....we use the first letter of their last name to set the order of check in.....then when they check in they use their first name....those of us directing the net have all been hams for many years and we use that experience to teach others that are not hams....2 years ago we suffered a very bad Ice storm and many people suffered . Mostly the older folks....now we hope that if this happens again, there will be a better organized system of checking on the "neighbors" and directing information to the proper responders.By the way, yesterday we had some flooding and all the schools closed early . The Nursing Home prepared for evacuating the Residents. There main communications with the staff as they made their preperations was, "FRS". Eric Knight I am with you on this one...FRS can and has been a life saver. When I was speaking at a recent Neighborhood Watch meeting, I had an FRS in my hand.I explained that I am and some of the members of the neighborhood watch members are Ham Operators. I explained that we could talk to other countries , other states or where ever we wanted , but that when another ice strom comes, that the FRS in my hand would be much more important than any of my other radios. If I call the State Capital Comm Center 100 miles away and tell them my neighbor needs to find insulin , that would not help any if the phone lines and electricity are down for days like they were the last time we had a bad ice storm. Reply to a comment by : KB1EHE on 2005-11-27



LOVE IT, OR HATE IT, I'm the fellow you can attribute to the www.NationalSOS.com Web site and the recent discussions about using "FRS Channel 1" as an emergency calling frequency for FRS users. The communication chaos that occurred after Hurricane Katrina, and the resulting massive loss of life, really got me upset. Seeing people die from thirst and hunger -- simply because they had no way to tell rescuers where they were -- inspired me to try to figure out a way to help avoid or minimize future catastrophes. Because, unfortunately and inevitably, there will be another national emergency (whether natural or manmade). And I just couldn't sit idly by...and watch more people die. The idea came to me when I noticed the density of hams in just about every town in America. Just type in town names or zip codes at http://www.qrz.com/i/names.html and you'll see what I mean. As far as FRS radios, there are millions of them. By some estimates, 100 million in the U.S. So there are essentially dozens in almost every town in America. And they're being sold at a rate of 12.2 million PER YEAR. Yes, as has been pointed out in this message thread, they DO have very limited range. But I did a little real-world research. I've found (albeit with some very crude, non-scientific testing) that ham radio HTs can receive the 500mW FRS signals at surprising ranges...far beyond what the companion FRS radios have been able to receive. Even driving around my town (which is quite hilly), I was able to hear my wife's test messages on FRS 1 for up to a couple of miles. I was listening via my Alinco DJ-V5 HT that I purchased about four years ago. Here's a link to the HT's specs: http://www.wavehunter.com/DJ-V5T.html I should mention that I was NOT using a roof-mounted antenna on my car with my HT. Just had the Alinco, with its manufacturer-supplied little whip antenna (about 6.5" long), sitting on the passenger seat of the car (so I could listen as I was driving). I'm sure with a car roof-mount antenna or, better yet, with an HT hooked up to an antenna on the roof of a house, the reception range would even be better. Anyway, after my range-test experiment, I thought I'd put this idea out in the public to energize a debate. I registered the NationalSOS.com domain name...and then started writing HTML code and preparing the Web site. It's all my words on the Web site. It's even my hand you see in the photo on the home page holding the FRS radio. ;-) It's a total one-man operation. Just me. So I apologize in advance if I don't respond promptly to posts in this forum. I have my hands full responding to all the posts, e-mails, Web changes, etc. on www.NationalSOS.com. I don't get much sleep anymore. Kind of like a continuous, online Field Day. ;-) But I believe there is a germ of an idea here. An idea that can save lives in times of crisis. So I'm game to stick my neck out with the idea...and see what comes of it. I've been a ham for 31 years. I got started when my dad saw a newspaper story about Ham Radio classes being held at the American Red Cross in New Haven, CT. Since then I've always admired how this hobby brings out the very best in people. People who give up their time and energy -- and are always at the ready to help in times of emergency. I admire you all. And I hope that I can contribute in some small way with this concept. In case someone thinks there might be some money motivation: nope. Helping to save lives is far too important to profit from. I could care less if I even get a mention about this idea...or whatever it evolves to. I just want ** something ** like this to take shape -- so we can give people the power to help save their own lives. F.Y.I., the concept as it is currently envisioned is not to change the use of FRS radios in any way. Only when a crisis strikes would hams (and others) tune to listen for emergency communications on FRS 1. I have recommended FRS 1, with no tone, as this is the default power-on configuration for most FRS radios out of the box. (I think we have to assume that the ordinary citizens have extremely limited radio knowledge...so operations have to be very simple.) A bunch more information on the basic logic and recommendations is available on my Web site (particularly in the forums). I chimed in here at eHam.net simply to say "thank you" for the vigorous discussions and ideas. Even the negative comments and critiques are appreciated; only with a free flow of ideas will the best overall plan emerge. Ham radio operators have the spirit, knowledge, and -- most importantly -- the "can do" attitude when confronted with tough challenges. The bottom line is to come up with a solution that helps save lives. I KNOW THIS CONCEPT HAS LOTS OF FLAWS. It's far, far from perfect. But I'm hoping the brilliant minds out there can help come up with a real, workable solution to an important problem. In my mind, the ideal solution would be something that: (1) uses currently available resources, (2) involves and mobilizes the general public as part of the solution to their particular predicament (vs. relying on government agencies to perform), (3) doesn't require new laws or legislation, and (4) can be implemented quickly (ideally, in some rudimentary form, before next year's hurricane season). Again, I apologize if I don't respond quickly to posts here. I'm maxed out over at my Web site. Feel free to visit and contribute to the forums there. Your ideas will be extremely appreciated! Here's a short cut: http://nationalsos.com/ideas/viewforum.php?f=3 Also, I've recently (this morning) updated the site with a scrolling page of incoming suggestions, critical points, and rapidly evolving ideas for "guidelines": http://www.nationalsos.com/guidelines.html And the home page www.NationalSOS.com has a good, general overview of the project. Thanks, in advance, for your brainstorming and ideas. Together, let's make a difference! 73 Eric Knight KB1EHE www.NationalSOS.com