Two-Way Radio Communication on the Playa

[krazyj]

Hello!

I'm coming into BRC after my campmates arrive, and I'm trying to figure out how we could use radio communications to talk to each other on the playa. (Also, because having a fancy 2-way radio available to contact my friends at anytime during the week seems awesome and fun!)

I've done a little bit of research on types of radios and don't know what I should get + what my expectations should be on the playa (i.e. distance, channel traffic, noise).

I highly doubt we'd have enough time to get FCC Technician Licenses before the burn, so it seems the licensed spectrums are out.

Otherwise, what should we look at? CB? MURS? Unlicensed VHF? And would we be able to find any handheld radios which could cover the entire 5 mile radius of BRC (including from the beginning of the entry road, to the back of the deep playa)?

Thanks for any input!

[Captain Goddammit]

There's a whole recent thread all about exactly that.

[krazyj]

Whoops, sorry! Missed that in my searching, but found it now.

Thanks for the heads up, I'll move my questions over to there.

For future reference, here it is: viewtopic.php?f=3&t=78234

[GreyCoyote]

As the Good Capt has said, this is a recent subject here... viewtopic.php?f=3&t=78234&hilit=Radio

FYI: Except for MURS, there is no unlicensed spectrum in the VHF band for your use. But FRS is available in the UHF portion. But it wont take you 5 miles regardless of what the blister pack advert says. "23 miles"'is advertised, but you need to be talking from Mt Everest with the luck of the Irish. More like a mile, tops, in the Real World. MURS however, will do 3-4 miles... Usually reliably, other times just barely.

Confirming: at this point it is indeed a physical impossibility to get your Tech ticket before the burn, but if you are of the ham mindset, I would strongly encourage you to get it. That "lowly" Tech license is easy to get (30 questions) and it opens up BIG possibilities for legal comms on 2-meters and above. If you have no interest in high-power HF work, the Tech is simply awesome.

Welcome!