Sir.
Another option for retreat communications is to license your own business frequency with the FCC. That is what we did. Having worked in public safety, both fire and law enforcement for 30 years, I knew what I wanted in a radio system. I wanted to use public safety quality radios and I wanted my own repeater, all in the UHF business band. Our remote area has few UHF frequencies since public safety operates in the VHF band in our area. There are few businesses that use radios.
The initial license cost about $400. for ten years because the initial frequency search. Future 10 year renewals are about $135. The frequency is mine and no one for over 50 miles can use or license it. I licensed a repeater as well so I got two frequencies for the price of one. I obtained a permit for a repeater site from BLM and I will install my 50 watt, solar powered repeater this spring. The repeater spot, on a remote mountain, “looks” into the mountain range where our ranch is and also looks 30 miles down the valley to the closest town.
As far as purchasing quality radios, I decided on the Kenwood brand since that is what I use at work and our local radio tech is a dealer for them. For hand-held radios, we use the [Kenwood] 3160. I bought all of mine used on eBay for less than $150 each. For 25 watt and 45 watt mobile radios, I bought them on eBay as well. I have a 65 watt mobile in the house as the base radio. These radios have over a 20 year life in my experience.
By using these professional radios, you can also purchase military/police quality head sets, boom microphones and bone microphones for them which is very important to OPSEC when patrolling or manning an LP/OP. Sound can travel a long ways in the mountains.
Also, you can program the radios for the FRS and GMRS bands so you could talk to folks with their inexpensive radios from K-Mart and Cabela’s. This would be illegal for the FRS frequencies unless you can program the radio to [limit it to] put out .6 watts (600 milliwatts) on the FRS frequencies. You could not use the base or mobile radios legally [with more than 600 milliwatts] on either the GRMS or FRS frequencies.
As far as antennas go, buy a good commercial or public safety quality antenna for your base antenna. When it comes to hand held radio antennas, I have seen the high gain antennas from Smiley Antennas, work wonders. Once our mounted unit was working in a narrow canyon and no one in the unit could reach dispatch on their hand held antennas when we needed a patrol car for an arrest. I attached my expandable Smiley Antenna (VHF) antenna to my radio, extended it out to the full four feet, and contacted dispatch with no problem. I was the brunt of many “fishing pole” radio jokes from my team mates, but they all went out and bought their own!
I would recommend that groups consider this type of communications for their needs.
Thanks for your work Jim. I just renewed my 10 Cent Challenge subscription, with a little extra. – PED /p>