Date: Tue, 28 Aug 2001 11:24:12 -0400 Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: Gail Mackiernan Subject: Re: Some more info on FRS In-Reply-To: <308A68716B76D211A7910008C74C12E3017D584A@PSBMAIL2> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII Norm (and others) There was a lot of testing among committee members and no one reported any particular problems with one radio talking to another. Several states have been using either 8/16 or 11/22 for some time now with no particular problems. The FRS committee solicited input for some time and the consensus among responders was 11/22. No one is compelled to use it of course. Also, the bit about FRS being "illegal" elsewhere is not correct. Rather, in many countries the use of FRS-type radios is *unregulated* -- there are no laws one way or the other. I have checked when taking my radios to several foreign countries in last couple of years and have not ever been told they were illegal. Not even Israel. HOWEVER, there ARE countries where they ARE illegal and others where their use is not recommended -- any place where the government is suspicious, capricious or authoritarian for example. One should always check with embassy or customs before taking abroad. I agree ABA needs to emphasize this more. Gail Mackiernan On Tue, 28 Aug 2001, Saunders_N wrote: > Please note that the following two paragraphs have been drawn from FRS > descriptive material on the Family Radio Service Information website > (http://members.tripod.com/~jwilkers/frspage.html). > > "Many FRS radios have the capability for "selective calling". This means > you can set your radios to a special code that only will allow radios set to > that exact code to be able to call you. There are two methods in use, CTCSS > and DCS. These methods are NOT compatible with one another. You MUST get > radios with the same type of encoding. NOTE: This function does NOT make > your radios "scrambled" or "secure." Any person with a scanner can hear > you. All this function does is selectively open the squelch (what keeps the > radio quiet between conversations). Many manufacturers misleadingly regard > these as "privacy codes.". The radio is NOT private, anyone can listen in, > regardless of what manufacturers say. I recommend you purchase your radios > with one of these two selective calling systems. In many areas FRS is > rather busy. These selective calling systems may also be marketed as "quiet > tones", "quiet mode", "group mode", etc. Just make sure you get all your > radios with the same type of system. You can use CTCSS with radios of > different brands together. Most manufacturers number their codes > differently, but all carry most of the same tone frequencies. Look in the > manuals that came with the radios for the frequency of the code you want to > use, then match it up with the code numbers, then input those into the > radio." > > > "Can my X-Brand radio be used with a Y-Brand radio? > Yes.... for the most part. ALL radios use the same frequencies and can talk > to each other fine. BUT... certain features are not cross compatible. > Paging and calling signals may be incompatible. A DCS equipped radio will > not work with a CTCSS equipped radio (when each respective system are > activated). Also, not all radios follow the same system when numbering > CTCSS tones. CTCSS tone 1 on one radio may be #10 on another and so forth. > Read the manual for each radio to select the comparable tone on each unit. > CTCSS tones are fairly standard, and you will find corresponding tones for > each radio." > > > Based on this information, I would recommend that the ABA modify their > proposed standard for use of FRS radios by birders as follows: the proposed > nationwide "channel/subchannel" should be set to 22/0. After birders have > made a connection on subchannel 0, they may choose to move to another > subchannel, but this only has the effect of preventing other communications > on the basic channel from reaching them, not from allowing them to be heard > on the basic channel. Use of subchannels does NOT reduce clutter on a basic > channel. > > Another piece of information I discovered on the above website: > > "FRS may be used in Canada, but USA/Canadian models can only be used in > these two nations. There are similar services in other nations, but none of > them are the exact same services as FRS. Made-for-US radios can ONLY be used > in the United States and Canada. You could be subject to very severe > penalties if you use an FRS radio overseas. Also, The Special PMR-446 Radios > designed for European use CANNOT be used in the USA." > > I think the ABA should point this out quite strongly to their members since > birders have a tendencey to travel widely and carry a lot of equipment along > with them. > > > Further, the fact that the proposed standards from ABA are then linked > directly to the ABA store where one brand of FRS radio is prominently > featured, subtracts from the credibility of their recommendations. > > Best, > Norm Saunders > > ===================================== > Norman C. Saunders > Office of Employment Projections, BLS > Saunders_N@bls.gov > > ======================================================================= > To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com > with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey > ======================================================================= > ======================================================================= To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey ======================================================================= =========================================================================