For emergency use, you'll probably want to find a repeater with autopatch that you can hit from the trail. Back when I did this stuff 15 years ago there were a couple on the western foothills/slope - but they were located there for good valley coverage. Good luck hitting them from the tail.
Oh yeah, and you'll probably never officially talk to a LEO officer on it directly, since there are some legal restrictions about using the frequencies for official communication. That's what makes it amateur and not government/business/etc. I'm not real clear on how this works, one of the USFS guys was telling me how the FS got in trouble with the FCC for using FRS radios once at a campground.
For emergency use, you'll probably want to find a repeater with autopatch that you can hit from the trail. Back when I did this stuff 15 years ago there were a couple on the western foothills/slope - but they were located there for good valley coverage. Good luck hitting them from the tail.
I was looking for a repeater. There is one in placerville and one in Nevada city that are reachable but don't know who runs them or what frequencies they run.
146.805 down .600, PL 123 is the KA6GWY repeater. It works well in most of the rubicon from a high power mobile rig.
To clear up some misconceptions:
Amateur radio is intended as "hobby" radio, but can be used for official communications without violating any rules. It can be used for some commercial purposes...the only thing it cannot be used for is making a profit. (i.e. it can be used to order pizza, but not by the pizza restaurant to dispatch pizza deliveries).
Generally autopatch priveleges are granted at the whim of the owner. In the case of the 805, the owner is fairly liberal about the patch with people he knows and welcomes anybody who is a licensed amateur to talk on the system. The system is used very often by the El Dorado County Search and Rescue team, so one does need to be careful not to interrupt that sort of traffic.
Additionally, there is a "secret" repeater that is placed in the con during peak summer travel months that has handheld coverage throughout the entire trail. PM me if you are interested in using that...obviously you must be a licensed amateur (this is very easy for me to confirm) and I would have to check with the owner before giving out any info on that machine.
I've called helicopters for the sick and injured many, many times in the con using ham radio. Also called to let my people know I am doing OK and to check in, and to call out to friends for parts.
the 805 repater is mainly for SEARCH AND RESCUE, but for an emergeny i dont see anything wrong with utilizing a ham radio.
my wife and i will be taking our ham radio class, and test in the next month or so, I can post up when and where it is when that information becomes available.
Going to respectfully disagree. Been a ham in El Dorado county since the late eighties and know Frank (the owner) well.
When a SAR mission has been launched, it is common sense not to chat on the repeater and at that point it is a mainly SAR repeater, but otherwise (meaning most of the time), it is used for chat, info, radio geek talk, talking in the rubicon and other backcountry areas, chatting with Merlin at Spider Lake, checking in with spouses and friends, saying "hi", and whatever. Frank encourages licensed hams to use it and likes to chat on it himself.
I like Ham Radio Outlet. There's one in Oakland or you can find them on the web. THey have good service and prices on the low end.
My favorite brand for radios is Vertex/Yaesu. I use an FT-8900 dual band mobile and an FT-60 dual band handheld. I also like the VX-150 2 meter hand held...very inexpensive for such a durable and feature rich radio.
I was looking for a repeater. There is one in placerville and one in Nevada city that are reachable but don't know who runs them or what frequencies they run.
I don't know the current coverage, but back when I did this stuff I used the RCARCS 2M repeater, might be worth checking with these guys http://www.n6na.org/
I'll check N6NA on the way home, I believe it is 145.25 PL 162...I haven't really heard of anyone using it up there though. N6ICW also works in some areas of the con.
PM me and I can put you intouch with a guy in El Dorado hills that does them regularly. He also teaches the class for El Dorado SAR folks, so may be able to get you in one of those as well.
Here is what we have posted on the Rubicon Trail Home Page about radio commo. Let me know if we need to update something.
THanks, Del
RUBICON TRAIL: RADIO CHANNELS
CB: Many folks run CB channel 10.
HAMM: For HT coverage of the trail, the best channel that seems to get out at most places is: 146.805 neg. pl. 123.0. Harald Pietschmann runs the trail several times a week with guided trips. He runs on HAMM frequency 151.625 and can usually communicate with Merlin at Rubicon Springs (who can also reach the Sheriff and helicopter support for emergencies. Read more on HAMM and radio communications, as well as emergencies on Harald's web site here: http://rubicon-trail.com/Rubicon/emergency.html
151.625 is outside the amatuer band. So unless you have illegally modified your radio you may listen but you may not broadcast on that freq.
The best coverage for the trail is by far the 146.805 repeater. It is also Simulcasted on the Tahoe side on 145.605+ same tone. So if you're close to the Tahoma side you might pick this one up better (note that the transmit freqs are the same, 146.205). I have used the "805" from various places on the trail with a mobile rig without any problem. If you are using a handheld you will want to get the info on that "secret" repeater, but I believe it requires a dual band (144/440) radio. I can't recall the specific freq since I don't use it as much.
One advantage to using the "805" repeater in an emergency situation is that since it is often used by Search and Rescue you might be able to get in direct contact with one of the ED Sheriff Deputies that sometimes monitor the freq, albeit in a non-official capacity. If not, there is usually someone listening (i.e. Merlin and others) who can.
Just got off the phone with Jim Swanson, our ham radio instructor. Here are the dates and times for the next ham radio class:
Sunday April 23, 9 to noon, Sheriff's Office Training Room
Sunday April 30, 9 to noon, Sheriff's Office Training Room
Sunday May 7, 9 to noon, Sheriff's Office Training Room
Sunday May 14, 9 to noon, Sheriff's Office Training Room
Sunday May 21, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. OES office classroom (Ham license exam day)
There will be a flyer coming out soon with information about the textbook and other things.
The Sheriff's Office Training Room is on Ray Lawyer Drive just up the hill from Armory Drive.
You need not attend all the classes to get a license, but you must take the exam.
Thanks for all the help here. I've been studding Gordon Wests book and reading on the web. I'm catching on to this quick but have a ways to go. Hope to be testing soon but we shall see. :smokin:
Just thought I'd mention that there is no cost for this class. Jim teaches for the love of the sport and to help out Search and Rescue (but the class is open to all). There is the standard FCC $10 or $15 fee for the test however.
Just thought I'd mention that there is no cost for this class. Jim teaches for the love of the sport and to help out Search and Rescue (but the class is open to all). There is the standard FCC $10 or $15 fee for the test however.
I am not sure if the class is actually "open to all" being that pirate reaches out to alot of folks. I have been in e-mail contact with jim, and will post a limit on how many can take the class.
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Related Threads
?
?
?
?
?
Pirate 4x4
18.7M posts
366.4K members
Since 2000
A forum community dedicated to custom off-road vehicle owners and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about trail reports, builds, performance, modifications, classifieds, troubleshooting, fabrication, drivetrain, and more!