The team has a cache of 20 public safety/HAM radios that are used during our searches and trainings. However, some members may also elect to purchase their own radios so that they don't have to rely or wait on the team equipmeent cache, as well as for personal use outside of team events. This page is to provide some information on radio selection and programming, to help you get up and running with a radio that will work on the AMRG frequencies.
First, you must be licensed by the FCC to legally use these radios and frequencies. The team, through ASRC, PSARC, and MRA, is licensed to use certain frequencies on a regular basis and we can use other frequences during mission responses and emergencies. However, outside of team events where you are operating under the team's license, you cannont legally use these radios and frequencies unless you are a licensed HAM radio operator. We encourage all AMRG members to get their Technician License for amateur radio from the FCC. This is not hard to do and you will learn a lot about radio operation along the way. You will also be able to legally use the full power of your radio once you are licensed. For information on getting licensed see: www.arrl.org/getting-licensed.
Second, for the radio to be used legally on our frequencies, it must be FCC part 90 approved for commercial use. It is not always easy to tell if a specific model is part 90 approved or not and it often varies based on the last letter in the model number. So double check and if you aren't sure, check with one of the AMRG officers or radio guru's before making a purchase.
AMRG's standard portable radio is the Wouxun KG-UV6X, but there are a number of suitable radioes on the market that can be used on the emergency servcies frequencies that AMRG uses. Radios are becoming increasingly cheaper and easier to get. As long as you are using a radio that operates in the VHF 140-170 MHz and UHF 400-480 MHZ range and the radio is FCC part 90 approved, it will work for AMRG applications. Some models that are inexpensive and currently popular are:
- Wouxun KG-UV6X (5watts, 200 channels)
- Wouxun KG-UV6D (5 watts, 200 channels)
- Baofeng UV-82C (5 watts, 128 channels)
- Baofeng UV-5R (4 watts, 128 channels)
Shop around, the links provided are for reference, you may be able to find better prices else where. The advanage of these radios is cost (they are inexpensive) and other people on the team have them, so they are easy to program and get setup to work with the team radios.
Accessories
You probably want a spare battery (regular capacity is fine, these last a long time) and a AA battery pack. The AA battery pack is a great back-up to have, also, you should store your radio with the AA pack on the radio. With the Wouxun, if you leave a charged batter on it, the radio gradually drains it, which can leave you with a dead battery when you show up a search.
Programming
To set up your radio, you need to program it, which requires a programming cable. You can buy one or borrow one from a team member who already has one. Beware cheap imitation cables, they don't work well and will give you headaches. We recommend getting a cable from rtsystems.com or anytonetech.com to make sure you get a quality cable with drivers that actually work.
You also need programming software, which is avaialble from rtsystems.com or the free programming application CHIRP.
We have also put together a list of suggested frequencies to use for the radios, including the standard AMRG/ASRC frequencies, as well as FRS frequencies. We also have the programing files that match these frequencies for the Wouxun KG-UV6 and Baofeng UV-82 radios available to download, so you can setup your radio just like the team radios.
Again, if you have any questions or need help programming your radio or getting the right files, don't hesitate to contact one of the officers to help you out.
