CHANNEL 3 FRS radio Official geocaching channel

[+drew82]

retracted

Edited July 28, 2007 by drew82

[Keystone]

Hello, I have been geocaching for about five years now and been a ham operator for about three years now, in which i hold a general class liscense. I think that most people that do this as a hobby are like me in that you enjoy gps, and all other forms of electronic hobbys... I have often thought that it would be enjoyable to use radio as well as gps in this hobby. I remember one day of caching when this idea really would have been a nice addition to the day.. Me and the two friends i was caching with started to notice a pattern, there was another group of cachers that seemed to be ahead of us by about thirty minutes to an hour on alot of the caches that we found.. I have enjoyed many conversations on local repeaters and simplex frequencys while around home or traveling since becoming a ham operator, and have talked to many people that have similar interests, and i think the same would apply with this hobby if more simple, and cost effective,and basically more realistic to the general public radios were used.. I would like to start this post as an idea, maybe it will go somewhere and become something in the geocaching comunity.. here's the jist <><>... channel 3 no privacy code so set to 0 ... this will enable you to hear all transmissions on this frequency... and last but not least call out using your geocaching nickname, the one used on the website, every hour on the hour and until ten minutes after the hour FROM THE HIGHEST MOST OUT IN THE OPEN PLACE YOU CAN FIND... This will give a narrowed down time to listen for other cachers..<><<><> The national sos radio network http://www.nationalsos.com/ ... has made efforts to organize an emergency channel on frs radios.. i urge to create the same kind of organization in the geocaching community for recreational use as well as cachers in some peril or confusion in an unfamiliar place... The major problem with using frs radios is getting effective range out of them.. So here are Some very valuble tips in using radios more efficiently... hold radio with antenna pointed straight up when transmiting or trying to recieve weak signals, and knowing what times you will be hearing others will give you the chance to get to the highest place you can... THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT with these radios since no after market antennas can be used by fcc rules, and use the monitor button to open the squelch to hear weak signals during the ten minute window every hour.. I hope this catches on as a way to bring together this community out in the real world and would love to see this on the geocaching website as something official.. thanks ..... drew82 GEOCACHE CHANNEL 3 SUB CODE 0 ,,,, Call times( times to say name and location, and to also listen for other cachers) on the hour every hour until ten after the hour from the highest most out in the open spot you can get... Happy Caching!!

 

From the Geocaching.com FAQ Page:

 

Do you have an FRS/PMR channel to find out if other Geocachers are in the area?

 

Yes. The community has decided on channel 2 as the primary for both FRS and PMR, and 12 as the alternate FRS (Family Radio Service) channel and 8 for the alternate PMR (Europe). FRS and PMR radios are longer distance walkie talkies, like the Motorola Talkabout.

Edited July 28, 2007 by Keystone

[+TexasGringo]

I can set mine to Channel 2 to see who is on.

 

I have an Extra Class ham ticket "K2EOK". Now...has "The Community" ever decided to look at anything for Ham Radio?

 

2 Meters?

440?

[Keystone]

Ham radio protocols are best discussed in the "GPS and Ham Radio" section of the forums. Look, for example, at the "Geocaching Talk Net" thread. There's also an active thread about meeting up on the air with other ham cachers.

[+TexasGringo]

Thanks Keystone...I shall look.

[BCProspectors]

We always use channel two to communicate with each other while geocaching and we hope that one day we will communicate with another geocacher. At the time this message was posted, this has not happened.

[+Dobroplayer]

retracted

I personally think that is a good idea....Ch3 no PL tone or zero security setting. I'm also a ham. The biggest reason I see here, let's just suppose one of us get's a little lost, confused or your GPS unit decides to quit,die and some other reason now function. That at least gives me another chance of getting out of a potentially bad situation. How can we get/push this idea a little harder....

 

Dobroplayer

WB9HZX

P.S. the callsign gives a clue to how long I have been licensed. LOL.

[+sbell111]

retracted

I personally think that is a good idea....Ch3 no PL tone or zero security setting. I'm also a ham. The biggest reason I see here, let's just suppose one of us get's a little lost, confused or your GPS unit decides to quit,die and some other reason now function. That at least gives me another chance of getting out of a potentially bad situation. How can we get/push this idea a little harder....

 

Dobroplayer

WB9HZX

P.S. the callsign gives a clue to how long I have been licensed. LOL.

Is channel three better than channel 2?

[+TexasGringo]

I have these Midland GXT635's with a supossed 15 mile range...it has 22 channels. I've had them for a year and even when on scanner mode, I've never heard anyone else on them.

[+TotemLake]

retracted

I personally think that is a good idea....Ch3 no PL tone or zero security setting. I'm also a ham. The biggest reason I see here, let's just suppose one of us get's a little lost, confused or your GPS unit decides to quit,die and some other reason now function. That at least gives me another chance of getting out of a potentially bad situation. How can we get/push this idea a little harder....

 

Dobroplayer

WB9HZX

P.S. the callsign gives a clue to how long I have been licensed. LOL.

Is channel three better than channel 2?

Not really. It was agreed upon a long time back to use FRS 2 because of the then limitations built into FRS radios. The end result is FRS 2 is a very popular channel for everybody.

 

I maintain vigilance on FRS 2 with my FRS, but I'm also a HAM and I also maintain vigilance on the Wilderness channel 146.52 and the agreed upon 147.555 for HAM geocachers when I'm hiking. Amateur radio has a better reach than FRS/GMRS radios and you also have the capability of hitting a repeater to increase that reach.

 

Once you establish contact, you can always switch to a less crowded channel. If you also know ahead of time the FRS 2 is too busy for the area, your local group can agree to monitor a different channel. The only drawback will be that you might miss someone who may be trying to connect up and didn't get that memo. Some radios will let you limit which channels you scan, so you can take advantage of your radio's scanning capabilities and monitor FRS 2 as well although that gets back to the noise factor you moved away from in the first place,

[+KD7MXI]

Hello, I have been geocaching for about five years now and been a ham operator for about three years now, in which i hold a general class liscense. I think that most people that do this as a hobby are like me in that you enjoy gps, and all other forms of electronic hobbys... I have often thought that it would be enjoyable to use radio as well as gps in this hobby. I remember one day of caching when this idea really would have been a nice addition to the day.. Me and the two friends i was caching with started to notice a pattern, there was another group of cachers that seemed to be ahead of us by about thirty minutes to an hour on alot of the caches that we found.. I have enjoyed many conversations on local repeaters and simplex frequencys while around home or traveling since becoming a ham operator, and have talked to many people that have similar interests, and i think the same would apply with this hobby if more simple, and cost effective,and basically more realistic to the general public radios were used.. I would like to start this post as an idea, maybe it will go somewhere and become something in the geocaching comunity.. here's the jist <><>... channel 3 no privacy code so set to 0 ... this will enable you to hear all transmissions on this frequency... and last but not least call out using your geocaching nickname, the one used on the website, every hour on the hour and until ten minutes after the hour FROM THE HIGHEST MOST OUT IN THE OPEN PLACE YOU CAN FIND... This will give a narrowed down time to listen for other cachers..<><<><> The national sos radio network http://www.nationalsos.com/ ... has made efforts to organize an emergency channel on frs radios.. i urge to create the same kind of organization in the geocaching community for recreational use as well as cachers in some peril or confusion in an unfamiliar place... The major problem with using frs radios is getting effective range out of them.. So here are Some very valuble tips in using radios more efficiently... hold radio with antenna pointed straight up when transmiting or trying to recieve weak signals, and knowing what times you will be hearing others will give you the chance to get to the highest place you can... THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT with these radios since no after market antennas can be used by fcc rules, and use the monitor button to open the squelch to hear weak signals during the ten minute window every hour.. I hope this catches on as a way to bring together this community out in the real world and would love to see this on the geocaching website as something official.. thanks ..... drew82 GEOCACHE CHANNEL 3 SUB CODE 0 ,,,, Call times( times to say name and location, and to also listen for other cachers) on the hour every hour until ten after the hour from the highest most out in the open spot you can get... Happy Caching!!

 

From the Geocaching.com FAQ Page:

 

Do you have an FRS/PMR channel to find out if other Geocachers are in the area?

 

Yes. The community has decided on channel 2 as the primary for both FRS and PMR, and 12 as the alternate FRS (Family Radio Service) channel and 8 for the alternate PMR (Europe). FRS and PMR radios are longer distance walkie talkies, like the Motorola Talkabout.

 

goto http://groups.yahoo.com/group/frs-open/dat...=&prntRpt=1

[AZcachemeister]

I always thought it was Channel 2/privacy 12?

Anyway, that is the agreed-upon combination for my usual group.

That being said, I don't really care what channel I use to talk to someone who can help me out of a bad situation if needed!

Perhaps we should change to plain channel 2, so the lower-class radios can hear us...

[+TotemLake]

I always thought it was Channel 2/privacy 12?

Anyway, that is the agreed-upon combination for my usual group.

That being said, I don't really care what channel I use to talk to someone who can help me out of a bad situation if needed!

Perhaps we should change to plain channel 2, so the lower-class radios can hear us...

FRS/GMRS is ok for close in chit chat, including the radios uppity folks use that allegedly go as far as 22 miles that never really get that far.

 

Get a HAM and understand just how limiting the FRS/GMRS really is if you expect to use the radio as an emergency device too. We had a hiker in Eastern Washington mountains with a broken leg contact someone in Montana for emergency help by way of HAM.

[+Moose Mob]

Since the use of channel 2 has long been established, all the other chit chat only serves to confuse the issue. Ham radio use while geocaching may be a good topic, and please check for a previous thread and if it's not there, please start a new thread.