CERT Teams using Amateur Radio?

Most CERT operations are small.  Most CERT Team members are not really turned on by amateur radio.  Probably the most you can hope for is that the team members have FRS/GMRS radios that they keep in their bag. 

There are so few 2 meter and 70 cm frequency allocations available in northern Utah, that CERT teams would be unable to find anywhere talk in an emergency.  Additionally, anybody who has ever tried to use FRS at places like Disneyland will recognize that there is a significant congestion problem on that band as well, especially when people try to use the so-called privacy codes.  Imagine what would happen if 500 CERT teams all went active at once on FRS or on the 10 or so coordinated simplex 2 meter frequencies.  Due to congestion on both the ham and FRS bands in the Salt Lake area, Salt Lake City CERT has chosen to standardize on eXRS radios from TriSquare  (http://www.trisquare.us/exrs.htm).  I am currently evaluating these for both my stake and community as an alternative to the Amateur and FRS/GMRS services. The radios are inexpensive, no license is required, and private.  No more advertising from me -- go read the website.Check it out.  I think you will be pleasantly surprised.73, Steve K7SRB

Who says you have to use the coordinated simplex frequencies?  In the USA, if you stay within the band and sub band for the mode you are using, you may use any frequency you are authorized except on 60 Meters.  In the 2M band, you can operate on any frequency as long as you keep your signal including sidebands between 144 and 148 MHz.  This flexibility is one of the tremendous benefits of amateur radio.  It is wise to restrict your operation to the mode assigned to the sub band in question.  It would not do to start operating FM on 144.200.  People would talk about you!  Ditto for the satellite sub bands, APRS, packet and other specialized frequencies.  Nothing in the world keeps any U.S. amateur from operating between repeater output frequencies or even between the band planned simplex frequencies.  This is not the commercial, public safety or broadcast bands where you are assigned certain specific frequencies which you must hold within a certain tolerance.  The only exception is 60 Meters.If I were to do this, I would choose a frequency between repeaters which are far away or weak in the AO.  The same thing applies to simplex.  If you are right next to strong stations using 146.48 and 146.50, you might want to pick a different frequency than 146.49.Lets say that there are repeaters on 147.22 and 147.20 that are 75 miles away or more.  Just set up on 147.21 simplex and you will not be bothering anyone.  If you are running a few watts into a low or rubber duck antenna, you probably won't be heard for more than 20 miles or so unless the receiving station is using a gain antenna and knows where to listen, no one will be offended since they won't even know you are there.Common sense should tell you to be careful if you try this trick and operate between repeater input frequencies.  If you do, you could very likely be interfering with one or both machines.  I would not rule this out completely though.  If both repeaters are a ways off and using CTCSS or DCS, your chance of even being noticed is pretty low.  CTCSS=Continuous Tone Coded Squelch System which is trademarked by MotorolaDCS=Digitally Coded SquelchThe Wouff-Hong (see link: http://www.w5pie.net/Lost%20Traditions.htm ) will surely pursue you if you start interfering with some one's repeater, especially if they are running an emergency net.  But if you are between the output frequencies, and well out of the repeater's usage area, you should be fine.If you have to work to think outside the box, you have been in that box way too long!I was on a POD exercise a few years ago where we used FRS radios within the POD.  (POD= Point Of Distribution) We started using the FRS radios without the CTSS enabled.  This proved to be a problem as some children a few blocks away started using the same frequency and causing interference.  I moved the radios to a different channel and enabled CTCSS and that was the end of the problem.  Our whole operation was contained within half a city block so no one was really close enough to cause trouble while we had CTCSS enabled.Those 900MHz spread spectrum radios might be great for dodging interference and increasing security but I haven't read a lot of good reviews on them when they are used with more than two in the group.Have FUN!73 DE AC5WA