Radio Alert Group

Many communities, especially in rural areas, are adopting the use of handheld radios to help residents communicate with each other in the event of an emergency such as a nearby wildfire or weather event such as a major snowstorm. These radios can be invaluable when cell service is unavailable or overloaded. Of course, they can also be used by individuals to communicate with family and friends in other situations such as hiking, off-roading, working on a large property, etc.

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If, in an emergency, you plan to strictly use your cell phone…think again! Cell phones can be useful, but cell towers burn, and the number of calls in an emergency situation can overload the system, making cell phones ineffective.

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The Greenhorn Firewise Community (GFC) is piloting the use of GMRS (General Mobile Radio Service) radios in our area to enhance communication during emergency situations. Any GFC resident may purchase one or more GMRS radios and join our GFC alert group. Although the number of users is currently relatively small, we hope to expand the use of these radios through education and word of mouth.

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General Information About GMRS and Its Usage

• Five Things to Know About GMRS (YouTube)

• In the face of natural disasters, amateur radio groups fill communications void in rural California (Capitol Public Radio article, March 10, 2022)

 

How to Get Started

• If you have general questions, contact the Radio Alert Group coordinator, Bill Ryerson (william.ryerson@yahoo.com), or greenhornfirewiseboard@gmail.com.

• If you need advice on choosing and purchasing radios, contact Cal McKitrick (mstrmick@gmail.com). Cal lives in our community and is president of the Nevada County Amateur Radio Club (NCARC). When you have your radio, Cal can program it to access the Banner Mt. repeater and sheriff/fire channels (if you purchase a compatible radio). More info on radios and programming...

• A license must be obtained from the Federal Communications Commission. The license is $35 for a ten-year period and covers your entire family.

• Participating residents will join a test of the radio system monthly at 7:00 pm on the last Sunday of each month. Simply turn on your radio, turn to the Banner repeater channel, and answer when your name is called. This will serve as a monthly reminder that the radios are functioning as intended.

 

Guidelines for GFC Use of GMRS Radios

• You may find many uses for your GMRS radios! The Greenhorn Radio Alert Group will be using them to communicate in emergency situations, using channel 6 for close range communications among neighbors, and the Banner Mt. repeater to reach the broader community. These channels can be used by anyone in range with a GMRS radio. They are not restricted to Greenhorn Firewise use.

• The radio system is NOT meant to be the primary notification system in an emergency! Code Red (make sure you know your zone) and the Sheriff's Department's hi-lo siren are the primary alerts. However, if a fire is discovered before primary notifications go out or the other systems are inoperable, the radio system may be used to notify others (make sure to notify authorities via 911 first!)

• It is up to you to turn on your radio when you think it's important for sending and/or receiving information. This may include Red Flag days, snowstorms, etc. Remember that if you purchase a higher end radio, it can be programmed by Cal to monitor police/sheriff and fire traffic.

• In an emergency situation you will primarily LISTEN for activity/information, but don't hesitate to broadcast if you have important information.

• Any resident may initiate use of the radios to communicate important information that might affect neighbors, such as  fire that may threaten our community; inclement road conditions (e.g. ice, flooding, downed trees, accident, or power lines blocking the road); crime (e.g., home invasion, stalker, or other threat).

• If you do evacuate, the radios can be used to communicate with your family, friends, or the community, for example:  

  • Evacuation route blocked

  • Best routes out of town

  • Communicate with partner/spouse in another car during evacuations (please note that you should avoid taking multiple vehicles if at all possible to reduce traffic on the roads).

• When monitoring or transmitting, always make sure your radio is in an UPRIGHT position. The antenna functions best when pointed UPWARD. A higher-quality, after-market antenna can also be purchased. Ask Cal for guidance.​

 

Purchasing and Programming Your Radio(s)

The Greenhorn Firewise Community is fortunate to have a radio expert/enthusiast” in our midst. Cal McKitrick (a member of the Nevada County Amateur Radio Club), has volunteered his time to test and recommend radios, program your radio at no charge, and answer your questions (mstrmick@gmail.com).

 

There are many GMRS radio models to choose from with a wide range of prices and features. The following 5-watt, hand-held radios have been tested and suggested by Cal for our group's purposes, and are FCC (Federal Communications Commission) certified. But there are many others that will do a fine job.

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• Wouxun KG-935G Plus, $150.00 (This is the only one of these five that can monitor sheriff and fire department.)

• Wouxun KG-915G, $130.00

• Wouxun KG-905G Plus, $120.00

• Wouxun KG-905G, $90.00

• Wouxun KG-805G, $80 (a very basic model)

 

There are also base station radios (higher wattage) some people may wish to consider. ​These radios are available from www.buytwowayradios.com (as well as other sources).

 

Contact Cal McKitrick to program your radio. Cal lives about 2 miles up Greenhorn from Brunswick.

Home Phone: (530) 272-7515
Cell Phone: (530) 210-4493
E-Mail: mstrmick@gmail.com​​