So here’s the deal. I have some VERY OLD Motorola FRS radios. I need to upgrade them for 2 main uses.
[b]Use #1: For use at ski resorts, mainly @ Lake Tahoe, but in other states & Canada as well. This is where I mostly use them.
Use #2: In South Africa next year for World Cup. They would only be used at matches, airports or around town if my group is split for some reason.
[/b]
Here is what I know…
Every country has their own approved channels for various uses, and the ones in South Africa seem to be different from USA, but I have not determined which channels or frequencies they use.
My Questions:
What radios do you recommend? I need something strong enough for both the mountains & urban areas. FYI, I was initially looking at the Motorola SX600R & T9500XLR.
How much trouble can I get into in South Africa if I try to use US-spec radios?
Will the US-spec radios even work in South Africa?
Thank you in advance for your thoughts & responses!
You could get in some trouble using radios configured for North America. They could interfere with police/emergency frequencies in South Africa. As you mentioned, you would want to find out if North American radios use the “wrong” frequencies in South Africa first. Most likely they do.
A radio is a radio though, and they will work just fine. To be safe I would get two sets, just to avoid potentially causing any problems.
South Africa is in the process to conforming to ITC region 1 recommendations, they do allow 8 channels of FRS radios 446.0-446.1 MHz band currently, this is different from the North America FRS/GMRS Bands.[/i][/b]
I guess the question that still remains is if the US frequencies (462.xxxx) interferes with South African authorities. If it does not, for example if they use 450.xxxx, then I should be ok, right?
So, I found another piece of info…this leads me to believe that I would be able to use the radios in Johannesburg because of the differences in the frequencies. Take a look:
South Africa FRS (from my previous post):
“8 channels of FRS radios 446.0-446.1 MHz band”
US-Spec FRS frequencies:
8 467.5625 FRS use only
9 467.5875 FRS use only
10 467.6125 FRS use only
11 467.6375 FRS use only
12 467.6625 FRS use only
13 467.6875 FRS use only
14 467.7125 FRS use only
Any thoughts from the collective?
So, with all of that being said, which radio do you recommend that will fit my needs (place the emphasis on ski resort use)? Thank you!
