I am looking to purchase a set of radios for use backcountry skiing and mountain biking.
I would like to be able to tap into the local repeater for better and more reliable communications than the cell phones here in Wyoming can provide.
How does all this work?
Can I just find out the frequencies and program them into a radio(s)? Forgive the ignorance. I don’t mind paying any FCC fees, but how do business get their own “channel” to use?
Thanks on advance!
Businesses pay significant fees, for coordination with all other local users (and it’s required), and using a system without permission is called ‘transmitting without a license’ and draws nice high fines… the legal user will report such pirate use interfering with their system.
Business users are required to talk (though they tend to chit chat anyway) only about their business, not general things.
You are basically asking for something that doesn’t exist. Mountain radio is line of sight. If you’re on top of a mountain, that can be pretty far. If you’re in a valley, you aren’t talking to anyone outside that valley. There is no ‘coverage everywhere’.
Let me clarify…
We have a really good repeater system here in the Jackson Hole Valley. Pretty good radio service everywhere. Outfitters. ski patrol, SAR, etc… all have great radios that function where traditional cells phones wouldn’t have a chance.
I ski/climb frequently with my family in remote areas and I would like to have the coverage that good two way radios provide.
I would like the ability to transmit @ 5W power not the standard FRS/GRMS standard Motorola stuff. I know that 5W is good, but I’d like the ability to tap into the repeater to strengthen/broaden my signal.
Thoughts?