Connunications update following Polls:

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(24 October 2012, 09:00)Mike Bardill Wrote: Has anyone locked at Marine Band? For range & battery power they are good. As for regulations, who going to enforce them after a major event?

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Has anyone looked at Marine Band? For range & battery power they are good. As for regulations, who going to enforce them after a major event?

Hi Mike,

You're right, Marine VHF frequencies will work on land too, and dedicated marine equipment can be purcased as robust waterproofed units.

After end of ROL you'd be free to use whatever frequencies you like, including these marine bands

Radios like the UV5r and its baby brother the UV3r that quite a lot of this community have purchased cover Ham bands, (2m and 70cm), PMR 446 band and Marine band frequenceies. Unlike some dedicated Ham gear, the UV5r will both transmit and receive on these frequencies. Again, these are illegal to use at the present time, without necessary licenses.

Paul's away at the moment, so I'll chip in for him.... Hand portable CB radios will do just about anything the marine Band kit or UV5r/3r can do. The advantage is that CB is legal now, and has a considerable installed base of users around the country. Equipment is much more simple to operate than any of the previously mentiond gear.

I am a licensed amateur, but I have CB equipment and marine band capable equipment stored in my preps.

Given a choice between Marine band and CB, unless you have a large number of friends who are already using marine band, I would personally go for CB.