OB Approved Overland Bound Comms Frequency Guide

[GeoCampers #4771]

The Overland Bound community has settled on some common "calling" frequencies for the most common radio types. These are meant to be a starting point for making contact with a Overland Bound members. If your local region already has other generally accepted practices, you may want stick with them instead.

U.K. 27Mhz CB
Channel: 10
License: There is no license requirement for 27Mhz CB use in the U.K.
Squelch: Almost all CB radios will have a squelch control, this additional knob is used to adjust the noise cut-off on the incoming signal. If you find that other people in your group can hear you, but you can't hear them, adjust the squelch down as you may be filtering too much of the incoming signal.
Range: CB power output is limited to 4 watts, so in a typical trail situation, the range is realistically about 4-7km.

E.U. UHF CB / PMR
License: There is no license requirement for UHF CB use in the E.U.

Maybe already mentioned; but in EU CB and UHF are licened if you use high power (+4W) for everything up to 4W (send and receive) you do not need a licence. Everything more you do.
For CB we use generalt channel 16 (4x4)

 

[Desert Runner]

I saw that video pop up in my feed but was too busy to watch it at that time. Went to watch it the next day and he already took it down. I suspect he had a bit of user-error that affected his "results" and took it down to retest or something. Will be interesting to see if he puts the episode back up ever.

Brien, and to others that are interested, another similar You-Tube video is up that does a similar comparison to (Brad) Trailrecon, as referenced, which was subsequently pulled.
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The group which put it out is.......All-Terrain Family:

You-Tube=
OVERLANDING RADIOS: A real world test of FRS, Ham, CB, and Rugged radios.

There are 2 parts in the series!..........copy the title, with your mouse, and paste it on the you-tube search banner.

 

[Tuck1562]

Looking for input..currently using GMRS, I would like some direction fort mobile antenna, Radio came with a little magnet mount, but would like something permanently mounted to vehicle. Any suggestions on brand/model would be appreciated.
Thanks

 

[Kraus956]

Looking for input..currently using GMRS, I would like some direction fort mobile antenna, Radio came with a little magnet mount, but would like something permanently mounted to vehicle. Any suggestions on brand/model would be appreciated.
Thanks

I run Laird NMO style antennas on my truck. I use an antenna mounting bracket on my backrack, I was too afraid of drilling a hole in the roof hah

 

[TerryD]

Looking for input..currently using GMRS, I would like some direction fort mobile antenna, Radio came with a little magnet mount, but would like something permanently mounted to vehicle. Any suggestions on brand/model would be appreciated.
Thanks

I use a NMO lip mount on my back gate. It's worked out pretty well for me.

 

[Boostpowered]

I have ham, frs/gmrs and cb. I have yet to hear anyone aside from noaa weather radio and sherriff office, fire/ems on the ham, ive heard some folks using frs/gmrs for poaching in my area. And cb is nuthin but truckers and trolls trying to piss people off with racism. I have never heard another offroader on any of my radios, i like listening to police and fire on ham but otherwise i think i wasted a bunch of money.

 

[Downs]

Looking for input..currently using GMRS, I would like some direction fort mobile antenna, Radio came with a little magnet mount, but would like something permanently mounted to vehicle. Any suggestions on brand/model would be appreciated.
Thanks

Are you willing to drill a hole in your roof?

 

[Downs]

I have ham, frs/gmrs and cb. I have yet to hear anyone aside from noaa weather radio and sherriff office, fire/ems on the ham, ive heard some folks using frs/gmrs for poaching in my area. And cb is nuthin but truckers and trolls trying to piss people off with racism. I have never heard another offroader on any of my radios, i like listening to police and fire on ham but otherwise i think i wasted a bunch of money.

There's a GMRS repeater in Greenville thats pretty active. Should have no problem hitting it from Wolfe City. I hit it from Rockwall pretty regular.

Theres a few HAM repeaters that are fairly active. One ontop of the hospital (primary skywarn unit) and two (a paired VHF and UHF repeater that are secondary skywarn units) at Majors Field. Any of those you should have no problem hitting.

If youre monitoring simplex its pretty dead haha.

Youre not going to hear much off roader traffic. Theres no trails around us and Most are going to be using theirs for trail comms not daily talking.

The Jeep club in Hunt County is mostly running CBs, ive had a little luck converting a few to GMRS but even the ones with radios installed (CB or otherwise) never turn them on.

If im in my Jeep its am automatic reflex at this point to power up my radio. I monitor 2m call and the UHF repeater at Majors Field.

 

[Boostpowered]

There's a GMRS repeater in Greenville thats pretty active. Should have no problem hitting it from Wolfe City. I hit it from Rockwall pretty regular.

Theres a few HAM repeaters that are fairly active. One ontop of the hospital (primary skywarn unit) and two (a paired VHF and UHF repeater that are secondary skywarn units) at Majors Field. Any of those you should have no problem hitting.

If youre monitoring simplex its pretty dead haha.

Youre not going to hear much off roader traffic. Theres no trails around us and Most are going to be using theirs for trail comms not daily talking.

The Jeep club in Hunt County is mostly running CBs, ive had a little luck converting a few to GMRS but even the ones with radios installed (CB or otherwise) never turn them on.

If im in my Jeep its am automatic reflex at this point to power up my radio. I monitor 2m call and the UHF repeater at Majors Field.

The only 2 frequencies i pick up in wolfe city are 154.092 fire/ems and 155.835 hunt county so. Every now and then i get paris pd on 453.100. I know there arent any trails around us but im talking when up in the ouachitas or ozarks surrounded by jeeps and other offroaders there is nothing. I did pick up some hunters talking once in clayton on frs gmrs channel 20.

 

[Downs]

Try these. You're going to hear a lot more constant traffic on fire/police for obvious reasons. Im not typically making calls in the blind when traveling. I may not even use the radio if im on my own and just passively monitor the call frequencies. Even still these are still mostly line of sight limited so unless youre pretty close youll never hear someoen on a trail a ridgeline over when in Arkansas. Or they may be on some race radio illegally using business band frequencies that you arent monitoring. There's just a ton of variables and unless both parties are actively trying at the the same time on the same.frequencies more likely than not you wont reach anyone. This is why comms plans are so important.

GMRS repeater Gville
462.550 output
467.550 input
CTCSS 141.4 on both xmit and recieve

Owner's name Charles. Older fella but pretty laid back. Cant rember his GMRS call. Semi active. Usually not an issue getting contacts on it. Im typically monitoring if im mobile.

Hunt Regional Medical Center. Skywarn primary. On and off traffic throughout the day. Again not typically an issue getting contacts on this unit. Really active during bad weather due to Skywarn activity.

 

[Boostpowered]

Try these. You're going to hear a lot more constant traffic on fire/police for obvious reasons. Im not typically making calls in the blind when traveling. I may not even use the radio if im on my own and just passively monitor the call frequencies. Even still these are still mostly line of sight limited so unless youre pretty close youll never hear someoen on a trail a ridgeline over when in Arkansas. Or they may be on some race radio illegally using business band frequencies that you arent monitoring. There's just a ton of variables and unless both parties are actively trying at the the same time on the same.frequencies more likely than not you wont reach anyone. This is why comms plans are so important.

GMRS repeater Gville
462.550 output
467.550 input
CTCSS 141.4 on both xmit and recieve

Owner's name Charles. Older fella but pretty laid back. Cant rember his GMRS call. Semi active. Usually not an issue getting contacts on it. Im typically monitoring if im mobile.

Hunt Regional Medical Center. Skywarn primary. On and off traffic throughout the day. Again not typically an issue getting contacts on this unit. Really active during bad weather due to Skywarn activity.

View attachment 123450

None of those are picked up by my radios
I litterally only pick up
155.835 hunt co so
154.092 hunt co fire/ems
451.325 Wolfe city isd bus
453.100 paris pd on a clear day
162.550, 162.555, 162.500 all weather
Other than functioning as a scanner which can be interesting i feel ive wasted my time and money on comms. My frs gmrs only ever gets anyone talking on it if it is me talking to my wife. I understand why i dont ever hear anyone on cb no one uses it anymore.

 

[Downs]

What kind of radios are you running? Antennas? You should have no problems on picking any of those up or hitting them from Wolfe City unless you live in a bowl.

 

[Boostpowered]

My ham is baofeng uv-5r ex with 18 inch abbree antenna im on top of a hill with nearly no trees to the south.
My gmrs frs is crappy uniden handhelds.
My cb is a uniden bearcat pro505xl with a tram center load antenna.

 

[Downs]

Are those Uniden even capable of repeater ops?

You're certainly going to be range limited with HTs and those antennas. Cant say for sure on CB without knowing antena location and what youre seeing for SWR readings.

You may not have the oomph to get into the repeaters with the HT but if you're outside i dont see why you wouldnt be able to at least hear them. The HAM repeater on the hospital transmitts its callsign and time at the top of every hour so you should be able to check that way.

That Abree antenna is about the right length to be half wave on UHF should get great transmit and recieve on it for what it is.

Do you run an external antenna for the HT when you're mobile? I wouldn't say youve wasted your time or money on comms but you're equipment may be hamstringing you a bit.

 

[sportsguy]

Very useful! Thank you! :)

 

[JeepGuy91]

This is good info to know! Thanks!

 

[TerryD]

None of those are picked up by my radios
I litterally only pick up
155.835 hunt co so
154.092 hunt co fire/ems
451.325 Wolfe city isd bus
453.100 paris pd on a clear day
162.550, 162.555, 162.500 all weather
Other than functioning as a scanner which can be interesting i feel ive wasted my time and money on comms. My frs gmrs only ever gets anyone talking on it if it is me talking to my wife. I understand why i dont ever hear anyone on cb no one uses it anymore.

Make sure you don't have R-CTS set. Most repeaters don't transmit a pl tone so it may not be opening the squelch on your radio. That's a common mistake with new radios.

Also, your location is a big factor. I can't work the local repeaters from inside my house on a HT. I have to have an external antenna. Even using RG-8x from a truck stop striped out as a dipole and taped to a piece of PVC hanging outside the house made a huge difference in my operation at home. But I HAVE to be in the yard in one of a few very exact spots to work the machines around me.

 

[Morehouse Expedition]

Thanks for the info!! Going to get my license soon

 

[Hambone]

The Overland Bound community has settled on some common "calling" frequencies for the most common radio types. These are meant to be a starting point for making contact with a Overland Bound members. If your local region already has other generally accepted practices, you may want stick with them instead.


U.S. & Canada 2 Meter Amateur Radio
Frequency: 146.46
This frequency is the generally accepted off-road calling frequency. Amateur operator etiquette means that this common calling frequency should be used primarily for initial contact. Any extended conversations or group use, like communication while on a trip or a trial run, should likely be moved to a different nearby frequency.
Licensing: In order to operate an amateur ("ham") radio in the United States of America, you must be licensed by the FCC. Other countries have their own licensing systems, so check with your local regulations. There are other threads here on the Overland Bound forums that discuss licensing, so refer to those for more details.
(links to existing bootcamp about getting licensed)
Range: Range varies quite a bit depending on radio, transmit power, antenna, and geography. A typical range of a handheld on the trail is realistically around 2-6 miles, but with clean line of sight, a good setup, and higher power output, distances of well over 25 miles can be obtained.

U.S. GMRS / FRS
Channel: 15
License: The FCC certifies specific radios for use on GMRS and FRS which share the same channels. Only an FCC certified device can be used on these frequencies, and additionally, GMRS use requires a household license to be purchased from the FCC that is good for 10 years.
CTCSS / Privacy Codes: Some FRS and GMRS radios offer the ability to use what are called Privacy Codes or CTCSS tones as a way to limit the incoming transmissions to only the people in your group. Look at your radios manual for details and be aware that in order to use this option, all radios in your group must also support this feature.
Range: Similar to the VHF amateur radios, a typical range for GMRS on the trail is likely somewhere around 2-6 miles. FRS radios (which do not require the additional FCC license) are much lower power, and therefore the range is significantly reduced, making them less desirable.

U.S. Citizen's Band (CB)
Channel: 16
License: There is no license requirement for CB use in the United States of America.
Squelch: Almost all CB radios will have a squelch control, this additional knob is used to adjust the noise cut-off on the incoming signal. If you find that other people in your group can hear you, but you can't hear them, adjust the squelch down as you may be filtering too much of the incoming signal.
Range: CB power output is limited to 4 watts, so in a typical trail situation, the range is realistically about 3-4 miles.

Australia & N.Z. UHF CB
Channel: 21
License: There is no license requirement for UHF CB use Australia or New Zealand
Range: UHF CB power output is limited to 5 watts, so in a typical trail situation, the range is realistically about 10km. In ideal conditions, you can probably double that distance, and for raised repeaters, you can probably reach up to 100km.

U.K. 27Mhz CB
Channel: 10
License: There is no license requirement for 27Mhz CB use in the U.K.
Squelch: Almost all CB radios will have a squelch control, this additional knob is used to adjust the noise cut-off on the incoming signal. If you find that other people in your group can hear you, but you can't hear them, adjust the squelch down as you may be filtering too much of the incoming signal.
Range: CB power output is limited to 4 watts, so in a typical trail situation, the range is realistically about 4-7km.

E.U. UHF CB / PMR
License: There is no license requirement for UHF CB use in the E.U.


Comms In a Group Run
Before any organized run, select a trail leader and hold a quick drivers meeting where, among other things, you can announce the details of how communication will be managed on the run. Select a "tail gunner" to monitor the rear of the pack, and if the group is large, a "mid gunner" as well. Announce the chosen radio type and the frequency/channel that will be used. Many times not every vehicle has a radio, or there may be some vehicles that do not have the radio type chosen as the primary means of communication. Consider relaying some important turn callouts and such to a secondary radio. For example, if ham radios will be used primarily, you might still announce important turns or warnings on a CB channel as well. Always let drivers know to keep an eye on the vehicle behind them in the rear view mirror and to stop if they ever lose sight. This will keep the group together even in the case that radio contact is lost or unavailable. When leading a moderate to large sized group, it's best to keep the radio chatter mostly focused around trail direction. Socializing on the radio in a larger group can end up making it difficult to call out important turns or obstacles. To make up for this, it's a good idea to have some regularly time stops for bio-breaks and socializing in person.

Great guide thanks, for anyone who does not have a ham license, the license is super easy to get so go get one and in the process you will learn a few things.

 

[Trad77]

Everyone I run with including myself have C4FM radios. This makes it easy to use C4FM digital on 145.5625 while using GM. (Group Monitor) This frequency is also the (somewhat) official C4FM calling frequency in the US. Group Monitor is a fantastic tool to know the location of everyone in your group and send messages to one, two or all members at the same time. Its worth checking out. FYI: All Yaesu radio's with C4FM have the GM function, but not all have GPS. Do your research before buying.