Best Two Way Radios for Guardian Angels

Posted by laguardianangels on Apr 20, 2011 in two way radio | 0 comments

What if you really need to talk to the Angels across the street during a loud outdoor event? Now, what if you were traveling to help with another chapter, or working with a Neighborhood Watch, and wanted to work together comfortably?

Here are some simple questions and easy answers …

What’s the “Best” radio for Guardian Angels?

As Guardian Angels, we do a LOT of emergency preparedness training, for all kinds of circumstances, and a lot of that kind of training comes from the CERT program, which I recommend to everyone.

I also recommend that we follow the CERT model for emergency communication: if it’s too difficult, you can’t help enough people.

That means that the “bubble pack” radios that you can purchase at Best Buy or similar stores have to be the lowest common denominator, and we MUST be able to use them effectively. This is probably what the Neighborhood Watch folks are going to own, if anything. They are available at low cost, sufficient power for our needs, and can be used in emergencies.

Please understand that I do not think these are the best two way radios for patrol, though. A “proper” radio with more power, changeable antenna, various speaker/mic arrangements, etc will be much more useful to you.

As a bonus, as many Guardian Angels do find work as security guards and protection personnel, having a better radio, that you can use proficiently, will give you an advantage that many folks in that same line of work do not have. Stand out and show what the Guardian Angels can accomplish, even on the less obvious topics, like this one.

What’s the “Best” radio for other purposes?

Really, if you’re going to be more prepared than that, you can easily purchase a much better radio that will communicate much further with a much greater range of people. You really should have a (simple to acquire) license to use such a radio at its full potential, too. Let’s set a good example!

I am a huge believer in “dual band” handheld radios. A quick google search for “what’s the best radio” will likely deliver a discussion of UHF vs VHF and the relative merits of each. Forget the debate: buy a radio that does both.

It’s super-inexpensive to buy the “bubble pack” variety, and they’ll do most of what you want, but there are some very severe limitations, too. If you’re at all considering learning more and playing around with radios, save the money and apply it towards a better radio, like the one that I use nearly every day.

Get a radio & Consider getting a ham radio license:

My Radio (for the best price I can find it anywhere). Note: I use this on patrol with the Guardian Angels, bounty hunting with Third Echelon Investigations, and will be using it in my Jinenkan Summer Camp, too:
http://www.dealextreme.com/p/dual-frequency-display-multi-band-walkie-talkie-with-vox-flashlight-fm-radio-vhf-uhf-41618?r.43307959

“Bubble Pack” for much less cost (comes as a pair, too!) motorola talkabout radios (they’re popular for a lot of reasons):
Motorola Talkabout MC220R 16-Mile 22-Channel FRS/GMRS Two-Way Radio (Pair)

Test Study & Sample Tests (same resource that I used to pass the FCC test easily):
http://bb.qualitymatrix.com/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=30

The Geek Stuff (Ignore If You’d Like):

Channels vs Frequencies:

Your car radio has probably 6 buttons on it, and those are “channels”.

Each of those buttons goes to a “station” which you can probably remember by its actual “frequency” like Curtis Sliwa’s radio show on AM 970.

You probably “programmed” that car radio yourself, at least for some of those buttons. You can do the same thing for your two-way radio, too. You can decide which frequency will be assigned to which number, and it doesn’t really matter what they are. That is, if I want Curtis’ show to be on button “1″ and you program it to button “2″ but we’re both listening to AM 970, then we’re both listening to the same frequency, and that’s how it will work with your radios.

UHF vs VHF

UHF (ultra high frequency) radios generally operate in the 400MHz range, which means the wavelengths are very small (about 70cm), allowing them to fit through smaller areas like doorways and windows. So, UHF radios are great for situations involving (you guessed it) doorways and windows. It is important to remember that the “bubble pack” radios operate in this “band” too.

VHF (very high frequency) radios will operate in the 150MHz range, which means the wavelengths are quite a bit longer (about 2 meters), which allows them to travel smoothly in the outdoors and have great clarity. They’re not as well suited to the whole doorways/windows thing, but they’re quite popular among ham operators looking to communicate longer distances (like during that morning commute).

Which is better for your patrols (or family) will have to depend on the situation you’re most likely to find yourself. Again, I prefer the dual-band approach which will allow you to integrate any of these frequencies. Do remember that the “bubble pack” folks will be using UHF.

Finally, if you’re really ready to geek out, you can find me by calling CQ for my call sign: KJ6NFK and if you email me (Peter@LAGuardianAngels.org) then I’ll be happy to let you know which frequency we use for our Guardian Angel patrols in various areas around greater Los Angeles.

Note: If you decide to purchase either of the radios to which you can find links above, a portion of the purchase price will be given to the local chapter of the Guardian Angels. I mention them because of my own favorable experiences with them. Of course, you should do your own research, and never buy something just because I think it’s great, or just because it will benefit this organization … and you should look both ways before crossing the street, and smile at kids. You get the idea, yes?