From: m35products (m35prod@optonline.net)
Date: Sun Jun 01 2003 - 09:26:13 PDT
Listers:
When I first started thinking about this, I considered the ham radio route,
but as Kenny says, it could be too complicated and expensive for some
people. So many radios, some many freq's, so much $.
The FRS or GMRS radios are inexpensive, and universally available. Also the
FCC rules are not difficult to follow. Many of these hand-helds have
mike/earhone jacks which can be adapted to truck intercom systems. I want to
keep this simple. "Plug and Play" in other words. The fact that FRS has
crowded frequencies (an opinion that I dispute - I know of only 6 of these
units locally, and I own two of them) means nothing to a convoy that is
perhaps a mile long, at most, and is moving along a route through
ever-changing rural locations. The radios are only good for about a mile
anyway, so interference with/from other users would be limited. Ham radio
is a hobby unto itself, and "She-who-must-be-obeyed" says I don't need
another hobby.
I don't mean to disparage the truly heroic work that hams do in times of
need, but let's not mix our hobbies here, or some folks will feel left out.
Hams do this stuff everyday, without missing a beat, but my idea was just
for those few occasions when we are out playing with trucks, which I feel
should be the main focus.
The MVCOMNET idea was first envisioned for that segment of our MV group who
enjoy convoys, and similar activities. You don't need to interface your FRS
walkie-talkie to an MV intercom in order to talk truck-to-truck. You can do
that without an intercom. The intercom idea came first, because I was
getting hoarse yelling across the front seat to my friends. The radio
network idea came next.
If there is a Ham riding along in the convoy, all the better. He or she can
be the convoy's point of contact with the Ham network. The lead vehicle,
wrecker, and/or the tail vehicle would be the logical places to deploy them.
From those vantage points, these radio operators can co-ordinate any
emergency communications with the real world that are required.
If there are any radio tech-type people reading this who are familiar with
avionics and FRS, and who wish to assist me in designing the interface
circuitry, pleas contact me at my alternate email M35products@aol.com .
Hatches dogged...Halon armed and ready...flame away.
APBloom
OIC/MILVEHCOMNET/GROUP/NY
----- Original Message -----
From: <Recovry4x4@aol.com>
To: "Military Vehicles Mailing List" <mil-veh@mil-veh.org>
Sent: Sunday, June 01, 2003 10:36 AM
Subject: Re: [MV] MV COMM-NET
> I can only speak for myself on the ham radio deal but I just have no
interest
> in these gadgets. I can't afford to have 2 hobbies and any money spent on
> radios takes away from my trucks. Now if the license is $6.00 and I can
get a
> decent radio for the same $49.00 as the FRS, then I would have to
reconsider.
> Maybe I'm just not informed. What does a 2 Meter ham radio cost? Can it
be
> networked with the VIC1? I think there is a time for a wide open
frequency and a
> time for a frequency that is well used. This is only opinion and not a
> suggestion for the list.
> Kenny
>
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