Walkie Talkies
BlackRockCity is a large place and a long way from the nearest cell phone transmitter, therefore the only way to stay in contact with friends and camp mates is to use two-way handheld radios. To complicate matters their are a number of different types of system you can use and you ideally want to ensure that everyone you want to stay in contact with is using the same system, otherwise your will end up having to carry multiple handsets about the place.
Radio Systems
The main handheld radio systems in use at
BurningMan are.
- FRS - US Licence free FM radio. .5w 2 Mile range.
- GMRS - US FM radio. Simple licence from FCC. 2-3w 5-10 Mile range.
- PMR - Euro Licence free FM radio, illegal in the US. .5w 3km range.
- CB - US Licence free AM radio. 4w ~4 Mile range.
Range
The realistic usable range of low to mid price handsets is about half the quoted distance for the given system. After that the signal becomes weaker and you sometimes have to listen quite hard to workout what is being said. This means that FRS and PMR radios have a usable range of about a mile. To put this in context
BlackRockCity is about 2 miles accross.
Interference Codes
To prevent interference between users on the same channel, all but the cheapest handsets have support for Interfence Codes. These are a coded sub-audio signal that are transmitted along with the users voice, so that the receiving handset can be programmed to ignore any transmissions from unrelated users of the same channel. Their are two types of interference codes, analogue (ctcss) and digital (dcs). The older analogue system which supports 38 codes is the most common system found on consumer handsets. To add to the confusion Interference Codes can some times be called 'Eliminator codes', 'Sub Codes' or 'Sub Channels'. Also not all manufacturers number the codes the same, some makes can be one channel up or down of another make. In practise the use of Interference codes is a lot of simpler than all this sounds and at
BurningMan with it's very crowded airwaves, a necessity.
FRS (Family Radio System)
This is the most popular type of radio at
BurningMan, and as such their is a lot of radio traffic on all channels and codes. If using this system the best advise is buy a good one with support for Interference Codes. Cheap FRS radios are next to useless at
BurningMan due to the amount of people using the system. FRS works on 462Mhz, which in the UK is used by the fire service. So use of these in the UK is strongly advised against.
GMRS (General Moblie Radio System)
GMRS is the big brother of FRS and provides some extra channels with increased power output and range. Whilst the extra power output might not be that noticeable in a built up area where buildings block the signal. On the wide open playa this extra power is very useable and provides for a greatly increased range. In theory you are meant to have a simple licence from the FCC to use a GMRS handset.
PMR446 (Personal Moblie Radio)
PMR is the European version of FRS. The difference being that they operate on 446Mhz instead of 462Mhz and only have 8 Channels, where as FRS has 14. Most PMR handsets are based on retuned FRS models. These things are illegal to use in the US and operate on a radio amateur frequency.
CB (Citizen Band)
These are the in car/truck radios seen in many 70s Hollywood road trip films. These are based on old AM technology and whilst the version you put in you car might have a resonable range, the handheld versions are very bulky, don't have anywhere near as much range and are best avoided.
This is all a bit confusing, I just want to know which one I should buy
In the first instance if you have friends already using one of these systems then go for that. If however, your buying radios for everyone you want to talk to then go for GMRS. You'll really appreciate the extra range and clarity. What ever radio you go for make sure it supports interfence codes.
Where to buy a handset
The cheapest place to buy a handset is often on
Ebay∞. However, if you order a FRS or GMRS handset from the USA, you are likely to have it stopped by customs, who are unlikely to let you have it even after you explain it is for use in the US. Therefore it is advisable to have them delivered to a US address.
A number of US stores sell handsets, including
Radio Shack∞,
Wal-Mart∞ and even
CompUSA∞. For PMR handsets in the UK try
Maplin∞ and
Argos∞.
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