Amateur radio and off road comms.

[Maplotter]

Ok, maybe I should discuss this from another perspective.

I am a lisenced ham, and I have a radio that I wish to use in my vehicle. Namely the Yaesu FT 897. I also have a Yeasu VR 5000 general purpose comms receiver which gives me continious access to all bands from 100 KHz to 2.5 Ghz. This allows me to monitor multiple frequencies. Then, I have the THF7E hand held transceiver which allows me to transmit on the VHF and UHF bands and monitor all frequencies from 100KHz to 1.2 Ghz, and a bunch of other radios for various bands.

Now, being a ham allows me to be in posession of and to use non-ICASA approved equipment. This is because hams can actually build their own equipment and ICASA can not be bothered to approve every single home built piece of kit, but it also allows the ham to be in posession of equipment that is not approved. There are also provisions in the regs for non hams to be in posession of non ICASA approved equipment. (but that is another matter)

OK, so the scenario is that I want the minimum amount of equipment for the maximum amount fo functionality.

Now, with the Yaesu FT 897 transceiver, I have access to all the ham bands, as well as 27 Mhz CB, 29 MHz Offroad and marine, 140+ Mhz (2 meter VHF) ham and off road, and 400+ Mhz (70 CM) for the lisence free FRS and GMRS services. All in one radio.

Now, being a HAM, I am allowed to monitor pretty much whatever frequencies I want to, hence my original question in another thread as to what the VHF off road frequencies are. My authorisation is, that being a member of HAMNET, we are called on to on occasion liase with all services including police, fire, traffic and ambulance as well as aviation frequencies during search and rescue ops and other emergencies. Obviously, this interaction is under the management of the central controling body.

Of course, this liason would include comms with the off road fraternity as they may be called upon to help out during floods and other emergencies.

So, now the question is whether or not i would need a specific lisence to enter the off road frequencies on the radios that I have. The way I read the regs is that I 'may not tune a transmitter to a frequency I am not lisenced to use', but it says nothing about monitoring, and the regs also say that I may use any equipment on any available frequency 'when rendering assistance'

Now the way i read the story, on 29 MHz, the equipment is lisenced, but on VHF, the operator is lisenced.

I actually have no problem one way or ther other, becuase my equipment that I use for informal use is on the FRS and GMRS bands, which absolves me of all lisencing requirements. I was thinking of adding the off road VHF frequencies to my radio, not becuase I need to use it, (becuase i have the UHF at my disposal) but, becuase I would like to include it in the scan cycle of my equipment.

By doing this, I would monitor the off road frequencies, and could possibly be another set of ears out there should another operator call for assistance, and it would, in an emergency give me another line of communication that I could use if I ran into trouble ... this type of usage being exempt from normal lisencing requirments.

Or, what the heck, pay the R 50.00 (or whatever it is) and get a ORRA VHF lisence for the use of a frequency that I have no intention of using. Personally, as I say, I have no need for the lisence or the frequency but I dont see that there should be any problem in adding it to my scan list for monitoring purposes and co-ordination of assistance.

Becuase even here where I live on the backroads down to the Vaal, I think it can only be of use, to have another set of ears listening out on the frequencies, seeing as that there is a fair amount of offroad activity and zero cellphone coverage. You see, I dont need the lisence, becuase I have all the radios and lisences i need to cover ever kind of comms I could ever want to use, I just feel that another set of ears on frequency is something that could be advantageous both ways.

Hence my original question as to what the frequencies were.

That said of course, I would strongly advocate that off roaders seriously consider the class B ham lisence, which is a piece of old tackie that is designed for schoolkids and housewives. This will open up a whole new aspect of off roading with the ability to communicate with other expeditions around the world. You have no idea how much fun it is chatting with 4x4 expeditions to Namibia, Botswana and South Africa. There are also IOTA (Islands on the air), SOTA (summits on the air), off road expeditions in other countries and even comms via satellites and with astronauts on the space staion. How cool it is to sit in the bush around the campfire and chat to the astronauts on the space staion as it passes overhead. There is also RADAR (rapid deployment amateur radio) which is just up the street of all you 4x4 guys that need half an excuse to rush off into the bush.

Anyway, I hope I have clarified my position a bit better.

[CasKru]

Being a HAM you should know that you are licensed for a set range of frequencies. Yes you could scan other frequencies but you are not licensed to use those frequencies. On the commercial band the devices are the license holders and not the user. So for every device on the commercial band there is supposed to be a license.

But the bottom line is that you are not licensed for the commercial range and therefore cannot be given the frequencies.

[Maplotter]

Being a HAM you should know that you are licensed for a set range of frequencies. Yes you could scan other frequencies but you are not licensed to use those frequencies. On the commercial band the devices are the license holders and not the user. So for every device on the commercial band there is supposed to be a license.

But the bottom line is that you are not licensed for the commercial range and therefore cannot be given the frequencies.

I think you misread my post, as I agree with you re the scanning and the use.

I must admit that I have not come accross any sphere of industry that is as secretive about frequency allocations, and I have yet to see the logical reasonong behind this. As an engineer and technician I often get called upon to make antenna's and tune and repair radio's, and in these cases, it is vital to know the frequency that the equipment works on.

But the basic bottom line, if I understand you correctly, is that if I want to know the frequency, I must apply for a lisence. Is that correct.

[CasKru]

Being a HAM you should know that you are licensed for a set range of frequencies. Yes you could scan other frequencies but you are not licensed to use those frequencies. On the commercial band the devices are the license holders and not the user. So for every device on the commercial band there is supposed to be a license.

But the bottom line is that you are not licensed for the commercial range and therefore cannot be given the frequencies.

I think you misread my post, as I agree with you re the scanning and the use.

I must admit that I have not come accross any sphere of industry that is as secretive about frequency allocations, and I have yet to see the logical reasonong behind this. As an engineer and technician I often get called upon to make antenna's and tune and repair radio's, and in these cases, it is vital to know the frequency that the equipment works on.

But the basic bottom line, if I understand you correctly, is that if I want to know the frequency, I must apply for a lisence. Is that correct.

If you get a license, you will be able to take your radio to an approved dealer (http://www.orra.co.za/approveddealers.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;) for them to program the new frequencies onto the radio. None of the license holders know the frequencies.

[Maplotter]

Ahhh ... at last we get to the crux of the matter.