Offroad Communications 101- Discussion Points

[Ray Mitchum]

SORAC Meetup 1-14-23

Offroad Communications 101- Discussion Points​

Good communications don’t happen by accident. With just a little planning, your adventure will be safer, less stressful and enjoyed by all!

Types of Electronic Comms

We encourage any members to reach out to our staff with any questions you may have- now or later. We have researched these topics endlessly and have experience with all modes of comms. We also have familiarity with installations of both the radio and the ever important antenna. We often see folks invest in something they don’t need or equipment that won’t do what they thought it would do- don’t waste your time and money: use us as a resource!

Electronic Communications are often taken for granted but with a little planning they add a lot of value to the trip. They’re not just for offroad as they are great to have while caravanning to the location. It is surprising how a little friendly banter will effectively shorten a 10-hour road trip by keeping it much more interesting as well as keeping the group well informed. This is especially helpful while navigating turns, traffic, fuel stops etc.

Cellphone-

Not always the easiest to quickly communicate with entire group but group texting can be helpful.

Many remote locations don’t have cell service but we are finding cell service is becoming surprisingly common even in very remote locations.

Be sure to exchange contact info for everyone in the group prior to leaving.

If using your phone for navigation be sure to download maps ahead of time- even google maps can be downloaded!

Radio Communications

Keep in mind everyone hears what you say so language and etiquette should be considered to keep things “family Friendly”.

Most are very simple to operate- learn to depress mic key BEFORE you talk though.

Hand held radios are often sufficient when everyone is close together but “hard mounted” units almost always offer much better range and clarity due to higher power output, better antennas, and higher quality equipment.

Adding an inexpensive speaker can make the radio much more understandable especially in noisy offroad conditions.

https://www.amazon.com/RoadPro-RPSP...=1673886749&sprefix=cb+speaker,aps,117&sr=8-3



C.B. (Citizens Band) and hand held “walkie talkie”

This has been the standard for many years.

Easy to install, universal.

Tend to have a lot of static, interference, and high volume of voice traffic at times.

Range usually limited to line of sight or little further.

High quality antenna and coax cable are a must to get decent performance.

Limited to 2 watts without license.

There are several remote mounted cb options with the controls on the handset to allow mounting in cabs with limited space.

https://www.cobra.com/products/c75w...7jw6EVVEJoWiHxgRM3VI15T9yKRXTJ3waAo_5EALw_wcB

FRS radio Family Radio Service

Limited to 2 watts. Useful only inside of small locations like campsites.

Very inexpensive $15.00 and no license required

GMRS General Mobile Radio Service

Newer tech – this is now the preferred radio for most of us. Very easy to use.

Up to 50 watts of transmit power on the upper channels which gives incredible range/quality.

We have found 15 watts is plenty of power for most of us.

Tremendous number of great hand held and mounted options.

https://midlandusa.com/blogs/blog/midland-gmrs-radios?_pos=2&_sid=1436ced57&_ss=r

Hard mounted requires a decent antenna with coax cable when mounted in vehicle- payoff is great range and clarity.

Priced from $35- $500 or more.

FCC license is required- $35.00 and takes a few days to get your call sign. NO TEST!

https://www.fcc.gov/wireless/bureau-divisions/mobility-division/general-mobile-radio-service-gmrs

FCC requires user to announce station identification every 15 minutes.

Repeaters! Becoming more common- may allow for out of state comms.

16 (4X4) is the unofficial offroad channel but we have found it to be very busy.

Some Ham radios are capable of GMRS functions. In general, FCC approves these radios only to monitor GMRS, not transmit. Use extreme caution to not broadcast on HAM frequencies if using one of these devices.

HAM (Amateur) Radio

More powerful radio- typically 50 to 100 watts but can be up to 1500.

Depending on license and equipment, wider variety of frequencies available for different purposes.

Requires Testing to attain license.

https://www.fcc.gov/wireless/bureau-divisions/mobility-division/amateur-radio-service

Has very structured radio lingo/etiquette.

Very advanced repeater infrastructure both analog and digital. Capable of worldwide communications.

Has ability to transmit digital data including pics and coordinates with right equipment.

Monitored by many Emergency Response agencies especially weather, search and rescue.

Perceived as difficult to use and get license so not as common, that being said it is considered the most reliable radio com.

Note many HAM operators have special vehicle license plates making them easy to spot. They can be a valuable resource in an emergency situation and are often very helpful.

Many HAM radios have GMRS capabilities but use caution when they have the ability to do both as it may not be legal.

https://www.yaesu.com/indexVS.cfm?c...EFF8482F3367495319&DivisionID=65&isArchived=0



https://www.amazon.com/BaoFeng-BF-F...o&qid=1673884594&sprefix=beaof,aps,114&sr=8-6

Equipment and installation very similar to GMRS. There is a huge variety. Nacogdoches has a very good local Amateur radio club if you consider going this route, they are a great resource.

https://w5nac.com/



Satellite Communications

Satellite phones

Very expensive and bulky – can often be rented for short amounts of time.

Require reasonably good line of sight to sky but work almost anywhere.

Satellite texting devices

Becoming more common with the advantage of being able to communicate directly to cell phones anywhere.

Compact, devices in 150-500 range and may include a gps.

Requires subscription plan- 25$-55$.

May offer a “SOS” function.

Often Bluetooth to phone for ease of use allows the device to be very small.

There are a few minutes of lag .

Require reasonably good line of sight to sky.

Very portable and good for hiking.

May interface to keep your location visible on a map via online portal that can be shared. This feature makes a great resource for keeping groups together.

We highly Recommend Garmin InReach.

https://discover.garmin.com/en-US/inreach/personal/

Non Electronic comms- hand signals and verbal

Often used in close proximity for spotting.

There are standardized motions, signals, wording that make communication universal.

Never use “right or left” but instead “passenger or driver” to avoid confusion.

Only one spotter should be doing the communicating.

Spotter should be in clear line of sight of driver but keep in mind to stay out of any direction of travel possible for both the vehicle or recovery gear ( winch or tow strap). Spotting is potentially one of the most dangerous activities on the trail.

https://www.4wheelparts.com/the-dirt/off-road-hand-signals-for-spotting-on-the-trail/

https://dixie4wheeldrive.com/how_do_proper_off_road_spotting_hand_signals

While on trial, use a different set of hand signals to communicate with opposite direction traffic about how many are in your group, hazard ahead, etc. This is essential on narrow trails.