PMC EP Radio Safety Net

Our goal is to provide a backup communications method when all others fail.  When electricity, cell service and utilities are down, radios are our best way to check on neighbors and to let Patrol know that you need help.

A key part of this is through long-range walkie-talkies that are part of the FCC’s General Mobile Radio Service.  Participating in the Radio Safety Net requires a $35 license, which covers your whole family for 10 years, and a compatible radio.  We will have opportunities to program your radios, learn how to use them, and to practice using them under non-emergency conditions.

Getting a GMRS License

To get a GMRS license from the FCC, you will need to:

  1. Sign up for an FRN (FCC Registration Number)
  1. Here is a guide for how to sign up for an FRN.
  1. Use your FRN to apply for a GMRS license and pay the $35 fee.
  1. Here is a guide to applying for your GMRS license.
  1. Your FCC license will arrive by email within a few business days.  If the license does not arrive within a few business days, you can try searching for it here using your FRN, or feel free to email us at ep-rsn@pmcpoa.com and we can look it up for you. 

Purchasing a Radio

We recommend the Baofeng UV-5G (Amazon)

PLEASE DO NOT purchase the Baofeng GM-15 PRO, as we do not yet have a way to program it to work with the RSN system, but we are working on it.

Other repeater-capable GMRS radios may work with EP-RSN, but we recommend that you check with us first by email so we can confirm.

Optional Radio Accessories

These radios also have a large range of accessories available that can be useful in emergency situations depending on your needs, such as:

Sign Up for the Program

Even if you have not yet received your callsign, please sign up for the program using this form.

Training

Our next scheduled trainings are:

We also have a video of an online training available, please email us for the link.

Our trainings, whether online or in-person include:

  1. How to use the Baofeng UV-5G
  2. Participating in a directed net
  3. Programming your radio to use the PMC frequencies

On-Air Practice

We need everyone to be familiar with their equipment, which takes practice.  So, we will practice using our radios in a directed net twice weekly:

Regular check-in nets will be held on the RSN Repeater unless otherwise specified.

Contact Us

If you would like to reach the coordinators of the RSN, please email us at ep-rsn@pmcpoa.com, or else call us at 661-241-3754.

Thank you!

Thank you for helping make PMC more resilient!

Press

We were on the ABC23 Bakersfield News!

EP-RSN Repeater Coverage

At its current location, our repeater covers almost all of PMC, and even most of the way out to the Y. In the future, we plan to enhance coverage throughout PMC, and to connect with Frazier Park and with other communities.

FAQ

Can I use these radios for anything other than emergencies?

Yes!  These radios use the standard 30 GMRS channels, which are used across the United States by hikers, offroaders, and others who need reliable off-grid communications but don’t want to take a test for licensing like you do with amateur (“ham”) radio.

Can I use these radios outside of PMC?

Yes!  The 30 GMRS frequencies are consistent across the entire United States, which means that you could use these radios outside of PMC.  Our repeater programming (channel 100) will only work within PMC, but the other channels can be used anywhere in the US.

What kind of range can I get with these radios?

Line-of-sight is the most important factor to the range of the radios.  If you’re in a moderately flat place with some trees and/or buildings, you might get 2-5 miles of range from a handheld radio.  If you’re on a mountaintop or in a desert, your radio signal will go as far as you can see, until the earth curves away.

Are these satellite radios?

No, these are short-range radios with line-of-sight limitations, and there are no GMRS satellites in operation.

Are there any other radios that will work with the EP-RSN system?

Yes!  While we recommend the Baofeng UV-5G, the following radios are also known to work very well with the EP-RSN system: