I thought a blog about amateur radio should include at least a little radio information, so I am going to begin with a primer on the radios that you are likely to see at a protest: the FRS walkie talkie.

About FRS

The Family Radio Service is a license-free radio service on the Ultra High Frequency(UHF) band, which includes Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and some older cordless phones. Generation X will remember UHF as the other dial on the television for local channels. GenXers from Cincinnati will remember that Channel 19 (WXIX) and Channel 48 (WCET) were UHF channels.

UHF works mostly by line-of-sight, meaning that you get the most range when both radios have an unobstructed view of eachother. FRS uses channels, meaning that there are specific frequencies that radios must use. There is also a power limit, meaning that on some channels your radio can transmit at up to 2 watts, and on some channels (8-14) your radio can only transmit at 0.5 watts. If you find that your radios are not reaching eachother, try switching to channels 1-7 or 15-22.

Also, be aware that FRS channels 15-22 are also used by repeaters on the GMRS service. This means that folks with more powerful radios, with larger antennas may be using those frequencies and you may get collisions.

Why it matters

In close, like for marshalls managing street crossings, it’s probably no big deal.

At a distance, like when you need to get a medic from one end of the march to another, or when you need an organizer at your location to talk to the police, it matters.

I bring a few cheap FRS radios to events and hand them out. It might make sense for your marshalls to use a low power channel, and for your event staff to use a higher power channel.

The List

Below is a list of channels with their frequencies and the maximum transmit power

| CH | Frequency | Pwr

| 01 | 462.5625 | 2 W

| 02 | 462.5875 | 2 W

| 03 | 462.6125 | 2 W

| 04 | 462.6375 | 2 W

| 05 | 462.6625 | 2 W

| 06 | 462.6875 | 2 W

| 07 | 462.7125 | 2 W

| 08 | 467.5625 | 0.5 W

| 09 | 467.5875 | 0.5 W

| 10 | 467.6125 | 0.5 W

| 11 | 467.6375 | 0.5 W

| 12 | 467.6625 | 0.5 W

| 13 | 467.6875 | 0.5 W

| 14 | 467.7125 | 0.5 W

| 15 | 462.5500 | 2 W

| 16 | 462.5750 | 2 W

| 17 | 462.6000 | 2 W

| 18 | 462.6250 | 2 W

| 19 | 462.6500 | 2 W

| 20 | 462.6750 | 2 W

| 21 | 462.7000 | 2 W

| 22 | 462.7250 | 2 W