ALSO, COMMS will be the same as last year, since it worked well for us.
COMMS:
* thanks to @aearles for compiling this information
We didn't have comms last year, but this year it's a requirement. We are using comms to keep things organized on the trail.
Official trail communications will be on GMRS/FRS shared channels. We believe this will be the easiest for most people to obtain, should perform better than CB, and doesn't require testing like ham. If you have a GMRS license, you can use a Midland MXT-105 mobile radio, or BaoFeng UV-5R Dual Band Two Way Radio handheld. I suggest using an external antenna if possible to improve range. You can obtain a GMRS license for $65 here:
http://wireless.fcc.gov/uls/index.htm?job=home
If you do not want to get GMRS license/hardware, you can use FRS walkies on these same channels, you can get these for ~$30 at Walmart or Amazon. The range will be limited but should be acceptable with the size of our group and the speeds we'll be traveling. I highly recommend that you at least bring a walky to use, it will improve everyone's experience.
For those running Baofeng Handhelds, @aearles put together a small config with all of the relevant channels. You can use CHIRP to flash this image to your device.
Ham Baofeng Image:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/l5m1v3kkfbm5w ... m.img?dl=0
Non-Ham Baofeng Image:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/sivjcmir7v89n ... S.img?dl=0
Download CHIRP Here:
http://chirp.danplanet.com/projects/chirp/wiki/Download
Baofeng Programming Cable:
http://amzn.to/2eTXMhe
The config contains the following memory slots:
1-3 FRS Primary, Secondary, and Backup. We will only change from primary if there is interference on the channel. If others are using our frequency it's best to just move to the next.
11-14 Common Ham Simplex Channels for monitoring. 13 is the assigned simplex frequency for Hams in our group. TX is disabled in the non-ham configuration.
21-25 Ham repeaters accessible in the area. TX is disabled on the non-ham configuration.
41-50 Weather channels, these are set to skip when scanning but are programmed in case you need to check weather forcast/conditions.
Those of us with Ham Radio licenses will plan to use 146.400 for simplex. This will allow us to communicate over greater distances than FRS/GMRS and we can relay to those nearby as needed. There's good repeater details in the first post as well, this should be helpful for reaching town or other hams without cell service.
If you're not licensed but are interested in improving your mobile communications, it's very easy to get licensed and has a lot of advantages. The test is very easy to pass, costs $0-$15 depending on the testing center, and licenses are issued within about one week. I can help you get started if you're interested, PM @aearles.