Emergency walkie talkie channel in Red
Posted: Sat Sep 11, 2004 12:44 pm
When Muir Valley opened, route setters and climbers started using FRS walkie talkies to keep in touch. These are the cheap little radios you can buy for 12 dollars at big box stores.
They have worked out great for finding out who is where and what crags are uncrowded in the Valley.
Last week, a climber in Muir injured her ankle, and had a long hobble up the steep road to the parking lot. Had she had one of these walkie talkies, several people were within minutes of her aid.
Climbers who visit Muir are strongly encouraged to get one of these walkie talkies and bring it with them to the Valley. The common channel monitored is 5.10 (That means channel 5, privacy code 10 is dialed in.) Besides general communication, they can provide an effective emergency channel for the area.
A reminder to newcomers, cell phones do NOT work in the gorges and valleys, and rarely work anywhere in the Region except along the Parkway near towns.
However, you can get an amazingly good cell phone signal standing in the Muir Valley's graveled parking lot (with the kiosk sign.) Probably much due to this spot being 1200 feet in elevation. So, if an emergency phone call needs to be made from the Valley, go to this parking lot.
The only downside to the FRS walkie talkies is the limited range -- about 2 miles, or maybe a mile if you are deep in a hollow. But, that should get you in touch with someone in the immediate area who has a radio. A call can also be relayed person-to-person to a place where someone can use a cell phone.
As a safety measure, I would suggest that, not just in Muir Valley, but at any of the crags in the region, climbers to carry one of these radios in their packs and keep it turned on to monitor channel 5.10. If there are a bunch of climbers with radios at a popular crag, to avoid a cacaphony, all but one or two could be turned off.
I will also let Middlefork and Campton Fire Rescue know about the use of this channel. It might help during a response to a climbing accident.
Rick Weber
They have worked out great for finding out who is where and what crags are uncrowded in the Valley.
Last week, a climber in Muir injured her ankle, and had a long hobble up the steep road to the parking lot. Had she had one of these walkie talkies, several people were within minutes of her aid.
Climbers who visit Muir are strongly encouraged to get one of these walkie talkies and bring it with them to the Valley. The common channel monitored is 5.10 (That means channel 5, privacy code 10 is dialed in.) Besides general communication, they can provide an effective emergency channel for the area.
A reminder to newcomers, cell phones do NOT work in the gorges and valleys, and rarely work anywhere in the Region except along the Parkway near towns.
However, you can get an amazingly good cell phone signal standing in the Muir Valley's graveled parking lot (with the kiosk sign.) Probably much due to this spot being 1200 feet in elevation. So, if an emergency phone call needs to be made from the Valley, go to this parking lot.
The only downside to the FRS walkie talkies is the limited range -- about 2 miles, or maybe a mile if you are deep in a hollow. But, that should get you in touch with someone in the immediate area who has a radio. A call can also be relayed person-to-person to a place where someone can use a cell phone.
As a safety measure, I would suggest that, not just in Muir Valley, but at any of the crags in the region, climbers to carry one of these radios in their packs and keep it turned on to monitor channel 5.10. If there are a bunch of climbers with radios at a popular crag, to avoid a cacaphony, all but one or two could be turned off.
I will also let Middlefork and Campton Fire Rescue know about the use of this channel. It might help during a response to a climbing accident.
Rick Weber