ON THE AIR 145.570 Simplex
Ham radio is a great means of emergency communications,
with significantly greater range and capabilities,
for those who are licensed ham radio operators. Lake Balboa conducts an EP simplex net
every Sunday at 9:00 am on 145.570 Simplex
Our FRS/GMRS net is expanding its coverage area thanks to more participation.
If you have an FRS radio, those “walkie-talkies” you can purchase just about anywhere
and which do not require a license to operate on FRS channels,
every Sunday of each month is a great time to test them out. At 9:45 am,
we meet on-the-air using channel 5. With fully-charged batteries
(or fresh non-rechargeable ones, depending on the radio)
turn on your radio, set it to channel 5,
and listen for Net Control to call for check-ins.
When you hear that announcement, press the talk button and say your name and location,
and then release the button and see if you hear a reply.
Due to the very limited range of these radios in the city
(do not believe the distance claims on the package),
don’t be surprised if you hear no response.
You may not hear Net Control, but you might hear someone else who is nearer to you.
Check in on our Lake Balboa Emergency Preparedness FRS/GMRS EP
net every Sunday of every month, 9:45 am, on channel 5.
Radio Nets Emphasizing Emergency/Disaster Preparedness
If you have a ham radio license and your call sign doesn’t appear here: ________, please let me know what it is. Licensed amateurs are encouraged to check in on the ham radio nets listed below.
FRS/GMRS nets. (Family Radio Service/General Mobile Radio Service.) Radio operators are encouraged to check into any (or all!) of the following nets:
- Lake Balboa Neighborhood Council net meets every Sunday, 10:00 am (or at the conclusion of the ham radio EP net), on channel 15.
- Oakridge Estates (Sylmar) net meets every Sunday at 10:30 am on channel 15.
- Neighborhood Council Valley Village net meets the last Sunday of the month, 10:00 am, on channel 5.
- Los Feliz Neighborhood Council net meets the first Monday of the month, 7:00 pm, on channel 15.
- CERT South Bureau (Westside Village) net meets the first Tuesday of the month, about 7:30 pm (follows a ham radio net), on channel 15 via GMRS repeater. Net control may also be able to hear you simplex, so if you are not GMRS licensed, give it a try.
Amateur Radio (ham) nets. Licensed amateur radio operators are encouraged to check into any (or all!) of the following nets:
- Lake Balboa Emergency Preparedness net meets every Sunday morning, 9:00 am, on 145.570 mHz simplex
- Hillside Communities Emergency Communications (HCEC) net meets every Saturday morning, 8:30 am, on 144.505 mHz, +600 kHz, PL tone: 162.2.
- CERT South Bureau (Westside Village) net meets the first Tuesday of the month at 7:00 pm on the Hughes repeater, 445.620 mHz, -5 mHz, PL tone: 127.3.
- Southern California Mutual Aid net meets every Tuesday at 7:00 pm on 447.820 mHz, -5 mHz, PL tone: 67.0.