FRS / GMRS Activity in Sonoma County
This document attempts to identify FRS/GMRS activity in Sonoma County as of March 2021.
FRS/GMRS emergency preparations are aimed in different circumstances at (i) “the last mile” communications using very cheap radios, (ii) hub communications with more-involved communicators such as CERT members using more-expensive GMRS duplex-capable radios, and (iii) to-Incident Command links.
Sebastopol –SNCU (Sebastopol Neighborhood Communications Unit) has a quadrant / 4-ham hubs as part of Map Your Neighborhood (MYN). SNCU amateur operator at Sebastopol Fire Dept – GMRS can reach all parts of the City. FRS will be the intra-quadrant (“the last mile”) communications. Communications from the quadrants to the Fire Department may be either GMRS or amateur radio. See below for the channel plan for FRS/GMRS channel assignments.
Fitch Mountain – Has communications problems. Investigating GMRS repeater as a way to connect people with full-duplex. SCRA 2-meter and other amateur radio repeaters do not work there.
Bodega – is investigating a GMRS repeater.
Cazadero – is investigating several GMRS repeaters – Tony Goodwin and Damian Boune
Occidental – is investigating a GMRS repeater. – Safer West County
Russian River – is investigating GMRS repeaters – Guerneville & Russian River ACS Unit.
(Damian Boune): I would appreciate it if the Guerneville and Russian River ACS unit would contact me. I have multiple sites selected, some funding acquired, and future plans for tower access in progress. dboune@gmail.com
Fort Ross and Timber Cove – Installed GMRS repeaters at Fire Departments and Muniz Ranch through a local grant.
Note: These repeaters are permission only for local use.
Fort Ross – Channel 16 (462.5750+ 173.8PL).
Timber Cove – Channel 16 (462.5750+ 167.9PL)
Muniz – Channel 16 (462.5750+ 162.2PL)
North County – very active CERT program. Considering GMRS. The main concern is connecting to CERT volunteers, not “the last mile”.
West Monroe District, Santa Rosa – “the last mile” GMRS simplex repeater on channel 22. Listed as closed, but requests generously approved. 462.7250 MHz – no tones
Neighbor-to-neighbor simplex FRS/GMRS programs are known at
- Sebastopol – mobile home part
- Green Valley Net – west of Graton – Channel 17
- Guernewood Neighborhoods Association – [Lois & Damian]
- notes that channel 15 is often used for high-power simplex
- uses channel 3 for weekly nets (Wednesday evenings)
- Sebastopol Map Your Neighborhood:
| City zone | MYN-to-hub channel | Hub-to-net-control channel |
| North | 1 | 3 |
| West | 5 | 7 |
| South | 15 | 17 |
| East | 19 | 21 |
| ICP common | 16 | 4 (fallback) |
please send updates and notes to
Mike Von der Porten