FRS / GMRS Activity in Sonoma County
GMRS repeaters as of 1/14/23
FRS/GMRS activity in Sonoma County as of January 2023
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.
During the recent storms GMRS activity was important in the Lower Russian River Communities, who were very well prepared for the event. Community members with GMRS radios expressed their appreciation for talking with Hams monitoring their repeaters – mainly Sheridan and Overlook, while they had no power or cell phones. Local neighborhood nets provided information and support.
North County – very active CERT program. Adopted GMRS for CERT Incident Commander and Team Leaders, COPE Community leaders, North County Fire Chiefs, and Sonoma County Dep’t. Public Infrastructure. The main focus is connecting to CERT volunteers and COPE Community leaders, not “the last mile”. Fire Chiefs are equipped to monitor. Sonoma County Dep’t. Public Infrastructure continuing to connect to this network. Additional repeater locations being developed. Geoff Peters
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 – Hilltop repeater went online November 20, 2022. And the Fitch Mountain Emergency Radio Net (FERN) has been conducting check-in nets the 1st and 3rd Sundays (5:30pm) of each month since before the Hilltop repeater went live, using simplex and the Shellenger Rd repeater. Pat Abercrombie
Bodega – is investigating a GMRS repeater.
Cazadero – 4 new repeaters! Performed well during the January 2023 storms– Tony Goodwin and Damian Boune
Occidental – repeater at Fitpatrick and Joy rd… FitzJoy – Safer West County
Guerneville is served by the Overlook repeater above Armstrong woods.
Fort Ross and Timber Cove – Coastal Hills Radio Group is the leader in GMRS implimenation in Sonoma Count. Repeaters at Fire Departments and Muniz Ranch through a local grant. See Tables above
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
- Sebastopol – mobile home part
- Green Valley Net – west of Graton – Channel 17 (Bob WRJD829)
- 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
Bob Dozor K3FUL WRJD829
bob@imcsr.com