Emergency communications | Frequency plan

Top useful frequencies for emergency communications

A useful emergency frequency plan is local, legal, and practiced. Do not copy a random internet list into your radio and call it done. Start with the frequencies you can actually use: local repeaters, local simplex habits, weather radio, nets, and channels your household or group has practiced with.

The Practical Top 10

1. Your primary local ham repeater.
2. A backup local ham repeater.
3. A regional or linked repeater used by local nets.
4. A local 2 meter simplex frequency used by your group.
5. A local 70 centimeter simplex frequency if your area uses one.
6. NOAA Weather Radio receive-only channels.
7. APRS frequency for your region, if you use APRS.
8. Local ARES, club, or SKYWARN net frequency.
9. GMRS channels for family use if your household is licensed for GMRS.
10. A written fallback plan for when the first nine do not work.

Why This Is Not One Universal List

Emergency communication is local. A repeater that is excellent in one county may be useless in another. A simplex channel that is common in one group may conflict with local habits elsewhere. Confirm the plan with nearby operators and local groups.

Print the Plan

Your radio memories should match a printed sheet. Include channel name, frequency, tone, offset, purpose, net time, and notes. If someone else picks up the radio, the paper should explain what the channel names mean.

For Lee County, Texas, start with LeeCARES and then build your own list using the local repeater guide.