So Cal Broncos Community Forums

Welcome, Guest! Register a free account today to become a member and participate in the discussion.

Radio Frequencies

lilfordwmn

Bronco Babe
Anyone have the SCB radio frequencies again? I know, I know. I am sure we have gotten them a million times, but it's always in the middle of cerveza's......and right now it's not beer thirty so I was hoping....
 
Here's a list I keep handy. For So Cal Broncos runs, programming the first 10 is about all you'll need. But if you're dumping them in with CHIRP and a cable, may as well throw them all in there.

FREQUENCYCHANNELDESCRIPTION
146.535SCB-GENSo Cal Broncos General
146.405SCB-1So Cal Broncos Run 1
146.430SCB-2So Cal Broncos Run 2
146.460SCB-3So Cal Broncos Run 3
146.500SCB-4So Cal Broncos Run 4
151.625WX-MANWeatherman
153.395BFG-PITBFG Pits
151.715BFG-RLYBFG Relay
152.750JAGER1Jager Race
150.250JAGER2Jager 2
151.905JAGRCHJager Chase
150.875SCOREOPSCORE Race Ops
151.490SCOREMDSCORE Medical
154.980BAJAPITBaja Pits
151.475TINBNDRTinbenders Club
157.450KOH-OPSKOH Race Ops
158.655PROPTSPro Pits
151.775LOCOSMLocos Mocos
150.860FAIRFair
151.925CHECKCheckers
155.160SARSearch & Rescue
151.490BITDBest in the Desert

EDIT: SCB-1 has been changed from 146.406 to 146.405, and SCB-2 has been changed from 146.429 to 146.430. Please note these changes if you have programmed your radios (or attempted to) using the erroneous frequencies previously distributed for those two channels.
 
Last edited:
OK, stupid newbie question. Are you locked into 2-meter for communications for trail running? I have a GRMS radio but don't have a ham license so do I need to get that Technician license in order to play with the cool kids? :D
 
OK, stupid newbie question. Are you locked into 2-meter for communications for trail running? I have a GRMS radio but don't have a ham license so do I need to get that Technician license in order to play with the cool kids? :D

If you ask someone who actually knows anything about it, they will probably tell you you are supposed to have a license to operate on the frequencies we use, and spew out alphabet soup every time you make a transmission. But nobody in our group will hassle you about it one way or the other. We're not the radio police.
 
BUT your radio will need to have the "MARS-CAP"* mod done to it if you want to talk to others on these freqs. All or most all 2M radios can listen on those freqs, the mod is only needed to transmit on them. Contrary to what some hams will tell you, the mod is legal to have. Using it is where things get gray.

FWIW getting the Tech license isn't all that difficult. I found an online practice test that I took at least once a day, for several months. I got to the point where recognized each question and had the correct answer memorized.

*"Military Something Something Something - Civilian Air Patrol", I'm sure google can explain it better than I can.

--------

FWIW I used to have all of those freqs and more loaded into all of my radio's memorys. I find that I use about 4 of them. Consequently my loaner BaoFeng's only have those 4 freqs programmed into them. Less confusing to a new user that way. I keep all of them in my mobiles because I have had need once in a very great while to contact someone else's race team (usually to tell them where their broken racer was), but the reality is that I don't use them.
 
Go here to see why you should get licensed and at the bottom it tells you where and a link to practice tests.
 
BUT your radio will need to have the "MARS-CAP"* mod done to it if you want to talk to others on these freqs. All or most all 2M radios can listen on those freqs, the mod is only needed to transmit on them. Contrary to what some hams will tell you, the mod is legal to have. Using it is where things get gray.

FWIW getting the Tech license isn't all that difficult. I found an online practice test that I took at least once a day, for several months. I got to the point where recognized each question and had the correct answer memorized.

*"Military Something Something Something - Civilian Air Patrol", I'm sure google can explain it better than I can.

--------

FWIW I used to have all of those freqs and more loaded into all of my radio's memorys. I find that I use about 4 of them. Consequently my loaner BaoFeng's only have those 4 freqs programmed into them. Less confusing to a new user that way. I keep all of them in my mobiles because I have had need once in a very great while to contact someone else's race team (usually to tell them where their broken racer was), but the reality is that I don't use them.
OK, so that explains why Chirp will only let me program SCB-GEN, and SCB-3 and 4 in my radio? To get SCB-1 and 2 I would need this "MAR-CAP" mod?
 
Go here to see why you should get licensed and at the bottom it tells you where and a link to practice tests.
Thanks for the info! I'm working on my Technician license now and this will help.
 
OK, so that explains why Chirp will only let me program SCB-GEN, and SCB-3 and 4 in my radio? To get SCB-1 and 2 I would need this "MAR-CAP" mod?
It should not be affecting your ability to program any freqs., only the ability to transmit ("TX") on those freqs. I've found CHIRRP to be a bit finicky to use. Have to follow the steps exactly as listed or it flakes out.

I misspoke earlier, you only need the MARS-CAP mod from the WX-MAN freq down, All 5 of the SCB freqs are within the 2M ham band's 144MHz to 148MHz frequency range.
 
It should not be affecting your ability to program any freqs., only the ability to transmit ("TX") on those freqs. I've found CHIRRP to be a bit finicky to use. Have to follow the steps exactly as listed or it flakes out.

I misspoke earlier, you only need the MARS-CAP mod from the WX-MAN freq down, All 5 of the SCB freqs are within the 2M ham band's 144MHz to 148MHz frequency range.
OK, thanks, I'll keep messing with Chirp.
 
I don't remember what it was that I was doing wrong when I thought that I was doing it right, but it was a simple mis-reading of the instructions. I'm sure that I'll get to learn it all again in a few days......
 
I don't remember what it was that I was doing wrong when I thought that I was doing it right, but it was a simple mis-reading of the instructions. I'm sure that I'll get to learn it all again in a few days......
Ok, did I some experiments.

First, I just programmed SCB-1 (146.406) in by had on the radio. That seemed to work just fine. I then saved it to memory channel #70, again, no problem. All this on the radio.
Then I fired up CHiRP and pulled in what was on the radio. The SCB-1 freq. was there in memory slot 70 just like I programmed it into the radio. However, in CHiRP it show up as 146.406250 instead of 146.406000 (i.e. with a 250 at the end instead of a 000 at the end like everything else).
So I added the name, moved it around a bit, and pushed it back into the radio, and it's all good.

I'm not sure if having the 250 at the end instead of 000 at the end is going to make a difference?

Then it got interesting. I went to program SCB-2 (146.429) into the radio using the keypad just like I did for SCB-1. But when I enter 146.429 on the keypad, the radio displayed 146.428! When I pulled that into CHiRP it's actually 146.428750!

Does anyone have any ideas? I'm a complete rookie when it comes to this.
 
Ok, did I some experiments.

First, I just programmed SCB-1 (146.406) in by had on the radio. That seemed to work just fine. I then saved it to memory channel #70, again, no problem. All this on the radio.
Then I fired up CHiRP and pulled in what was on the radio. The SCB-1 freq. was there in memory slot 70 just like I programmed it into the radio. However, in CHiRP it show up as 146.406250 instead of 146.406000 (i.e. with a 250 at the end instead of a 000 at the end like everything else).
So I added the name, moved it around a bit, and pushed it back into the radio, and it's all good.

I'm not sure if having the 250 at the end instead of 000 at the end is going to make a difference?

Then it got interesting. I went to program SCB-2 (146.429) into the radio using the keypad just like I did for SCB-1. But when I enter 146.429 on the keypad, the radio displayed 146.428! When I pulled that into CHiRP it's actually 146.428750!

Does anyone have any ideas? I'm a complete rookie when it comes to this.
OK, well, Google does wonders sometimes. After playing around a bit I found that if I right-click on a memory location, then pick properties, and enter the correct information it works correctly!
 
FWIW I found a $10 book on CHIRRP listed on amazon. Maybe it has info organized so it's easy to find and maybe we're better off looking at their board for the info.
 
I've always had those troubles with CHIRP and those channels on the SCB radio list. I think it's best we just change those channels to a frequency that doesn't cause hiccups. I got that list from somewhere a while back, maybe Kirk or somebody else. But there's no reason we can't alter it, as long as we make sure everyone is on the same page.
 
I've always had those troubles with CHIRP and those channels on the SCB radio list. I think it's best we just change those channels to a frequency that doesn't cause hiccups. I got that list from somewhere a while back, maybe Kirk or somebody else. But there's no reason we can't alter it, as long as we make sure everyone is on the same page.
Hey, I'm the new guy on the block, and I did get it to work, just took a minute to figure it out, so don't let me be the guy that triggers a change from legacy. Having said that, have you considered moving to the GMRS freqs.? It's a lot easier for people to be legal there ... :cool:
 
I suspect this little glitch is the result of a setting for frequency intervals or separations. I also suspect that if they were 146.405 instead of 146.406 and 146. 425 or 146.430 instead of 146.429 that everything would be a lot happier. I'm not even sure that my mobiles will tune to a frequency not ending in a zero or a 5.

I'm now up to 5 loaner UV-5R's (a 6th one is suspect, won't TX above 148 for some reason) and as I was programming the last two last night I remembered one of the early issues that I'd had. The programming cable would stop seemingly all of the way in when it had one more detent to go. It was the plastic piece over the mic & speaker jack holes that wasn't allowing full insertion. W/O that they obviously wouldn't do much of anything.
 
I suspect this little glitch is the result of a setting for frequency intervals or separations. I also suspect that if they were 146.405 instead of 146.406 and 146. 425 or 146.430 instead of 146.429 that everything would be a lot happier. I'm not even sure that my mobiles will tune to a frequency not ending in a zero or a 5.

I'm now up to 5 loaner UV-5R's (a 6th one is suspect, won't TX above 148 for some reason) and as I was programming the last two last night I remembered one of the early issues that I'd had. The programming cable would stop seemingly all of the way in when it had one more detent to go. It was the plastic piece over the mic & speaker jack holes that wasn't allowing full insertion. W/O that they obviously wouldn't do much of anything.
I had the same problem with my BTECH GMRS-V1. You really have to lean on it to get the cable to properly seat. No such problem with the BF-F8HP.
 

Please support the businesses that support So Cal Broncos!

Back
Top