PRS radio within the Community

First question has to be what is PRS radio? For those not familiar with the radio frequency landscape in New Zealand, PRS stands for Personal Radio Service. It was introduced into New Zealand with the introduction of UHF (Ultra High Frequency) bands to the CB (Citizen Band) world. In line with overseas authorities the CB bands were relabeled PRS to encompass both the old CB frequencies and the new UHF frequencies. So what does this mean to the average person? Basically it allows the use of small handheld handsets - like the ones in the picture - that can be purchased from just about any appliance store and can be used immediately straight out of the box, no licence required. As well as any member of the community now being able to buy and operate the old type CB radios, they can now purchase a handset, for as little as $60 and start talking to others on most any of the 80 new UHF channels that have been set aside for the Personal Radio Service. If there is a PRS repeater in the area it also enables communication over a far greater area. An example of this is the PRS repeater on the Port Hills above Christchurch in Canterbury. If you are able to access this with your handheld you can effectively communicate from Timaru to Amberley and right up into the foothills. 


So why would any member of the community want a PRS handheld when mobile phones are almost universal to anyone over the age of 10 years old? 


Convenience is the first reason. With a PRS handheld in your hand you can communicate immediately with a group of people on the same channel without having to dial a number or enter into some sort of mobile-phone chat group. Press the talk button and start speaking. Ideal for talking instantly to a group of people, whether it be a group all gathered to participate in some common activity, camping, walking, sports events or just talking to some  persons within your community. 


Another very good reason is there are never any outages in the service. If two or more handhelds are within range and on the same channel communication is immediately available. There is no reliance on cell phone towers, internet or satellites. These handsets can communicate  with each other whether in the city or in the back-country. They are even used in the bush and in caving expeditions, as long as the handhelds are in range and on the same channel. They are the ideal way of communicating in a disaster situation where all the cell, internet and satellite infrastructure is either down or overloaded; think of the Christchurch earthquakes or more recently the fires and flooding in Australia and America. In these situations UHF handsets have proved themselves time and again to be the only reliable and effective way of maintaining effective communication within the immediate community.


The reliability of UHF handhelds has proved itself so effective in these disasters in both Australia and America that there is now quite a movement to establish UHF nets within communities throughout these countries to ensure greater resilience in future emergencies. With New Zealand having more weather related events and further looking down the barrel of a Magnitude 8 earthquake when the Alpine Fault ruptures, maybe it time that we started forming these groups.











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