Hand Held VHS

Any way to get both of these protocols working on the same channel? It would be great to able to communicate with the kids with their FRS radios from the VHS on the boat.

VHS is a type of Video recording format. VHF is the term for the group of frequencies that Marine Radio around the lake falls under. That stands for Very High Frequency and is in and around 156 MHz.

FRS or Family Radio Service is in the UHF portion of the radio band. Ultra High Frequency. That is in and around 465 MHz. Also FRS often uses a sub audable tone (often called PL or CTCSS but may be a color or number in FRS) so you don't hear other users on the same channel. Marine VHF does not have such encoding/decoding.

Although both are FM Narrow Band modes, the big difference in frequency makes it highly difficult (there are things called transverters but too complicated and not really legal for this use).

I think the Marine Radio rules specify that your Marine Radio can not be used to transmit in any other service (it must be dedicated for Marine Only use, plus weather receive). Marine Radios must be FCC certified for use in the Marine service.

There is a kind of 2-way radio, dual band (in one radio), offering transmit and receive on both UHF and VHF (often used in the Ham radio service and not FCC type approved for either Marine or FRS). Some of those may be modified to talk to both Marine Radios and FRS radios. The modification (if possible) can be difficult and use of those radios for the purpose you describe would be in violation of FCC rules and regulations.

Get the family cell phones

Hope this helps
Mark Coney

Thanks. That was a well thought out response that really clears things up.

Except I still don't understand how to get the tapes into them.....