Why we don’t use VHF radios
FRS radios are lower cost, don’t require a license and are more common amongst backcountry users. Search and Rescue, ski patrols and mountain operations use VHF radios.
Why can’t we just have one channel for all of Tahoe?
The Backcountry Community radio program as it was defined in Telluride and deployed in about twenty other locations uses FRS/GMRS radios with similar zone guidelines to ours. Telluride Mountain Club and KCSPART had a lot of input to the structure of our program. Telluride opted for smaller zones after five years. If the zones are much larger than a trailhead or two, there is too much chatter on the channels.