To many folks, using a 2-way radio can be a new experience. This short guide will get you acquainted with how to properly use your radio when using the BBCW (Community Watch) channel. Here are some general tips:
- For BBCW to be effective, ALWAYS keep your radio set to CH16, turned on to at least half or max volume, and keep the radio in the charging cradle. This ensures the radio stays charged, but also that you will be able to monitor for calls or alerts over the channel.
- Only transmit (talk) on this channel if you or someone in your household is a GMRS license holder. If nobody in your household holds such a license, STOP and see this page on how to get licensed, and get licensed before talking on this channel – one license holder per household covers everyone in your home. It is the law for GMRS systems like BBCW.
- Before transmitting, stop and listen to the channel before transmitting to ensure the channel is clear first.
- If the channel is clear, begin transmitting by holding down the TALK button on your radio. NOTE: there is a HALF SECOND delay between when you press the TALK button and your transmission begins to be heard, so after hitting the TALK button, begin speaking into your radio after ONE SECOND to ensure that everything is heard by those monitoring the channel. This is especially important for quick one-word answers or responses to others when replying. Pausing for a second after holding down talk before speaking into the radio is key!
- When calling over the BBCW channel, follow the above guidelines, and use plain english such as “Hey John are you here?”, wait for a couple minutes for your called party to respond, and if necessary, repeat your call again.
- When broadcasting an alert of suspicious or hazardous items, follow this procedure to be sure your report is heard – for example, to report a suspicious vehicle or person: “Attention Bridgeberry (say 3 times), I’m seeing what looks like a suspicious vehicle near (give location details – street names and house/lot number), vehicle is a small silver sedan, male driver, north carolina plate. Car has been parked in this spot for 30 minutes – does anyone know this vehicle?” If you get no response, repeat the report in the same manner once more – there’s a chance someone did not get to the radio in time, and repeating the report a second time after a pause is a guaranteed way to broadcast a successful alert.
- Being as descriptive as you can is key to helping others corroborate and identify what you’re seeing.
- Give channel priority to the person making the report and offer to help if the report is relevant to your area of the neighborhood.
- Lastly, when clearing the BBCW channel, please give your GMRS callsign as you sign off and go back to monitoring.