WA Radio Scanner Users' Group

does anyone know who monitors this channel?

In Perth, I'm not sure who monitors Ch5. But there are organisations such as CREST and ACREM.

http://www.acrem.org.au/

http://home.vicnet.net.au/~crest/

PER05 is infact the emergency repeater, But in the event of an emergency it's not where i'd be going to put out a ditress call, the people that do occupy ch5 are more than likley going to tell you to "F**K OFF!" then get you then help you will need, id be heading to another repeater eg. PER01 or PER03 to put a call in, maybe even doing an open scan of the simplex frequncies could help.

What the govourment needs to do (acma) is direction find these pethetic loosers who think its a talk channel and rip thier arse off.

chances of that happening is nil. The cost involved is just tooo much.

Down here in Melbourne it's just like any other channel on the dial, even with a registered CREST organisation down here none of the representatives seem to actually monitor it!

Waist of time in the city... if you were in an emergency situation why the hell would you be on CB?? id be trying a mobile phone or flag someone down. and like previously said. your more likely to get told to sod off then anything.

They should just scrap the idea and open it up for another usable channel/ repeater.

x2

Waste of time full-stop!

While I agree with you on some aspects of what you're saying, some would argue that the emergency channels are effective. Reasoning below:

The infrastructure is there, the "radio police" (ACMA Field Ops) are there, yet more than half the population of people who own or use a CB wouldn't rely on it in an emergency situation.

Those who favour the channels would argue that it's there when your out in the bush and have no coverage on the phone, not near any highways ect, but there is nobody in the bush who will monitor the channels (let alone taking the person who requires assistance seriously.

Repeaters are used for extended range transmitting, but where are the CH5 repeaters? People don't want to go paying the ongoing costs of maintaining a repeater for people who won't use it (can only be used in emergencies) and those who are happy to pay for it will have idiots on it who know that it's an emergency repeater.

Imaging being in the outback some 100km away from the nearest major township and needing help, all you have is a simplex channel, nobody to monitor it and your life.... on the line (possibly)

CREST Victoria are not even active, while they hold the title to their names nobody from the group actually monitors the channels, tells idiots to clear the channel (even if they will cop a mouthful from those who don't care) ect. The ACMA have given them FREE CB & commercial licenses, and monitoring them shows them talking to each other whilst driving to and from work about how their days are going, like a joe blow on the CB. Someone please explain...

Either scrap the aging emergency channels or do something about them.

And here we are trying to give the clowns another 40channels for use as bows and arrows in their playground, the ACMA need to have a good look at themselves and their decisions before damaging plans for 80channels. Create a separate band that is policed and used effectively.

Last I heard it was decommissioned.

I am a member of Australian Citizens Radio Emergency Monitors (ACREM).

We have quite an active member base here in NSW.

I can only speak for the calls i receive and they number in the 100's per yr.

These calls range from a simple radio check to full blown emergency situations, some of which are calls from city folk in the city.

We also get the obvious from 4x4 drivers and transport operators.

I can tell you from experience that No 5 is alive!

See our web site www.acrem.org.au

Key you soon on the air,
ACREM2

the on going cost for these repeaters its not worth them sitting around not being used. in perth it just gets hammered by truckies and civil works groups, the acma tend not to worry about cb, its a free for all and to them there is no money in it and to hard to police.

if i was out driving in remote area's id have a HF and/ or sat phone which would be by far more reliable. as some one already said you would be better be going to a common channel, ch 40 would be more help out of metro area.

you dont have people using the correct calling channels etc, y still have a dedicated emergency repeater? maybe have emergency as priority but not a dedicated channel just to sit there n not be used, waist of gear and money.

In the emergency services we use them when conducting burn offs and that sort of thing so that we keep off the main control channel.A well as talking from the vehicles to crew members.

also its a way of firefighters to be in contact with farmers when at fires in there paddock because they do not have the authorization to be on our VHF frequency's.

Hope this cleared it up a bit.