Negative Feedback

[E229Lt]

For those of you who operate in a department, with numerous portable radios on the fireground. How many hear the constant feedback during transmissions? As one member makes a report to the I.C. or someone else at the scene, anyone standing near the person talking, creates feedback, often making the message unintelligible.

The simple action of placing a hand over their mic, greatly reduces, if not eliminates this problem. Why then do so many just stand there with their radio squealing?

Still on a communications kick.

[ThNozzleman]

I know a lot of departments switch their PA systems on apparatus over to radio...that doesn't help much, either.

[Engine5FF]

A spanner wrench to the back of the helmet usually wakes up the offending radio hog.

[RyanEMVFD]

one of my pet peeves is having the tone pager turned on while attempting to talk on the radio. the feedback is annoying as all get out. i'm guilty of it myself but around here it ususally does take the "spanner wrench to the back of the helmet" to get their attention.

[SquadHog]

Originally posted by Engine5-FF
A spanner wrench to the back of the helmet usually wakes up the offending radio hog.

Hey, take it easy on the hogs there, E-5!

[SilverCity4]

Beats me, but it ticks me off.

It's either new guys (who may not know and better) or idiots.

Either way, smack 'em with the wrench. Difference between the two? Take the radio away from the idiot.

[ADSNWFLD]

I can't he has more bugles then me.
That's why I like my radio strap the mic is sitting in the center of my chest,easy to hear and cover up.

[captstanm1]

It happens all the time and I am not sure why. Perhaps it is the BIG EYE Syndrome?

What is even worse than that is when you are transmitting and someone else with a radio walks up and stands beside you....knowing that you are transmitting and hearing the squeal....and stands there looking stupid.

If both your hands are busy (perhaps hidden from view) use your teeth to turn down the radio a bit.

[Engine5FF]

Originally posted by SquadHog

Hey, take it easy on the hogs there, E-5!

OK then... "Radio-canine of indeterminent biological origin". The spanner is extra effective if the helmet is plastic, too.

[DeputyChiefGonzo]

I caus most of my own feedback...I forget to shut off my portable hen I get back onto the rig...when I key the mike on the truck radio....SCREEEEEEEEEEEECH! It sounds like Pete Townshend of the Who in his early days smashing his guitar through his amp speaker cabinets!

My crew does this

I do this

Then we look at each other and

[blancety]

how about the guy who calls another guy(or girl) that he can see, 5 ft in front of him. Some people need to learn you don't always have to talk on the radio.

I don't know the answer Loo, I usually cover mine with my hand, or if my hands are full cover it with the side of my face...anything to prevent the dreaded "SQUEAL"

[martinm]

A both a dispactcher and firefighter, my experience is no matter how many radios are brought to a job, it still does not outnumber the amount of people who want to talk on them!

[ramseycl]

Try being a dispatcher: Our center has headsets with the ear piece that fits inside the ear. It REALLY hurts when someone mic squeels us, tends to **** us off.

[Trkco1]

Pete Townshend?? We have this certain Lt. that would make Jimmy Hendrix jealous.

[1835Wayne]

The open pager thing is definately my pet peeve. Everyone on my dept has a portable, yet some of them still bring their pagers with them to calls. Then they don't even have their radios!!!!!

[AVFR452]

I too, am guilty of the Pete Townsend act. Both with a pager and a portable radio. I should know better...I seem to remember that I have a portable or pager open just after I key the radio.

At least I know that I am not alone. Thanks Capt.


Stay Safe,

Jim

[mark440]

What gets me is someone on the volley department jumps in the truck, you tell everyone to turn thier pagers down, they say they have, they grab the mic, make it holler like a pig and KEEP talking instead of stopping and turning the pager down! I feel like wrapping the cord around thier necks! Some people just do not think. I keep my Minitor III turned 1/2 way or less and never have a problem. We don't have the problem as much in the career department because the pagers are the older frequency and the radios are 800 band. When I'm around others with radios I turn mine off, no need wasting my battery.

*Mark

[dfd3dfd3]

Although I believe everyone on the fireground should have his own radio I dont think that everyone should have the radio on and certainly everyone doesnt need to talk into it. If firefighters are with an officer the officer only needs his radio on. Only one person in a group needs the radio on that would solve alot of the probs.

[ChiefReason]

Now, you all know me by now as a reasonable man, right? Two things that really crank me is radio feedback and PASS devices going off all over my fireground. We have an AC from a neighboring department who MUST drive the truck, as he feels that he is the only one capable of operating the pump. He always wears an HT 750 with a lapel mike that he leaves on when he's driving. So everytime and I mean everytime he goes on a call, he grabs the truck's mobile and all's you can hear is the squealing and squalling of his portable. Heck, he's only been doing this since I can remember. Stupid, perhaps?
Now the second thing. It is a little thing that cranks me big time. It is PASS devices that continually go off on the fireground. They are Dragonflies that, you know, will start out low and reach a crescendo. I have told my guys that if their's reaches a crescendo, they are not doing anything but standing around. If they are standing around, they are not helping. If they are not helping, they can get the **** off of the fireground. All's they have to do when it starts chirping is MOVE-just a little. If they can't do that, then asking them to lay the big hose(5") is completely out of the question.
I must be getting cranky in my old age.
And you all thought I was "reason-able"!
IACOJ-does the "C" stand for crusty or cranky? I forgot!

[cgr911]

My pet peave about the radios are the jagoffs who think they have to talk on them nonstop about absolutely nothing on the fire ground when operations are going on so you actually have to wait to get a message through.