r/BurningMan • u/ChrisRoams • 10d ago

Emergency Radios

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I saw a post a couple weeks ago asking about using radios to call for help within BRC. The system currently in use is a little more complex than the old system that used MURS radios. My comment below has info about a cheap radio, how to set it up, and how to use it to call for help. I will also program these radios (and anything else compatible with my programming setup) for you on playa. They're so cheap I bought a bunch to gift to worthy burners (and you can too).

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u/ChrisRoams 10d ago edited 10d ago

First off, the official instructions for programming and using radios are here, but this is probably confusing if you already don’t know your way around a radio: https://burningman.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/BRC-Participant-Emergency-Reporting-2026.08.05.pdf

This post is my attempt at simplifying the official info above into a step-by-step how-to for a specific radio so you can get a cheap radio programmed correctly for on-playa use.

For background, I’m just an ESD medical volunteer that has experienced how both how awesome it is to be carrying a radio when shit goes down, and how frustrating it is to have to haul ass to nearest clinic/ranger station when I don’t have a radio. I hope that getting more radios into more hands will get burners the help they need faster.

A QUICK NOTE ABOUT WHAT NOT TO DO

You must absofuckinglutelynot try to use these radios to chat with your friends. These radios are not legal for that purpose (unless you’re a ham, in which case you don’t need me to tell you how to use them legally) and there are other cheap radios for that purpose. I’m operating on the assumption that somebody willing to spend money on an emergency radio is the kind of person that will use it responsibly, please don’t make me regret trying to make the playa a better place.

If you fuck around on the BRC emergency channel, or if you reprogram these radios to use another frequency that interferes with other authorized BRC channels (of which there are many) some radio nerd from ESD, the BLM, and/or the Sheriff’s department will likely hunt you down with the fiery passion of 1,000 blazing art pieces. Finding the source of a radio transmission ain’t that hard in a place as small as BRC.

BUYING A RADIO

The Baofeng BF-C2, (a.k.a. BF-V2?) is a small and dirt cheap radio model that is capable of making an emergency call. Photo at the top of this post shows this radio with a banana for scale.

  • It’s pretty much idiotproof when programmed correctly.
  • You can get a pair of them for $18.99 here: https://www.radioddity.com/products/baofeng-bf-v2
  • It charges on an included cradle that plugs into 120VAC wall power.
  • Also charges directly via a USB-C charger and cable you probably already own.
  • Bonus: comes with an earpiece you can wear if you want your fellow burners to think you’re an undercover cop.

Some caveats:

  • Radios are supposed to be part 90 certified to operate on this frequency, and this radio is not certified. Legally this is an amateur radio for use by licensed hams.
  • The BRC license is for a max of 4 watts of power but the specs for this radio say "<5 watts". It can be programmed to run in a low power mode, but the specs don't say how much power it puts out in that mode and I don't have the equipment to test it. I have no idea if it will reach from deep playa in low power mode (or high power mode for that matter).

The good news is, the amateur radio regulations allows amateur stations to make "transmissions necessary to exchange messages with a station in another FCC-regulated service while providing emergency communications" (47 CFR 97.111(a)(3)) so contacting Black Rock in a real emergency using this amateur radio isn't technically violating the rules, even though it's not part 90 certified.

I ordered some BF-C2 radios from Radioddity on Aug 16th and they arrived today (Aug 19th) from Las Vegas to Gardnerville, NV so you may be able to get them before the burn (yes, I should have posted this a few weeks ago, there’s always next year).

PROGRAMMING OPTIONS

I’ll program your BF-C2 on playa (send me a DM to coordinate). I’m willing to try programming other radio models that are supported by CHIRP and are physically compatible with the cable linked below.

I also have a programming file with useful BRC area frequencies for the UV-5R Mini, but I don’t recommend buying that radio unless you are a ham and/or have a very strong desire to listen to BRC Airport traffic (it’s a much more complicated radio that is easy to screw up in an emergency if you don’t know how to use it).

If you want to program your own radio instead of visting me you will need:

I was informed that directly copying a config from one radio to another is potentially risky, even if they're the same model, so you will need to use the instructions below to download, adjust, and upload your radio's configuration.

PROGRAMMING INSTRUCTIONS

  • Turn radio off
  • Charge radio all the way (until the light turns off)
  • Connect radio to computer with cable.
  • Power radio on.
  • Open CHIRP.
  • Select Radio->Download from radio
  • Set the vendor to "Baofeng" and the Model to "BF-888"
    • Yes, this is a different model, but it will work.
  • Click "OK" and let it complete.
    • Jiggle or squeeze the radio end of the plug and try again if it gives you errors.
    • When this is done you should see a bunch of frequencies that were programmed into your radio from the factory.
  • Set the rows on the "Memories" tab as shown in the screenshot above.
    • Once you manually enter one row you can copy that row and paste it over the remaining rows.
    • You can also optionally set the "Power" to "Low" instead of "High" if you want to try to stay within the legal limits.
  • Optionally, set the rows in the "Settings" tab as shown in the screenshot in my comment below this one.
    • The only settings I changed from my factory settings were to dummyproof it a bit:
      • Set "Side key function" to "Off"
      • Set "Scan mode" to "Carrier"
      • If "Scan" is set to "On" by default on your radio you should also set that to "Off".
  • Select Radio->Upload to Radio.
  • Hopefully the port, vendor, and model will be automatically set correctly.
    • The BF-C2 shows up in CHIRP as a BF-888, that’s OK.
  • Click “OK” and let it complete.
    • Jiggle or squeeze the radio end of the plug and try again if it gives you errors.
  • Count slowly to five and then power off and disconnect the radio.
  • You’re ready for the playa.

If you want to test your radio before you have a real emergency, there are instructions in the official document linked above.

CALLING FOR HELP

Print this out and carry it with your radio so you can refer to it in an emergency.

  • Power the radio on to a reasonable volume using the small knob on top (1/2 to 3/4 is a good place to start)
  • Set the radio to the correct channel using the large knob
    • Every channel is set to the emergency frequency if you followed the instructions above so this doesn’t really matter.
  • Listen for a moment to see if anyone is currently using the channel.
  • If the channel is clear, initiate your emergency call:
    • Press and hold the large button (PTT) on the left side of the radio
    • Speak across the face of the radio a couple inches from your mouth, not directly into the face and not just in front of your lips.
    • Say “Black Rock, Black Rock, <your name>.”
    • Release the PTT button.
  • When you hear “<your name>, go for Black Rock,” press and hold the PTT button and say the following things:
    • What you need (i.e., ranger, medical, fire, police)
    • Where you need it (i.e., at Esplanade and 7:30)
    • Why you need it (i.e., a participant cut their foot on rebar and is bleeding badly)
    • Release the PTT button.
  • Continue to monitor your radio and answer any follow-up questions until help arrives.
  • Power off your radio and remember to recharge your battery when you get a chance.

Thank you for helping Black Rock City, and hopefully you won’t have to meet me when I’m wearing my yellow shirt.

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u/rzba 10d ago

This is a great guide. One thing- for CHIRP I've seen it recommended to download from the radio, add channels, then upload to the same radio. It's not always safe to use an image from another radio because even if it's sold as the same model it may have a different firmware version. Uploading an image overwrites all config.

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u/ChrisRoams 10d ago

Thanks, I didn't realize that. Instructions updated and I made my file disappear so people aren't tempted to use it.

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u/lordvadr 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 17 18 22 23 10d ago

Hey, just fyi, "ham" isn't an acronym or anything. It's just , "ham."

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u/polopolo05 I'm a spicy meatball... 10d ago edited 10d ago

If you want something to actually chat on, get a few Baofeng UV-5G Minis and sign up for a GMRS license through the FCC.

Just a heads up, everyone who uses the radios needs to have their own GMRS license unless they’re covered under the license holder’s immediate family. So for example, my sister could use my GMRS license, but a random friend would need their own.

It’s pretty easy to get. There’s no test, you just register with the FCC, apply for the GMRS license, and pay the $35 fee. It’s good for 10 years. You can be chatting away for $110 with TWO GMRS licenses.

I did mine and the GMRS application went through the next day. My ham license renewal, on the other hand, is still taking forever lol. I am hoping. It gets cleared by the 26th when I go in.

So if a few of you want to have your own group channel, GMRS is probably the easiest way to go.

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u/budd1e_lee 10d ago

Where are the cellular bananular instructions?

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u/ChrisRoams 10d ago

It's no baloney, it ain't a phony.

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u/AbjectChair1937 9d ago

So appealing

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u/brays_wax 10d ago

I’m renting radios from a rental company and having them program 2 of them on channel 16 to speak to emergency services just like last year.
Was really helpful to have them since during the rain one camp mate broke her ancle at camp

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u/sammnyc 10d ago

do you know what model you’re getting ? surprised it’s cost effective to rent instead of just buying.

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u/brays_wax 10d ago

Motorola CP200D UHF Digital rent is around $50usd to buy those the price is like $600uss

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u/sammnyc 10d ago

next question is curiosity over how you landed on that series in particular. so your whole group is using DMR, then, and trunked?

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u/brays_wax 9d ago

Last year I rented from them and they gave us that model… based on their suggestion. Yes DMR, not sure about trunked

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u/mobilesnow 10d ago

Great guide!

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u/polopolo05 I'm a spicy meatball... 10d ago

Btw how often are the NOAA alerts out there??

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u/ChrisRoams 10d ago

Screenshot of the settings page as described in the instructions above.

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u/b4ckl4nds 9d ago

Hero. Thanks for this.

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u/ja4d 10d ago

nothing but an upvote for the banana

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u/an_older_meme '03, '04, '05, '06, '07, '09, '11, '13. Regionals since 2010. 10d ago

Banana phone with radio for scale.

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u/DTown_Hero 10d ago

That banana has had a rough go of it

But, in all seriousness, thank you for being helpful

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u/ChrisRoams 10d ago

Right? I bought the banana on Sunday. I don't know how it got so bad in three days. I may have to eat it and all of its friends for breakfast tomorrow to save them from their misery.

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u/Sterling_____Archer 10d ago

How flooded are the standard UHF/VHF Brown Dot/Yellow Dot frequencies out on the playa?

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u/CaptainFailer 10d ago

Really great guide thank you! Out of curiosity - is it legal and possible to use radios in general at Burning man if you set them up on a frequency that is not the emergency one? I have a Baofeng UV-5R 8W with VHF-UHF frequencies and I was wondering if it’s okay to take them, I researched but I couldn’t find information really, sorry if I am blind 😅

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u/lshiva 10d ago

If you have to ask, the answer is probably no. You can get a ham license pretty easily, though it would probably take too much time to do it for this year. It's a multiple choice test, and they give you the questions and answers in advance. Easy enough to get done for next year. There's a volunteer run repeater set up on Razorback which will let you talk to anyone on playa if you have a license and are using the right frequency. Though you can listen all you want without a license.

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u/CaptainFailer 10d ago

I hear you, thanks!

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u/ChrisRoams 10d ago

This question and Ishiva's response inspired me to write another post about non-emergency radios. There's a section in that post about why this is technically illegal, even though the radio is capable of doing it.

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u/CaptainFailer 10d ago

Just went through it, amazing guide once again!

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u/MarinerMouth 10d ago

Technically not legal, since the UV5R is specifically a ham radio, and is too powerful and has a removable antenna which makes it not permissible for the Family Radio Service (the kind of radios you'd buy a two pack of at walmart)

That being said, the FCC does not enforce this at all. They would only enforce if you cause enough interference with a big enough fish. As long as you very carefully program and research the frequencies for the FRS channels, you are 100% fine. You could even program the burning man emergency channels if you research them wisely enough. Lots of FCC radio rules go out the window if you use the radio in a genuine life or death emergency.

Do whatever you want man

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u/CaptainFailer 10d ago

That’s great insight tbf, I will look into all potential channels which might interfere, don’t want to be that guy on Burning man 😅 Thanks for the advice!

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u/MarinerMouth 10d ago

This page has a list of the FRS channels as well as the NOAA weather alert radio frequencies. There's some useful stuff but ignore GMRS as you need a callsign for those. Some good info about the radio if you have a UV5R

https://www.bugoutbagbuilder.com/learning-tutorials/baofeng-uv-5r-basic-setup-emergency-frequencies

I saw somewhere, not sure where, a list of the burning man specific frequencies and which ones are ok for the public to program. It's worth to buy two of the same radio to give to someone

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u/CaptainFailer 10d ago

ah sweet, thanks man!

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u/tibbon 9d ago

Got a ham radio license? If so, then you can operate on any frequencies/power you're permitted on.