• Cell phone service is available allong the i-80 corodor and is marginal along hwy 89.
• CB (Citizens Band) radios and FRS (Family Radio Service) walkie talkies are useful for communicating over short distances with others on the trail (CB's are common for jeepers and FRS for hikers), but have limited distance (several miles).
• Satelite phone (Iridium, Globalstar, Inmarsat ) are best for emergency communications.
  Cost: $32-50/mo. plus $1.50-2.00/min.. Phone: $400-$1,000+.
  Rental $35/week, See satphonestore.com
• 2 meter and 70 cm. amateur (ham) radios have greater distance and can often be linked to repeaters on mountain tops, but require a license.
  About $250 new.

Amateur & Citizen Bands:

      CB       27 MHz  HF
10 meter       29 MHz  HF  (1 repeater)
 6 meter    50-54 MHz VHF  (2 repeaters)
 2 meter  144-148 MHz VHF  (15 repeaters)
1¼ meter  222-225 MHz VHF  (5 repeaters)
FRS, GMRS 462-467 MHz UHF
   70-cm  420-450 MHz UHF  (22 repeaters)
   25-cm  1.24-1.3 GHz UHF  (5 repeaters)

Repeaters in the Tahoe Area
Sacramento Valley Open Repeaters at www.n6icw.org/localrpt.htm 2004

Output	Tone	Location	Call	Organization
145.27	156.7	Auburn	KD6MTF	Placer County SAR links to 146.640
223.86	100	Auburn	K6ARR	Sierra Foothills ARC
444.6	192.8	Auburn	N6NMZ
146.745	156.7	Foresthill	N6PYF	Placer County SAR
146.64	131.8	Donner Summit	W6SAR	Placer County SAR links to 145.270
146.625	151.4	Grass Valley	WB4YJT	CDF VIP-NYP
147.015	151.4	Grass Valley	W6DD	Nevada County ARC
147.195	123	Sacramento	N6ICW	links to Lake Tahoe 145.150

From Humboldt County Amateur Radio Web Site KF6AAQ a/o Aug. '05 dated Feb. 2002
Note: Search & Rescue (SAR) repeaters may only be active during an active SAR.

Rptr Out	Rptr In	P.L.	Call / Remarks	Site / Sponsor
145.310	144.710	123	WA6FWU	ALDER HILL, WA6FWU
441.750	446.750	123	W6XN	ALDER HILL, YOP HLLS
440.925	445.925		KH8AF	Alpine Meadows,
146.850	146.250	123	W6CSP	ANGELS ROOST, Tahoe ARA (TARA)
441.550	446.550	103.5	N6LZR	BEAR VALLEY, Alpine County S&R (SARC)
223.820	222.220	100	WB6ALS	Donner Summit 1 m., Placer S&R (PCSAR)
146.640	146.040	131.8	W6SAR	Donner Summit 2 m., Placer County SAR
440.700	445.700	100	WB6ALS	Donner Summit 70 cm, Placer County SAR (SRARR)
1285.000	1273.000	123	N3KD	Glenbrook, N3KD
443.050	448.050	162.2	WB6ALS	Glenshire, WB6ALS
444.525	449.525	107.2	WB6TMS	Homewood, Sonoma Mt. RS
440.850	445.850	100	NU7Y	Incline Village, NU7Y
442.025	447.025	156.7	W6KCS	Lake Tahoe,
145.270	144.670	141.3	KC7STW	Lake Tahoe, D.A.C.C.R.A.
51.860	51.360	94.8	N7VXB	DIAMOND PEAK, PCSAR
441.200	446.200	136.5	N7VXB	Lake Tahoe, N7VXB
441.175	446.175	107.2	N7VXB	Tahoe (N/S ?)
443.300	448.300	107.2	WA7RPS	Mt Rose, WA7RPS
147.150	147.750	123	W7ROZ	Mt. Rose, Truckee Meadows ARA (TMARA)
1284.420	1272.420	88.5	WA7RPS	Reno,
444.800	449.800	123	NV7RM	Reno, Reno Area Metro Simplex
224.800	224.200	100	WA6CBA	Reno, WA6CBA
146.715	146.115	203.5	W6SUV	S. Lake Tahoe, W6SUV
442.825	447.825	88.5	W6SUV	S. Lake Tahoe,
442.475	447.475	100	WA6EWV links to 440.750	S. Lake Tahoe, Gorilla Radio / Tahoe ARA (TARA)
224.020	222.420	100	NR7A	S. Lake Tahoe, Tahoe ARA
224.640	223.040	123	W6SUV	S. Lake Tahoe, W6SUV
145.150	144.550	123	N6ICW Linked to 147.195 Sacramento	Tahoe Basin, N6ICW Repeater System
29.680	29.580	156.7	W6SUV	Tahoe Basin, (10 meter)
52.840	52.340	123	K7UI	Tahoe Basin, WA6MNM
1287.800	1275.800	88.5	W6RLW Linked (W6CYX/W6RLW)	Tahoe City, Alum Rock Radio Club (ARRC) / W6CYX
1283.500	1271.500	88.5	W6RLW Linked (W6CYX/W6RLW)	Tahoe City, Alum Rock Radio Club (ARRC) / W6CYX
442.075	447.075	118.8	N6MVT	Tahoe City, CARLA
442.175	447.175		KH8AF	Tahoe City, KH8AF
442.950	447.950	131.8	WA6FJS	Tahoe City, Tahoe ARC
146.940	146.340	100	WA6FJS	Tahoe City, Tahoe ARC
444.850	449.850	94.8	WA6TLW	Tahoe City, WA6TLW
1287.800	1275.800	88.5	W6RLW	Taho City, W6CYX
147.240	147.840	123	NR7A	Tahoe Sierra, S. Lake Tahoe ARA (TARA)
444.275	449.275	127.3	WA6JQV	Truckee, WA6JQV
440.275	445.275	114.8	K1BMW	Truckee
444.950	449.950	94.8	WB6PUE	WARD PEAK, NORCAL
444.950	449.950	94.8	WB7WTS	Tahoe City,

See Also: TARA Repeaters

Placer County SAR has a "porcupine van" filed with radio equipment they take out to Search and Rescue operations. Their repeaters are not set up permanently.

Lists of N. Calif. Ham Frequencies at:
_
Pacific Crest Trail Repeater Guide at qsl.net
El Dorado Co Seaarch & Rescue (EDSAR) Frequencies at comspark.com/esarc
California Repeaters at artscipub.com
Placer County Search and Rescue (SAR)
Douglas County Amateur Radio Team (DCART), NV
  2m simples 146.55
  HF if you're out of simplex range. Assume operation on 3965 KHz 
                                     and/or 7280 KHz SSB
Sacramento Valley Open Repeaters (includes Tahoe)
List at Humboldt County Amateur Radio Web Site KF6AAQ
List at Bob Hewitt K6HEW Solano Co.
The Northern Amateur Relay Council of California (NARCC)
AMERICAN AMATEUR RADIO ASSOCIATION (AARA)

Rubicon Trip 2003 reports:
Repeaters can be difficult to hit. I used 147.15 (2 m.)(tone of 123.0) from Buck Island Lake. That is located on Tahoe at Incline Village and linked to another repeater from information I was given. A friend near Carson City in Nevada and I were able to communicate using that repeater. I could not hit that from Rubicon Springs but was able to hit 147.195 (tone 123.0) at Rubicon Springs.

At Del Albright Radio Channels page he says:
CB: Many folks run CB channel 10.

HAMM: For HT coverage of the trail, the best channel that seems to get out at most places is: 146.805 neg. pl. 123.0. Harald Pietschmann runs the trail several times a week with guided trips. He runs on HAMM frequency 151.625 and can usually communicate with Merlin Scott's repeater at Rubicon Springs (who can also reach the Sheriff and helicopter support for emergencies. Read more on HAMM and radio communications, as well as emergencies on Harald's web site.

Harald Pietschmann's emergency page (rubicon-trail.com/Rubicon/emergency.html) recommends:
1. A satelite phone.
2. 2 meter HAM Radio.
3. CB and GMRS (General Mobile Radio Service) radios are the least reliable option when it comes to getting help.

Trail guides, including Pietschmann who is usually on the trail from Monday through Thursday, and helicopter communicate on 151.625 - that frequency might also reach Merlin Scott, the caretaker at Rubicon Springs, during the days the Jeep guys are not running one of their many trips. If you can reach him, he can definitely get a call out to get the paramedics to your location.

Eldorado Search & Rescue (EDSAR) (comspark.com/esarc/hamradio/) says:
Despite a variety of point-to-point channels and law enforcement repeater systems, there are places in the mountains where only ham radio works.

See Glossaray at El Dorado SAR