On 7 Dec 2003 10:54:21 -0800, john private smith wrote:

Some patrols treat the FRS radios like Army-issue radios. During
pre-patrol briefings, the patrol leader gives patrol members the FRS
primary and backup frequencies. The radios contain different codes
that can be selected on which to receive signals. Only those who know
the code can speak to each other.

That's not at all true. FRS has filter settings that can keep you
from hearing conversations on a channel that don't use the same filter
settings, but if you turn off the filtering, you hear all conversations,
regardless of settings.

It's not a security feature.

The largest FRS radio commonly bought and used by soldiers has
transmission ranges of two to four miles, weighs around 10 ounces and
is 6 inches high and 2 inches wide, depending on the model.

If they're getting four miles range, they are using GMRS radios, not FRS.
(GMRS shares some channels with FRS, has more power, and requires an
FCC license.)

--
The 1 & only place that a design is conceived is in the mind of the
designer. As this design un-folds over time, it is often captured on
such high-tech media as white boards, napkins, & scraps of paper.
-- Grady Booch