In article ,
says...

My old dad just gave me a pair of Columbia GM22 handheld radios (being
totally ignorant I would have called them "walki talkies" 8-).

I am totally unable to get them working.

Searched on the Internet for any manual but could not find any.

Would any kind soul which knows these critters give me a clue ?

After fiddling about with them now when I turn them on I see a larger
number 1 alternating with a larger number 2 with a fixed smaller number
33 in the upper right corner.

Reading from the specs I seem to understand that 33 is a "security
subchannel (?)".

The so-called "security" feature is nothing more than a subaudible
tone of a given frequency that gets continuosly transmitted any time the
radio is keyed. This setting must match on both radios, as must the
operating channel of choice, for them to work.

I also read about these things having an "auto scan" capability but
could not understand how to make it work.

It's a source of constant amazement to me that the manufacturers
of these devices do not, in many cases, work to make them intuitive to
use.

The only other thing I would add is -- be careful! The FRS, while
perfectly legal in the United States, may not exist in Italy, or it may
exist in another form that radios made for the U.S. market do not
accommodate.

In other words, you could easily be violating the laws of your
native country's government by operating those radios.

As for GMRS, it is also U.S. based, and it requires a license no
matter how low-power the transceivers in use are.

Good luck.


--
Dr. Anton T. Squeegee, Director, Dutch Surrealist Plumbing Institute.
(Known to some as Bruce Lane, ARS KC7GR,
kyrrin (a/t) bluefeathertech[d=o=t]calm -- www.bluefeathertech.com
"If Salvador Dali had owned a computer, would it have been equipped
with surreal ports?"

Dr. Anton T. Squeegee wrote:
perfectly legal in the United States, may not exist in Italy, or it may
exist in another form that radios made for the U.S. market do not
accommodate.

In other words, you could easily be violating the laws of your
native country's government by operating those radios.

As for GMRS, it is also U.S. based, and it requires a license no
matter how low-power the transceivers in use are.

Good luck.



Thank you very much Anton.

Banging my head ... the critters do not seem to work.

I am not able to understand if FRS and GMRS are governed by law here in
Italy but in any case being the two handsets coming from the US they
should work, correct ? (the legal side is also important but will tackle
it later).

Bob