The state of FM amateur radio in America

[N4JKD]

If you had to rate it, how would you say it is surviving in America? On a scale of 1-10, I say 6, because everyone it seems is on HF anymore. This is the reason I believe that frequencies are being looked at to sell.

I talked to a friend of mine in NM, and he said both vhf/uhf thrive there, as they have statewide linked repeaters. Here in Tennessee, we have one but it seems mostly used during severe weather. I have made a 600 mile road trip and hardly hear anybody, except a few repeaters ID. This is a shame, considering the Tech license is the most held license, I would expect to hear more.

My thoughts on why FM isn't what it once was (outside of internet & cellphone) is that when code was required, people were happy with passing 5 WPM and working 2 meters and 70cm was more abuzz because people weren't good with code, or didn't want to mess with it to upgrade. Now that code has been dropped, and the General class license is easier to get, more people flock to HF to talk nationwide or chase DX. This is just my opinion.

What is your take & opinion on the state of FM amateur radio?

 

[gewecke]

If you had to rate it, how would you say it is surviving in America? On a scale of 1-10, I say 6, because everyone it seems is on HF anymore. This is the reason I believe that frequencies are being looked at to sell.

I talked to a friend of mine in NM, and he said both vhf/uhf thrive there, as they have statewide linked repeaters. Here in Tennessee, we have one but it seems mostly used during severe weather. I have made a 600 mile road trip and hardly hear anybody, except a few repeaters ID. This is a shame, considering the Tech license is the most held license, I would expect to hear more.

My thoughts on why FM isn't what it once was (outside of internet & cellphone) is that when code was required, people were happy with passing 5 WPM and working 2 meters and 70cm was more abuzz because people weren't good with code, or didn't want to mess with it to upgrade. Now that code has been dropped, and the General class license is easier to get, more people flock to HF to talk nationwide or chase DX. This is just my opinion.

What is your take & opinion on the state of FM amateur radio?

I think the v/uhf bands are active on a state to state basis depending on where you are in the mix. Around here most of the "OM's" prefer to use the two meter band like a intercom except for net night. Like you said,most of them prefer HF.
I prefer 220 mhz. on up.

n9zas

 

[N4JKD]

I think the v/uhf bands are active on a state to state basis depending on where you are in the mix. Around here most of the "OM's" prefer to use the two meter band like a intercom except for net night. Like you said,most of them prefer HF.
I prefer 220 mhz. on up.

n9zas

220 is near non existant here. I think only 8 220 repeaters in Tennessee. I enjoy both 2 meters & 440, but it seems that as of late that 2M in some places is becoming the new "cb" (ie trash talk, swearing, etc..) 440 here has linked repeaters and is very professional.

 

[N4JKD]

Like you said though, its state to state. I hear out west like California, Nevada, Colorado, NM & Arizona, that they have statewide (mostly UHF) linked repeater systems, as you can carry on a QSO going completely through the state, which is pretty cool.

 

[gewecke]

Like you said though, its state to state. I hear out west like California, Nevada, Colorado, NM & Arizona, that they have statewide (mostly UHF) linked repeater systems, as you can carry on a QSO going completely through the state, which is pretty cool.

True. 220,440 and 900mhz. are my favorites. Eventually I'd like to set up a 220 machine only,with IRLP capability but that kind of like "the old man down the road"!

n9zas

 

[n5ims]

HF bands and the VHF/UHF bands have different uses, although there is some overlap. HF is generally for longer range communication while VHF/UHF is generally for shorter range communication. If I wanted to talk to someone across town, I probably wouldn't try 20 meters first, but instead would try the local 2 meter or 440 repeater. If I was trying to reach someone in another continent, the local repeater probably wouldn't be my first choice, but 20 meters would probably work.

The reasons "that frequencies are being looked at to sell" isn't so much that they're used only to chat locally, but more that they're a better fit for local public safety work specifically because they're for "local" use. The HF bands wouldn't work well for public safety simply because the local signals could easily be overridden by strong signals from thousands of miles away. Low-band VHF has similar issues, which is why many local PDs and FDs have moved from Low-band VHF to the higher bands.

 

[reedeb]

The reasons "that frequencies are being looked at to sell" isn't so much that they're used only to chat locally, but more that they're a better fit for local public safety work specifically because they're for "local" use.

Nope never mind public safety . They want to sell em to make money to Business's and others. If the FCC andthe rest of the had their way ALL public safety freqs would be on 7,8,900 megs trunked for their so called "interoperabilty" [A huge farce and no one NO ONE yet has caught on that this is just a money making scheme by the Communication companies and the bought off goons from DC]

 

[lbfd09]

"Nope never mind public safety . They want to sell em to make money to Business's and others. If the FCC andthe rest of the had their way ALL public safety freqs would be on 7,8,900 megs trunked for their so called "interoperabilty" [A huge farce and no one NO ONE yet has caught on that this is just a money making scheme by the Communication companies and the bought off goons from DC] "

Then I suggest you take the info from the other thread about the "Congress doing it again..." and have chat with our elected representatives and maybe even follow the request of the ARRL and sign a written letter expressing your wished that they leave 440 to the government and us amateur radio operators.

The more we spank Congress the better the should behave....

 

[rfguygg]

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I think VHF/UHF use has a lot to do with the attitude of the local amateur community. Who wants to get on a machine where the kilowatt cop is waiting for you to make a mistake? If new users don't feel welcome they go away.

 

[zz0468]

If you had to rate it, how would you say it is surviving in America? On a scale of 1-10, I say 6, because everyone it seems is on HF anymore. This is the reason I believe that frequencies are being looked at to sell.

That's got nothing to do with it. The FCC, and Congress, have no compunction against selling off heavily used spectrum if they think it can generate revenue. It's about revenue, and very little else.

I talked to a friend of mine in NM, and he said both vhf/uhf thrive there, as they have statewide linked repeaters. Here in Tennessee, we have one but it seems mostly used during severe weather.

You're going to see wide variations between localities. In heavily populated metropolitan areas, I suspect that one reason you see more FM and repeater activity is because it's more difficult to get away with installing HF antennas in apartments and condos. In rural areas, there's fewer locals to talk to, so HF would be preferred.

I have made a 600 mile road trip and hardly hear anybody, except a few repeaters ID. This is a shame, considering the Tech license is the most held license, I would expect to hear more.

There are a LOT of underused repeaters out there. But timing can have a lot to do with it. There are some repeaters that get heavily used during weekday commute times, and are silent the rest of the time.

My thoughts on why FM isn't what it once was (outside of internet & cellphone) is that when code was required, people were happy with passing 5 WPM and working 2 meters and 70cm was more abuzz because people weren't good with code, or didn't want to mess with it to upgrade. Now that code has been dropped, and the General class license is easier to get, more people flock to HF to talk nationwide or chase DX. This is just my opinion.

I don't doubt for a minute that there's some of that going on. But I don't think that's the only reason.

What is your take & opinion on the state of FM amateur radio?

I'm a member of several repeater organizations. One is large, very active, frequently gets new members, and is very busy doing stuff. Another has a rich history of doing things, but is currently struggling for survival. Yet another is in a zero growth mode with a handful of members who only use the radio on commute times.

There seems to be several factors out there at work. One is that people are just simply too busy to take time to operate. Others have integrated operating into their daily lives, and so those are the ones you hear. The more successful clubs that I see are the ones that are more technically oriented by people who are still dazzled by the technology, even if they've been playing with it for 40 years. The appliance operators tend to get bored after a while and go away.

I abandoned 2 meters 30 years ago because of all the cowboys and country bumpkins it seemed to attract, it's just not what I want to subject my ears to. So, I think one thing that tends to happen is the more interesting (to me, anyway) crowds cluster together in one place, and leaves the rest of the band sounding empty - because the appliance operators got bored and turned to the internet.

 

[KD8DVR]

I also agree it all depends on where you are. All the other answers are very valid. Newcomers in some areas are "jumped on" by "radio cops" In other areas, newcomers are "gently assisted" and welcomed.

Certainly, 90 percent of the hams in my area, I've never talked to.

Everyone has their favorite bands and modes.

It really varies. With all the bands we have, you'll find hams spread out everywhere.

73

 

[W2NJS]

The premise of this thread is, in my opinion, pure baloney. As proof of this one should consult the advertising in the ham magazines. While there is now, and always will be, a good base of HF equipment ads, the emphasis is obviously on VHF and UHF operations. If one disagrees with that, then back it down to a 50-50 split between the two areas, but there's no way under the sun that V and U are in any way "failing" or not holding their own these days. In different parts of the country sure, you will find some counties with few or no repeaters, but that is the exception. One person's slanted, and perhaps inexperienced, view does not constitute a reason for everyone to start dumping or deemphasizing any part of the amateur spectrum. There's just too much of it with tons of people doing all kinds of different things for anyone to ever claim that anything is "going down the drain."

 

[elk2370bruce]

Here in Central NJ, there are numerous repeaters on both 144 and 440 MHz bands along with some sporadic simplex going on. Since the arrival of the Wouxun h/t's, the really good 220MHz repeaters has seen a remarkable resurgence - witrh a number of club repeaters entering into linking agreements for even greater use and coverage area. Yes, there are some vhf/uhf repeaters that you rarely hear anyone on and only the courtesy tone/id may be heard. I would completely agree that utilization of the various bands will vary significantly depending on where you are located, the activity of the area clubs, SKYWARN and ARES/RACES. I've also been in areas of the country where I've heard diddly. I always bring my scanner with me on travels to scope out who is using what and some areas are deader than Dick Cheyney's reputation. A more generalzied set of national assumptions is meaningless.

 

[KD8DVR]

Here in Central NJ, there are numerous repeaters on both 144 and 440 MHz bands along with some sporadic simplex going on. Since the arrival of the Wouxun h/t's, the really good 220MHz repeaters has seen a remarkable resurgence - witrh a number of club repeaters entering into linking agreements for even greater use and coverage area. Yes, there are some vhf/uhf repeaters that you rarely hear anyone on and only the courtesy tone/id may be heard. I would completely agree that utilization of the various bands will vary significantly depending on where you are located, the activity of the area clubs, SKYWARN and ARES/RACES. I've also been in areas of the country where I've heard diddly. I always bring my scanner with me on travels to scope out who is using what and some areas are deader than Dick Cheyney's reputation. A more generalzied set of national assumptions is meaningless.

I am hoping the Wouxuns create a major revival of 220 in general.

 

[N4JKD]

To update this, the repeaters have been booming more over the last month. New techs, and older hams coming back to the V/UHF repeaters. While HF has its perks, it is very much, as known, at the mercy of the atmosphere, and as of late, in our area, the HF bands have been covered in loud noise, amd contacts have been static covered and nearly unintelligible. Another thing picking up steam in my area too is D-Star. Looks nice, but not sure im ready to make that leap yet, as the radios are still pricey. I know eventually, D-Star will be the norm and analog will go to the wayside, I just enjoy the simplicity of radio today

 

[reedeb]

I abandoned 2 meters 30 years ago because of all the cowboys and country bumpkins it seemed to attract, it's just not what I want to subject my ears to. So, I think one thing that tends to happen is the more interesting (to me, anyway) crowds cluster together in one place, and leaves the rest of the band sounding empty - because the appliance operators got bored and turned to the internet.

Why howdy padner. Just figgured I'd get off ma hoss and mosey on ova har. YEEEE HAAAA

 

[W2NJS]

Just because some uninformed Congressman takes it upon himself to propose the sale of some UHF bandwidth does not mean that the idea will ever fly. The stink raised by the ham crowd will be nothing compared to what he's going to be hit with from the LMR and Federal user groups. But no one ever said that politicians are smart, because they're not...usually. Their main job is, once elected, to keep getting elected, because if they fail in this effort they'll have to go out and get real jobs.

 

[N4JKD]

Just because some uninformed Congressman takes it upon himself to propose the sale of some UHF bandwidth does not mean that the idea will ever fly. The stink raised by the ham crowd will be nothing compared to what he's going to be hit with from the LMR and Federal user groups. But no one ever said that politicians are smart, because they're not...usually. Their main job is, once elected, to keep getting elected, because if they fail in this effort they'll have to go out and get real jobs.

Yeah, I don't see 440 going anywhere, of course they said this wouldn't effect the repeater portion of the band, would affect simplex and linking frequencies. While I have never worked anyone on a simplex 70cm, im sure it is used in some places, but not around here. There is so much other spectrum out there to be used, they can use other spectrum not used by hams to sell. I think to this could have been a ploy to see how many hams would be up in arms about it...

 

[CharlieWhiskey]

30 years ago around here there appeared to be more activity on FM repeaters because it was all concentrated on 10 or so repeaters. Now we have diluted the population on each repeater by installing 50 repeaters in the same area. At any given time 75% of the repeaters are idle.

 

[N4JKD]

30 years ago around here there appeared to be more activity on FM repeaters because it was all concentrated on 10 or so repeaters. Now we have diluted the population on each repeater by installing 50 repeaters in the same area. At any given time 75% of the repeaters are idle.

Very true CW, in fact, there are no open repeater pairs opened for someone to put a 2m repeater around here in a 50 mile radius according to SERA. We have a small handful with the biggest footprints, and those are the most commonly used ones. If I could guess within a 50 mile radius of my house, on 2m/440/220, there probably a total of 35 repeaters, in which only 5 are used. There are 10 I know of I have never heard anyone talk on