33cm band?

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KG5YWM

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I have an opportunity to pick up a couple of mobile radios in the 900mhz range for very cheap. They are programmed to tune frequencies rather than "channelized".

My question to you good folks is, is there anything on the 33cm band worth messing with?

Thanks!
 

Will001

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I have an opportunity to pick up a couple of mobile radios in the 900mhz range for very cheap. They are programmed to tune frequencies rather than "channelized".



My question to you good folks is, is there anything on the 33cm band worth messing with?



Thanks!



Depending on your area, there might be repeaters, or people hanging out on simplex.


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k9wkj

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where they make the cheese
im building a AllStar simplex node with a GTX mobile to use with a GTX handheld
and i have a GTX in the van that i use on our 1 local repeater if i get over that way
33cm is a very spendy way to talk 5 miles
 

AK9R

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Interest in 902 MHz repeaters is picking up slightly in Indiana. Some of them are analog, but 800 MHz P25 repeaters are becoming available on the used market and they can be converted to 902 MHz.
 

KB6AMF

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Out here in Southern California, there are a handful of 900 repeaters listed through repeaterbook...the only problem is that a most of them are listed as unknown or off air. There are a few linked repeaters out here but I rarely hear activity on them. I actually just made my first contact on 33cm today but it was coordinated through facebook first. I feel like the band would be busier if the equipment was easier to obtain and program.... It seems nowadays that the radio requires some sort of hex edit to work in the amateur bands. Oh hell.
 

AK9R

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Out here in Southern California, there are a handful of 900 repeaters listed through repeaterbook...the only problem is that a most of them are listed as unknown or off air.
Probably because the people who provide the crowd-sourced data to the various online repeater directories don't have 902 MHz radios.

I feel like the band would be busier if the equipment was easier to obtain and program.
Alinco offered a dual-band 222 MHz/902 MHz handheld a few years ago, but it didn't generate much excitement in the market.
 

vagrant

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Four times a year during the ARRL VHF/UHF type contests, there are operators that would love to hear from you.
 

Otto

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Four times a year during the ARRL VHF/UHF type contests, there are operators that would love to hear from you.



I was going to come here and mention that. A couple of my VHF contest buddies have 900 MHz radios and would love more contacts during the contests. Admittedly, that’s generally the only times those guys use those radios.
 

N1GJB

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Completely out of your area, but related. 33 cm in New England (specifically Eastern MA where I am) is fairly well utilized compared to other areas (repeater usage) and multiple links exist to cover the area. It's a very well planned system with not a lot of dead spots. Thursdays around here are "900 Thursdays" so at least one day a week is quite busy, with other regular users other days. Once I get my MCS2000 back in my van I'll be on the air far more often.
 

mass-man

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So you're in Lake Jackson...at times there has been a couple of good repeaters on in the Houston area, although i don't know their current status. 902 is interesting for repeater use...simplex it isn't all that great...of course that doesn't mean you won't find a few fellows sitting on 927.500 just because they can...if you travel at all, there are several linked repeaters around the Austin area...and a very good repeater in Dallas. If you have no problem programming the radios, set them up for at least the simplex frequency and the repeaters in Houston, Austin/San Antonio and Dallas....
ENJOY
 

KG5YWM

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I decided to not get them. Programming them is not a problem, I just don't need more stuff laying around that I will rarely use. I'm just going to concentrate my efforts towards the HF side of things.
Thanks for everyone's input!
 

jhooten

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So you're in Lake Jackson...at times there has been a couple of good repeaters on in the Houston area, although i don't know their current status. 902 is interesting for repeater use...simplex it isn't all that great...of course that doesn't mean you won't find a few fellows sitting on 927.500 just because they can...if you travel at all, there are several linked repeaters around the Austin area...and a very good repeater in Dallas. If you have no problem programming the radios, set them up for at least the simplex frequency and the repeaters in Houston, Austin/San Antonio and Dallas....
ENJOY

La Grange, don’t forget La Grange. The FARTS (Fayette Amateur Radio Tramsmitting Society) crew is hosting one K5TRA machines and his website ( 33cm FM ) list one in Katy.
 

kayn1n32008

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My friend put a 33cm, 30-watt output radio in his car. He used 10 feet of RG58u and no power reached the antenna.



He did something wrong then. RG-58 has about 20dB loss per 100’ at 900MHz, so he should have been seeing a bit over 15w at the antenna for 10’.


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