2m ham: 146.520 simplex...anyone actually using it?

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needairtime

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Curious if anyone is actually using 146.520 simplex as a calling frequency - as it was designated - or do people tend to program in whatever local repeater they find on the web? Or perhaps a calling frequency designated by the local coordinator?

I set my questionable radio (the Regency) on 146.52 as that's one of the crystal pairs I do have, but oddly hear only silence on this channel. Granted I probably can only pick up local transmissions due to crappy radio/crappy antenna/etc., alas I should be able to hear something... or nobody really uses 146.52 anymore for calling?
 

Will001

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Around where I live, I can think of maybe 1 or 2 operators that occasionally monitor this frequency while scanning through their memory channels...I personally do the same thing but I have never actually heard activity on it.

It really depends on location though...


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nd5y

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Use of 146.52 varies a lot depending on your location.
Here we use it more than the repeaters and not just as a calling channel.
 

RodStrong

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I've been scanning both 146.52 and 446.0 for years, and don't hear much. Occasional contacts being made here and there, but overall, they are pretty quiet.
 

bryan_herbert

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My hometown of Santa Clarita, California is a tourist town so 146.520 is very busy. Its used by locals, tourists, truckers, and commuters making their way to/from Los Angeles.
 

robertmac

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Around here, there are some that use it when I occasionally scan through the frequencies. I tend not to use it as mentioned above it depends on having someone close enough and with enough power and appropriate antenna to be heard. I get tired of listening to 1 sided conversations, or hearing people down in the mud and trying to pick them out which doesn't interest me on 2 m as I get enough of that on the HF bands. And one reason I got into amateur radio was to use repeaters where most conversations are easily understandable.
 

needairtime

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Interesting, I suppose it indeed is locale specific. It probably doesn't help that as I'm not licensed I can't go and ask for someone to respond, but people likely aren't listening to it all the time, probably listening to a repeater instead...

... and I'd probably also listen to a repeater too, if only I had the crystals.

I'm already pretty messed up, I only listen to the local repeater on my 70cm/UHF radio, but then again, it's the only one that I can pick up easily with my junk antenna (a 12" piece of wire :)).
 

KB7MIB

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It is heavily used in the Phoenix, AZ metro area for ragchewing.

In January of 2012, I monitored .52 on a cross country trip from the Philly area down I-95 and over I-10 back to the Phoenix area. I heard 1 person give out a call while I was stopped at a gas station filling up, somewhere in Virginia I think it was.

John
Peoria, AZ
 

alcahuete

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I usually try to monitor it, and don't generally hear a lot. But if I make a call, I almost always get a reply. Very rare to not get a reply, actually.
 

needairtime

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I tried to keep my 2m up all day over the weekend on 146.52, but didn't hear anything of the time I was by it. Lots more chatter on the UHF/repeater. I didn't try setting it below squelch point to see if there was any really weak transmissions, but not sure if that's effective with FM (like on CB sometimes I have to keep below squelch and deal with the noise to hear conversations.)
 

hill

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It used a lot in my area. We have a lot of hams that never get on repeaters and use simplex plus, many of of the 2m simplex frequencies are in use. I sometimes put out my call on it. A ham I know who is a big VHFer always calls on it when high up on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge to see who he can work from around 200' in height.

I have worked a few nearby states on it during band openings.

Going forward when I have been traveling out my local area have had better luck making contacts on 146.52 than a repeater.
 

hill

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Forgot to add in my last post that I sometimes keep 146.52 on one of the sides of the Yaesu FT-8800. With the radio having dual receive I can still monitor the local repeater.
 

TailGator911

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Retired now, but when I was on the road 2m simplex was quite active especially RVers and tourists, Now that I am an official RVer I keep it in a bank and make quite a few contacts when traveling. It's great for when you are interstate traveling and see another ham on the highway :)

JD
kf4anc
 

spongella

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Very good question. Here in West NJ not a lot of activity. I have made a few contacts on .52 though over the past month, even got a QSL card from one contact. I enjoy non-repeater contacts. Gives one an idea of how far your signal is going on it's own. Mine's a base station using a discone.

You may (note "may") hear more activity during rush hours. Give it a try.

A tip - you might want to listen in when the ARRL has their VHF contest, bet you'll hear some activity then. Next one is June 9 - 11, 2018. ARRL = American Radio Relay League, an organization devoted to ham radio with many members. Google 'em.
 

jim202

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What most of you are missing is simplex operation is only going to give you about 5 to 8 miles at most depending on TX power and the vegetation around you. Where I live I now and then will hear some activity, but not on a regular basis.

When I was on the road a whole bunch, 146.520 was one of the channels in the scan list. Sometimes I would hear something, but most of the time it was dead. Depends on where you are and if anyone is on the road calling that is near you.

It by no means is totally dead, but the activity hinges on location and the activities going on. On the weekends you will hear more. If there are some bike or foot races, then the activity jumps way up. Bad weather like flooding, high winds, heavy snow, shelter activations and the likes will bring the activity out of the closet and in some cases become the prime channel for short range communications.

Simplex communications is by no means is dead. Just depends on who is around, the time of day, what day of the week it is and a number of other factors.

Jim
 

jwt873

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I go on a yearly trip to the Fargo hamfest in the fall. I go down with a group and we usually have two or three vehicles. It's 200 miles one way.

We chat car to car on 146.52. During the trip we usually gather up locals in North Dakota who sometimes join in as we pass by their towns.

I recall another time, I did a quick on the air test at home on .52 to check out a radio. Darned if a friend didn't respond. I had no idea that he has a radio on .52 all the time.
 

spongella

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jim202,

You have a good point about range. My recent contact on 2m simplex was 18 miles as the crow flies using 65W into a discone. The other op was using a base station with a beam. I probably could've cut down the power and still maintain contact since he had a superior antenna. Antennas will definitely affect your range both in transmitting and receiving.

Now am thinking about a "better" antenna, like a 2m Ringo. Maybe a beam? Uh-oh, here we go up to the roof again :).

Good question with good input from members.
 

KD9KSO

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We don't have a local repeater in this area. Everyone around here uses 146.52 to talk.

There are a couple of more distant repeaters some of the guys use, but the locals here are mostly on the calling frequency.
 

KG5YWM

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Around here it gets used but a lot of the stations are speaking are speaking Spanish. My Spanish skills leave a lot to be desired so I mainly communicate on the repeaters.
 
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