2 meter simplex frequencies

[jaymatt1978]

Even though I know there are others the three main 2m simplex frequencies are 146.5200, 146.5350 and 146.5500. I have these three frequencies grouped together and was wondering if people do the same thing with their radios??

 

[LtDoc]

The first one, 146.520, is the agreed upon national calling frequency. The others I've never heard of before. If they are common ones in your area then keep them. They aren't common here, so I don't bother putting them in memory.
- 'Doc

 

[w2xq]

Look at the ARRL site for the bandplan. 146.52/.55/.58 are pretty commonly used. In crowded areas like NY, Phila, there are those hams that go to the 15 kHz step, 146.535/.565/.595, but activity by comparison is minimal. I wouldn't bother programming the 15 kHz steps either. On 147, 147.42/.45/.48 are defined simplex frequencies but it's been my experience there is little activity on these as well. In the car I just keep the 52/.55/.58 simplex frequencies in memories so that we can switch from the "national calling frequency" of 146.52 or a repeater. Bandplans are also usually available on the local coordinators' web sites as well. For the neUSA I have a list here Amateur Radio : FM. Especially in the NYC/NNJ area there are a number of 2m 1 MHz-split repeaters, and some of the "national bandplan" simplex frequencies are adjacent to repeater inputs or outputs. HTH.

 

[timkilbride]

Here in rural Iowa there is more simplex then repeater stuff. Some guys runs down in the 144's and other up in the 147's and most on the simplex band plan channels around 146.520. There is a D-Star repeater local to me running a -.99 offset. The input freq is on 146.415. There was actually a group of guys using that frequency on a daily basis.

Tim

 

[newsphotog]

I keep 146.52, 146.55, and 146.58 programmed in all of my radios and keep them in my primary scan list. In addition to 146.52 being the primary calling channel, 146.55 is the secondary and is usually utilized by storm spotters/chasers for car-to-car when they're traveling in groups.

It's nice to have them all programmed them so I can scan them and so I don't have to spin the VFO to find a clear frequency.

 

[kb2vxa]

Tom said it best since the 2M band plan varies from area to area, California uses an odd spacing (30KHz?) and in large metro areas some simplex frequencies are used for repeaters with a -1MHz split. Just one thing to add, to save channels I programmed the national calling frequencies and active repeaters on 6M, 2M, 1.25M and 70cM leaving the rest for the VFO, a quick slide is easier than poking around the memory. Then there are other modes besides FM, even more fun and strictly VFO outside the channelized band segments.

 

[KB6KGX]

2m simplex

Even though I know there are others the three main 2m simplex frequencies are 146.5200, 146.5350 and 146.5500. I have these three frequencies grouped together and was wondering if people do the same thing with their radios??

In my FT-7900, I have ALL of the 2 meter simplex channels programmed in. True, I really only need just the two or three more popular ones, but my thought is if, for whatever reason, I want to go somewhere else, the rest of the simplex channels are already there without the need to “dial them in”.

 

[sparks40]

ARCC - Main Page
MetroCor.net
UNYREPCO


The three links above are for repeater coordinators in and nearby the New Jersey area. They should give you an idea regarding FM simplex within their respective band plans.

 

[jmp883]

I keep just the primary calling frequency, 146.520, programmed in my mobile, base, and HT radios. Living in northern NJ I've noticed that 146.520 seems to be active late at night. Many times while driving to work for the midnight shift (I leave at 11pm) there is a QSO going on. I have a 30+ mile each-way commute from Morris County to Passaic County and most of the QSO's I've heard on the NCF seem to come out of Bergen County, NJ or the various boroughs of NYC.

 

[K5MPH]

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We use 146.520 simplex here in Brownsville Texas all the time sometime we get a pretty good round table a going.......

 

[jhooten]

147.555 was popular when I was still in the panhandle of Texas.

 

[kg4ojj]

146.520 is used, in my area, for calling and general conversation.
146.550 is defined by several counties' ARES groups as their primary simplex
146.580 or any of the 15 kHz spaced ones are not routinely used in northern FL.

Like others, when mobile, I scan -520.

If you are a ham in GA, KY, MS, NC, SC, TN, VA, and WV, the SouthEastern Repeater Association (The SouthEastern Repeater Association, Inc. :: Home) publishes a PRINTED journal quarterly. In it, you will find all of the coordinated repeaters for those states. On top of that list is all of their recommended simplex frequencies for VHF and UHF. SERA does not put their database online. You'll have to find a repeater owner or PM me if you want to know what's on their list (and it isn't that much to see).

 

[profiledescent]

…..146.580 or any of the 15 kHz spaced ones are not routinely used in northern FL.

Actually, you'll find 146.580 getting lots of use in many North and Northeast Florida counties. The ARES groups in Lake, Duval, St. Johns, and Flagler all publish it in thier plans, as well as a small rogue ECOMM group in Flagler. I hear quite a bit of traffic on it in St. Johns and Flagler.

 

[bill4long]

According to the ARRL 2-Meter Band Plan, the 2-Meter simplex frequencies are:

146.400, 146.415, 146.430, 146.445, 146.460, 146.475, 146.490,
146.505, 146.520, 146.535, 146.550, 146.565, 146.580, 146.595,
147.420, 147.435, 147.450, 147.465, 147.480, 147.495, 147.510,
147.525, 147.540, 147.555, 147.570

The only "special one" is 146.520, the "national simplex calling frequency". In some areas, 146.400 is used as a repeater input.

I have them all programmed into my radio. Several of them get used regularly around here in the Indianapolis area.

Hope this helps.

 

[zz0468]

According to the ARRL 2-Meter Band Plan, the 2-Meter simplex frequencies are...

...Hope this helps.

I can't stress this enough:

FORGET THE ARRL BAND PLAN! (yes I was yelling).

Check with your local frequency coordinator, and other people who actually operate on 2m simplex to find out what's actually in use in your area. Someone coming along and looking at bill4long's list here in California could very well be stomping on someone's repeater input frequency, or some other specialized usage, and they would never even know it.

Examples:

146.400 is the input to the infamous 147.435 repeater.
146.430 is an intercom channel for amateur television and gets repeated over a wide area on television transmitters.
146.460 is a remote base to remote base intercom channel.
146.475 is a repeater input
147.490 is a repeater input
147.505 is a repeater input

Etc. etc. etc.

The ARRL bandplan is COMPLETELY USELESS (yes, I'm yelling again) in Southern California, and many other areas as well.

Please, please, please, find out who your local coordinating group is and get the list that THEY put out for your local area.

Your fellow hams will thank you.

@bill4long... I'm sorry, but I though it important to get the word out. ARRL bandplans are useless if a local bandplan overrides it. This is something that new hams in particular need to understand.

 

[w2xq]

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Bill4long, that might be the ARRL "national" plan but, as KB2VXA and I wrote above, the band plan of the local coordinating group probably is the best info source. If you dump in all those 15 kHz steps and expect to scan/use them in cNJ, it would be impossible. Between NYC and Phila repeaters and the 1 MHz splits, good grief.

I have to say in all the years working throughout NJ's 21 counties, driving to cVA, nVT, and 6+ years out to Indy and West Lafayette, 146.52/.55/.58 are mostly quiet.

I find the multi-site repeater wide area systems to be most active. I recall one in Indy covered a couple of states. Memory is rusty; is it 146.85?

HTH.

 

[AK9R]

Folks, this is kind of an old thread that has come back to life. Let's not make it tangential in the process. I've moved the NY/NJ/DC repeater question to a new thread.

http://forums.radioreference.com/am...281580-ny-nj-dc-repeater-recommendations.html

 

[elsinga]

Tnx!

 

[jim9251]

.52 is pretty common here and busy during tourist season. I even have a "I monitor 146.520" sticker on the back of my Jeep. The other simplex channels are used at time by local ham clubs.

 

[elsinga]

Okay, I will monitor 146.52 then. 73!