220 MHZ

[wrath]

220 was quite the rage back awhile , then we had some serious spectrum grabbed and sold ,the band has not recovered , I have 220 but very few around me have it or use it , then again i am a dinosaur who still has AM/ SSB gear ,doesn't get used much except during contesting because most people are on FM , I also unfortunately live in antenna restricted apartment ,I can imagine when I die someone going into the crawl space in the ceiling and trying to figure out what all coax is up there ,good luck with that boys .we do have a 220 machine listed locally but the owner is SK more then 10 years and the ham who built the repeater has no idea what happened to it when the owners family got a hold of it , but the directory still incorrectly lists the machine as active .


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[AK9R]

220 was quite the rage back awhile , then we had some serious spectrum grabbed and sold ,the band has not recovered

Amateur radio was secondary on 220 to 225 MHz. The FCC reallocated 220 to 222 MHz to a new commercial service, made amateur radio primary on 222 to 225 MHz, and give amateur radio a secondary allocation just below 220 MHz for point-to-point operations.

I think I'd rather have 3 MHz of primary allocation than 5 MHz of secondary allocation.

 

[wrath]

KK4JUG in case you have not been warned about yaesu, the band plan they adjust offset with is different then what we go by on 70cm , so you are going to have to individually verify all your 70cm memories to verify it is set properly , they are great little radios as long as your verify 70cm offsets your good to go , among my collection I have a 5 R ( it has 6 meters as third band whereas you have 1.25 on the 6)

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[KK4JUG]

KK4JUG in case you have not been warned about yaesu, the band plan they adjust offset with is different then what we go by on 70cm , so you are going to have to individually verify all your 70cm memories to verify it is set properly , they are great little radios as long as your verify 70cm offsets your good to go , among my collection I have a 5 R ( it has 6 meters as third band whereas you have 1.25 on the 6)

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Thanks.

I'm using RT Systems' software to program the VX-6. I did double-check it and it shows a 5 mHz offset for .70m and 1.6 mHz for 1.25m.

I chose to use the software because sometimes I program a lot of freqs into a radio and because of RT Systems' reputation for efficient and intuitive programming (and no, I have no financial interest in the company).

 

[wrath]

Hey doesn't bother me you use RT I have my own fleet of radios and almost all are programmed via RT Software , it gives the flexibility of just a cut and a paste from one radio to another ,newer radios can handle large alpha names whereas some of my older rigs are limited but since they are almost identicaly set up its pretty easy to figure out .

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[wrath]

Something like the VX-7? Unfortunately, I don't think any recent Yaesu handheld put out more than 1 watt on the 222 MHz band.

By comparison, the Kenwood TH-F6A, which has been discontinued within the past month, put out 5 watts on 222 MHz. Also, the new Kenwood TH-D74 is rated for 5 watts on 222 MHz plus it does APRS and D-STAR, consequently the price tag is pretty high.

But it's an insanely good radio,and kenwood marketing has asked if we would buy a mobile version and I don't know anyone with the rig who said they wouldn't buy less than a pair of them, I regret having ever sold my last tri band Kenwood it was a great rig,if they sell it I am in , I'll have a fire sale on 710 ga's .

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[krokus]

... the Kenwood TH-F6A, which has been discontinued within the past month, put out 5 watts on 222 MHz. Also, the new Kenwood TH-D74 is rated for 5 watts on 222 MHz plus it does APRS and D-STAR, consequently the price tag is pretty high.

The D74 puts most functionality of the F6 into a D72, and adds a few features. A lot of stuff in a small package.

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[krokus]

I am also guilty of not using the band much, despite having a TH-F6. If it were in my mobile, I would use it more.

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[skynet888]

Isn't RG230 coax 25 ohm?
BB

Sorry RG 213u

 

[KK4JUG]

I believe it's 50 ohm

COAX TABLE

 

[N4GIX]

I bought a 220 HT from BridgeCom at Dayton Hamvention in 2016. In the 2+ years I've owned it, I've had precisely three contacts, and all three of them was with folks just passing through.

Fortunately, this slick little 5 watt HT BCH220 was only $85, so it's not like I lost a lot of money, but still...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DxB2XT6QzT8

 

[W2GLD]

One problem is all the hams are goo-go-gaga over all these cheap Chinese radios, especially the DMR ones. Most aren't even thinking about getting on FM repeaters when they can just use a hotspot and talk "DX as I've heard them describe" around the world using the internet and a $80 DMR radio. I have a 220 MHz repeater here in Michigan, it's open for public use, but mostly here for me as a playground for analog everything. HF remote base, AllStar Link, IRLP, etc and I'm still a digital user as well; it all depends on the type of hams your surrounded with; most newer hams today are simply appliance operators; they've got their openSPOT and MD-380 with hacked firmware and they're content with just rag chewing on DMR; they might as well just purchased a CB and stayed on 11-Meters, or better yet, use a cell phone with all the little segmented private groups that plague the digital ham radio realm. For me, I love the hobby for the tinkering factor, I play in all modes, all bands, and I love what 220 MHz has to offer... By the way, the Kenwood TH-D74A is an awesome Swiss-army knife HT for everything, including 220 MHz. I have one and it's the best ham HT I've ever owned; just wish battery life was a bit better; so come on Batteries America, how about some packs like the TH-F6A had, nothing beats 4500mAh in a battery.

I bought a 220 HT from BridgeCom at Dayton Hamvention in 2016. In the 2+ years I've owned it, I've had precisely three contacts, and all three of them was with folks just passing through.

Fortunately, this slick little 5 watt HT BCH220 was only $85, so it's not like I lost a lot of money, but still...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DxB2XT6QzT8

 

[KK4JUG]

I bought a 220 HT from BridgeCom at Dayton Hamvention in 2016. In the 2+ years I've owned it, I've had precisely three contacts, and all three of them was with folks just passing through.

Fortunately, this slick little 5 watt HT BCH220 was only $85, so it's not like I lost a lot of money, but still...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DxB2XT6QzT8

I have a couple of portables with 220, including a Yaesu VX-6. The band gets little use around here. The nearest repeater is about 35 miles away. I can hit the repeater but it's tough to carry on a conversation.

 

[N4GIX]

I have a couple of portables with 220, including a Yaesu VX-6. The band gets little use around here. The nearest repeater is about 35 miles away. I can hit the repeater but it's tough to carry on a conversation.

My local 220 is co-located with the 2m and 70cm DMR repeaters. Receive antenna is at 520' and the transmit antenna is at 485'.

The tower is not quite 3 straight line miles from my QTH. There are seven 220 repeaters within HT range. All of them have essentially no traffic at all.