need help National FM simplex calling frequency

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duchee

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so im listening to my scanner searching on hams until my radio comes through the mail and i came accross 146.520. doesnt tell me anything. i search it up and it shows up as National FM simplex calling frequency any ideas what it is? when i listened i was getting on side of conversattion and wasnt coming in as clear as the local repeater thanks! Anthony
 

w8prr

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Simplex is just that, no repeater, direct from the transmit antenna to your antenna. The other station may be too far away from you for you to hear.

146.520 is the frequency that hams use on 2 meters to make simplex contacts. Any other frequency may be used, but most hams wanting to work simplex use this. On 6 meters it is 52.525 and on 440 it is 446.00

Rick
 

duchee

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ohhhh ok so its a known frequency and most likely to find someone. thank you so much i will put it in my log book :) thanks alot rick.
 

wogggieee

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If you're really looking to hear people talking and want to hear both sides of the conversation I would suggest programming in the local repeater frequencies into your scanner.
 

Thunderknight

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thats what i been listening to lately. would i always hear one side on simplex?

It all depends on how close the other side is, how much power they are using, how high their antenna is. Given the right parameters, it is very possible to hear both sides.

Where I live, I sometimes hear cars on the highway talking on simplex. I hear just the first car, then both, and then just second car as they drive away from me.
 

Murstech

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Alot of work goes into building a repeater. And money. But as you can observe its worth it. That doesnt mean it renders simplex useless though. If repeaters were not available it would mean that everyone would have to invest in better equipment to talk to each other as good as through a repeater. All base stations would need yagi antennas. All mobiles would need 5/8 wave antennas and high power. HTs would be sort of in trouble as its not feasable to use more power than a few watts because of battery power. But they could still talk around town to the locals.

Sooo... What repeaters mosltly do is save everyone from having to invest alot of money into building a powerful station that will only approach something as good as what a club repeater can do.
 

texasemt13

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Once you get in to HF (high frequency, below 30MHz), amateurs will only talk in simplex. Repeaters for those bands aren't practical, and plus, the signals travel across the world when conditions are ideal. Think of simplex as "point to point" communications (each point being the operator holding the microphone). Repeaters simply repeat what one user transmits in, at a much higher power, so people farther away from the repeater can hear.
 

duchee

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wow i didnt know that. so lower the frequency number higher it actually is? thanks for the info. i trying to learn as much as i can here.
 

ka3jjz

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And just to add to the list a bit (if memory serves), 29.6 is the 10m FM calling freq 73 Mike
 

techsender

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You are correct, 29.6 FM is the 10 meter "simplex" frequency. Lately with the band opening more and more you will hear stations on 29.600. As the earlier poster wrote the KQ2H repeater in NYC on 29.620 has a huge footprint and is a good indicator of when 10 starts getting open. Once the cycle really gets going listen on 29.500 and 29.300 as well for FM simplex.
 
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kb0nly

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We use .520 down here a lot... Most of the time we will be chatting along on a repeater and realize that hey lets go to simplex to free up the repeater, of course many of us have high power amps or rigs combined with yagi's so simplex is just as good for most ragchews.
 

n0eq

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Here in Phoenix, we have a large bunch of 52 users. It's pretty routine for us to talk 100+ miles to Tucson to our south, and similar distances to the west toward California. All without beams or other directional antennas. All on typical mobile unit power or less.
 
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