DX on 2 meters simplex?

[KD6WAG]

About 13 years ago, I was able to contact another HAM from Orange County California, to Oakland, CA. #I was using a hand held Yaesu FT-530 with 5 watts (max) on a home built J-pole antenna.

The time was late at night and my antenna was up on the second floor balcony of my apartment. #I was talking SIMPLEX!!!!! #I was totally shocked that I made this contact. #The QSO only lasted for about 3-4 minutes until my contact's signal just kind of faded away. #During the entire QSO, the quality of the signal was very poor and scratchy to begin with, but it was fully understandable.

Has anyone else ever had a long distant contact while on FM simplex?http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/rock.gif I was just really amazed by this contact I made on simplex and on 2m FM.

Thanks.

[WS2L]

I never really made any impressive simplex QSO's but I have had some interesting Q's on distant repeaters. I live in Central NJ about 10 miles due south of Newark (Liberty) Airport for reference. One contact I made was through a repeater in central CT and another through a repeater somewhere in VA......I was mobile running 25 watts at the time. The CT contact was at home and the VA contact was in the mobile. On that same frequency on 2 meters from central NJ I could hear repeaters in CT, NJ, Eastern PA and VA. There were one or two others that I did not get the ID on. Funny thing was that I was trying to work the NJ repeater which I could not bring up but was able to hold a 5 minute QSO through the VA repeater all driving very late at night between 2 different Field Day sites.

I once owned a Cushcraft 215WB that they stopped making about 20 years ago. 15 elements, 16 db gain on a 15' boom. With 25 watts I easily could talk to a friend of mine who was at the time about 70 miles south of me. We never had any trouble working each other on simplex no matter what time of year.

[ne3r]

I left the radio on in my car which was parked on top of a parking garage. I was only going to be out for a minute, but when I got back, the alarm was going off (the radio sits right under the car alarm sensor). Since car alarms never go off when the car is getting broke into or stolen, I wasn't worried, but curious. It turns out there was a ham up on a mountain about 120 miles away setting up some VHF equipment for a contest the next weekend calling CQ on 146.52. I think that is my best DX on 2 meter FM simplex.

I thought I had a really long one on 146.58 one day, but it turns out that it was going through an echolink node someone had setup.

73 de Joe NE3R

[ab9lz]

Not quite simplex, but to my surprise I was able to have a QSO through the Cadillac Michigan repeater using an HT in my kayak, I was about two miles east of north Manitou Island (out in Lake Michicagn), about 80 air miles.

[WB2WIK]

My longest documented, confirmed (QSLd) 2m FM simplex contact was from my home in New Jersey to C6/WA1JXN in the Bahamas, back in 1980 I believe it was. About 1200 miles.

I was running 1 kW output to a pair of stacked 14 element yagis, not sure what he was using although I could probably look it up.

My longest 2m simplex QSO that was not FM (but was CW, without moonbounce) was from my home station in New Jersey (Mt. Olive) to W5FF in New Mexico, about 1900 miles. That was E-skip, in June of 1979 I think.

From here in California (where I've lived since '88), my longest 2m DX was made while operating portable at Big Rock in Malibu, to KH6HME in Hawaii -- about 2500 miles. That was a tropo duct, it happens every year.

WB2WIK/6

[n5rfx]

My longest distance on FM 2 meter simplex was from Grapevine TX to Tampa Fl. about 940 miles. I was chatting with a colleague who was meeting me at the Red Robin. I was sitting in the parking lot when the guy from Tampa sent his callsign.

73,
Mark N5RFX

[KE5FRF]

Well, mine isn't so impressive. The longest simplex contact I have made was not on FM, but 2 meter CW. A tropo opening was going on one evening while a few of us were having a round table on the local repeater. A guy from Florida piped in and asked where the repeater was located. He asked if any of us had 2 meter CW capability and I said I did, but only have a j-pole about 10 feet off the ground for 2 meters. So, we decided to give it a shot anyway. I can't remember for certain, but I believe his beam was horizontally polarized, so we may have been cross-polarized. Anyhow, we made the contact on 2m CW. The noise level was so low I copied ever word that was sent (even though he wasn't registering a thing on the s-meter). He said I was also solid on his end. I imagine this was about 400 miles or so.

[w3wn]

1980. Worked the University of Missouri - Rolla club station, W0EEE, while standing in my driveway in Boalsburg PA (just south of State College) on 2 meter simplex, running a Tempo FMH-2 HT.

[W7KI]

Seattle WA to Colorado, about 1100 miles or so, 144.200 sideband. No high power or fancy antenna, just an FT-847 with a Comet GP-15 vertical in my attic.

[VO1GXG]

Last night . Me and my friend built a power supply for the IC-2000 and the owner of said radio who lived a KM away. farthest i have ever made it on simplex

[WB2WIK]

Quote[/b] (VO1GXG @ Aug. 28 2007,10:51)]Last night . Me and my friend built a power supply for the IC-2000 and the owner of said radio who lived a KM away. farthest i have ever made it on simplex
Well, a KM is pretty far!

A KM here is 1000 miles: Kilo Mile. http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/laugh.gif

[ai4ep]

http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif I once talked to another licensed amateur using simplex on 146.520 for a distance of about 100 yards.

We were out of sight of each other. http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif

Does this count as some kind of " rare dx " ??

[PA5COR]

Northern part of Holland to the south tip of Portugal, 1100 miles 15 watts FM in an 12 elements antenna.
SSB 1600 miles to the USSR 25 watts SSB into the same antenna, both confirmed with QSL cards.

Regularly now running only 50 watts into an 11 elements Flexa yagi on 2 European stations 600 to 1000 miles.

432 mHz SSB regularly 600 to 1000 miles, 60 watts into an 23 elements Flexa yagi.

[wb6mmj]

I`ve talked to Hawaii a couple of times on 2 meter SSB from my house in the San Bernardino Mountains.
You have to wait till the hurricanes get between California and Hawaii. Then look for the openings.

[ac3p]

Maryland to Iowa on 2 meters. 3 watts SSB to a 5 element yagi.

[N0KLT]

The best repeater contact I ever had was from my brother in law's back deck up in the mountains above Golden, Colorado. I was sitting there and heard a guy on a repeater on 2M, I forget now what the frequency was, so I went back to him using my handheld. I assume it was on high power which would have been 5 watts. This guy was sitting on his patio in Cheyenne, Wyoming and got real testy when I said something about this contact being made through the local link of repeaters. He got real grouchy about the fact that his repeater didn't need any links to talk that far. Once I appologized and convinced him that as a flatlander from Nebraska, the only way I could imagine talking that far on a handheld was via linked repeaters. Amazing what a little elevation will do for you.

I think the best FM simplex contact I ever made was from my pickup one morning when I contacted some guy up in the southwest corner of Minnesota. I have no clue how far that would be but I would guess 150+ miles maybe farther. I never bothered to figure it out. I didn't get the guys call logged since I was moving at the time.

[N5USR]

Here in OKC we get some nice ducting quite regularly, Dallas thru OKC to Wichita, KS. You can start to hear all kinds of repeaters going, and if it isn't a Sunday morning (when almost NO one is on the air) a fair number notice and get on 146.52.

A couple of months ago I heard someone on a local repeater on the scanner asking where the repeater was. I tuned over and answered, he was up in the SW part of Kansas somewhere. Chatted a while, then he said he was going to go to simplex. I followed, and I was able to work him there as well. Roughly 150 miles, and quite good signals on both ends. He had a nice beam and some power, I only have 50W on a good vertical.

I've been pleasantly surprised just how far 2M simplex will go in normal circumstances. When I first got licensed, I only had an HT so was pretty much stuck on repeaters. (Or at least that's what I assumed.) But there is a large group here that ONLY uses simplex, and we can cover quite a large geographic area even mobile.

[kg4kww]

I have made well over 150 contacts on 2m ssb. This mode is tons of fun.

[K9STH]

Richardson, Texas, to Managua, Nicaragua, on 146.520 FM. About 1700 miles. The operator on the other end was the VHF editor of QST at the time (he was down there on business). Have the QSL card.

Rig was 60 watts output to a pair of 11 element yagis vertically polarized. Antennas were (actually are still up) at 67 feet above ground fed with 1/2 inch Heliax. Location is 1/2 block from the highest point in the city.

Glen, K9STH

[WA2ZDY]

Not the farthest but fun just the same . . . A Sunday morning in July 1994 on I-35 near Waco, Texas. I had an IC-27H to a quarter wave on the roof of the Jeep and was part of a roundtable on 146.52 with stations from San Antonio, Shreveport, La and OKC. As far as I could tell, all stations could hear everyone in the roundtable.

It was very stable and lasted for at least an hour as we cruised north on I-35.

[VE3EN]

have not been on 2m long, but few years ago.. worked a couple stations in Florida during a nice Es opening on SSB. So thats about 1400-1500 miles i believe... was only using a J-Pole antenna and 706 MKIIG

[WA9SVD]

Quote[/b] (WB2WIK @ Aug. 28 2007,09:29)]My longest documented, confirmed (QSLd) 2m FM simplex contact was from my home in New Jersey to C6/WA1JXN in the Bahamas, back in 1980 I believe it was. About 1200 miles.

I was running 1 kW output to a pair of stacked 14 element yagis, not sure what he was using although I could probably look it up.

My longest 2m simplex QSO that was not FM (but was CW, without moonbounce) was from my home station in New Jersey (Mt. Olive) to W5FF in New Mexico, about 1900 miles. That was E-skip, in June of 1979 I think.

From here in California (where I've lived since '88), my longest 2m DX was made while operating portable at Big Rock in Malibu, to KH6HME in Hawaii -- about 2500 miles. That was a tropo duct, it happens every year.

WB2WIK/6
I have to agree with Steve. KH6HME (Mauna Loa, Hawai'i) to California. Since my home QTH is shielded by hills (Signal Hill and Palos Verdes) I had to operate portable about 12 miles from home; I set up on a bluff above Palos Verdes right above the beach. I worked Paul (KH6HME) on 2 Meters, and heard his beacons loud and clear on 70 cm and 23 cm. Since it was a contest weekend, I didn't ask him to run the gamut of bands for which he was equipped; he was also concentrating on working the Orange County (CA) Fair that weekend.

Obviously, not quite "FM" or "FM simplex, but still possible when a duct forms. All modes can be enhanced when a duct forms.

[WA9SVD]

Quote[/b] (ai4ep @ Aug. 28 2007,13:02)]http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif I once talked to another licensed amateur using simplex on 146.520 for a distance of about 100 yards.

We were out of sight of each other. http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif

Does this count as some kind of " rare dx " ??
only on rare occasions. http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/laugh.gif

[K0RGR]

From San Jose, CA, the duct to Hawaii rarely opens, but I caught it one time on our local repeater. I believe there was a repeater in Hawaii on the same frequency.

I fairly recently worked through the .82 repeater in Kansas City from here. I made some contacts on simplex down that way, too.

With SSB I've worked New York from here. Tropo scatter is very common over the Great Lakes. A large part of Wisconsin is pretty wet, too, so it probably works like a large over-water path. I would imagine one could do this in all of the warmer parts of the Canadian Shield.

We really haven't had a cold enough winter around here for many years, but we used to get fantastic tropo down in Iowa, whenever the ground was very cold and we'd get a warm front moving in over it. In 1992, the band was open from Des Moines to Indiana and many places in between almost every night for several weeks.

[k9kjm]

From my place in NE Wisconsin to Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, And others (Over 1,000 miles) (CONFIRMED) On 146.52 simplex (In 2005) NICE opening!

The upper midwest here has been "open" for over 3 weeks now, With 146.52 contacts several states away no problem. I worked two stations in Kentucky night before last, Including one new grid square for me on 2 meters. #
I can talk into the Chicago area (Just over 200 miles) almost daily this summer on .52 simplex! #UHF has been almost as good, But not many people monitoring 446 simplex.

SSB IS even better, HOWEVER there is NO ONE on anymore! #Years ago I used to have a ball working 2 meter and UHF SSB. Nowadays the only time I hear other stations on SSB is during the big contests! A real Bummer! #
After working a station on two meter FM simplex close to 300 miles away I go and call CQ on 144.200 and hear NO ONE! # #A real bummer. http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/sad.gif

[LA3YNA]

On 2m FM, my record is about 800kms with a 14 element yagi and 50 watts. (from home qth)

and SSB the record is 1500kms with a 3 element yagi and 50 watts. (e-skip)

Because of my QTH, i'm often in a pile-up on SSB and FM. Tons of fun with 2m! Glad I have free LOS to the horizon;)

[WS2L]

Quote[/b] (WA2ZDY @ Aug. 28 2007,13:21)]Not the farthest but fun just the same . . . A Sunday morning in July 1994 on I-35 near Waco, Texas. I had an IC-27H to a quarter wave on the roof of the Jeep and was part of a roundtable on 146.52 with stations from San Antonio, Shreveport, La and OKC. As far as I could tell, all stations could hear everyone in the roundtable.

It was very stable and lasted for at least an hour as we cruised north on I-35.
Chris I don't remember you having a 27H, I had the IC-27A which was my very first 2 meter rig. I later bought the IC-47A when we were both getting into 70cm. To this day I wish that I never for rid of that rig, I really liked it.

I don't know what happened but apparently Ed must have given up on the 685 machine since it is registered to someone else and I cant access it from home which is only about 5 air miles away. That was a really cool repeater to, wish it were still available.

[n6vmo]

My longest is from Lompoc, CA. to St.-Petersburg, RUSSIA. Using SSB, WSJT JT65A and 400W into two 17 element yagis.

[WB2WIK]

Quote[/b] (n6vmo @ Aug. 29 2007,10:29)]My longest is from Lompoc, CA. to St.-Petersburg, RUSSIA. Using SSB, WSJT JT65A and 400W into two 17 element yagis.
The moon doesn't count. It's a repeater!

I've worked SM7BAE from my QTH in Woodland Hills, CA but that big green cheese sphere in the sky had a lot to do with it. http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif

[WA7KKP]

Lemme see, there's two answers to this querie:

On FM, I've worked simplex from St. Joseph, MO to Tulsa, OK . . . okay, on my end I had an 8 db omni antenna up 300', fed with 7/8" heliax. That always helps out a bit.

On SSB, I knew a ham in Billings MT who talked consistently with his father-in-law in Casper, WY. He used a 10w SSB rig, and a quad of 11 element yagis. Not bad -- about a 250 mile hop, not dependent on tropo or sporadic E modes to do. It was day in / day out.

The bottom line is . . . ANTENNA. Get the most gain in the air, as high as feasibly possible, and use the lowest loss feedline available.

You can't do DX with a rubber duckie on your handheld.

Gary WA7KKP

[k0dxc]

No but then again I haven't had a license during the top of the sunspot cycle.

[WB2WIK]

Quote[/b] (k0dxc @ Aug. 31 2007,12:06)]No but then again I haven't had a license during the top of the sunspot cycle.
What's the sunspot cycle have to do with two meters? http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif

[WA2ZDY]

Quote[/b] (WS2L @ Aug. 29 2007,07:27)]Chris I don't remember you having a 27H, I had the IC-27A which was my very first 2 meter rig.
Yeah, you might be right, maybe it was a 27A. I got it from Danny Kalas - Rich Piper's kid around 1988. It had been run over by a truck but it worked fine. I used that as the packet rig in my shack for years. And once in a while it went in the jeep after I'd gotten rid of the IC3200.

Ah well, I'm lucky I remember much, never mind the model number of a 2m rig I had 20 years ago!

[WA6MHZ]

OK lets see who can top this. #The date is somewhere in 1969-70, the location is Chicago. #I was WN9ZGF (or maybe WA9ZGF by then) and working Tropo DX north to Milwaukee. #Not too far, maybe 100 miles or so. #I had a DX Beam, a Cushcrudd 11 element and a 50W 2M AM station. #No one heard of FM back then. #Receiver was an Ameco CB-2 2 meter converter ahead of a Hallicrafters S-40 tuned to 40 Meters. #I was ragchewing with this Milwaukee station and he was 59+, so there was a definite band openning on 2. #I asked him, since he was hearing me so well, if he could listen for my Heathkit Twoer sitting here on the desk. #The Twoer ran about a watt output at best, and the antenna was a 19 inch piece of wire stuck in the antenna connector. #Sort of a 60s rubber duck. #Sure enough, he copied the Twoer just fine on his DX Beam. #But he had a Twoer too! # #He put a similar coathanger in the back of it sitting on his desk and gave me a call. #It was a MIRACLE!!!! Twoer to Twoer over that distance, both indoors sitting on the tables!!!! #I might point out that we were RECEIVING each other on the Twoers too, no help from the big gun stations! Now THAT was DX!!!!!

[WA6MHZ]

Oh, for distance #QSOs, I worked Paul KH6HME simplex on 2M SSB last summer, from Crest, 35 miles east of San Diego to Hawaii. #We had the benefit of a Duct though. Rig was a Yaesu FT-736R driving a Mirage 160W PA into a 13 element KLM beam at 55 ft. #Sigs were an easy 59+ for several hours.#Paul has worked up to Washington State on those Ducts. #We tried on 432 but I had my antenna the wrong way (rotator error!!) and didn't make it. #When I purchased my house, before i signed #into Escrow, I ran a TOPO program to be sure I had a CLear shot to Hawaii, as it was my life long goal to work there. #Now my life is complete.

[K9STH]

MHZ:

By 1969 there were hundreds of 2 meter FM repeaters on the air in the United States.

Starting in the mid 1950s there were quite a few amateur radio operators in the Chicago area using 147.300 MHz wideband (+/- 15 KHz deviation) FM. Most of the equipment was "twin coffin" in nature (i.e. Motorola FMRU-16V receivers and Motorola FMTU-30D transmitters). The East Chicago / Whiting, Indiana, fires at the oil refineries (1957 if I remember correctly) had an AREC (Amateur Radio Emergency Corps - forerunner of the ARES) net which ran for several weeks on 147.300 MHz FM.

My first FM operation was in 1960, shortly after upgrading to General Class in November 1959. I was using the Motorola FMRU-16V / FMTU-30D combination on 147.300 MHz. By 1966, my senior year at Georgia Tech, there were several hundred FM operators in the Atlanta, Georgia, area on 146.940 MHz FM ("the" FM simplex frequency for 2 meters in the United States). When I came to Richardson, Texas, in April of 1967 there were already 3 repeaters in the area. The 146.820 MHz output / 146.220 MHz input in Dallas, the 146.940 MHz output / 146.340 MHz input in Fort Worth, and a second 146.940 MHz output / 146.340 input in Denton.

By 1967 73 Magazine was starting to publish a lot of articles on FM. I wrote a "fair" number of them. It wasn't until the early 1970s that the ARRL "invented" FM after they discovered all the advertising revenue that QST was not receiving from all of those companies who were marketing FM products and accessories. 73 and CQ had been running advertisements for several years and making a LOT of money from them. After "inventing" FM the ARRL tried to take credit for all sorts of things including repeaters. But, those who had been advocating VHF and UHF FM knew better.

Of course during the 1930s and 1940s much of the VHF phone activity was on FM. It was not until after World War II that AM started gaining popularity. But, by the mid 1960s FM had again taken over much of the phone activity on 2 meters and higher frequencies.

Glen, K9STH

[WA9SVD]

Quote[/b] (wa6mhz @ Sep. 01 2007,15:06)]Oh, for distance QSOs, I worked Paul KH6HME simplex on 2M SSB last summer, from Crest, 35 miles east of San Diego to Hawaii. We had the benefit of a Duct though. Rig was a Yaesu FT-736R driving a Mirage 160W PA into a 13 element KLM beam at 55 ft. Sigs were an easy 59+ for several hours. Paul has worked up to Washington State on those Ducts. We tried on 432 but I had my antenna the wrong way (rotator error!!) and didn't make it. When I purchased my house, before i signed into Escrow, I ran a TOPO program to be sure I had a CLear shot to Hawaii, as it was my life long goal to work there. Now my life is complete.
If I read you right, Chicago to Milwaukee isn't exactly an "opening" on 2 Meters; it's certainly too short a "hop" (excuse the pun) to be Sporadic E. You probably DID have particularly good propagation, and perhaps even a duct had formed, even at that short distance. Not too bad for low power, though.
I, too have worked Paul (KH6HME) on 2 Meters a few years ago; if it wasn't a contest weekend, plus the fact he was working the station at the Orange County Fair, I'm sure I would have been able to work him on 70 cm and 23 cm, as his beacon signals were at least as strong as his SSB signal on 2 Meters. (Just wait until next time! to paraphrase us Cubs fans http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/laugh.gif)

I believe Paul holds a 2 Meter DX record from HI to Mexico, and I believe at times, the duct has supported propagation as far as Las Vegas, or at least the mountains surrounding that area.

(BTW, where in the Chicago area did you live?)

[ve2nsm]

I talk with NP4WX in Puerto Rico sometimes, at 180 miles it's so easy and the signals are so good I don't think it even qualifies fox DX.

On 2m FM that's the farthest I have made, but I never try DX on that band anyways

[kc4umo]

The other night I heard another repeater on 145.35. There is a local one here on that frequency. I heard several hams chatting. Our local repeater has tone. So I toned the tone off on my radio and throwed my call out. Well they came back to me and we chatted for a bit. This was at 3am on my 25 watt mobile. One guy came back and said I was as stronge on the input as I were in the repeater.

The repeater was 300 miles away.
Not the furthest I have talked but worth mentioning.
Furthest was Maine on 2 meter ssb.

[WA6MHZ]

I was in Lisle, between Downers grove and Naperville. #Gradded from HS there, and moved away in 71. #But my most exciting and formative years were on 2 meter AM back then. #Sorry, guess I was quite wrong about 2mFM back then, I knew of no one on it, atleast in all the folks that I talked to were on AM only, not FM, but it really took off after 1970 and the Japanese xtal sets that flooded the market about then. # 73 Magazine was quite responsible for the explosion in growth of 2MFM. #I knew of those police surplus units being converted to FM but never tried it. #Didn't get on FM until I arrived here in San Diego and got on the Otay repeater in the mid 70s. #Too bad AM went away. #There are still some pockets of activity in Phoenix and other areas, but here in California, all the repeaters and Packet have driven it off the air. #I have all the old AM 2M sets from that era, except for a few very obscure ones like the Sonar CD-2 and Trio 2M AM. #But not a hint of activity here. #Anyone on AM went right to SSB once FM took over the band. #73

[KU0DM]

I heard a story on the local 2m machine, that an older ham made a contact into some Carribean island on 2 meter AM during the 50's

On FM, the farthest I've worked simplex was De Soto KS, maybe
40 miles away.
SSB would be into Odessa MO, abt. 30 miles.
Does the fact that I am not a VHF weak-signal fan show?
lol

73!

[ka5s]

Back in the 1980's once, with a hurricane off the East coast, a ham in Asheville NC made contact with hundreds of people all the way up to New England on 2m simplex. I worked him from North Andover, MA, once from the house, and then from the street with an HT.



Cortland
KA5S

[M0JMO]

I made a contact from Wales in the UK to Portugal using my Yaesu VX-2 into a small Diamond Mag Mount on my car. 3W output. This was in July 2006.

[N3WRH]

Last Year in June i think i was in the mountains about 60 mi's south of pittsburgh and i have a kennwood 271a running 60 watts in a 5/8 wave 2meter ant. I was driving back and heard on 107.9MHZ a tornado warning, and it was a great day 107.9 is in Pittsburgh here it was in FL, just going over the pittsburgh station. I went to 146.52 listening for about 10 mins there was a pile-up, i got in one contact to GA it stayed like that for about 2 hours on the way home

[w4nti]

Quote[/b] (k9kjm @ Aug. 28 2007,23:36)]From my place in NE Wisconsin to Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, And others (Over 1,000 miles) (CONFIRMED) On 146.52 simplex (In 2005) NICE opening!

The upper midwest here has been "open" for over 3 weeks now, With 146.52 contacts several states away no problem. I worked two stations in Kentucky night before last, Including one new grid square for me on 2 meters. #
I can talk into the Chicago area (Just over 200 miles) almost daily this summer on .52 simplex! #UHF has been almost as good, But not many people monitoring 446 simplex.

SSB IS even better, HOWEVER there is NO ONE on anymore! #Years ago I used to have a ball working 2 meter and UHF SSB. Nowadays the only time I hear other stations on SSB is during the big contests! A real Bummer! #
After working a station on two meter FM simplex close to 300 miles away I go and call CQ on 144.200 and hear NO ONE! # #A real bummer. http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/sad.gif
I used to love 2m SSB. But as you said there was no one on. I gave it up back in the mid 80s. But plan on getting back on.

Back when I was in Ohio as K8BHH I operated 2m AM. Only had a 10 element yagi, with a Armstrong Rotar. Wonder if they still sell them? http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

Had a homebrew TX running a 832A, plate modulated, RX was my SX-111 and a CN-144 Ameco Nuvistor converter.

I could work the East Coast on a good night, into Tennessee and Indiana. When conditions enhanced I could stretch out quite a bit more.

I have no records from that time so just say it's braggin rights.. hi.

Point being....folks get off of FM and try SSB and CW, The Signal to Noise ratio is way better, thus you can hear better. Put those antenna's Horizontal and have fun.

You can't work DX through a repeater....Think about it.

Dan/W4NTI