Reviving 146.52, 2-Meter Nat'l Call Freq.

[kc0lex]

Several times when I am traveling out of my home area and I am in unfamiliar territory I give a call out on the 2-Meter calling frequency of 146.52 simplex. This has led me to the main repeater of the area that has the most traffic. Sometimes, I do not receive a reply when calling out on 146.52 simplex. Fortunately, I have always received a reply when when it has been an emergency (this has only happened once). What I have done and I ask other amateurs to do is to program 146.52 simplex into your radio. When you are driving around or sitting in the shack not hamming turn to that frequency or at least put your radio on scan. Even better and do like me and program it in the priority location of your radio. My radio has an alarm that alerts me if traffic appears on the priority channel and I can easily switch over there. I believe this will help hams traveling out of the area and you never know you may help somebody out in a pinch or make an interesting contact. Just by having my radio on scan I heard a call out from an air mobile at 30,000 feet and was able to reply at quite some distance (I was in Wichita and he was over the middle of Missouri at the time I finally made it throught the pile up). Anyway, just my two cents.
73,
Matt
KCØLEX

[WM5L]

Here In Ft Worth,Tx there is allmost allways a QSO on the CALLING frequency. It is very hard to "scan" when it keeps stopping on it because there is a big roundtable on it. I would suggest that everyone monitor 146.520 and them move off somewhere for the QSO after the contact has been made. This was the intent when 146.520 was assigned the label "National CALLING Frequency"! Just my two cents...Jim/WM5L

[W8OKN]

I monitor 146.52 almost 24 hours a day, either from the home when I am working or while traveling throughout mid-Michigan on business. #I also monitor 29.600 10m FM during daylight hours. #Sean W8OKN

[N3HGB]

I frequently call CQ on .52 when flying. From 1 or 2 miles high I know I am getting some coverage, but 9 times out of 10 I have to move to a repeater to bring someone up.
Suggestion: Everyone SET a PL TONE of 100 HZ for .52 for making contacts, but not ongoing QSOs. That way you can monitor 146.52/100 for CQs and not have to listen to the locals if you don't want to.
73
N3HGB
email cqairmobile-subscribe@yahoogroups.com to get on the airmobile list.

[n0xu]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (WM5L @ Jan. 27 2003,06:44)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">Here In Ft Worth,Tx there is allmost allways a QSO on the CALLING frequency. It is very hard to "scan" when it keeps stopping on it because there is a big roundtable on it. I would suggest that everyone monitor 146.520 and them move off somewhere for the QSO after the contact has been made. This was the intent when 146.520 was assigned the label "National CALLING Frequency"! Just my two cents...Jim/WM5L[/QUOTE]<span id='postcolor'>
This is interesting...I just looked at the ARRL website, and they've changed the label on 146.52 from "National Simplex Frequency" to "National Simplex Calling frequency...hmmm....

http://www.arrl.org/FandES/field/regulations/bandplan.html#2m

I agree with Jim...move off the frequency once contact has been made.

73 Drew N0XU

[nf7r]

I have always had .52 in my scan at home, and on the road...even had some nice contacts with guys on the nearby interstate (after moving them to our local repeater), and have received and rendered aid because of it. However, for the last year or so, I have had to take .52 out of scan as in Las Vegas (about 65 miles to the SW) it seems to be just another simplex working frequency. There is even a remote base on .52, used for general chit chat. The result is that .52 has just too much activity to use it for calling, wilderness protocol, or other contingency use.
# Speaking of the wilderness protocol, I have heard hikers and campers here from all over Lake Mead, the Grand Wash Cliffs, Mount Charleston, and the western Grand Canyon (on the plateau), so there is a potential utility to having .52 available.
# Since using .52 as a calling frequency is just a considerate operators guide, and does not carry the force of law, I'm not sure what, if anything, is to be done. I guess just follow the discussion and hope at some point we do end up with a true "national calling frequency". We could certainly use one.
My "2 cents in, keep the change"...
73,
Don
NF7R
Logandale, NV

[KB5B]

Well, we have had a controversy here in Tucson,Az over this also. In fact, because our group would not move off the 146.52 freq I was banned from using a 900 mhz repeater because a ham was offended and used that as a means to "get even". He did not want HIS radio stopping on the freq while we ragchewed. Riley Hollingsworth was contacted by phone over the issue, because we had mixed emotions within our group and we wanted to make sure we were not breaking any rules (His answer is attached). We even moved off for awhile but silently monitored 6.52 and found that noone that was monitoring was answering the call of passerbys as they traveled the IH-10 corridor. So we moved back down to the freq and have made lots of contacts with these hams as they travel and they have all supported having people talking on the channel over having dead air as they travel.If you read this go to www.n7dma.com and post your thoughts on the discussion board. We don't tie the freq up during peak hours when traffic is high volume but do monitor in case a phone call needs made or there is an emergency or directions needed.Our group has gone from 4 to almost 20, with nightly checkins averaging around 10.

# # # # # # #LETS PROMOTE OUR HOBBY !!!

The response from Mr.Hollingsworth....

Hi David. #After we issued the letter regarding 146.520, it became apparent
that there are some editions of band plans that say it is a calling frequency
only, and some editions that merely say it's simplex. That's why we decided
not to become involved, and just leave it to the Amateurs to resolve among
themselves. #So either use is fine--calling frequency, or for general QSO's,
as long as courtesy and all other rules are followed. thanks
************************************************
In fact, the group is thriving and will be having an "EYEBALL QSO" Feb 1,2003...if you are in the Tucson,az area feel free to come by.....info at www.hamsrus.com under "SIMPLEX GROUP TO MEET"

73 de KC5EGC Terry
Marana, Az

I live in a county with about 8total hams who are active on 2 meters at all, and 6 of us use .52 simplex as our main frequency for simplex contacts. We are always sure to leave plenty of oppertunity for others to break in if need be. So far we have had nothing but positive responses from those that have been passing through, most are just happy to hear any activity on .52. I-40 runs right through the county, so we do meet a number of travelers on the freq.


There is nothing wrong with simplex QSO's on .52, so long as you dont monopolise the freq and make sure others have a chance to break in when needed. Heck, keeping the QSO on .52 keeps more recivers tuned to it and increases the number of stations listening, in my county if we moved to another freq odds are nobody would be listening once we moved. Whats better, nobody listening when you call, or having to break into an ongoing QSO to get heard?

[KD4DCY]

I monitor 146.52 in my car constantly. #I don't usually hear much traffic, but it's fun to answer the occasional call. #This morning on the way to work, I happened to hear someone testing his new Ten-Tec 6n2, and chatted with him briefly.

I also keep a magnetic sign on my car that says "Monitoring 146.52". #This has generated a few QSOs from passing hams, and that's always fun.

In another hobby of mine, geocaching, I always carry an HT tuned to 146.52, just in case I run across a fellow ham/geocacher, of which there are a few. #(What's geocaching? http://www.geocaching.com will explain.)

Sure would be nice to hear more people on simplex.

# # Scott KD4DCY

[K8YS]

It has been my sad experiance, that when I leave my home area, I might just as well turn the VHF/UHF radio OFF. I am a field systems engineer, data/telecom, and I cover over half of the USA. I have never made a contact on 146.52, I found bootleggers on 446.00, I have taken traffic accidents to 20 meters and 10 meters for someone to call the highway patrol's 800 number - this was before cell phones became standard issue. I have seen 18 wheel trucks with signs in the dust saying "we monitor 146.52" only to find silence when I call them.
Now, I rarely bother to connect the V/UHF radio to an antenna while mobile, I know that I will be able to find someone to chat with on 14.300 or 18.157.

[KD5KUF]

Here in northeastern Oklahoma, we have a 146.52 simplex net every Saturday night at 8 o'clock. This revived .52 from being a dead channel to an active contact channel. Then we usually take our QSOs to 146.550 with many of us having dual receive and still monitoring .52.
It will get quiet when everyone is at work and such, but even then there are many old timers and others on different schedules that would be glad to make a contact during those less busy hours.
We will also be running a net on 146.52 during any hazardous weather alerts or area disasters, to backup the local repeater group nets. Just as recommeded by ARES and the Level 1 Emergency Communications Course.
Our regular net with outlying relay stations often has more coverage than some repeaters, and our longest range check in was from Springfield, MO to Chelsea, OK. And under normal band conditions we do a good job of covering the entire northwest quadrant of the state, and then some. Remember K.I.S.S. (Keep It Simply Simplex) http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif

[KB9YKY]

How .52 is to be used varies widely from community to community. When I used to live near Peoria IL, .52 was in use almost all the time (except for the very early morning hours). That area just figured it was good to be there so that people could find them...and being on that frequency was to be an invitation for travelers to join in. From what I have heard, out in Indianapolis IN area they believe .52 should be quiet except for distress calls...and anyone making more than a brief call gets read the riot act (heresay). Really I think the notion that everyone should monitor .52 is just silly. It would make more sense to say everyone should monitor the other 2 meter calling frequencies (144.1 & 144.2) since a call for help would be more likely to be heard over a much greater area...150 miles vs. 20 miles. Then what about the other vhf calling freqs on 6 meters and on UHF? Then 10 meters? A person can't monitor every "calling frequency" very well. http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

[KR6ER]

I have been monitoring a local simplex frequency for over a year now in the Los Angeles area and have even posted a sign in the rear window of my work van. In all that time I have made only three contacts, in a town of over 4 million people and on the most congested freeways in the world. I have read several articles of HAM's who have traveled across the country calling CQ on 146.520 and heard next to nothing. Perhaps these are isolated situations, perhaps not! Just the thought of a Southern California HAM.

[mackinac]

I am one who monitors .52 at home as much as possible. A separate rig is dedicated to the channel. On long trips the mobile rig is tuned to .52 unless I know of a nearby repeater. I don't make many contacts, but certain areas have a lot of activity.

I do think that the ARRL made a serious mistake when they decided to change the designation of .52 from the National Simplex Channel to a calling channel. I wish there was someway to get them to change it back. Maybe we should start a simplex advocacy group and petition them.

The designation of one channel as a national simplex channel makes sense. When you travel to another area you know what frequency to set your radio to. But designating the channel nationally as a calling frequency doesn't make sense. The discussion in this thread illustrates the problem. In some areas there is so few hams or so little activity that moving off to another channel just means that .52 goes unmonitored. On the other hand, in busy urban areas the channel can get so busy that you'd rather not monitor it.

In the urban area where I am located .52 activity is quite tolerable. There are occasional transients making calls and a few locals having short QSOs. There are several groups that like to use simplex, but they have found their own channels and leave .52 alone while they yammer away.

Let's return .52 (and the simplex channels on the other bands) back to National Simplex Channel designation and let the type of operation be determined by local needs.

[N3SOZ]

I do a little backpack mountaintopping, and have almost always had someone answer my CQ on 146.52. Just this past year I lugged my 2 meter HT and 6 meter portable rig to some mountaintops in New York and Maine, and had luck on .52 both times (and on 6 sideband in NY). Closer to home I've had QSO's on .52 from the Appalachian Trail here in Pa. I have .52 in a memory channel on the HT and scan whenever I'm in the shack. People are using .52, although it may be a bit sparse depending on where you live I suppose.

Matt
N3SOZ

[W5ATX]

I live in central NJ - just about exactly midway between NY City and Philadelphia. Granted, the NJ Turnpike is about 8 miles west of here, and the Garden State Parkway about 5 miles east, but one would think I'd hear something. As far as I know, 146.52 has had no transmissions in months. It is in my scanner, and it never stops. I hear more from Dixie on 29.6 with this same scanner than I do on 146.52.

ARRL overstepped their bounds by deciding they had the authority to dictate to us what we should or should not do on any given frequency. Yes, gentlemens' agreements and band plans and such are a good thing. But 52 simplex has ALWAYS been the SIMPLEX frequency.

Yes of course the idea of a calling frequency with a move off to another working frequency is more practical now than in years past. Most hams have synthesised rigs and can make contact then move. I for one don't have that capability. Why shouldn't a few folks hang on 52 simplex and shhot the breeze?

Like I said before, I'm in the most densely populated state in the US and here, 52 is dead. What's the beef if someone actually uses it? I think it would be a good thing.

[W5IDN]

My friend and I were on our way to Galveston for a cruse. We had
been using the 146.52 frequencey as a simplex frequency from Dallas.
When we arrived in Galveston, Tx, we were a little unsure on how to
get to the ship. I had been there not very long ago and with my friends
help I was able to find the road to the ship. A ham listing on the
frequency broke in and offered help. I did not get his call. I am sorry
about that. If he is reading this, thanks a lot. He was helpful and
asked if he could assist. At this time we did not need his assistance.
However, I am glad there are Hams out there who do want to help.
To the Ham in Galveston, Thanks a lot. You are one of the Hero's in
my book. Keep up the good work Garland, W5IDN.

[W7KI]

Its a similar situation here (north of Seattle). I monitor 146.52, 52.525, and 446.0 both base and mobile. Its a very rare occasion to catch or initiate traffic on any of those freqs although I might catch an occasional passerby on the freeway. It would be nice to see more interest in simplex out in this neck of the woods http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

Rich W7KI

[W9WHE]

The 146.52 "wilderness protocol" has been around for years. In the back-country, people on battery monitor 146.52 for 5-10 min at the top of every hour- longer if you have a less restrictive supply.

[K3ACE]

It's obvious that .52 is used in different areas in different ways depending on the local ham population. I think the important thing to remember ,however, is to leave enough space between transmissions to allow another amateur to "break in". Obviously there are no courtesy tones on simplex. Having a chit-chat on .52 #can certainly help increase simplex activity in any area.

Norm
K3ACE

[ai4uk]

My job requires me to be mobile most of the day. That means I have a lot of frequencies in my 2-meter mobile and 146.520 and 146.550 is listed right in there with them. When I am not in a QSO, the radio is scaning. Because that I monitor 146.520, I have been able to make a lot of contacts on 146.520 and several have been to airplanes. I live in the mountains of Eastern Kentucky, so mountain topping is fun.

[kb9wgv]

I'm pretty fortunate to be living in a heavily populated area approx. 35 miles northwest of Chicago, Illinois.
146.52 is used quite often in this area. I have heard this freq. used for both long term QSO's as well as a calling frequency. But it seems to be widely used in northern Illinois!

73
Gene
KB9WGV

[w7nb]

Here in Oregon we are lucky to have access to Ham Vanity plates for a mere $23.00 - so lots of us have them. After several comments about lack of monitoring on 146.52 I decided to try a little experiment. Every time I see a ham plate I call them on 146.52 - to date 2 of 47 calls have been answered... http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/sad.gif

--Hi, Matt. #I always have had 146.520 programmed into my radio. #It's one of the most useful frequencies when traveling. #I'm not the best driver in unfamilar cities, and I almost always can get some sort of assistance (directions) via 146.520.

[KC0OLM]

I'm afraind I have to agree with the negative contingent on this thread. I travel all over the country for work, and I too "might as well leave the VHF/UHF off" as one gnetleman said, especially on .52. Forget 446!

But, Id be more interested in helping to stimulate the activity, rather than just complaining. So, I spend quite a bit of time each day trying to CQ on 440 and 240 simplex.

It's clear that there is a trend in amateur radio for people to have their VHU/UHF radios in their cars, and so you hear almost all the activity during commuting times, and the, it's all on the repeaters

[W1RFI]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (N3HGB @ Jan. 27 2003,08:23)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">Suggestion: Everyone SET a PL TONE of 100 HZ for .52 for making contacts, but not ongoing QSOs. That way you can monitor 146.52/100 for CQs and not have to listen to the locals if you don't want to.[/QUOTE]<span id='postcolor'>
If the locals are on .52, there won't be any calling taking place. The FM capture effect will cause the strongest signal to be the only one heard. If someone transmits on top of a non-PL signal with a PL-encoded signal, he or she will cause harmful interference to ongoing QSOs.

This is what comes of the inefficient system of allocating frequency channels or repeater pairs that are dedicated to a particular purpose. Some of the FCC thinking of late is looking for spectrum use to be a lot more dynamic. Is ham radio up to this challenge? :-)

73,
Ed Hare, W1RFI

I know that in and around the area of Wayne Michigan, there are a lot of people that do listen to 146.520 and I have found a few good freinds, that I did not even know were hams on the simplex. If you ever get up in the Detroit area Give me a Yell, New call is W8RIF , also there is a bunch of us started slow scan on 145.510 fm which was started by some of us off the simplex freg. good things happen to those on simplex. Hope to hear you soon.

W8RIF
Don

[kc0jez]

In 2-3 years of hamming I have yet to make a random contact on 146.520 simplex. Now, a lot of this could be because I'm in Northern Minnesota and there are fewer hams than in a metro area. But we've taken a number of trips thru Minnesota, North Dakota and Montana, all along the major highways and near the major towns in these states. All the while I monitor and call on 52 and have NEVER received a reply, nor have I heard any other QSO's in action. We also travel to Mineapolis/St. Paul area often and same thing...52 is dead. Hard to convince people to monitor when there's nothing to hear. The only thing we use it for up here is that we'll move to 52 to get off the repeater if we're gonna ragchew a while, or we're testing coverage area, etc. I've done much better on the 6 meter SSB freq of 50.125. At least I make a contact there now and then, even if the band isn't open I can hit someone within a hundred miles or so. Wish I had the answer. Just know we're listening up here in the North Country!

[KD5KUF]

Bottom line is if you want activity on .52 simplex, get active on .52 simplex. If you make a contact on any repeater, QSY to .52. After a while others will start to do it too. Then before you know it you be bumping into other hams regularly there. Tell everyone you talk to that they can find you there. You have to make the difference, not wait for someone else to "do something about it".
I for one do not use repeaters unless absolutely necessary. Even the one I am a club member for.
Simplex is where the fun of vhf is. http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif

Don't tell anyone, it's a secret! http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif

[KC5WXX]

That might be a particularly good idea if you can copy the other guy well on reverse, as it would open up the repeater for other business.

As for myself, I suppose it wouldn't kill me to monitor .52 (and 29.600 - seriously, despite making a CQ call every day or so, I haven't ever had a simplex QSO on 10m FM, which is unfortunate, especially now that the sunspots are on their way down and repeater-via-skip is getting harder to work) more, even though I've kind of shifted more to HF over the years.

[KK9H]

This subject has come up numerous times on the various reflectors and web pages frequented by hams. Years ago when I was travelling back and forth from college and most 2M rigs were crystal controlled, I always left my rig on 146.52. I used to put out a call from time to time and I received many responses from base stations in nearby towns or from other hams who were also on the road near me.

These days when I travel and put out a call on 146.52 I rarely get a response. When I do it is always a pleasant surprise and always a great QSO regardless of how soon I drive out of range of the other station. I normally try to move the QSO to another simplex channel and this has never been a problem for anyone I have met.

I would like so see more hams monitor 146.52 when they aren't using their radios for other purposes. I would also like to see QSOs moved to other channels once the contact is established so people monitoring 146.52 can do so comfortably. The concept of using a 100.0 Hz PL is a fine idea and I would like to see it become a standard operating procedure too.

[K0RGR]

Yes, I do wish we could improve monitoring of 146.52. But I think it may require a little more than just suggesting that people do it, though that probably helps.

Increased activity on a channel is a two-edged sword. At first, it encourages activity. Then, as people get tired of listening to other people's ragchews, they tend to turn the radio off or listen elsewhere. I'm about as big a VHF/UHF promoter as you'll find, and I've done this myself a lot. I've probably also caused a lot of other people to do it. Eventually, nobody is listening.

But, on the other hand, if everybody listens on a different frequency, nobody calls on 146.52, they just go straight to the ragchew frequency. So, you really need two disciplines - first establish contact on .52, then move to another frequency, #preferably a commonly known one like 146.55 or .58 , so that people who have those frequencies programmed into their mobiles can find you there, too. #This way, .52 actually gets used, and more people will monitor it.

In most areas, though, there is at least one dominant repeater that everyone uses as the 'call channel'. Sometimes this leads to a simplex QSO on .55 or .58, but usually it just results in a QSO on the repeater. If that is a PL-encoded system, it is that much more difficult for the traveller to join in. Hence, activity drops off, and eventually, your repeater is only keyed up by occasional bursts of static that get past the limiter circuit.

Now, we also have VoIP nodes on both simplex and repeater frequencies, providing something else to be monitored for transient contacts. Thanks to the article in Feb. QST, many of us with Echolink gateways running feel compelled to monitor them all the time now, to be sure we're complying with the rules. #There are lots of other intersting things going on to that require lots of listening.

Overall, I think we need to encourage our clubs to provide support for monitoring 146.52 as a club activity, as a service to travellers.

I think we need to emphasize the importance of scanning multiple frequencies from home, of which 146.52 can be the 'universal' frequency that everyone can find. #We need to ask our radio manufacturers to include flexible scanning options, like the ability to set aside different 'banks' of memories, so we can scan all the frequencies of local interest without scanning all of the programmed-in channels. And, we need to continue to encourage people to use 146.52 when travelling.

In areas where a local repeater is the dominant 'call channel', linking with a remote base on 146.52 increases the chances for travellers.

[N6TZ]

I am for the unlimited use of 146.52 simplex. #Think about it, if everyone made a contact on 52 and then immediately moved off to another frequency, who will be there to be contacted. #I don't know about other parts of the country, but 2 meters is nearly dead in So. Calif. #I nearly never hear anyone on 52. #We all have the new rigs, gadgets, and whizbangs, but nobody is communicating. #The people that determine our future spectrum allocations know this also.
Hal, N6TZ

[kc2ink]

I have kept 146.520 programed in my number 1 spot on all my radios. A few times I did catch someone from out of town looking for directions. And one time while travelling in South Carolina, I made contact with a motorist on I95 needing assistance. Listening to 146.520 as a national call freq (in my opinion) is a good idea. 73 all

[KD7KKC]

I've seen other posts on this subject and think that it is a good idea for any new people to this forum.

.52 here in Boise, Idaho is close to dead most of the time. The lack of traffic makes [/B]reasonable[B] short QSO's a non-issue as long as pauses are left to allow other contacts to step in. I've added .52 to the scan list of both my mobile and home radios. Two to three times a month, someone will pass through and be quite supprised that someone was actually listening. I've found these to be higly enjoyable contacts and usually informative for the new person in the area.

As far as emergencies go, with repeaters on the highest mountain tops exhibiting large coverage areas and LOTS of other amateurs using them and control operators supposedly always monitoring them, that would probably be your safest bet.

But QSO's, simplex is far more fun and challenging and your not doing what the rest of the crowd is. http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

[kw9u]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (n6tz @ Jan. 29 2003,17:23)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">I am for the unlimited use of 146.52 simplex. #Think about it, if everyone made a contact on 52 and then immediately moved off to another frequency, who will be there to be contacted. [...]
Hal, N6TZ[/QUOTE]<span id='postcolor'>
They don't stay off frequency. When the QSO ends, they come back and call or listen on 146.52.
Ken, KW9U

[KB9YKY]

Several comments have been made about "pausing" to let callers be heard while using .52 simplex...Whatever happened to the good amateur practice of doing that on all frequencies? http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

[kf4yyd]

I monitor 6.52 and all I ever hear is silence. Funny how some places have all kinds of activity and others don't. It's not like I live in the boonies but right off the I-95 corridor....

[WA4UF]

I'd expect it would be a kind of cyclical thing: people start using the freq more and more until everyone gets fed up with the crowding and bails for somewhere else, leaving an empty slice of spectrum. Then another batch (or the same batch again http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif ) starts using it until every.... you get the picture.

It'll be an interesting experiment, I'm sure: My 9yo and I are driving up to Maryland from north Florida this weekend, monitoring .52 most of the way. I'm keen to see how busy or vacant it is as I go.

[ke4rws]

I always have 146.520 up at home and in the car, as well as 52.525 MHz. There's little traffic on either channel but its a lot of fun when folks are there.

I monitor 146.520 MHz because I live near an interstate, and many times I've given assistance to travelers needing information, or even a local operator requiring some kind of assistance.

I also listen to both channels when traveling but rarely hear anything. I travel from south FL to Tennessee on a regular basis but there doesn't seem to be a lot of people utilizing these FM simplex channels.

[N3HGB]

This is only true if you set ENCODE and DECODE to 100. If you are just ENCODING, then you hear all traffic and don't step on ongoing QSOs.
73 de N3HGB
Joe




If the locals are on .52, there won't be any calling taking place. The FM capture effect will cause the strongest signal to be the only one heard. If someone transmits on top of a non-PL signal with a PL-encoded signal, he or she will cause harmful interference to ongoing QSOs.

This is what comes of the inefficient system of allocating frequency channels or repeater pairs that are dedicated to a particular purpose. Some of the FCC thinking of late is looking for spectrum use to be a lot more dynamic. Is ham radio up to this challenge? :-)

73,
Ed Hare, W1RFI

[n4tia]

I know myself and a friend {KG4JPL} are always on 146.520 looking for contacts and possibly some DX, we both have moderate to nice antenna setups {both have directional antennas at nice heights} and we hardly ever hear anyone on 520. It would be nice to get more people on the frequency but I quess people stick to the repeaters, all I can say is give 52 simplex a try.
Alexander KG4OGN 73!

[WA2NTW]

Its about time folks start using spectrum! Too many
people only get on repeaters for chit-chat etc.
We need to spread out the few folks who will pick
up a mic to just say hello or meet new folks.
I typically will monitor all 3 2 mtr simplex freqs
and will GLADLY answer anyone calling. Here in Maine
we don't have the congestion issue. In fact in 2 years
I have only heard about 10 people on .52!
The concept of using the PL to eliminate hearing
folks that are on there is abhorant...If I declare an
emergecy I would hope someone would could hear me!
Before anyone flames me, I have gone on repeaters
and given my callsign and said listening...all to squelch
tails. So maybe people are listening but choose not
to talk, but a quick hello for 5 min does not hurt.
(Part of the reason I choose to monitor simplex)
Folks if we stop talking more frequencies will disappear!
climbing off of my soapbox...
WA2NTW Al

[KC8TKK]

I only have a mobile radio and no shack at home. While tooling around eastern WV I always monitor 6.52. Rarely do I hear anyone. I traveled to OR and back last June and heard 1 call on this freq. all the way out and back. I traveled to ID in August and didn't anyone call. I have given my call sign and listen several times in different states receiving no answer. i would think someone would be listening somewhere. I am a relative new ham starting in March , 2002..........73's......Don Sharp.......KC8TKK

[KD7NBH]

In early January I completed my second trip from Portland Or to Yorba Linda Ca. in 6 months. In over 4400 miles of driving, I had 2 replies, one of them 1/2 mile from home before I even hit the freeway. I called about every 50 miles, both directions.

I passed a lot of cars with 2 meter antennas, looks like noone was monitoring, or if they were, not interested in talking.

My next trip will be an experiment. I will have my wife (KD7RZG) call to see if a female voice gets a response. My bet is yes.

Ed

[KB0LHJ]

People who “rag-chew” and “chit-chat” on 146.520 have rendered the scan function of my radio useless for me.

I drive around 3300 miles a week. I mostly run on 40 and 80 meters and would love to be able to monitor 146.520 just in case someone needs help or someone sees my HF antennas and wants to give me a call. However the hilly terrain where I mostly drive is not very good for much range on 2-meter simplex. What happens instead is I hear bits and pieces of several different conversations.

There is also one other very disturbing event that takes place. There are several hams in the Denver area that live up on the nearby mountains. They have more range than most repeaters. I can hear one in particular all the way to the Kansas state line. While this sounds like a lot of fun I find no joy in listening to three hours of only half of a conversation.

The only option I have is to lock 146.520 out of my scanner.

[K1MKF]

This post has certainly attracted an interesting response. On one hand 6.52 is not used in many areas. But, on the other it is and there's the problem. Some want to hear nothing on 6.52 except a call for emergency or assistance. Others want to chat. If everyone talking on simplex moves off freq 6.52 will be quiet, even when your calling for help. The best way to ensure there are HAMs monitoring is to have HAMs talking. I do believe that 6.52 is not a place for a net or roundtable but if a few guys are chatting why not stay on freq. Remeber to leave room between transmissions and invite anyone to break in to make a call or join in the ragchew.

[WA4UF]

Ok, I've made my trip up the coast, and here are the results of my self-titled "SIMPLEXpedition"....

I heard NOTHING on .52. I called CQ on 146.52 (behind a 50w transmitter) every half hour or so for the day and a half I was on the road. Cue Simon and Garfunkel's "The Sound of Silence" . Dead. Zilch. Nada. :-)

I also tried to hit every repeater I could find a listing for up the I-95 corridor. Again, absolutely nothing, until I got to oh, about Petersburg, VA. From Petersburg to Williamsburg and back to Richmond, I had several pleasant and entertaining conversations, including my first QSO ever (I've had the ticket since December, but just got the 2m rig into the car last Friday). I know it's not normal for mobile traffic, but by golly N4IWI's gettin' himself a QSL card in the mail :-).

Back to topic: I *DID* finally hear something on .52 after I got to Maryland- one half of a conversation about dental problems and (as it started breaking up) erecting antennas in bad weather or somesuch. Never heard the other half of that one; he must have been out near Frederick or somesuch.

Conclusions reached as a result of the northbound SIMPLEXpedition: ain't nuthin' out there. And as an aside, apparently no one's using repeaters in the eastern Carolinas either. Further data will be sought on the southbound SIMPLEXpedition Thursday and Friday.

ps - I'm looking forward to the Orlando HAMcation on Saturday! My first hamfest since I was 9 and tagging along with Dad!

pps - I'm now the extremely pleased owner of a full set of Collins S-Line, a National HRO, and a Hammarlund BC-1004, all in what seems to be working order! So the gear goes on into a second generation :-)

73

[AB8MO]

There is not much activity on 146.520 in my area. I don't know if people have a phobia about using the call frequency. I do hear activity on other simplex frequencies but 52 is dead most of the time.

[ke5sua]

I just drove from NY State to Texas and never heard a single peep on 52, I monitored it day and night. I drove from Buffalo, Erie PA, Cleveland, Columbus, Cinc OH,Louisville KY,Nashville, Memphis TN , Little Rock AR, Texarkana, Nacogdoches, Lufkin, Liberty to finally destinate in Baytown TX and never heard a single word on 52, I was very surprised as it was the weekend. I would've thought 52 would have been pretty active....

[KC8BQR]

I have read the numerous replies to this topic, and I only have this to say:

146.520 is now programmed into my HT, so when you are passing through Cleveland, Ohio...throw out a call and see if I around the radio!

73's
Don
KC8BQR

[KG4WBM]

The calling frequency is not used a whole lot in my area, but when you do hear someone it's usually two or more people carrying on a conversation. #I have this frequency programmed on my scanner and HT, but I have never called CQ. #Maybe I should try it some day...
Matthew

[k9kjm]

As many others have already stated,
Leave a nice long PAUSE between
transmissions to allow other stations
plenty of time to be heard.
And if a real long winded conversation
is going to take place about, for example,
talking a friend thru some complex
computer programming or something
similar, It might be best to move off
to some other simplex frequency. But
remember, As much as possible, STAY
on 146.52! "Use it or lose it"
(Just be sure to PAUSE after the last
transmission before you key up!http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif

[na4i]

I'm tired of all these so-called calling frequencies. Most of them in the VHF - UHF bands are an absolute waste of spectrum. They attach another condition to use of a particular frequency. #This is especially true on the two (2) meter band where repeaters (that are rarely used) occupy most of the band. It is ridiculous to assume that people are going to actively monitor 146.52 just to catch the rare passerby and move them off #frequency. Also, if they do move them off to talk, then fewer people are actually monitoring 146.52. I would much rather have people using 146.52 so that I could actually locate help. #Many of us don't live in Metropolis so don't try to force your big city solutions (to your problems) down our throats.

As for the scanner users, if you don't want the squelch to break, then why bother scanning in the first #place. I guess you've also blocked out all of the local active repeaters. They cause the scanner to pause also. It's very sad when some individuals are more concerned about their scanner breaking squelch than people communicating. I can't count how many times (over the years) I've heard someone tell me they heard me on their scanner. #They said they didn't feel like answering my call so no contact resulted. #It makes me wonder how many times people calling for help were ignored by the scanner crowd. All I can say is thanks a whole bunch. Let's have more traffic on the simplex frequencies and less scanning. And, by all means, let's not add any more conditions to use the remaining simplex frequencies. There are enough rules already.

[K7ZZY]

if you're ever in the Portland, OR area, give me a try
on 146.52 - I try to monitor it from my new (hilltop!http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif
QTH. Indeed, locally we have much more activity on
146.54 - 146.56 - 146.58 etc.

With regard to 146.52 being known as a calling frequency,
I believe it DOES scare off a few from using it.

Additionally, I sometimes find just getting some to QSY
to a simplex freq and off of the repeater to be like pulling teeth! They don't wanna go...

446.000 & 440 in general - USE IT OR LOSE IT!

that's my 2¢

Michael KC7UPW
Corbett, Columbia River Gorge Area, OR

[kd5jxu]

I agree that the use of the 52 is not much. I do know that here in N.E Oklahoma 146.520 and 146.550 are used quite frequently. The morning coffee club starts at 0500 central on the 52. Saturday nights we have a 52 simplex net. starting at 8pm. after the simplex net we adventure to the 55 for code training. This is in the fm mode so that all can be studying the code with out expencive multi-mode radios.
So usually some one can be found in N.E. Ok on the simplex frequency.
Rich KD5JXU

[ad8bc]

Many times I have seen another callsign plate while driving on the road and wished to say hello. #I just came up with an idea of a small decal for the back window with the message "I MONITOR 146.52". #Other hams will notice it and perhaps say hello and then you can move off to another frequency. #I have about four simplex frequencies programmed into my mobile rig for the purpose of chatting with nearby hams (or my wife following me somewhere) without tying up a repeater.

Just my $0.02

73 -- Bill AD8BC

[kj5t]

Here in Central Texas we do not use the .52 very often. There are some guys that get on it very late at night to have some QSOs but really the most active simplex channel is the 146.46. and the 145.55. Here we are much more active on the repeaters, and even on those we give a 5-10 second pause between each transmission.

73 to all
Steve,KD5OWO

[kf6nfw]

I dont have it in my rigs, any of them, because it is dead here, and like many think it should be used for simplex versus a designated calling frequ. I have no problem scanning many bands, and replying to those that have something to say, unfortunately, I think some of us on the air, are beyond repair, and shouldnt be here. I know I am not making points with any one, and its not my goal too, but if you want to use a frequency for simplex then do so, as long as it doesnt interfere with other communications. I think that as long as you dont monopolize, a frequency, or cause problems it shouldnt matter where you are.

[n8uaz]

when we travel with the 5th wheel camper we are usually going some where out of state(Ohio). I have 146.52 on the rear bumper of the 5er and leave the dual bander on .52.

It has helped to make contacts on the road. Other hams have contacted me as they passed and saw the bumper.

i have always wondered if just 52 on the bumper of vehicles would catch on.

Tom N8UAZ
2003 GMC D/A Light Pewter #25' innsbruck

[KD7YVV]

Well, being a newer ham, (Nov 2003) I didn't know about the 146.52 and how it was used.
Is there someplace that has a descriptive frequency list of how 2M is laid out nationally?
I'm normally active on my local repeater here, but now that I know of the 146.520, it's going in all my scanners and radio. Any others I should know of?
A bandplan list would be helpful. Thanks muchly.

--KD7YVV, Kirkland, WA ARES #154