There are over 200 memory channels programmed in my mobile. Memory 0 is 52. So if you key, give your call, and unkey I may not hear you. Hold the PTT a few seconds to give it time to go through the scan list and get back to the call channel. Same with 446.00.
Who says not to use it for chit-chat it's the national calling frequency!!! And since I drive or fly over the complete North America and here very little activity on it nodays, I think the more chatter the better!! If somebody else wants to start another QSO with someone else, all they have to do is ask you to move. I constantly listen to 5 to but I also put out calls every 15 minutes or so the try to wake up people and occasionally it works. I was there Air Mobile today north of Oklahoma City, normally there's activity there but I couldn't even raise anybody between there and Kansas City. I think everybody is went digital and left us old Simplex guys in the dark. On my way to Dayton the last few years I've even rarely had a contact even, it used to be continuous fun chatter.
Decades ago some hams somewhere came up with the idea that .52 should only be used as a calling channel like marine VHF Ch 16 (call another station and move to a working frequency). Apparently that's how .52 is used in some places and people in those places are upset by any other use.
Give this a try... From the ARRL: Band Plan A band plan refers to a voluntary division of a band to avoid interference between incompatible modes. 146.52 National Simplex Calling Frequency Complete text here. http://www.arrl.org/band-plan
Depends how busy it is. I've been some places where it's the norm to establish comm on 146.52 and then move to 146.55 or 146.58. (That was at Keesler AFB, MS back in the early 1980's, and in Cochise County Arizona when I was there back in the early 2000's.) If it gets busier, there are about a couple dozen channels (at 15 Khz spacing) available in the simplex band plan. Here in east Texas, 146.52 stays quiet most of the time so people just don't bother to move. If it's anticipated a longer chat is in the making, I always say let's move off the "national calling frequency." Sometimes I hear, "I don't have any other simplex frequencies programmed into my radio." Do the new 2 meter rigs come without "VFO mode" these days? And I'm starting to hear the digital voice modes on 146.52 occasionally these days.
KY1K please accept the ARRL is there for you. If not for them the use HAM radio would be like old west law. The highest power with the best antenna would be broadcasting, "boastcasting" to themselves with no one listening.
Please all of us with Mobil vhf. ability monitor, identify on and use 652 on the road. This hobby can be better for us all. Using simplex for on the road contacts is radio! Repeaters are great, I use them but I don't want to re-program every 20 miles. The limited distance keeps the frequency viable while keeping road communications available for information and safety.
