Dave writes "Do you need 150 watt SSB rigs to work 2 meter DX? Well, in my opinion,(and experience!) the obvious answer is NO. I do not own a SSB rig, although I want one!! What do YOU want to do? That is the question that you need to answer before looking for equipment. If you want to work VHF DX, SSB is recommended. Read on for more on FM DX. If ragchewing is your thing, there is plenty of that. This article is mainly aimed at the new hams, answering a few of their questions. First, satellites : SO-35 comes to mind immediately. I have made several contacts on SO-35, with just vhf/uhf Ringo Rangers.While it may be possible to work this bird with lesser antennas, I have never tried. But you do not have to have tracking rotors, beam antennas, etc. ( But these ARE nice!! ) My point here is that the ham with a small budget can still have a lot of fun. Next, 2 meter FM repeater/simplex DX : I have worked Virginia, Tennessee, Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, Michigan, and North Carolina in the last year, all with FM. Admittedly, some of these contacts were made with repeaters, but I did not use linked repeaters. While this may not seem impressive to the seasoned DX'er, it IS a lot of fun to be mobile, and talk with stations way out there.Band openings on 2 meters occur often, usually at least monthly, mostly spring, and midsummer.( again, just my experience )And, if you do have the money to invest in SSB, the fun triples. There is still plenty of activity on packet, if you like computers, as I do. And, there are several devices, and many homebrew interfaces that allow you to run packet without spending $100 on a TNC. The point that I want to get across is that the new ham need not be intimidated by the technological aspects of the hobby. Fun is easy, and very affordable, especially for FM VHF rigs."[/I]
