well alot of people like myself only have fm on 2 meters and I though it would be good to put it out there for when to listen out for a CQ call on 146.500 I find my self in the shack on week ends in the morning around 8 to 10am as I get a chance to tinker in there. and quiet often in the evenings around 8-10pm. I'm in melbourne and have an vertical up and thought if any one wants to call I'll be listening in to try on the hour so we dont have to listen to the static for too long or worse case on the half hour. The vic macedon repeater 147.250 is also pretty good and I listen to that quite a bit through the day in fact I spoke to someone from nyah in northern vic on there the other day as I was driving around and have made a quiet few contacts form central vic from there. also the mt baw baw repeater isn't heavily used and provides great coverage.
I know fm isn't the best for long distance chat but it might wet the appetite of people like my self to go ssb.
your thoughts on this.
cheers
vk3fact (also known as meggala)
An idea for simplex on 2m fm 146.500
An idea for simplex on 2m fm 146.500
cheers
Steve now known as vk3ktt
QF22GG
Steve now known as vk3ktt
QF22GG
-
VK3LCD
Re: An idea for simplex on 2m fm 146.500
I think that's a good idea. I have recently set up sstv and am occasionally sending pictures on 146.600 and will start sending on the allocated 144 ssb frequency soon too.
Re: An idea for simplex on 2m fm 146.500
Hi Steven,
Do you know, or perhaps you could find, another amateur with whom to arrange (say) weekly skeds at a given time, and carry on conversations via simplex or the repeaters?
Nobody has to be a "good" conversationist
There are any number of things to discuss - from amateur radio/technical magazine articles, to stuff published in last week's New Scientist or on the San Francisco Chronicle's website (ie. both technical and non-technical topics). Back in the geological past (ie. pre-1990s), I had regular skeds on VHF with a few friends and associates. After a time, various people would join in on some occasions. The subject of one sked famously turned into a regular theme for quite a few weeks - about "Fermat's Last Theorem" (see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fermat%27s_Last_Theorem)
Yeah, yeah. Obscure mathematics. But it was fun while it lasted 
Activity begets activity.
Skeds provide a great opportunity for experimenting with antennas - different types, different positions etc - and for experimenting with feedline arrangements (eg. change to larger diameter/lower loss coax).
The distances to Mt Macedon and Mt Baw Baw repeaters are such that, with a little observation (with an S-meter), you'll discern subtle (or maybe unsubtle!) variations in propagation, which you can discuss on air - and exchange observations. All good learning experience. Same goes for station-to-station contacts on simplex.
Posted in the interests of encouraging activity.
(BTW: I was first licensed in Victoria - as VK3ZRY).
73, Roger Harrison VK2ZRH
Do you know, or perhaps you could find, another amateur with whom to arrange (say) weekly skeds at a given time, and carry on conversations via simplex or the repeaters?
Nobody has to be a "good" conversationist
There are any number of things to discuss - from amateur radio/technical magazine articles, to stuff published in last week's New Scientist or on the San Francisco Chronicle's website (ie. both technical and non-technical topics). Back in the geological past (ie. pre-1990s), I had regular skeds on VHF with a few friends and associates. After a time, various people would join in on some occasions. The subject of one sked famously turned into a regular theme for quite a few weeks - about "Fermat's Last Theorem" (see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fermat%27s_Last_Theorem)
Yeah, yeah. Obscure mathematics. But it was fun while it lasted Activity begets activity.
Skeds provide a great opportunity for experimenting with antennas - different types, different positions etc - and for experimenting with feedline arrangements (eg. change to larger diameter/lower loss coax).
The distances to Mt Macedon and Mt Baw Baw repeaters are such that, with a little observation (with an S-meter), you'll discern subtle (or maybe unsubtle!) variations in propagation, which you can discuss on air - and exchange observations. All good learning experience. Same goes for station-to-station contacts on simplex.
Posted in the interests of encouraging activity.
(BTW: I was first licensed in Victoria - as VK3ZRY).
73, Roger Harrison VK2ZRH
Re: An idea for simplex on 2m fm 146.500
I talk to a lot of people on 2 meters through out the week I was thinking more for people who like to chase distance work. which I also like it was a good way to get a reply rather than simply calling in the rough hope of a contact. I find once you start a conversation with some one plenty of other people come in cause the activity is there. on macedon which is a quiet repeater one morning I was talking to some one then some once else came in by the time we have finshed 10 people were in the conversation. and as you say
activity begets activity
activity begets activity
cheers
Steve now known as vk3ktt
QF22GG
Steve now known as vk3ktt
QF22GG
-
VK2KRR
Re: An idea for simplex on 2m fm 146.500
Hi Steve.
Its a shame you weren't around while I had my 4 x 13 ele FM array up for 2m. I can get to Mt Macedon virtually all the time from here and also hear many Melbourne stations on simplex too, but most of the time their RX ability is not good enough to hear me call back, depending on the troposphere at the time and the local QRM.
I currently have one of the FM yagis back up, but its fixed beaming west, I can still hear Mt Macedon, just of the side of the antenna, I can only access it if the tropo trapping strengthens a bit. I may end up putting the whole freshened array back up, as SSB activity is very low.
Dont underestimate the ability of FM, its quite comparable to SSB, its just that you can hear a SSB signal further down into the noise and is narrower. The 2nd furthest contact Ive made on 2m tropo was made on FM 146.500 with Max VK6FN in Manjimup WA, 2821 Km, last year, and Max was only running a 1/4 wave vertical and 60W, from memory.
Keep up the good work.
Its a shame you weren't around while I had my 4 x 13 ele FM array up for 2m. I can get to Mt Macedon virtually all the time from here and also hear many Melbourne stations on simplex too, but most of the time their RX ability is not good enough to hear me call back, depending on the troposphere at the time and the local QRM.
I currently have one of the FM yagis back up, but its fixed beaming west, I can still hear Mt Macedon, just of the side of the antenna, I can only access it if the tropo trapping strengthens a bit. I may end up putting the whole freshened array back up, as SSB activity is very low.
Dont underestimate the ability of FM, its quite comparable to SSB, its just that you can hear a SSB signal further down into the noise and is narrower. The 2nd furthest contact Ive made on 2m tropo was made on FM 146.500 with Max VK6FN in Manjimup WA, 2821 Km, last year, and Max was only running a 1/4 wave vertical and 60W, from memory.
Keep up the good work.