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Author Topic: 2M FM Simplex  (Read 1591 times)

Elf36

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2M FM Simplex
« on: March 27, 2022, 1114 UTC »
Turned on my VHF rig while tuning HF bands. 2M has great conditions this morning. Running 20 watts into a small vertical @20' I was able to work a station 38 miles West of me (146.520 FM) at 11:13. I normally have a very tough time working to my West. It's a bit of a dead zone for some reason. There's a station running 50 watts into a vertical at 110' working just about the whole state. He's got a pretty great set-up for sure.

Offline RobRich

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Re: 2M FM Simplex
« Reply #1 on: March 27, 2022, 1811 UTC »
Just glanced at the estimated MUF map. Consider giving 6m a try today. I suspect you might find opportunities for TEP DX into South America.
Tampa, FL USA | US Map Grid EL88
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Offline ThaDood

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Re: 2M FM Simplex?
« Reply #2 on: March 27, 2022, 1937 UTC »
Is there any way that you could get your VHF VERT above the tree, foliage, level? Being in the land of FL, I would believe that 20W on 2M could talk 38 miles daily. And, if you happen to have a 2M beam, you could bounce off of a tall BLDG and see how far you could get out. A friend of mine and I did that with 222MHz national Simplex FREQ 223.500MHz FM. He was over 20 miles away on a IC-3AT HT, (MAX'es-Out at 1.5W.), and I was on my base with a home-brew 1/4-Wave GND-plane. I talked him into downtown Corning, NY, mobile, then lost him. Minutes later, I heard him call me. He was standing 10ft from the front wall of a Wagmans Supermarket and found a sweet-spot to work me on his HT! If he moved a couple of feet, I couldn't hear him. It was a neat test. We also did that bouncing signals off of hills too. BTW, that trick works well on 440MHz, 446.000MHz simplex FM. Passing thoughts.
I was asked, yet another weird question, of how I would like to be buried, when I finally bite the big one. The answer was actually pretty easy. Face-down, like a certain historical figure in the late 1980's, (I will not mention who, but some of you will get it, and that's enough.) Why??? It would be a burial that will satisfy everyone: (1) My enemies will say that it will show me where to go. (2) On the same point, I can have my enemies kiss my butt. (3) It will temporarily give someone a place to park a bicycle. See??? A WIN / WIN for everyone.

Offline RobRich

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Re: 2M FM Simplex
« Reply #3 on: March 27, 2022, 2017 UTC »
Oh well. I noted a rather high MUF in SA earlier today, though yeah, our MUF was like 15MHz lower so 6m was a somewhat long shot.
Tampa, FL USA | US Map Grid EL88
Airspy HF+ Discovery | KiwiSDR 2 | 2x Msi2500 Msi001 | 2x RTL-SDR V3 + NE602 | 2x RTL-SDR V4
148' Loop-on-Ground | 31' Vertical | 18' End-Fed Vertical | 9' NCPL | PA0NHC MiniWhip

Offline Polar Bear

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Re: 2M FM Simplex
« Reply #4 on: June 27, 2022, 1727 UTC »
Sad

The furthest I ever worked simplex 2 meters fm was from Pennsylvania to FloriDA with a home made antenna up about 30' off the ground.

The most important part is to buy the very best coaX AND THE VERY BEST ANTENNA AND PUT IT UP ON A TOWER AT LEast 30 or 40 feet off the ground and buy a good radio - 50 watts - not one of those cheap POS chinese radios you see that are copycaTS of a good radio you should have bought in the first place.

Offline Polar Bear

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Re: 2M FM Simplex
« Reply #5 on: July 07, 2022, 1856 UTC »
The easiest way to work 2 meters fm simplex is to take a good 2 meters fm radio and install a mobile antenna beneath a airplane.

Then all you have to do is fly around at 1500' and get someone to log your contacts for you.

I listened to K6FUZ making contacts - 150 miles away, and he was never less than 20/9..

Although I don't agree with using 146.520 as a dx frequency, I will say that he did have a real pile up going on and had multiple offers for a place to stay for the night / weekend if he was willing to land his plane at their local airport..

That seems like a really good deal, to be able to fly anywhere and have offers of a free place to stay and a free ride from the airport.

Phil made it the whole way to where I live before he turned around and flew to the Pittsburgh international airport to refuel.

And Phil had been making non stop contacts on 2 meters FM from the time when he left Oshkosh Wisc that morning.
« Last Edit: August 01, 2022, 1556 UTC by Polar Bear »

 

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