[VHFcontesting] Banning The Use Of 144.200 MHz During Contests

[John Geiger]

We have the same situation here in SW Oklahoma. I don't think I have ever
worked a station during a contest here more than 5khz away from 144.200,
except for a couple of WSJT skeds.  Activity is low enough here that you
usually just leave your dial on 144.200 and work whoever shows up.

I would actually prefer to see the prohibition on 146.52 lifted.  If we want
to get more new hams interesting in contesting, lets look to the FM crowd,
as that is what most people start out with.  The only frequency that most of
them are ever told about for simplex operation is 146.52, and I would bet
that many of them don't even know about simplex at all.  But we need to make
it as simple as possible for them, and to operate where they are likely to
look.

73s John W5TD
EM04to
----- Original Message -----
From: "GeorgeF." <av8tor at flash.net>
To: <vhfcontesting at contesting.com>
Sent: Wednesday, June 21, 2006 2:25 PM
Subject: Re: [VHFcontesting] Banning The Use Of 144.200 MHz During Contests


>
>
>
> My first comment will actually be a question, what would the rational be
> for banning 144200 during a contest?   With so little 2 SSB activity in
> many parts of the country (and sometimes down here in FL) it would make
> contesting on 2 SSB not worth the effort.  In the most recently ARRL VHF
> contest I only worked 39 stations on 2 SSB and I was active all but 4
hours
> of the contest.
>
> If I would have had to spend my time spinning the dial I would have simply
> moved to 6 meters to work stations.   Even here in the Southeast I don't
> think there is enough activity to warrant a banning of 144200 during
> contests.  Many new operators aren't going to spend all weekend spinning
> the dial only to hear a few stations.
>
> If 144200 were banned from contesting then we're going to have people
> calling CQ TEST on 144201 or 144205.  For an area where a local is calling
> CQ on 144205 that pretty much makes 144200 useless for any calling due to
> splatter.   Here in FL and even in our local area (Daytona Beach) we have
a
> fair number of hams getting involved in 2 SSB activity.  At first some
> thought they were doing other a favor by QSYing to 144210 in order to free
> up the calling frequency.  Due to how close we are down here if someone in
> the local area is having a QSO on 144210 I receive so much splatter on
> 144200 making it useless.  Not many 2 SSB operators down hear have good
> narrow filters in our 2 SSB rigs.   I have an IC910H stock, and when
people
> as far away as 50 miles of me QSY to 144210 I I pretty much hear nothing
> but splatter on 200.   Locally we've been trying to make it a point to QSY
> to 144230 because I know if I'm being splatter by hams 50 miles away on
200
> I might be doing it to them if I only move 10KHz away.
>
> Next point, if we're banning 144200 why stop there? Why not ban 50125
which
> is more of a zoo when the band opens.  Then 431100 and 1296100?   Even
with
> 50125 being a zoo during good band conditions it seems to sort itself
> out.  Either the operators will QSY and make QSO's and rack up points or
> they'll stay on a crowded calling freq QRMing each other.
>
> Those are my opinions,
> George  KI4FIA
> http://www.MilAirComms.com/shack.html
>
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