[VHFcontesting] Icom & 222 Activity

[Duane - N9DG]

 I am always puzzled by the loyalty to I, K, or Y. And the unwillingness to look at other alternatives. Ditto for a radio having to have a bunch of knobs and buttons. A transverter paired with a PC-based SDR will absolutely run circles around any box with knobs radio when it comes to capability, especially multi-tasking capability. Trying to decide to do FT8, MSK441, or SSB? nope, don't have to decide BETWEEN them, just do them ALL at the same time. A Flex 6600, 6700, 6500 and transverter will let you do that easy peasy. Multiple WSJT-X sessions running in parallel?, also easy peasy. You simply can't do that with any of the offerings from I, K, or, Y.

There is no way I'll ever go back to a radio box with some knobs and buttons, they are just way too limiting. As it turns out the shift to all transverters 20+ years ago was a good decision, those long ago "amortized" transverters are still chugging along just fine, and I've only done upgrades to the IF radios along the way.
About the only thing the box with knobs and buttons radios have for advantages is more portability, and these days better stability. But stability of transverters can be managed.
At this QRZ post I put a screenshot while running on 2M with a transverter, the IF radio configuration would work for any transveter band or 6M:
https://forums.qrz.com/index.php?threads/best-ssb-2-meter-radio.587668/page-8#post-5940091
And in that screenshot I even had one more scope and one more RX still available for use if I wanted to use them. I consider 3-4 RX's per band a minimum these days.

N9DG


    On Monday, May 22, 2023 at 12:54:06 PM CDT, peter h via VHFcontesting <vhfcontesting at contesting.com> wrote:  
 
 I just sent icom Sales an e-mail, requesting same.
Bt73Pete, n6ze


Sent from the all new AOL app for iOS


On Monday, May 22, 2023, 06:25, k3sk at buckwalter.co <k3sk at buckwalter.co> wrote:

I cornered Icom at Hamvention this past weekend and ask if they were ever going to offer another 222 multi-mode.  The initial response I got was that I was the 3rd or 4th person that had asked that that day!    Then after educating them a little on the current SSB/CW/FT8 activity and telling them about the recent selling prices on used IC-375A, they seemed interested and said this was something that would be brought up at post Hamvention discussions with ICOM HQ.      This is a good start, but unless everyone starts contacting them to put a little pressure in their marketing, I wouldn't hold my breath. 

de K3SK

-----Original Message-----
From: David Olean <k1whs at metrocast.net> 
Sent: Sunday, May 21, 2023 9:37 AM
To: Howard Reynolds <wa3eoq at gmail.com>; vhfcontesting at contesting.com
Subject: Re: [VHFcontesting] 222 Activity

Hi Howard

Do not forget that W1GHZ has an inexpensive transverter ckt board available and you can populate it thru a Bill of Materials list from Mouser.  Cheap n Easy!  WW1M and I are going to build one. I think he has ordered two boards for us. You do have to supply the LO but most people use those synthesizer boards available from DEMI and Q5 Signal. We will report back as things progress.  Now I know that many people have no time, and others go cross-eyed trying to work with surface mount parts, but I have had good luck with SM parts so far.  Magnifier glasses and laying off hard drugs helps.

I would agree that the 222 band needs a commercial stand alone rig for many folks, but in the past, activity on 222 was miniscule. Manufacturers could not make any money on a 222 rig. Possibly a 222 MHz band could be added now with technology where it is, with much less effort.  I would always go the transverter route with a high end HF rig rather than a VHF multi mode rig just because you get more bang for the buck, but many people have the opposite opinion.

I hope the activity keeps growing on 222 MHz. Increased activity and the attendant "chatter" will let folks know that 222 is a viable choice. 222 is a great VHF band. If it was world wide, it would be jam packed!

Dave K1WHS



On 5/20/2023 4:46 PM, Howard Reynolds wrote:
> I fully realize that the root cause of no 222 MHz radios is that the 
> band is only available in Region 2 (and the manufacturers aren't).  
> However, every once in a while a radio with 222 MHz appears such as 
> the IC-375 or the Yaesu FT-736R.  It's FM, but I've had a Kenwood 
> TM631A (144 and 220) and an Icom IC-37 for years.  Anyway, I keep 
> hoping that, with sufficient activity in Region 2, the almighty dollar 
> sign will be ignored.  WA3EOQ