Does anyone use 2 meter FM anymore?

[Jeffhs]

Hi,

I am wondering whether 144-MHz (2 meter) FM is even active anymore. This band was at one time full of 2-M FM repeaters (I was a member of a Cleveland radio club in the '70s which operated several such repeaters), but these days, 2m seems all but dead. That is, there are a few repeaters still on the air and operating in this area, but they don't get much use anymore. When I was first licensed as a Technician class ham (WB8NHV, 1970s), I lived in a Cleveland suburb and was able to use several of the area's 2m repeaters; in fact, as I said above, I was a member of a Cleveland-area amateur radio club at the time.

However, these days, in 2012, it seems to be a different story altogether. I moved to an area 30 miles east of Cleveland in late 1999 and had to give up most of my amateur gear, although I kept my 2m gear and my membership active in the repeater club I had been with since the '80s, and am still active on their local repeater every week or so for the club's 2-meter net. However, I notice the only activity seemingly on this repeater anymore is that net. I live about 2 miles from the repeater and can get into it with my Icom handheld just fine; in fact, the 2m net I just mentioned, which meets on Thursday evenings at 7 PM eastern time, is still there and is doing quite well.

However, that net seems to be the only activity I hear on the repeater these days. I was trying to test a new speaker-microphone I purchased for my HT the other night; I must have made several calls over the repeater, but there was no response. I am sure I am getting into the repeater, as I could hear the squelch tails (two, one for each remote input) and a short beep after I announced my call sign; I knew from that that I was at least getting into the repeater just fine, but there was no response from any other station, if any, on the frequency.

The above makes me wonder whether anyone in this area even uses 2m FM anymore, except for the radio club's weekly 2m net which I just mentioned. As I said, I have tested my 2m HT by transmitting to another HT tuned to the repeater's output frequency, and even on simplex (146.52); the HT works just as it should, both on that simplex frequency and through the repeater itself.

I sometimes wonder if anyone much uses 2 meters in a car (mobile) these days. I don't think so, since so many of today's automobiles have computerized systems such as ABS (braking), electronic fuel injection, and others. These systems could be adversely affected by strong RF fields, which could cause problems if a stray signal from a 2m rig (for example) gets into the system.

Has anyone here had such problems when using a 2m (or any other band, including HF) amateur radio transceiver in a mobile environment these days? As I said, due to the very real possibility of stray RF signals getting into modern cars' computer systems, I am thinking mobile 2m (not to mention HF) is just about dead, if it isn't already. That is, years ago, before everything (or nearly everything) in modern automobiles was controlled by computer systems, mobile 2m and/or HF ham radio was much more popular than it is today; after all, until the use of computer systems in cars became commonplace by about the '90s or so, the only real problem with using a 2m rig mobile would be interfering with the car radio.

It wouldn't surprise me, in fact, if there is or could be a notice in the owners' manuals of today's cars warning against the use of any kind of radio transceiver in that car, the problem, of course, being malfunctions of the car's computer systems caused by stray RF signals. The safety of the driver and of any passengers in an automobile, after all, is more important than any accessory in the car, including the car radio or any 2m or HF mobile amateur gear.

[KentTeffeteller]

In Eastern Tennessee, 2 meter FM is still in wide use. And the WB4GBI repeaters (and there's also 6 meter and other modes, as well as some digital modes on those repeaters). This repeater is owned by Tim Berry (a good friend of mine) and also the engineer for the University Of Tennessee Vol Network (IMG owned) and WUOT-FM 91.9/WUTC 88.1 FM/WUTK-FM 90.3 FM. The first two stations also broadcast in HD Radio as well.

[mr_rye89]

2M/70CM still pretty active here in New Mexico. We have a lot of repeaters including the Mega-Link System (NM5ML) which lets you talk state wide with low power. Most repeaters are up 10,000 ft so line of sight is pretty easy. I usually get on the county club repeater for the Wednesday night net once a week, and there's also a 2M/USB weak signal net, but I need to half-@ss a yagi together before I try that one again.

As for a mobile rig, maybe I'll just put one in the '59 Ford, points ignition and a carb lol

[Jeffhs]

Originally Posted by mr_rye89

2M/70CM still pretty active here in New Mexico. We have a lot of repeaters including the Mega-Link System (NM5ML) which lets you talk state wide with low power. Most repeaters are up 10,000 ft so line of sight is pretty easy. I usually get on the county club repeater for the Wednesday night net once a week, and there's also a 2M/USB weak signal net, but I need to half-@ss a yagi together before I try that one again.

As for a mobile rig, maybe I'll just put one in the '59 Ford, points ignition and a carb lol

One big problem I have is I live in an apartment building, so cannot put up any kind of large antenna to use the Cleveland repeaters (I was able to access most Cleveland repeaters when I lived in a Cleveland suburb, but I had to give that up when I moved to my present location, an apartment building located 30 miles from downtown Cleveland). I am therefore more or less forced to use one local repeater (2 miles or so from here) or simplex, with an Icom IC-T22A handheld. I am a member of a local repeater club (LCARA, the Lake County Amateur Radio Association) and use their repeater, N8BC/R, about once a week for the club's weekly 2-meter net.

Other than that, there is very little activity on 2m in this area, especially for someone like myself who is forced by circumstances well beyond my control to use an HT with an indoor antenna; that HT can only access one local repeater (the 147.81-21 machine I just mentioned) reliably.

Oh, well. There is one other way I can be somewhat active in ham radio, simply by using an HT; that is Echolink. My club recognizes this service, and in fact the net control station of the local 2m net will ask for checkins on Echolink shortly after the session begins. I consider this a very useful service for hams such as myself who do not have an HF station and, therefore, cannot use any sort of beam, dipole, etc. for 2m, HF or any other band. With access to Echolink, I feel as if I can still operate HF as I formerly did when I lived in the suburbs, even if the method of contacting stations is somewhat different from HF (one of these differences is being restricted to one mode, FM voice, and no other, as Echolink does not support CW at this time).

Echolink (EL) is an idea whose time has come, and should have been thought of, not to mention implemented, many years ago. This service opens up ham radio to people who, for any reason, cannot use conventional HF radio (such as lease restrictions, as in my situation); my hat is off to the person/people who came up with EL. This service is, again, an idea whose time has come and, IMHO, should have been invented many years before it was.



73,

[Electronic M]

With all the illegal high power CBs truckers are still using, 50KW stations less than 1/4 mile from the road, and first responder cars and trucks with radio equipment out there all cars have to be built immune to RF noise. If Karen the soccer mom's minivan locks it's brakes at 80MPH on the highway and 20kids go splat because an ABS system wasn't properly shielded against RF you can bet the company that made the ABS system and or the car would be sued out of existence.

What has made for the decline in car ham radio and CB is smartphones with GPS navigation, you can call for help or anything, google tracks traffic flow along roads better than any commuter ham net could have ever hoped to, reroutes traffic to avoid traffic jams, let's drivers rat out speed traps to every other driver using navigation on the route, and can manage your music by voice command so you don't have to touch anything and will automatically mute music when it needs to remind you to turn.

Some of the driving nannies (lane keep assistance, automatic breaking to avoid crashing, cruise control that adapts to the speed of the driver infront of you) and autopilot systems are imperfect, but for the most part not RF interference suceptible...The exception would be radar based systems that are potentially sensitive to other radar systems. Ham communications shouldn't be able to interfere. And with regards to the autonomous nanny systems your still responsible for checking their work and overriding them if they mess up. Most of the screw ups are computer programming related...it's not hard to fool various sensors and machine vision software is still quite primitive.

[mr_rye89]

Y'all might consider doing QRP with an end fed dipole in the park if you want to get back into HF. I'm using an end fed dipole with an 84 ft element and a 9:1 unun I got on epay. It works ok on most HF bands with a tuner, but I want to get something up thats resonant at 80m

[ARC Tech-109]

Seems to be a glut of 2M & 70CM repeaters out there with little to no activity around the twin cities MN. Much of the 70CM side has gone digital be it (con)Fusion, MotoTRBO or DSTAR while VHF has a number of nets and EchoLinks tied in importing traffic just to keep them busy.

I'm blaming the smartphone

[davet753]

There's not a day goes by that there isn't some kind of net on one of the many 2 meter repeaters in East TN. There's a lunch net that meets Monday through Friday that draws 30 or more check-ins and lasts at least an hour and a half. There's a trader net every Friday night that brings in over 100 check in's. A Thursday night net that takes check-ins, comments, and lasts several hours.

There's club nets, ARES nets, rag chew nets, and all manner of activity. We have 2 clubs that do daily morning nets, and one that does an net every night on 2 meter FM.

That's not to mention the 6 meter repeater nets, DMR nets, and Yaesu System Fusion nets.

[mr_rye89]

I also got a GMRS license and access to a big repeater system that covers most of Central NM and a big chunk of SE Arizona. Pretty busy since it covers Tuscon, ABQ, Sierra Vista......

[ARC Tech-109]

Might need to import some of that traffic

[Dude111]

I have a question....... If someone keyed up on an FM repeater USING THE AM MODE and someone else was listening IN AM,would it sound like they were both on AM??? (I like experimenting)

[ARC Tech-109]

Dude111 the simple answer is no. The Rx may pass some distorted audio however the transmitter is only going to pass FM audio. Sure you can key a repeater with an AM carrier as the squelch gate doesn't know the difference, it sees the noise level drop but it may not key if it needs a PL tone but it won't transmit AM

[davet753]

Originally Posted by Dude111

I have a question....... If someone keyed up on an FM repeater USING THE AM MODE and someone else was listening IN AM,would it sound like they were both on AM??? (I like experimenting)

An FM repeater won't transmit AM, but an AM receiver can receive an FM repeater. Simply tune slightly off frequency and you can copy (not well, but well enough to understand). Research "slope detection" for some background on this.

An AM signal will bring up an FM repeater, and repeat what it hears, but it won't be very intelligible.

[Hawkwind]

On my scanner I heard 2 Meter broadcasts from Lakeland. Can't prove it. But I can prove 2 meter activity south of me...

[Jon1967us]

A good amount of 2m FM activity in SoCal...