Ham Radio: How Should We Use The 2 Meter FM Simplex Calling Frequency??? (146.520 MHz) 

Either way is fine with me SO LONG AS people leave a "gap" of a few seconds to allow someone else who needs help to get through. This has happened to me and it was quite disappointing. I see you covered this later in the video. NO SCOLDING. Never. That is what gives hams a bad name.

Only takes a second to say; "Joe, let's move up/down 5"

My local friend and I call each other on 146.520 because we both monitor it because we live in a tourist city so we have a radio on it at all times so we know for sure we will find each other there. Once we contact each other we move to our favorite 146.540. Yes it should be used as a information/emergency and left available. KE5OA

You have some good points on both sides, myself I've always used a simple rule that is used on maritime 156.800 to a point. I live in Northern NH and I'll monitor 52 for 5 minutes every half hour, but if I have a conversation, I switch to 146.43 as a working frequency leaving 52 open.

I live in NW MT. and monitor 146.52 I have never heard anyone, but continue to monitor. We do get a lot of tourons coming through the area. Sometimes they have the courage to drive the wilderness. There are no signs,, telephone poles and no people. You can drive 5 hrs on the back roads and see no one or signs of civilization. So I monitor. I personally think the few of us out here should talk on the Freq. so the Touron at least can contact someone. I think we should all uses good practices and leave a pause between, and keep transmission fairly short. We do have those that don't do that. No pause and bordering on Broadcasting. Only takes one to do that. The result is no one listens much anymore on the repeater let alone 146.52. They have moved to DMR where that person isn't. So the touron that ventures out, no water, no food, no flashlight, no gun is SOL, and most don't realize your on the menu out there, MT is not a petting zoo. If you give a 10 second paus on what ever frequency someone that needs some help can get in and ask. In the case of out here in the wilderness you would need a GPS coordinate to be found. While you can't call anyone the mobile phone has that data. I also monitor 52.52 tried to get my buddies to monitor and talk on that freq. but the Broadcaster won't do that he wants something odd for more privacy. The result no one uses 6 m. The thing is we don't want to hear his rants.

Here in Australia the call frequency is 146.500 MHz. We are in a similar situation to you Rob, a rural-ish area... we use .500 for SOTA, POTA and random field days/contests... The thing about it is that most of us down here in our area know if 500 is in use, just shift up 25 or 50 KHz. Short conversations usually dominate the call channel, which is not a problem - rag chewing usually goes to the repeater or another frequency. In fact we encourage ragchewing on repeaters... It's interesting to listen to stations say that they "don't want to tie up the repeater" when most of the time the repeater stays quiet. Plus we have other underutilized repeaters in our area that others can use. So I guess I'm more in favour of seeing activity on the bands, regardless of the frequency.. However I can see that if someone had long drawn out conversations on the call channel - that would be frustrating, but it doesn't happen here.

Thanks for your videos. I always find them very informative and detailed.

Very good and well needed subject. I am in line with your view on 146.520.

We talk on it often. In my area it is not used much at all. We actually have had people jump in while traveling. We always allow breakers, never ignore. If we are not on it, no emergencies will be heard. The ARRL allows contesting on 52. Copy and paste from ARRL 10/21/2015 The ARRL Programs and Services Committee earlier this year unanimously adopted a recommendation from its VHF and Above Revitalization Committee to remove the rule prohibiting the use of 146.52 MHz simplex for making contest contacts.That change will go into effect starting on January 1. The VHF and Above Revitalization Committee had concluded that the restriction was no longer necessary. The committee felt that permitting the use of 146.52 MHz would allow new/curious contesters possessing only FM-mode radios to stumble upon more contacts, increasing their chances of being drawn further into VHF+ contesting - the primary aim of the Revitalization Committee. Advance notification of the rule change now has been communicated to the full Board, and the change becomes effective in 2016, starting with the ARRL January VHF Contest. The change also will be incorporated into the ARRL Field Day rules This change eliminates Rule 1.8 in the “General Rules for ARRL Contests Above 50 MHz,” with subsequent Rule 1 sections renumbered accordingly. - Thanks to Dan Henderson, N1ND, Regulatory Information Manager/Acting Contest Manager

Great Video Rob! In our area there is a scheduled net on 146.52 on Sunday evenings at 7:00. I also made a contact with an operator by calling CQ as I was traveling to work in the same area where the net is held. Nobody came on and scolded us because I think the operator was one of the gate keepers in the area. I try to make it a habit to give my call sign on the frequency if I think of it. I feel we should use this frequency more often. I like your suggestion to long pause the QSO to give others a chance to come in either because of an emergency or just having a party line of sorts. I know you lost your Fusion radio but I have always liked the idea of a digital calling Frequency for simplex communications. I know operators have these digital capable transceivers and am puzzled why they don't take advantage of clear static free conversations.

I live in East Tennessee. I've been told that this is a "repeater rich area," in that there's an abundance of repeaters, several of which are linked together allowing coverage of a very large area. I sometimes monitor 146.520 on during my afternoon commute on days when there isn't anybody talking on the repeaters. A couple of times I've heard and spoken with "SOTA" as well as "POTA" operators. I've never heard anybody "ragchewing" or having an idle conversation there. I would hope that common sense as well as common courtesy would rule the day.

This topic seems to get different views in different areas.. I am new in this and taking care not step on any toes.... Thank You for this post...

I'm glad you raised awareness about this. You explained it well. My understanding (as explained to me by mostly SK's as a kid), was to make the contact then move. Period! 73's de KC2RDU.

Great topic and video. Where I live (Seattle area), 146.52 gets decent use, with most activity on weekends primarily for SOTA, POTA, or just for making simplex contacts. It works really well here, people are almost always courteous and respectful, keeping contacts short, or moving to 146.56, or 146.54 for longer conversations. I agree that it is ok to have a conversation on .52 as long as you leave reasonable breaks for emergency traffic. Overall I wouldn't mind seeing more activity on simplex.

Great video and good job explaining both sides. I've used 146.52 for POTA a few times. It's used locally during the VHF contests too. I haven't heard anyone local complain about it. In fact, many have said they appreciated hearing it in use when I've done a 2M POTA or it's used during a contest. But I understand it might not be viewed the same elsewhere and I do make a point to pause and listen.

"Break" is a legitimate pro word and in a legitimate emergency it is permissible to use "Break". With that having been said, many Hams do not know the radio procedure for "Break" and might well feel offended if radio traffic were to break in on their rag chew.

Thank you!

I use it locally if our repeater goes down to make contact with other club members. It’s basically is never used here. I travel using 146.52 because I hate programing and always meet nice people in my travels. I’m in a remote area but can travel to our nearest big city of 1.1 million. I can call 4-5 times in a day in the mobile and never get a response. I got a response once in my little experiment from a surprised operator who was amazed someone was on the frequency. How will it work in and emergency if nobody uses it at least for basic contacts?

Wow all great points. I don’t ever hear anything on that frequency here on cape cod, but this is a great video and I learned a lot. It seems like a fine line and depends on where you live and conditions. Like you said make a quick convo and move on. 👍

As far as telling someone to get off a freq. If someone said that to me it would not end well.

Ham radio is meant to be experimental in nature. So to me that means 146.520 should be open to anything as long as you’re being courteous and leaving enough time between transmits for any emergency transmits coming through.

Like others, we talk on it often so its a general use frequency. In my area it is not used much at all except as backup/aux for EMComm net check-ins and Ham tourists in the summertime visiting Interior Alaska.

I monitor 146.52 every now and then when there are major events in my city. We are a decent sized city (about 350K people) with a major university and tourist attractions as well as two interstates. Lately, we have been a hotbed of severe weather activity as well (tornados). Our club repeater is used for ARES as a relay to the local EOCs and we also hold ARES simplex nets on 146.550 during emergency ARES activations also as an EOC relay. But I will also keep a radio on 146.52 just in case in those conditions. The National Calling frequency here gets little use, otherwise. I do monitor it on the road if and when I travel.

People are overthinking this. If it is being used, make a contact and move to another frequency. If it isn’t being used, rag chew away! Just leave a gap between transmissions. Done.

It’s been pretty quiet in my part of CT. I do scan and monitor it all the time but haven’t heard much…if anything…on it.

I'd go with "treat it like any other freq" . Where I live it's not over used at all, most days it's dead. As with any freq and transmission, as you said....leave a gap to allow someone else to get in. Now of course some people can't manage to do that no matter what band they're on because they want to dominate.

Here in SoCal, I call all the time, and many times nobody responds - well very rarely. It's sad that hams are not willing to even say hello.

Tough one … if no one uses it , no one checks it … I’d rather “scream” during a regular conversation if I needed help, than pray someone were listening to a dead channel.

Only takes a second to say; "Break" or put in your call NV2A

146.52 is vacant in this area. You can call all day and get no response. The repeaters are also quiet.

It sure seems to be one of avoiding extremes. Making a contact and moving to a different frequency makes sense. Now, if people get militant about telling people to move etc, I'm not very cool with that. This seems to be more common curtesy to move over hard and fast rule.

My thoughts on the use of 146.52, is It Depends (TM). The more it gets used, locally, the more the frequency should be cleared. The less it gets used.... Case in point, I'm in the Northern VA area, and have been licensed since Feb. 2017. I've heard activity on .52 3 times. in SEVEN YEARS. Seems a good case for "We need to use it more." Some other place where calling on it is actually common? Maybe call on .52 and move off.

It wouldn’t bother me at all if they rag chew or etc etc 146.520 hardly ever get use In Springfield Ma. I think I made one contact on 2 meters since I been licensed. Not counting repeaters. Use it or loose it.

I don't know why ham s do n't group 146.52,146.535 and 146..5500 together. When contact is made on 52, I ask the station go "UP ONE" meaning one click on the channel knob the next frequency in that order which is 146.5350 . If THAT channel is busy turn the knob another click to 146.5500 It easy to setup and makes the most sense

Call channel over here is 145.5 MHz. But we hardly get anyone if we call. Even the 19 or so VHF repeaters in our small state of Kerala are deserted except during net times! 73 de Jon, VU2JO

okay so what is the R and T DTCS hz?

I'm in central/northern Utah. I RARELY hear anyone on it. I know, because I leave one side of my mobile rig on it all the time. Occasionally, someone will call out on it, and I have occasionally called out on it. As for leaving it a 'calling' frequency - well, I have mixed feelings on it, too. If it rarely gets used, why not ragchew on it? When I have heard people on it, they were ragchewing. Should we scold people for using it that way? Absolutely not. It's all about courtesy. Heck, I even activated a park on it once. People were more than happy to call me. I didn't plan on doing that, but I heard some people out there, and just started, and it snowballed from there. Like others have said - use it, or loose it.

We use 520 when pirates are on the repeaters. Its dead when the pirates are active.

H ow abt a topic if u speek in the mic at a lower level u r narrow band fm and r hard to copy kg6mn

Maybe it's my area, but I've never heard a single peep on 146.52

Many hams monitor 520 so it is quiet because they are just monitoring. When it gets chit chatty I turn it off. If I am mobile I monitor. If I end up on a fringe of people using to just chat I shut it off. Now when someone calls for help of any kind there is a good chance no one is listening anymore because all those who just monitored shut it off. The talkers moved on or those on the fringe cant hear the station requesting assistance. Sure use it for aerial or openings. I have come to believe that many hams have no understanding of the 2 meter band and think 520 is the only simplex frequency Thanks for the video and sharing ideas ~ AI4NW

Hams in my area dont even seem to know what simplex is. If they were talking to a friend next door they would get on a repeater. I dont think rag chewing on 52 is going be a problem here. Im not going to say where I am.....someone will call me a "sad ham" because i dont agree with them. Reather not deal with them face to face.......73........oh what the hell.....central Iowa...

ARRL has designated it as the National Simplex Calling Frequency as part of their VOLUNTARY band plan. So get on it and make calls. If someone is telling you that you can't do that they are just a sad ham and need to STFU and spin the dial. I monitor it on a regular basis. I throw my call sign out on a regular basis as well. What's the point of having a national calling frequency if no one uses it?

There is no law about using 146.52 therefore it's first come, first served. The Oldham will whine about this but it's not a legal issue so do what you want to do but work together. I've had 30 minute and longer chats on 52. Never had a problem. If someone wanted to join they were always welcomed.

I monitor 146.520 any time I am mobile. I’m ready to answer cq & I’m ready to answer and share callsigns and if the caller or me wants to talk we can move to another frequency. It’s my opinion that it should be open for emergency calls and listen for other callers. Not a ragchew channel. KA5TLS

There's a amateur radio club about 40 miles away that does simplex nets on 146.52. They think it's their channel.

If no one uses it then use it as a calling frequency, the more you use it then the more it will be used.

In my neck of the woods, nobody uses .520 at all.

147.555🎉simplex

that band doesn’t have enough usage to even matter anymore. Either way if fine. Same for 450.

16 marine band then qsy

The DMR people will take it

2 Meters is DEAD here in the South. I hear almost nothing on repeaters, and nothing for hours on end simplex. I use it for dx contacts if a band opening is heard, but not much else. Many is the time on 2 meters I throw my call on a repeater, or simplex frequency and wait - to hear nothing but squelch tails. Oh, there are at least 10 repeaters in the area that are still active, but nobody uses them at all. Use it or lose it, they say, looks like we are going to lose from 140 - 150 Mhz for Ham and MARS use unless Hams come back to use it.

Make a call osy to 147.555😮

If you can't talk on it why would you want to listen to it. I never hear anyone on it in my area so i don't listen. You don't turn your radio on in your car if you can't hear music.

Large Facebook group that advocates from more hams to use 52 since, in a lot of areas, 52 is QRT. I monitor 52 and have had good local QSOs. Nothing approaching a ragchew. I say use 52 and QSY if needed. 73, KF0NNQ.