2M Always this boring? - Misc Forum at eHam.net

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eHam.net Forum : Misc : 2M Always this boring?

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2M Always this boring?	Reply
by CARPENTERJC on June 26, 2005	Mail this to a friend!
Just got My Tech Lic..and am already tired of the dead silence I hear on My 2M Radio..all I ever seem to hear is static and diff tone beeps..is it always this dead or am I just not listening on the right Frequency? I always scan all the channells..and occasionally hear the local Authorities on 1 or 2 channells..but thats pretty much it.beginning to think I made a 250$ mistake...if 2M is dead..it will be a long time before funds will be created for anything else. KC0UTE/JC

RE: 2M Always this boring?	Reply
by N7NBB on June 26, 2005	Mail this to a friend!
Have you programmed in the local repeaters ? or did you just start scanning frequencies right out of the box? If you have not programmed it you will hear a lot of garbabe. GO TO: http://www.artscipub.com/repeaters/dsprpts.asp?state=Minnesota&order=call and find some repeaters near where you live. Program these in and you should hear more chatter... however no guarantee that it STILL won't be boring... the most exciting part of 2 meters is the weak signal stuff and bouncing your signals of the AURORA. This requires a radio that can work SSB, it "IS" far more exciting than most FM stuff (emergency comms excepted). Good Luck CAM

RE: 2M Always this boring?	Reply
by KI4KEB on June 26, 2005	Mail this to a friend!
Never been to MN but I just did a quick Google search: st. cloud, mn repeater I found a ton of links including your local club (St. Cloud Amateur Radio Club) and the Twin Cities Repeater Club. Both of these clubs operate 2-meter repeaters and you can find info about them on their websites. Because of the shear number of links I quickly found, I would tend to believe that amateur radio is alive and well in MN.

RE: 2M Always this boring?	Reply
by WG7X on June 27, 2005	Mail this to a friend!
John, This is probably one of the biggest problems with our new license structure and the Tech license being the entry point to amateur radio. With an HF beginners ticket, you were not restricted to only talking/hearing the local crowd. I suppose that this would be a good reason to upgrade to an HF ticket? 73 Gary WG7X

RE: 2M Always this boring?	Reply
by N2MG on June 28, 2005	Mail this to a friend!
WG7X hit the nail on the head, IMO. One of the worst things we've done with the current licensing structure is create a way for wannabe hams to study on their own. They get their license, some with never having met a ham until they've shown up at the VE test, and once they pass, they are left somehow with the idea that 2M repeater operation is the culmination of their licensing pursuits. We isolate new hams on 2M repeaters with the idea and we somehow believe (incorrectly) they'll find their way to HF and all that. Not that HF is the do-all end-all of amateur radio, but the wasteland of VHF repeaters is no place to leave a new guy. It's almost as bad as the Internet. ;-) With that all said, it sounds like you may be scanning the wrong frequencies (since you claim to hear "authorities"). Limit your scanning to the Ham bands and better still, learn the freq of the local repeaters. Learn to whom they belong and drop in on a club meeting. The ARRL website can help in finding a club. http://www.arrl.org/ Not all clubs are created equal, though! Mike N2MG

RE: 2M Always this boring?	Reply
by KB9YUR on July 1, 2005	Mail this to a friend!
It might be that you need to listen some more, especially on SSB. There's plenty of SSB nets here in the Chicago area (EN61) and I hear someone all the time.

RE: 2M Always this boring?	Reply
by KM4VR on July 1, 2005	Mail this to a friend!
"2M Always this boring?" Yes, usually. If you can sell (or return) that 2 meter radio and buy one that works SSB (and CW) on 6 meters I think you'll have a lot more fun with it. Chasing weak signals is sport, chatting on 2 meters to the same folks day in and day out (to quote Bob Dylan) "ain't my cup of meat". --e

RE: 2M Always this boring?	Reply
by YEPSURE on July 2, 2005	Mail this to a friend!
2-meters isn't boring . . . depending on where you live. That has an awful lot to do with how much traffic you'll hear in that band. In south FL where I live it's loaded to the gills with activity, sometimes so much so that we have to move to other simplex channels or other repeaters. But again, it depends on where you live. Prior to being licensed I would listen to the local 2-meter repeaters just to see if I thought I would even like amateur radio. I rarely run into people who just studied and got their license without having first listened to what's going on in their local area. That was a necessary step for me to determine if I even wanted to jump into amateur radio. Once I listened I knew it was for me, and I knew how much activity I could expect in that particular band. But simply getting one's license without first listening to what's going on or talking to others about it is not an advisable way to enter any hobby. You could be very disappointed if it doesn't live up to your expectations (not to mention spending money you need not spend). HF can be a fun band but it too isn't for everybody. But no matter what band you think you would like to operate in it's always a good idea to at least scan around to see what you can reasonably expect from it. After you buy your radio it's too late if you suddenly decide you don't like it.

RE: 2M Always this boring?	Reply
by KE2EB on July 12, 2005	Mail this to a friend!
hi om- from my own experience of 2 mtr:> I only, sadly to say ,use 2mtr fm..It is basically Boring/lil used,Except Reptrs,,I use Simplex in mobile just to be of 'assistance',,or possibly (luckily?) do a rare qso with another op..I cannot say for 2 mtr cw or ssb,,>as i haven't had the oppurtunity(as yet!) to try those modes..i do Enjoy 6 mtr all mode,,also Enjoy 10 mtr fm:)..as for me,I do not work 2 mtr packet yet...so as my opinion..2 mtr fm is ho-hum/boring!..but i keep several mobiles for my pv's..get upgraded,and enjoy the multimodes&digitals! gl dx es vy 73's-ke2eb ghcall.

RE: 2M Always this boring?	Reply
by W5LJM on August 14, 2005	Mail this to a friend!
Want to make a 2 mtr repeater contact? Get on a repeater and call "CQ CQ CQ". Guaranteed to wake up the ham community. It may be a royal but chewing for calling CQ on a repeater, But, by God, It'll get you a contact!

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