It's likely the most popular ham band in use today is the 2 meter band. Just about every ham, young and old, has this band in his or her shack. The main focus of ham radio operation on this band is using FM (frequency modulation). Most who use 2 Meters do it in the area of the band set aside for local repeater operations - very popular with new hams holding a Technician license.
Not familiar with repeaters? Here's a brief explanation of their operation. A repeater consists of a transmitter and receiver, usually located at a very high point with an antenna mounted as high on a tower as is possible. Since VHF signals are mostly line of sight, the repeater site's high location lets the equipment reach farther than it would if it was located at ground level. This set up allows them to receive weaker signals, such as from a handy talkie, and rebroadcast them through the transmitter and high antenna at the repeater site. This effectively gives you the same or greater range as if you were sitting on the hill using your own equipment! On the 2 meter band, the input and output frequencies of the repeater are separated by a spacing of 600 kHz. This can be either plus or minus the repeater output frequency. Usually everything is minus 600 kHz up to 147 MHz and plus 600 kHz above. You transmit on one frequency (the input), the repeater hears it and repeats it by sending it out on a different (output) frequency. Some repeaters use a CTCSS (Continuous Tone Coded Squelch System), commonly called a PL (Private Line) tone. This tone is below our hearing range - we don't hear it, but the repeater does. When a tone is used, the signal is only repeated if the tone is present. Without the tone, the receiver rejects the transmission. If repeaters close to each other are operating on the same frequency, using the PL tone will eliminate signals not meant specifically for the repeater. When a repeater also transmits this tone in its output, you can set your radio to receive signals only with that tone and all others will be rejected on that frequency. All FM work is done with vertically polarized antennas because they are much easier to design and build for mobile and portable operation than are horizontal antennas. All SSB (Single Side-Band) operations on 2 meters is conducted for simplex (each person on the same frequencly) in the area of 144.200 MHz and is horizontally polarized. Please note the difference in polarity! 2 meter equipment is readily available and the cost is not that bad. For the best of both worlds, consider a handy talkie capable of 5 Watts output power. You can use this inside on a power supply with an outdoor antenna or you can use it mobile with an external antenna. Of course you can simply go portable with the normally supplied "rubber duck" antenna.
So join the fun and adventure on 2 Meter Ham Radio!
Notes: The frequency 146.40 MHz is used in some areas as a repeater input. This band plan has been proposed by the ARRL VHF-UHF Advisory Committee. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The 2 meter band is from 144 to 148 MHz. It is a VHF (Very High Frequency) band and has the advantage of needing a very small antenna to achieve high gain even in the city. It's also easily received by most scanners.
Larger and more powerful mobile radios (rigs) can be purchased new or used. These are intended for your car, truck, van, boat, or other vehicle, but you can use them as a base station in your home using a power supply.