January 18, 2024: after having a wonderful breakfast meeting at “Bake My Day” restaurant, we all went home and turned on the radios to 2 m simplex on 146.520 FM. We all got on the air and tried to see who we could hear and who had to work as a relay for others. This is just in case the repeaters go down in an emergency. Here is some of the takeaways from this exercise. Many ham operators joined in from all over the state and into Virginia, spontaneously as this was not an announced exercise but the response was great! It shows that we should be listening to the simplex frequency periodically.
Some of the issues that came up, included the following:
Multiple radio stations talking all at once. This could be handled by sticking to the more formalized net control run network (or etiquette) . All communications have to be approved by the net control by putting a very brief call like this: “Net control, N4PVH” or just “Net control” inserted between other’s communications. Net control directs who can talk next so that duplicate conversations are kept to a minimum. This breaks down when some stations can’t hear net control, listen for a few seconds, doesn’t hear anyone and then starts talking. If we relied on trying to communicate by announcing or calling net control and letting net control, give you airtime, then we don’t talk over each other quite so much. There are goning to be instances where net control can’t hear everybody, more typically at the fringes of our active area, that may interrupt communications. If other operators that can hear both parties, then they can act as a “relay” and call net control with the information.
People not using their call signs frequently: so you’re not too sure who is talking to whom. In CW and on other nets, most people will first say the call sign that they are talking to, “DE” (this is) your call sign. For example: I’m calling Bernie would be like this: “WA4MOK, this is N4PVH, and then the text of what is the message. We sometimes get the adrenaline going and we get going too fast, this does not allow others that may need a relay to catch your call. If I don’t mention my call multiple times and frequently, then nobody knows who to call in case they need a relay. If you’re like me, it takes me at least 1 to 3 times of hearing the call to be able to grasp it memorize it or better yet write it down on the scrap piece of paper as sometimes my ears are “a little slow”.
I cannot hear you: Your squelch needs to be turned down or off as some of the signals are very weak and does not break the squelch but can be still readable. Sometimes the signals fade and grow with the weather or changes in propagation. Readable at times and minutes later, not readable. We need to optimize our radio and antenna stations. Put the antennas in the highest positions, with the most power.
Who is that on the radio? We need our BARC Roster updated and sorted by call sign. Everyone should have this list so as we hear club members come up, we can check them on the list.
I can’t get on the air or no one heard me: By doing a simplex test on a regular basis, we discover what works, what is broken and needs to be fixed. I ran out to my ham shack to use the biggest antenna I have and discovered that my Slim Jim at 60′ was broken and SWR of infinity! The antenna on the eve of the house did work (had a backup) but not the best however.
I do not have the simplex frequency on my radio (aka: how do I get this to be simplex? What frequency do I need?): As I grabbed by HT going out the door, I realized it was years ago that I had programmed my radio/HT and I had forgotten how to do it! We should have the simplex frequencies programmed into a memory channel right at the beginning of the memory list before we need it in an emergency. Get out your programming cable and software and make it so. Have the manual in a convenient place so you do not have to go far to find the information you need. I would suggest putting them both on both sides of a two channel radios so that you can monitor a repeater on one channel and the simplex channel on the other, or….
By the way: National Simplex Calling Frequency:
2M band: 146.520 FM, no tone;
70 CM band: 446.000, FM, no tone.
SOME IDEAS WORTH TALKING ABOUT
If we have another exercise like this (we should do this Q1-2 months on a regular basis) I suggest that everyone keep a list of who you could hear via simplex. At the end of the exercise, send an email to Webmaster@w4amc.com with the following information:
Your Name & call sign:
Station information (Radio, Antenna & height, watts used):
Station location (Grid square, GPS Lat & Long):
Who you heard (Call sign, Signal report):
Here is a table or form you could use to send the information:
| Your Name & call sign: | |
| Station information (Radio, Antenna & height, watts used): | |
| Grid square, GPS Lat & Long: | |
| Who you heard (Call sign) | (Signal report): |
From this information, a “heat” map of communications can be drawn so that everyone would know who they might be able to contact if every thing goes wild!
Please post comments and corrections below so that we can improve the information on this page. Thanks, N4PVH.
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This is a great opportunity to invite other hams that are not involved with a club or in another club to participate. I was told by K3JW that this was the first Simplex net that he had heard of, and we started something great. Also, if possible, invite new hams, soon to be licensed, or inactive hams over to our shack to stir more interest. KN4JKM
This was a fantastic net, lots of information was obtained. It definitely has motivated me to get serious about my antenna set up. I’d love to do it more often, at different times of day, in different weather, from mobile stations, etc. It also makes me more grateful for our local repeater. I can’t wait to put another simplex net on the calendar.