[222mhz] 222 MHz SSB activity in San Bernardino/Riverside, CA area

[Gary V. Smith]

Hello Gentlemen,

I've been following this thread with interest.  I has been good to 
hear from folks back in my old stomping ground.  I used to live in 
Hemet and, of course, was in Riverside and San Berdoo frequently.  I 
was KD6RXT in those days of the early 90s.  I moved back to this area 
in '94.  As a newly minted ham back then I didn't know much about 222 
MHz or have any gear for that band.

I got involved in 222 MHz SSB after I moved back here.  I have an old 
Realistic HTX-100 with a 222 SSB transverter that I ran here for 
awhile.  It's kind of retired now because there just wasn't enough 
activity, even during contests, to warrant its continued use.  I do 
have 220 FM gear.  I have a TM-631A and a TM-3530A, and an old 
TH-31BT HT.  I have two old Midland 13-509s and a Clegg FM-76 
rock-bound units.  We have a repeater about 5 miles north of me.  I 
doesn't get used nearly enough.  I appreciate the repeater owners for 
keeping it in service in spite of the lack of use.  There are four 
listed 220 repeaters in the area of which only about two are 
operational at any given time.  I think 220 - 222 is a great band 
that goes largely ignored because of the lack of equipment and the 
comparatively high price of what is available.  I talk up the band 
whenever I can but it usually falls on deaf ears with the one-day 
wonder, shack-on-a-belt crowd around here..hi..hi.  Some folks just 
can't see beyond 2M repeaters.  I love 6M also, but activity around 
here is much the same as 220.  The only time you hear much SSB 
activity on any of the VHF/UHF bands is during contests.  Then 
everybody crawls back into the woodwork until the next contest.

I know that VHF/UHF activity on all modes in SoCal was many times 
greater than anything around here so I wish you good luck in 
generating more activity.  I was heavily into packet when I lived out 
there.  When I moved back here it was a vast wasteland.  You folks 
are lucky to have all the kinds of activity out there that you do.  I 
was in Army MARS out there and we handled a lot of traffic then.  I 
transferred when I moved here and we had little, or no, traffic most 
of the time.

Well, anyway, methinks I doth protest too much..hi..hi.  Good luck 
and keep it up.

73,
Gary Smith - W6GVS
Dowagiac, MI  EN61wx

At 10:25 PM 1/22/2009, you wrote:
>Hello,
>
>I'm considering buying an Elecraft transverter kit for the 222 MHz band,
>to give me complete coverage of 50 Mhz->432 MHz.
>
>Before taking this leap, though, I'd like to know if activity on this
>band in this area warrants the expense.
>
>I'd heard a rumor that the band was active mostly around contests.
>
>All opinions are appreciated.
>
>73 de Jim - AD6CW
>Your friendly list administrator
>_______________________________________________
>222mhz mailing list
>222mhz at mailman.qth.net
>http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/222mhz
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