[ICOM] Activity on 6M

[Gary R.]

It's amazing to hear the difference in VHF and UHF activity from one corner of
the country to another. I'm glad Icom and other manufacturers continue to offer
multiband radios with capability on 6m and 23cm because it helps spark new
interest in both bands among new users. Here in 6 land (and 7 land) we have lots
of repeaters on every band from 10m up to 1.2Ghz however, the activity has
dropped off conciderably. I never noticed until I talked with a visiting OM from
the UK who commented on the surprising lack of chatter on the many listed
machines in San Diego alone. According to him their 2m band in the UK is
constantly busy. Knowing that 6 land has lots of Amateurs in it he expected to
find busy repeaters here as well but much to his surprise many where quiet for
days at a time. Icom's multiband radios have helped spark new interest in these
otherwise quiet repeaters and quiet bands such as 6m and 23cm. Hopefully Icom
will see the increased activity on the 33cm band and offer some FM transceivers
for it otherwise, those willing to tackle it will have to continue using LMR gear
for that band. For those of you visiting 6 or 7 land I recommend you bring your
multiband Icom or other gear and visit
http://n6six.50megs.com/
for more info on 6m and 33cm activity here. They have a FM net every Friday night
at 8PM local and SSB net every Monday night as well. Check ins on the FM net
often total near 50 stations and the net is well run.
73,
Gary


STeve Andre' wrote:

> Humph.  Here in the Frigid North of Michigan, 6M ssb seems to be more
> common than 6M FM.  This isn't to say that there aren't people and repeaters
> on 6M here, but that the interest level isn't what it is out west.   Come to
> think of it, I kept hearing of lots of activity on 1200MHz back in the 80's
> when my wife and I were two of the only people on 23cm, along with some
> few other explorer.  I'm looking at 33cm HT's now, and of course I haven't
> found more than two others who are interested.  But I'm really glad to hear
> of your kind of activity!   I do wish however that I could convince more
> people that there is more than 2M FM.  (Trying to get people to attend the
> ARRL UHF contest our local club is doing for this weekend).
>
> --STeve Andre'
> wb8wsf
>
> On Thursday 05 August 2004 03:20, Gary R. wrote:
> > All modes of 6m are popular and growing in popularity. As an example, here
> > in the Southwest we have one FM system (of many) of linked repeaters
> > stretching from San Diego thru LA/Riverside and out to Las Vegas including
> > many high desert communities in between. For those using 33cm (902Mhz) this
> > same system is linked on that band as well in the same areas. We have
> > tremendous fun with it all. SSB openings continue to crop up when least
> > expected in fact, today a local Amateur reported openings both N/S and East
> > all the way to Maine.
> > 73,
> > Gary
> >
> > STeve Andre' wrote:
> > > It's true that 6M isn't that popular, but having it available on a
> > > handheld is a neat thing.  As I said before the little multi-function
> > > button is hard to use,  but once you have the frequencies you normally
> > > use, QSYing is just the turn of a knob.
> > >
> > > That matters the most to me is how rugged the unit is.  That the T81A is,
> > > having dropped my little unit several times, and I know my wife and
> > > daughter have dropped theirs, all with no ill-effects.
> > >
> > > The battery that comes with the T81A isn't very big,  but neither was the
> > > BP-3 that the IC-02/03/04/12AT came with, so I upgraded all of them to
> > > larger batteries from places like Peripherix and later W&W.  I don't
> > > think fair to judge an HT on the supplied  battery size.
> > >
> > > I still vote for the T81A.  I wish Icom hadn't discontinued them.
> > >
> > > --STeve Andre'
> > > wb8wsf
> > >
> > > On Wednesday 04 August 2004 22:45, martin glazer wrote:
> > > > I think the battery life is very limited. I don't think 6 meters FM is
> > > > a real popular mode/band. The command dial, is poorly designed.it is
> > > > hard to use. I think Icom discontinued this model.  I personally have
> > > > the Kenwood th-g71a. Icom makes some great handhelds, my ICOM 02-at
> > > > still works. I would look at other models. arrl has done a good job on
> > > > reviewing most radios. You might want to look there. I do.
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > Hans Remeeus <hans at remeeus.nl> wrote:
> > > > For what/which reason?
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > 73, Hans Remeeus.
> > > > Ham Radio: PA1HR
> > > > www.remeeus.nl
> > > >
> > > > Communication is about people, the rest is technology.
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > ----- Original Message -----
> > > > From: "martin glazer"
> > > > To: "ICOM Reflector"
> > > > Sent: Wednesday, August 04, 2004 9:31 AM
> > > > Subject: Re: [ICOM] Handi-Talkie
> > > >
> > > > > I have the t81a, I would avoid it
> > > >
> > > > ----
> > > > Your Moderator: Dick Flanagan K7VC, icom-owner at mailman.qth.net
> > > > Icom Users Net: Sundays, 1700Z, 14.316 MHz
> > > > Icom FAQ: http://www.qsl.net/icom/
> > > > ----
> > > > Your Moderator: Dick Flanagan K7VC, icom-owner at mailman.qth.net
> > > > Icom Users Net: Sundays, 1700Z, 14.316 MHz
> > > > Icom FAQ: http://www.qsl.net/icom/
> > >
> > > ----
> > > Your Moderator: Dick Flanagan K7VC, icom-owner at mailman.qth.net
> > > Icom Users Net: Sundays, 1700Z, 14.316 MHz
> > > Icom FAQ: http://www.qsl.net/icom/
> >
> > ----
> > Your Moderator: Dick Flanagan K7VC, icom-owner at mailman.qth.net
> > Icom Users Net: Sundays, 1700Z, 14.316 MHz
> > Icom FAQ: http://www.qsl.net/icom/
> ----
> Your Moderator: Dick Flanagan K7VC, icom-owner at mailman.qth.net
> Icom Users Net: Sundays, 1700Z, 14.316 MHz
> Icom FAQ: http://www.qsl.net/icom/