[NLRS] Suggested FM Simplex Freqs For Radio Contesting

[Dr. Gerald N. Johnson]

On 12/14/2012 10:46 AM, w0zq at aol.com wrote:
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> Hi Jerry -
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> How are things in sunny Iowa?

Sunny and dry. We need a foot of rain by spring or it may not be worth 
the cost of seed to plant crops.
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> Regarding FM and 6m E's, I have little experience here, hence my many questions.  While I understand your comments about the FM band being 2 MHz higher and the need for a stronger signal (than SSB/CW), I still think that during a "good" E opening, say during the June contest, that the 6m FM segment could be more congested.  Hence my question was this ... if this happens, where do stations expand to?   Do they keep moving in 15 KHz steps above 52.525?   It sounds like a wonderful problem, but I think its possible, so I am just trying to be preemptive as best possible.
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52.525 is an anomaly selected by pseudo national concensus decades 
before repeaters and band plans. Some area chose a frequency, and the 
rest of the country followed on the chance that DX could be worked if we 
all used the same frequency. The current band plan puts FM channels at 
20 KHz spacings above 51.1 though it lists only four simplex channels in 
52 Mhz, .02, .04, .525 and .54. I don't know what one would do today 
because I've not taken the time away from a good band opening on CW and 
SSB to check AM and FM national calling frequencies in decades. 
Primarily because my past experiences indicated it was a waste of dial 
wear and time. If I'd worked all the signals on CW and SSB a nap was 
better use of my time than checking AM and FM frequencies though my 857 
does do both modes and I do have 52.525 in a memory. Far as I have 
detected 6m FM is a quiet spectrum.

There are simplex frequencies listed in the band plan in 51 and 53, top 
half of 53. That top half of 53 has historically been a poor place to 
operate if there was channel 2 TV around because no TV sets had enough 
rejection to not be QRMd by a signal in that band segment. And most 
analog TV stations had so much spill over of their not quite perfectly 
filteed lower side band to make it difficult to copy ham signals. And 
the TV stations were operating legally with lower side band down 80 or 
90 dB, but 80 or 90 dB down from half a megawatt ERP is a STRONG signal 
and then I'm not sure the ham receiver with a half megawatt carrier 
didn't mix the upper sideband down from front end overload. With need 
for one or two simplex channels per locality it was just a whole lot 
easier to dial down a couple MHz, or go to 2m where the antenna was smaller.

I think its notable that the proposal for FM simplex contest frequencies 
picks the National Calling frequency on 6m but specifically rejects it 
on 2m. That to me says, that there has been so little national calling 
frequenc activity detected by 6m FM users that its not an impediment to 
use it up for contesting. There is a station that goes RR mobile during 
contests on 52.525, I've not checked to see if that station sent in a 
log or made any contacts. I didn't look for him, I know that.

> Yes, there has been few FM entries in that past.  That was because 1) the FM only crowd has to compete against us weak signal boys .... no contest, and 2) it was only rarely encouraged, mostly through the efforts of local clubs.   And yes, the FM-Only category will not be very popular in NoWhere, MN, or even where you live in Iowa, but think about the fun that we could have if we have a tropo opening to Mpls or Chicago, etc., where FM is very usable.  During the September VHF contest a year or two ago I was rag chewing on 2m FM with some guys in Iowa when I was trying to use 2m FM to set up a local 10gig Q ... that was from my car (5/8 wave vertical and 50 watts).
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> Finally, I would encourage everyone to read the rationale that accompanied this rule change.  You can see that the thrust of this new category isn't aimed at most NLRS op's (other than to make more contest contacts for us !).  Its aimed at a difference audience that is much much MUCH larger than us weak signals guys.
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> Rationale: Many new hams are introduced to the hobby via "FM clubs" focused on the FM mode. Radio
> manufacturers direct much attention to this group. A review of recent QSTs reveals a very high
> percentage of advertising for multi-band FM only radios which account for a large pool of transceivers in
> use today. To attract new contesters, this proposed rule change would encourage such radio owners to
> expand their knowledge and experience with V/UHF contesting. The present ARRL V/UHF contest rules
> structure does not encourage the use of the FM mode. Limiting power to 100W and bands to 50, 146,
> 223, and 440 MHz could allow FM participants to be competitive without requiring transverters or
> external power amplifiers. A well equipped FM-only contester could own a modern HF+ 6m radio plus a
> tri-band FM-only radio.
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> manufacturers direct much attention to this group. A review of recent QSTs reveals a very high
> percentage of advertising for multi-band FM only radios which account for a large pool of transceivers in
> use today. To attract new contesters, this proposed rule change would encourage such radio owners to
> expand their knowledge and experience with V/UHF contesting. The present ARRL V/UHF contest rules
> structure does not encourage the use of the FM mode. Limiting power to 100W and bands to 50, 146,
> 223, and 440 MHz could allow FM participants to be competitive without requiring transverters or
> external power amplifiers. A well equipped FM-only contester could own a modern HF+ 6m radio plus a
> tri-band FM-only radio.


In recent years, I've worked a few distant repeaters and reliably got 
into repeaters that others could barely hear. I say I cheat. I put my 
gain FM antennas up 60 to 80 feet (some omni, some good beams, not CC 11 
elements) fed with low loss coax, like Belden 8213 or 1/2" CATV foam 
coax (both 75 ohm), I don't depend on a mag mount on the file cabinet in 
the basement. Antennas do MAKE a big difference. And cross polarization 
can be a 40 dB handicap.

FM S meters tend to be very generous, in the old days based on first 
limiter grid current, they saturated at fairly weak signals and today 
most ham FM gear has that same characteristic. Signals we'd see as S6 on 
SSB would peg the FM S-meter. That very generous S meter also shows up 
wild variations in signal strength on 50 mile and longer paths, where a 
repeater (or packet node) can vary from barely detectable to pegging the 
meter.

FM started out as a local communications mode with single frequency rigs 
amongst friends and has mostly continued that way in my 53 years of 
being on FM. Its been more friendly than contesting 59 EN32, QRZ? In the 
early days I was on in St. Louis 147.3 had a small population, one had 
built his own rig, it didn't take calling to get a QSO started, a 
kerchunk was adequate. At least one old timer would have liked me better 
had I let him try to drink me under the table. I wasn't old enough to 
try that and I didn't want to try it. It was a clique, pure and simple. 
Not unlike VHF and microwave contestors though smaller.

73, Jerry, K0CQ
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> 73, Jon
> W0ZQ
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