[NLRS] Suggested FM Simplex Freqs For Radio Contesting

[Richard Clem]

>>>But is the contest antenna big gun power and antenna legal in FRS/GMRS? 
Isn't that service limited by field strength, power, and antenna size 
purposely to keep it from competing with the part 70 licensed UHF 
services? Like 11m in theory?<<<<

I would need to check the rules, but I'm pretty sure that directional antennas
are legal for GMRS, and channels 1-7 are shared with FRS.  There might be
height restrictions, but I'm pretty sure that any antenna on an existing
structure is legal.  I don't think there are any limits for radiated field
strength; the limit is strictly transmitter power.  For what I was thinking, I
don't think a directional antenna would necessarily be required.  I was
thinking of someone operating from an office building, which would have a
range of several miles, even with cheap FRS radios on the other end.  If it
were well publicized, it might give a lot of people an idea as to what is
possible with small VHF/UHF radios.

For the VHF contest, I was thinking of a "big gun" optimized to work FM
stations in the Twin Cities, with a directional vertical antenna at a good
location pointed toward the Twin Cities, not necessarily what we think of as a
big gun station.  If a few FM guys were able to make "DX" contacts from their
mobile rig to St. Cloud, Eau Claire, Rochester, etc., it might open a few eyes
as to what is possible on VHF.

73,
Rick W0IS