THE VHF MISSION : PART ONE : MONITORING

The Simplex Preservation Society is an organization with a multi-part mission. First, members agree to simply monitor 146.520 MHz at their fixed location, and even mobile, if possible. These members agree to employ a 2-meter receiver or scanner with 146.520 set as a "priority" channel, or a second 2-meter receiver. Members will listen for, and assist if necessary, mobile operators who are passing through their area, and who happen to call on 146.520 MHz. Of course, we also encourage answering calls for assistance on local repeaters when possible.

Many traveling Hams call on 146.520 MHz simplex when passing through an unfamiliar town. Some see it as a lot of trouble to program in a half-dozen repeater frequencies, and associated tones, on a hit or miss basis when you're not familiar with an area. Repeater directories do not tell you on which machines you are likely to get an answer. Hams who are frequent travelers through a particular area are less affected by this "information gap".

Another problem is hourly repeater ID'ing. If you're on the road and need information after 10PM, you may be out of luck as many hams turn off the radio to keep from being awakened every hour by automatic repeater ID'ing. The more repeaters in a local area that do this, the bigger the problem for those hams who really want to monitor well into the night. Talk to your local repeater owners if you see this as a problem in your area.