Open Roads Radio forum for Ham, Amateur Radio and RV camping - View Single Post - Longest FM two meter contact

wa8yxm · 12-31-2014, 01:45 AM

When it comes to VHF,, height is might. Years ago (1978) I got a Wilson WE-800 (3rd production run, never buy anything till revision 3, Story there if asked for)

Well, Where I worked if the Detroit Tigers were having a "night game" going home at quitting time was out of the question.. Impossible to exit the parking lot.

So I grabbed my new toy and got in the elevator, 21 stories later I got out, Tuned around and the repeater I hit was in Adrian, about sixty miles away.. 1 watt and a rubber duck, hand held.

Chatting with some hams in Toledo Ohio (Also about 60 miles from Adrian) we had a VE3 try to join, about all we got was VE3 (not the rest of his call) so I switched to input, then relayed, then finally the VE3 and I went to 146.52 and chatted simplex.

He's running something like either 40 watts ERP at 30 feet or the other way around.

I made the trip, him, not so well.... I seem to recall chatting with A ham in Wisconson when I lived in Battle Creek, Mi... No linked repeaters back then.

Of course on 42 MHZ (Yes, I know, not a ham band) Detroit to Alaska no repeater.
(A construction company and the Police Department I dispatched shared a repeater pair, I was in the "Middle" of that repeater (That is

Receiver----Me==--Transmitter

And I could talk to the crew in Alaska just fine. Same CTSS tone and everything.

Turn off the CTSS and I could hear California too.

12-31-2014, 01:45 AM	#15
wa8yxm Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Mobile, on the road Posts: 1,139	When it comes to VHF,, height is might. Years ago (1978) I got a Wilson WE-800 (3rd production run, never buy anything till revision 3, Story there if asked for) Well, Where I worked if the Detroit Tigers were having a "night game" going home at quitting time was out of the question.. Impossible to exit the parking lot. So I grabbed my new toy and got in the elevator, 21 stories later I got out, Tuned around and the repeater I hit was in Adrian, about sixty miles away.. 1 watt and a rubber duck, hand held. Chatting with some hams in Toledo Ohio (Also about 60 miles from Adrian) we had a VE3 try to join, about all we got was VE3 (not the rest of his call) so I switched to input, then relayed, then finally the VE3 and I went to 146.52 and chatted simplex. He's running something like either 40 watts ERP at 30 feet or the other way around. I made the trip, him, not so well.... I seem to recall chatting with A ham in Wisconson when I lived in Battle Creek, Mi... No linked repeaters back then. Of course on 42 MHZ (Yes, I know, not a ham band) Detroit to Alaska no repeater. (A construction company and the Police Department I dispatched shared a repeater pair, I was in the "Middle" of that repeater (That is Receiver----Me==--Transmitter And I could talk to the crew in Alaska just fine. Same CTSS tone and everything. Turn off the CTSS and I could hear California too.