Hey guys,
I've noticed a bit of chatter from friends attending CFZ who also hold amateur radio licences - a few are planning to bring their handheld radios with them to keep in contact (why not, if a Baofeng, VX-3E or whatever fits in your pocket?).
Rather than clutter up the standard calling channels with convention chatter, we figured it'd be a good idea to shuffle convention-specific chatter off onto another calling channel, as is sometimes done at radio rallies (the "talk-in" channels on the RSGB band plan).
That being the case, my friends and I have come to a sort of gentlemans' agreement to use the following frequencies:
2-metres VHF: 145.45MHz CTCSS 123.0Hz
70cm UHF (Experimental!): 433.45MHz CTCSS 123.0Hz
2m is intended to be the main one; we're expecting the best range from that. I'll be doing a quick range check on UHF on the first night and if that bears fruit then we might use that as an alternate, but chances are all the fun will be happening on 2m.
For anyone wondering "why CTCSS?" - my friends and I are mostly using Baofengs, and level-based squelching tends to be hit and miss on those. 123.0Hz is a CTCSS frequency which isn't on the repeater allocation map (
http://www.ukrepeater.net/access.htm), and is nice and easy to remember. Please wait a second (about as long as it takes to say "one elephant") after keying before speaking, for the benefit of those using channel-scan or dual-watch!
I may also lurk on the standard calling frequency (145.5MHz) but only intermittently. I obviously can't speak for anyone else ^.^
There's a possibility that I may try and put together a "Foxhunt" (radio direction finding challenge) as a fun, unofficial (i.e. nothing to do with CFZ), side-event, but this depends on me getting a low-power transmitter set up in time. All are welcome to this - all you'll need is a scanner radio (or a Baofeng or similar amateur radio configured as a receiver).
I'll update this thread and try to get the word out at the con if the foxhunt goes ahead. (Is there going to be a noticeboard or similar near Ops this year?)
Comments welcome, please!
