Talking radio-to-radio without a repeater — Ham Radio

You want to talk directly to someone nearby without going through a repeater — hiking with a friend, at an event, or testing your radio's real range.

Before you key up

  • The national 2 meter calling frequency is 146.520 MHz. Everyone with a 2 meter radio can hear it, so it's the place to call — but move off it once you've made contact.
  • Range is much shorter than through a repeater. Line of sight, roughly.

What to say

You say: “CQ simplex, CQ simplex, this is your callsign in phonetics on five two zero, listening.”

CQ is fine here — unlike on a repeater — because you're calling out to anyone in earshot rather than into a specific local group.

You say: “their callsign, let's move up to 146.550 and clear the calling frequency.”

Once someone answers, move off 146.520 so it stays available. This is expected.

What they will say back

Whoever's in range and happens to be listening. Simplex is quieter than a repeater — don't be discouraged.

If it goes sideways

If you can't reach someone you know is nearby, terrain is probably in the way. Get higher. Elevation matters more than power on VHF, by a wide margin.

Why it works this way

A repeater sits on a tower or a hilltop and rebroadcasts your signal with real power behind it, which is why a five watt handheld can cover a whole metro area through one. Simplex is your radio's actual unassisted range — often just a few miles. Trying simplex is the fastest way to understand what your radio is really doing.

Open this in Pocket Elmer, with your callsign filled in

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