GOTAhams Local Band Plans, Repeaters and Simplex Frequencies

Dave Wilkie, K6EV – Revised May 9, 2020

The data included here is not exhaustive and represents an introduction only.  Nor is it intended as a club channel plan. It introduces Analog FM repeaters that seem family-friendly and cover the area of highest concentration of GOTAhams members.  (Roughly Glendora to Ontario, Mount Baldy south to Chino and Corona).  Using these, it introduces the local band-plans.  You will add other repeaters to suit your needs. Great resources to identify open repeaters in other areas are: a) free-to-use REPEATERBOOK (www.repeaterbook.com on the web and also found at the app stores for Android and  iPhone), and, b) RFINDER, a subscription based ARRL-endorsed tool (www.rfinder.net on the web and also at Android/iPhone app stores).  Our examples don’t include repeaters with emphasizing particular digital formats.  And we focus on the 144, 220 and 440 MHz bands as these are the most active.  The same principles apply to other UHF bands such as 902MHz and 1.2GHz.

Repeater information and ownership changes.  You should consult the repeater owner or trustee with any questions and abide by their requests.   The examples focus on fully open repeaters, those not requiring any memberships or dues.   Repeaters are expensive to maintain and we are sure that many repeater owner/operators will appreciate any donations, particularly if you use a repeater substantially. Note that some repeaters carry requests by the owner that QSO’s be limited to short contacts.  Some may be considered ‘calling repeaters’ and the owners suggest that longer conversations transition to another simplex or repeater frequency once contact is established.  Also, with repeater ‘Systems’ such as the WINSYSTEM, your conversation may be carried over many dozens of repeaters in many states and even foreign countries. In those cases, it is almost always advisable to limit your conversations to 15 minutes or so (or less if so advised) to allow other use of the system.  Not all repeaters are ‘up’ at all times and those not on hilltops tend to be limited in range.

Many repeaters are private or part of private systems which require membership and dues. They may not be listed in REPEATEREBOOK or RFINDER. Some of these repeaters and systems are extensive in size. Some, such as the PAPA system (www.papasys.com), CLARA (145220.com), or K6PIN(www.K6PIN.net) and others are visitor friendly (or offer free trial periods) and publish PL tones and related information on their websites.  These private repeaters are not included here, but are interesting and may extend your coverage and operations.

One point of confusion for many hams has to do with ‘band plans’ or frequency assignments in the VHF and UHF bands — particularly for simplex frequencies.  Addressing this for GOTAhams is a key goal here.  While the ARRL publishes recommended band plans for each of the bands, the fine print notes that local area Frequency Coordination councils have the final say.   In some areas (and Southern California is one) the band plan for the area will be substantially different than ARRL’s.  ARRL advises you to abide by the local band plan.  Southern California has three coordinators handling specific bands of interest.  These are:

Refer to the band plans at these websites for the latest information. Their guidance overrides any recommendations herein.   These coordinators allocate repeater and other frequencies in the southern California region.   When you travel to other areas or states you will need to identify the coordinator for that area and use appropriate simplex frequencies (and local repeaters) for that area. There is some confusion at the national level “coordinating the coordinators”.  The ARRL and FCC have not yet stepped in, but this informal list of coordinators may be helpful to you:   www.w2xq.com/bm-ar-repeaters.html    Thanks to W2XQ!

EXAMPLES OF OPEN REPEATERS LOCAL TO GOTAhams CORE AREA

2 Meter Band Repeaters

#CallsignRX Freq.TX offset KHzPLApprox. LocationComment
1N6AH145.200-600103.5ArcadiaArcadia City Empl. RC. Hamwatch,/Arcad. PD.
2N6USO145.440-600136.5Sunset RidgeLinked to (2) K6TEM 70cm repeaters
3WB6RSK146.025+600103.5PomonaPomona Valley Am. Rad. Council
4KA6AMR146.085+600110.9DuarteGuests OK, Email KA1WCC. Model Planes
5KE6TZG146.385+600146.2Keller PeakKeller Peak Rptr. Assoc.  Wide Coverage
6KD6DDM146.610-600103.5CoronaSierra Peak
7W7BF146.640-600167.9Diamond BarDiam. Bar Am. Rad. Society
8W6FNO146.820-600NoneSan DimasHwy. Emerg. Calling Rptr., 30 sec timeout
9NO6B147.030+600100.0Diamond BarSo. Cal. FM Society
10W6PWT147.060+600162.2Corona/NorcoCorona Norco ARC
11K6JSI147.210+600100.0Sunset RidgeWINSYSTEM – multistate repeater system
12WB6QHB147.300+600123.0UplandMontcl.,Upland, Rcho.Cuc. ACS/ARES. Local Area
13K6RIA147.645-600127.3RialtoRialto Amateur Radio Club
14W6QFK147.765-600131.8Sierra MadreSan Gabriel Vly. Rad. Club, Santa Anita Ridge

Repeaters in the spectrum between 144.500 to 145.500 MHZ utilize a “low in-high out” configuration, on nineteen even numbered frequency pairs. Frequency pairs begin with 144.52/145.12 MHZ and end with 144.88/145.48 MHZ. Spacing is 20 kHz between repeater systems, and 600 kHz between repeater input and output. In addition, there are two additional 15 kHz band-edge pairs at 145.105 input/144.505 output and 145.495 input/144.895 output. 

Repeaters in the spectrum from 146 to 148 MHz follow an inverted 15KHz sub-band plan, yielding 53 repeater pairs. 

In addition, there are several pairs assigned as odd-splits, portable pairs, testing pairs, etc.  Refer to the TASMA website for full details.

1.25 Meter Band Repeaters

#CallsignRX Freq.TX offset MHzPLApprox. LocationComment
1W6NRY223.980-1.6103.5Johnstone Pk.Edgewood Am. Rad. Soc. Wide Area
2K6JSI224.160-1.671.9Sunset RidgeWINSYSTEM – multistate repeater system
3WA6CGR224.280-1.6107.2ArcadiaSo. Cal. Exp. Am. Radio. Assn. / WA6CGR
4AA6DP224.420-1.6110.9Catalina IslandCatalina ARA – Wide Area 1602 feet ASL
5WR6JPL224.700-1.6114.8Diamond BarJPL Amateur Radio Club
6K8BUW224.820-1.6156.7Santiago Peakcondor-connection.org, Linked  Sys. Short QSO’s.
7WA1IRS224.900-1.6103.5Sunset RidgeAmateur Intl. Radio System


70 Centimeter Band Repeaters

#CallsignRX Freq.TX offset MHzPLApprox. LocationComment
1NO6B445.080-5103.5Diamond BarWide Area
2K6TEM445.480-5131.8ArcadiaLA Cnty. Sheriff. Link: N6USO/2m & K6TEM/70cm
3K6OPJ445.560-5136.5Chino 
4K6CPP445.580-5156.7PomonaCal Poly Pomona
5KD6DDM445.760-5103.5CoronaSierra Peak
6KD6AFA445.920-5186.2Sunset Ridge
7WA6FZH446.400-5103.5Johnstone Pk.
8K6ONT447.200-5114.8Rancho Cuc.Ontario city Emergency Comms.//Tri Cities ACS
9KA6GRF447.320-5136.5FontanaFontana ECS – Open
10K6JSI447.580-5100.0ArcadiaWINSYSTEM – multistate repeater system
11K6JSI448.060-5100.0Santiago PeakWINSYSTEM – multistate repeater system
12K6OES448.340-5114.8Johnstone Pk.Calif. Emerg. Svcs. Rad. Assn.  Wide Area
13AE6TV449.160-577.0Sunset RidgeGOTAhams net repeater
14K6TEM449.880-5146.2Sunset RidgeLA Cnty. Sheriff. Link: N6USO/2m & K6TEM/70cm

Other Suggestions and Reminders:

Always listen first, avoid stepping on another conversation.   Make sure you are transmitting on the frequency you intend and are within your operating privileges.  If your signal turns out to be weak and highly noisy, failing to hold the repeater then consider keeping repeater conversations short as others monitoring may not enjoy the layer of noise.

Use the term ‘Break’ only to interrupt for an emergency. Otherwise, use ‘Comment’ or ‘Question’.  ALWAYS give way to emergency or priority traffic and always be courteous and helpful.  If you hear a ‘Break’, give way immediately. For a Comment or Question, acknowledge the caller, perhaps finish your immediate thought and then give them a chance to join.

Remember the young hams out there as you choose topics and words.

When keying, wait a second or so before speaking to avoid having the first syllables of your statement being truncated.  Wait a little longer for repeater ‘systems’ as it can take a bit longer for all of the repeaters in the system to key up.

Wait until after the courtesy tone to transmit to avoid timing-out the repeater.  Timeout timers are often 2 minutes or less (sometimes 30 seconds on ‘calling repeaters’).  Remember to ID every 10 minutes and at the conclusion of each communication per Part 97.

Do not respond to or comment upon intentional QRM in ANY way.  Ignore it as the zero value it really represents.  If you are unable to continue your communications, just go elsewhere or shut down after a closing ID.  It won’t help to comment on the problem, it just gives the illegal operator satisfaction.  Take that away from them – let them be bored.   Do not engage in communications with unlicensed stations or stations that do not identify themselves.

SOME SUGGESTED SIMPLEX FREQUENCIES

Note:  It is suggested that you avoid long QSO’s on the national calling frequencies. Make contact but move to another frequency for conversations longer than a few minutes.  As always, LISTEN before transmitting as part of assuring that the frequency is not already in use.  When choosing frequencies in non-channelized areas, remember to respect the band edges, mindful of the bandwidth of the emission mode you are using.  Your entire signal needs to fit within the band – not just your center frequency.

2 Meter Simplex:

Frequency MHzComments
144.310-144.375Un-channelized Simplex, Multiple use.  Avoid band edges.
144.405-144.475Un-channelized Simplex, FM. Avoid band edges.
144.490Uplink FM to Int’l Space Station. Avoid for other use.
145.510FM Simplex channel
145.525FM Simplex channel
145.540FM Simplex channel
145.555FM Simplex channel
145.570FM Simplex channel
145.585FM Simplex channel
145.600FM Simplex channel
145.615FM Simplex channel. Some D-Star
145.630FM Simplex channel
145.645FM Simplex channel
145.660FM Simplex channel
146.520National US FM Calling Frequency. Short QSO.
146.535FM Simplex channel
146.550FM Simplex channel
146.565FM Simplex channel. T-hunt. Avoid if T-hunt in progress
146.580FM Simplex channel
146.595FM Simplex channel
147.480FM Simplex channel
147.510FM Simplex channel
  
144.390APRS Data (digital packet)
144.970Packet Radio (digital)
145.030Packet Radio (digital)
145.050Packet Radio (digital)
145.070Packet Radio (digital)
145.090Packet Radio (digital)
Typical So. Calif. simplex spacing:  Voice:  15KHz Data 20KHz

1.25 Meter Band Simplex

Frequency MHzComments
223.400FM Voice Simplex
223.420FM Voice Simplex
223.440FM Voice Simplex
223.460FM Voice Simplex
223.480FM Voice Simplex
223.500FM Voice Simplex.  National US FM Calling Frequency. Short QSO.
223.520FM Voice Simplex
Southern California channel spacing:  20KHz

70 Centimeter Band Simplex

Frequency MHzComments
441.500Simplex Digital/packet
441.520Simplex Digital/packet
446.000FM Simplex. No Digital.  National Calling Frequency. Short QSO.
446.500FM Simplex. No Digital
446.520FM Simplex. No Digital
Southern California channel spacing:  20KHz

SOME SUGGESTED HOTSPOT FREQUENCIES

The band plans are not specific as to the use of modern hotspot devices (such as the Zumspot, etc.).  Use of these has expanded since band plans were last updated. Also, it is true that these devices have very low power transmitters and tiny antennas (perhaps 10mW or so).  But remember that the handheld radio you may use to reach the hotspot, even on its low power range, probably transmits many times this power – perhaps a full watt – and uses a higher gain antenna.  To avoid interference to other operations, pay attention to activity in your area.  Be sure to use the lowest power setting available on your radio.  And seriously consider using a very low gain ‘stubby ducky’ antenna an inch or two long or so to minimize radiation from your radio. You only need to make it to the hotspot.  This may minimize interference to other hams attempting to use the same frequencies.

These frequencies were found by locating reports from various hams about communications they had with SCRRBA and others, and only for southern California.  If in doubt, reach out to SCRRBA yourself.  As most hotspots focus on 70cm frequencies, these are the only ones considered here.   We did not attempt to identify or suggest hotspot frequencies for 144 or 220 MHz as these seem less used.

The frequencies in bold text are stronger recommendations.

FrequencyComment
431.0125low power, a bit close to 431MHz sub band segment edge
431.0250low power, better guard band from sub 431MHz activity
431.0375low power, better guard band from sub 431MHz activity
431.0375 – 431.587512.5 KHz increments, but only if 3 channels above already in use
438.9500low power. Close to sub band edge
438.9750low power, nice pad from sub-band edge
439.0000low power, nice pad from sub-band edge
439.0250low power, nice pad from sub-band edge
439.0500low power, close to sub band edge

TASMA BAND PLAN EXCERPT – 2 METERS

144.000 – 144.100 CW only (Part 97.61a)

144.100 – 144.275 AM, SSB & other weak signal/narrow bandwidth modes

144.275 – 144.300 CW Propagation Beacons

144.310 – 144.375 FM simplex (un-channelized)

144.390 – Digital (packet) — (APRS)

144.405 – 144.490 FM simplex (un-channelized)

144.505 – Repeater output (paired with 145.105 input)

144.520 – 144.880 Repeater inputs: 20 kHz spacing

144.895 – Repeater output (paired with 145.495 input)

144.910 – Cross-band repeater input/output (not coordinated, CTCSS use mandatory)

144.930 – Portable repeater output, shared (paired with 147.585 input)

144.950 – Repeater output (paired with 147.405 input)

144.970 – Digital (packet)

144.985 – 145.015 Digital voice repeater inputs (i.e. D-Star): 10 kHz spacing

145.030 – 145.090 Digital (packet): 20 kHz spacing

145.105 – Repeater input (paired with 144.505 output)

145.120 – 145.480 Repeater outputs: 20 kHz spacing

145.495 – Repeater input (paired with 144.895 output)

145.510 – 145.660 FM simplex: 15 kHz spacing

145.675 – 145.785 Fixed simplex auxiliary stations (internet links, remote base, etc.: 15 kHz spacing)

145.800 – 146.000 OSCAR satellite use

146.010 – 146.385 Repeater input/output (15 kHz inverted tertiary sub-band plan; see text)

146.400 – Repeater input (paired with 147.435 output)

146.415 – Repeater input (paired with 147.450 output)

146.430 – ATV FM simplex

146.460 – Fixed simplex auxiliary station (internet links, remote base, etc.)

146.475 – Repeater input (paired with 147.420 output)

146.490 – Repeater input (paired with 147.495 output)

146.505 – Repeater input (paired with 147.465 output)

146.520 – National FM simplex

146.535 – 146.595 FM simplex: 15 kHz spacing

146.610 – 147.390 Repeater input/output (15 kHz inverted tertiary sub-band plan; see text)

147.405 – Repeater input (paired with 144.950 output)

147.420 – Repeater output (paired with 146.475 input)

147.435 – Repeater output (paired with 146.400 input)

147.450 – Repeater output (paired with 146.415 input)

147.465 – Repeater output (paired with 146.505 input)

147.480 – FM simplex

147.495 – Repeater output (paired with 146.490 input)

147.510 – FM simplex

147.525 – Cross-band repeater input/output (not coordinated, CTCSS use mandatory)

147.540 – 147.570 Digital voice repeater outputs (i.e. D-Star): 10 kHz spacing

147.585 – Portable repeater input, shared (paired with 144.930 output)

147.600 – 147.990 Repeater input/output (15 kHz inverted tertiary sub-band plan; see text)

See www.tasma.org for complete details.

220SMA BAND PLAN EXCERPT – 220 MHz

CHANNEL SPACING IS 20 kHz UNLESS INDICATED OTHERWISE.

FREQ.     USAGE

219.000 – 220.000             POINT TO POINT DIGITAL LINKS (100 kHz CHANNELS)

222.000 – 222.110             WEAK SIGNAL, CW, & SSB (NO CHANNEL PLAN)

222.000 – 222.025                            EME

222.050 – 222.060                            PROPAGATION BEACONS

222.100                               NATIONAL SSB CALLING FREQUENCY

222.120 – 222.140             FM VOICE SIMPLEX (NO AUTOMATED BASE STATIONS)

222.160 – 223.380             REPEATER INPUTS

223.400 – 223.520             FM VOICE SIMPLEX

223.500                                              NATIONAL FM CALLING FREQUENCY

223.540 – 223.600             DIGITAL CHANNELS

223.540                                              INTER – AREA LINKING / SIMPLEX DX CLUSTER LINKING

223.560                                              SIMPLEX LAN / GENERAL USE / BBS USER PORT

223.580                                              INTER – AREA LINKING / SIMPLEX METRONET

223.600                                              GENERAL USE / KEYBOARD TO KEYBOARD

223.620                               LOW-LEVEL, LOW-POWER (<5W) AUTOMATED SIMPLEX STATIONS (IRLP, ELINK, AUTOPATCH)

223.635                               LOW-LEVEL, LOW-POWER (<5W) AUTOMATED SIMPLEX STATIONS (IRLP, ELINK, AUTOPATCH)

223.650                               LOW-LEVEL, LOW-POWER (<5W) AUTOMATED SIMPLEX STATIONS (IRLP, ELINK, AUTOPATCH)

223.665                               LOW-LEVEL, LOW-POWER (<5W) AUTOMATED SIMPLEX STATIONS (IRLP, ELINK, AUTOPATCH)

223.680                               COORDINATED AUX LINKS / CONTROL CHANNELS

223.695                               COORDINATED AUX LINKS / CONTROL CHANNELS

223.710                               COORDINATED AUX LINKS / CONTROL CHANNELS

223.725                               COORDINATED AUX LINKS / CONTROL CHANNELS

223.740                               COORDINATED AUX LINKS / CONTROL CHANNELS

223.760 – 224.980             REPEATER OUTPUTS

See www.220SMA.org for complete details.

SCRRBA BAND PLAN EXCERPT – 420-440 MHz (See full PDF file)

SCRRBA BAND PLAN EXCERPT – 440-450 MHz (See full PDF file)

See www.scrrba.org for complete details.

Page DATA Contributors: Chris Argueta KM6S and Dave Wilkie K6EV

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