October 2015
The Amateur Amateur: 220
By Gary Ross Hoffman, KB0H
BridgeCom BCR-220 1.25m (220 MHz) Repeater
My friend Chuck, N0EIS, tells jokes that are either so corny that I can't believe he has the nerve to say them aloud, or so profound that I'm overwhelmed by his wit and wisdom. He oscillates between lunatic and genius, and much of the time I have no idea what he's talking about. Therefore, whenever he brings up a subject that I actually understand, I pay close attention.
That's how I became interested in the 1.25 meter band (220 MHz). Chuck is always lauding its attributes. He tells me that it works well in the lumps and bumps that constitute the terrain of St. Louis County. Of course, Chuck can get anything to work, whereas I can get just about nothing to work, but I thought I'd give the band a try anyway.
This was several years ago, so as you might imagine, I didn't find much in the way of 1.25m equipment on the market. Ideally, I wanted something like I already had, except with the extra band.