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1.25-meter band

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1.25 Meters is an amateur radio band unique to ITU Region 2. It ranges from 222 to 225 MHz in the United States and from 220 to 225 MHz in the rest of Region 2. The 1.25 meter band is part of the VHF spectrum, and is primarily used for more local communications as opposed to bands lower in frequency.

History

The 1.25 meter band has a very long and colorful history dating back to before World War II.

The Beginning

The history of the 1.25 meter band can be traced back to the Cairo Conference in 1938. It was there that FCC gave U.S. amateurs two "new" VHF bands: 2.5 meters (112 MHz) and 1.25 meters (224 MHz). The 2.5 meter band was later reallocated to 144 - 148 MHz, becoming the modern-day 2 meter band, while the 1.25 meter band grew to be 5 MHz wide, spanning 220 - 225 MHz.

The VHF/UHF Explosion

Amateur use of VHF and UHF allocations exploded in the late 1960s and early 1970s as repeaters started going on the air. Repeater use sparked a huge interest in the 2 meter and 70 centimeter (420 - 450 MHz) bands, however this interest never found its way into the 1.25 meter band. Many amateurs attribute this to the fact that there was an abundance of commercial radio equipment designed for 136 - 174 MHz and and 450 - 512 MHz that amateurs could easily modify for use on 2 meters and 70 centimeters. There were no commercial frequency allocations near the 1.25 meter band, therefore there was no commercial radio equipment available. This meant that amateurs who wanted to experiment with the 1.25 meter band had to do so by building their own receivers and transmitters for the band or by buying one of the few radios available from amateur radio equipment manufacturers. This equipment was generally far more expensive than its 2 meter and 70 centimeter counterparts.

Novice Licensees Get Privileges

By the 1980s, amateur use of 2 meters and 70 centimeters was at an all time high while activity on 1.25 meters remained stagnant. In an attempt to increase use on the band, many amateurs called for holders of novice class licenses (the entry-level class at that time) to have voice privileges on 1.25 meters. In 1987, the FCC modified the novice license to allow holders voice privileges on portions of the 1.25 meter and 23 centimeter (1.24 - 1.30 GHz) bands. In response, some of the bigger amateur radio equipment manufacturers like Yaesu and Icom started producing equipment for 1.25 meters, however it never sold well and by the early 1990s, most manufacturers had stopped producing equipment for the band.

Reallocation

In the late 1980s, UPS began lobbying the FCC to reallocate part of the 1.25 meter band to the Land Mobile Service. UPS had well publicized plans to use the band to develop a narrow-bandwidth wireless voice and data network using a mode called ACSSB (amplitude-companded single sideband). UPS' main argument for the reallocation was that the amateur use of the band was very sparse and that the public interest would be better served by reallocating part of the band to a service that would put it to good use.

In 1988, over the objections of the amateur radio community, the FCC adopted the 220 MHz Allocation Order which reallocated 220 - 222 MHz to private and Federal Government land mobile use while leaving 222 - 225 MHz exclusively for amateur use. The reallocation proceeding took so long however, that UPS eventually pursued other means of meeting their communications needs. UPS entered into agreements with GTE, McCall, Southwestern Bell and Pac-Tel to use cellular telephone frequencies to build a wireless data network. With the 220 - 222 MHz band now left unused, the FCC issued parts of the band to other private commercial interests via a lottery in the hopes that it would spark development of super narrowband technologies. It was the FCC's hope that development of these technologies would help them gain acceptance in the marketplace.

The 1.25 Meter Band Today

Today, the 1.25 meter band is used by many amateurs who have an interest in the VHF spectrum. There are pockets of widespread use across the United States, mainly in New England and western states such as California and Arizona with more sporadic activity elsewhere. The number of repeaters on the 1.25 meter band has grown over the years to approximately 1,500 nationwide as of 2004.

The attention that 1.25 meters received in the late 1980s and early 1990s due to the reallocation of the bottom 2 MHz sparked a renewed interest in the amateur community. Many amateurs feared that if activity on 1.25 meters remained sparse, it would only be a matter of time until the FCC reallocated the remaining 3 MHz to another service. Today, while not as widely available as 2 meter and 70 centimeter equipment, 1.25 meter equipment is much easier to obtain than it has been in the past and there is new handheld and mobile equipment being produced by amateur radio manufacturers. It is estimated that more amateurs have 1.25 meter equipment now than at any point in the past.

Propagation Characteristics

Enthusiasts of the either the 2 meter and 70 centimeter bands cite characteristics about one band that makes them prefer it to the other. Many 2 meter enthusiasts like the longer distance propagation and lower succeptibility to multipath as compared to 70 centimeters while 70 centimeter enthusiasts like the better building penetration characteristics and the lower noise floor level as compared to 2 meters.

Since the 1.25 meter band is situated right between 2 meters and 70 centimeters in the radio spectrum, many amateurs like to say that 1.25 meters offers the "best of both worlds". This means that 1.25 meters offers a taste of the more desireable characteristics of both the 2 meter and 70 centimeter bands.

On one hand, if one assumes that the transmitting antenna's wavelength, height above average terrain and effective radiated power is equal, a transmitted signal on 1.25 meters will, generally speaking, usually travel equally as far as that same signal would if transmitted on 2 meters as well as an equally low succeptibility to multipathing. On the other hand, the wavelength of 1.25 meters is closer to that of 70 centimeters, thus it tends to have building penetration and noise floor characteristics that more resemble those of 70 centimeters.

Band Plan

Below is the band plan that is generally agreed upon by U.S. amateurs who use the 1.25 meter band regularly:

222.000 - 222.025 MHz EME (Earth-Moon-Earth)
222.050 - 222.060 MHz CW propagation beacons
222.100 - 222.150 MHz CW and SSB
  • CW and SSB calling frequency is 222.100
222.160 - 223.380 MHz FM repeater inputs (1.6 MHz splits)
  • FM repeater inputs are spaced 20 kHz apart (222.160, 222.180, 222.200, etc.)
  • FM repeater inputs are coupled with outputs from 223.760 to 224.980
223.400 - 223.520 MHz FM simplex
  • FM simplex channels are spaced 20 kHz apart (223.400, 223.420, 223.440, etc.)
  • FM simplex calling frequency is 223.500 MHz
223.520 - 223.640 MHz Packet
223.640 - 223.700 MHz FM control links and remote bases
223.760 - 224.980 MHz FM repeater outputs (1.6 MHz splits)
  • FM repeater outputs are spaced 20 kHz apart (223.760, 223.780, 223.800, etc.)
  • FM repeater outputs are coupled with inputs from 222.160 to 223.380

Note: Certain parts of this bandplan, especially repeaters inputs and outputs, may be different in certain areas of the country. These decisions are made by a State's coordination body.

Current Amateur Radio Equipment for 1.25 Meters

Below is a list of amateur radio equipment that is currently being produced for the 1.25 meter band.

Handheld Transceivers

Mobile Transceivers

Past Amateur Radio Equipment for 1.25 Meters

Below is a list of amateur radio equipment that has been produced for the 1.25 meter band. This equipment dates as far back as the mid 1970s.

Handheld Transceivers

Mobile Transceivers

Base Stations

Below are links to various sites dealing with the 1.25 meter band.

"Home-Brew" Projects

Antenna Manufacturers

Radio Manufacturers

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