Hamfests. "Standard hamfest bandplans" for members?

[Elroy Jetson]

So is there some "standard hamfest bandplan" for any of us to make contact at hamfests?

I'm sure I'd never know most of you by amateur call signs. Some of you may not even HAVE amateur callsigns, so you wouldn't be on the amateur bands.
(I'd hope.)

So, with this in mind, have any of us ever created a standard list of frequencies and PL or NAC codes (for digital operation) that we can or do use to
make contact with each other at Dayton or other hamfests?

The Melbourne, FL hamfest is coming up next month. That's my hometown 'fest.

I'm ready for IMBE digital and analog operation on VHF, UHF...and 800, too.

Well...I WILL have UHF IMBE operation by that time. That's still in work.

It'd be nice to meet up with a few people I've traded messages with but never talked to in person before.

If you go to the 'fest, there's a chance I'll be the guy carrying multiple Astro Saber IIIs at the very least.



Elroy

[alex]

Search the dayton threads - almost everyone uses those channels it seems, though, a few use one of the hamsexy ham ones - it depends.

You'll find most the east coast people on that channel, though, I know a lot of us tend to use imbe w/crypto on private channels coordinated ahead of time...

It all depends on where/etc. I've found that for the most part, people chat on the channels, but no one is ever super out going.

-Alex

[kc7gr]

Personally, I've found VHF MURS channels to be all I ever needed. No license needed, you can use crypto (DES, DES-XL, whatever), and more than adequate range.

Happy travels.

[RadioSouth]

I agree with Bruce, the list for Dayton was way to HamSexy. Better shot on getting more folks on the air by keeping it simple.
Just my .02

[alex]

Those are MURS channels for the Dayton plan... the other ones are GMRS... I put a couple channels on there years ago when I came up with it, to give people enough channels to talk on, figuring that a lot of people would be yapping, or if others were on our channels, a designated place to move. If you've been to dayton - you know how crowded the channel space is, always good to have a solid backup plan. For the most part, everyone is on VHF IMBE on green...

I don't know how much the UHF has gotten use - but for the most part I've found everyone usually sticks to VHF.

-Alex

[RadioSouth]

Yes, the MURS and GMRS were a good choice but would have been more universal in analog, don't believe there were any at all in the bandplan.

[DPL]

I think that most of the channels had DPL codes for those without digital. Most (all?) digital radios can be programmed for "mixed mode" receive, where the radio will unmute for either a digital of analog call (with the proper PL/DPL). That way those with digital radios can hear people on analog.

I've tried some of the UHF channels in analog at Dayton before, and have never heard a peep. I don't really use 2 meters, though, so that's probably why I'm missing out on the action (that and the fact that I don't have teh Ø).

[Rayjk110]

(that and the fact that I don't have teh Ø).

Yep, that's unfortunately about what 90% of batlabs IMBE comm's are - so unless you do have teh IMBE Ø, you might as well stay on analog. I'd say VHF gets more use than UHF too.

[alex]

Well, it's not a perfect setup. It's the one place where everyone gets to play with all the fun features that require lots of other people using astro to play with... I know a lot of us have our own little groups in whatever city, state, town, whatever as it stands, but its always fun on a large scale.

I've given up on the fact of having stuff show up to be used, setup, and configured mainly because it becomes more of a hassle than it is fun to use.

I'm not going to say no one bring something or set it up, but I'd be damn impressed if someone said or suggested, and actually made it happen.

If people have ideas or suggestions, I'm all up for changing or reviewing other options. I'm not the only one with good or bad ideas

-Alex

[Rayjk110]

Well, I think Seth had his Ham/GMRS repeater (GR300) setup last year on UHF. I think I was the only user and made contact with Peter (akardam) once, and that was IT.

So if mebey someone had the balls or w/e to bring in a VHF quantar and set it up at a booth that would be neat, but probably unlikely to happen.

[alex]

Well, I think Seth had his Ham/GMRS repeater (GR300) setup last year on UHF. I think I was the only user and made contact with Peter (akardam) once, and that was IT.

So if mebey someone had the balls or w/e to bring in a VHF quantar and set it up at a booth that would be neat, but probably unlikely to happen.

It was setup just to setup since it was brought all the way out. It was up for a couple hours one afternoon, and that was it. Everyone was having fun playing in digital, and not everyone had UHF radios that they were also carrying around. Not everyone has a GMRS license either, though, 10 minutes on the FCC website, and 24 hours, you'll get a call sign.

It would be great to have a Quantar... but who is going to bring it, what frequency will it be setup on, will people who are not hams going to be able to use it? There's a lot of factors in this stuff where you can't just take a 100w station set it up for 3 days and call it quits... We aren't the only ones around...

[Tom in D.C.]

Many of us also got use Seth's UHF low-power repeater at
Gaithersburg last year. It was really great to have a DFQ
repeater that worked no matter where you were or what
you were blocked by, like a big trailer, and it sure beat
using simplex.

(Unfortunately, Gaithersburg is just a memory this year,
due to the FAR's not being able to find a suitable venue for the event.)

[DPL]

I just think it's enough that we have a simplex frequency on each band so that when we think to ourselves, "hey, I'm going to this random hamfest and I wonder if there are any other batboard members going," we can throw those channels in our radios for the chance that we might talk to someone, even if things haven't been prearranged.

I'm not too worried about not being "secure equipped," because those comms still have to be prearranged anyway (unless there is some sort of standard batlabs OFB key that I haven't heard of).

[txshooter]

I'm not too worried about not being "secure equipped," because those comms still have to be prearranged anyway (unless there is some sort of standard batlabs OFB key that I haven't heard of).

There is a commonly used one, but if everyone knew it it would not be very secure at all.......Now would it?

[alex]

I'm not too worried about not being "secure equipped," because those comms still have to be prearranged anyway (unless there is some sort of standard batlabs OFB key that I haven't heard of).

There is a commonly used one, but if everyone knew it it would not be very secure at all.......Now would it?

I think there's only about 5-10 people who actually have that key in their keyloader, and of that group, I think only 2-3 know actively what that key is.

If you need your radio keyloader, look up your local batlabs field office. They are in the yellow pages under communications.

-Alex

[wa2zdy]

When I first came on here I read that MURS 151.88 DPL 143 was the "official" freq. I've had it programmed ever since, just in case . . .