An In-Depth Look at the 1.25-Meter Band

One of my missions is to devote a column to each of the VHF Plus bands and remind you that all of these bands — all frequencies and all modes — are available to almost any licensed amateur (exception: Novice Class hams have limited privileges on only two VHF+ bands). This month, we will look at a band that has always interested me, 222 MHz, one of the two bands that truly is available to all hams (Novices are limited to 25 watts power output). That’s going to be my shorthand for the 1.25-meter band, which in the U.S. is actually 222-225 MHz. We’ll also take a look at some of the heroes of “VHF Plus” work, those remarkable men and women who rove to hand out grid squares and multipliers.

Dave Kerl (ironically enough, his call is N9HF) had a simple goal, really: Work DXCC and WAS (Worked All States) on as many bands as possible. Once he reached 11 bands confirmed, he looked for the next challenge, and selected 222 MHz. His is a VHF Plus household. His wife, Linda Straubel, N9LHS, was first licensed around five years ago and, using primarily EME and other weak-signal modes, already has 46 countries on 2 meters.

Speaking of 2 meters, by all reports, 222 MHz has many of the qualities of 2 meters, with the added benefit of less consumer electronics interference and a generally lower noise floor. The band’s history as an amateur allocation goes back to a 224-MHz allotment in 1938, with full access to the 220-to 225-MHz range beginning after World War II. In the late 1980s, a private company lobbied the FCC for part of our spectrum and was eventually