This guide covers first contacts with an FM handheld or mobile radio on the 2 m or 70 cm band. A Technician license gives you the same frequency bands at 50 MHz and above as every other license class (47 CFR 97.301(a)), so the VHF and UHF repeaters and simplex channels near you are open to you once your license grant appears in the FCC’s ULS database, which the rules require before you transmit (47 CFR 97.5(a)).
Listen first
Spend a few days listening before you transmit. Program the local repeaters into your radio and leave it on while you do other things. Notice how people call each other, how long they pause, when the local nets meet, and which repeaters are active.
On a net, a net control station calls the net to order and directs communications between the stations checking in, and unless you are reporting an emergency you transmit only when directed (Technician pool questions T2C02 and T2C07). Consider checking in to a local net for your first transmission.
Simplex and repeaters
Simplex means transmitting and receiving on the same frequency. It is direct radio-to-radio contact. UHF signals are rarely heard beyond the radio horizon because the ionosphere usually does not return them, and buildings or other obstructions can block the direct path (Technician pool questions T2A11, T3C01 and T3A05), so two handhelds that work across open ground may not hear each other across town.
A repeater is an amateur station that simultaneously retransmits another station’s signal on a different channel (47 CFR 97.3). Repeaters serve mainly to extend the operating range of portable and mobile stations on VHF and UHF (Ethics and Operating Procedures), so a handheld that cannot reach across town on simplex may be heard much farther away through a repeater.
Sources: 2026-2030 Technician question pool (T2A01, T2B02) (NCVEC Question Pool Committee); Band Plan (ARRL); IARU Region 2 Band Plan (IARU Region 2)
Offsets
A repeater receives on its input frequency and transmits at the same time on its output frequency. You transmit on the input and listen on the output. The difference between the two is the offset (Technician pool question T2A07). The ARRL’s suggested standard offsets are below, and the same page notes that local and regional band plans take precedence over the national recommendations (ARRL operating guidelines).
| Band | Suggested offset |
|---|---|
| 2 m (144 MHz) | 600 kHz |
| 1.25 m (222 MHz) | 1.6 MHz |
| 70 cm (440 MHz) | 5 MHz |
The offset can be plus or minus. The ARRL 2 m band plan puts repeater inputs at 146.01 to 146.37 MHz and outputs at 146.61 to 146.97 MHz, and outputs at 147.00 to 147.39 MHz with inputs at 147.60 to 147.99 MHz (ARRL band plan). With a 600 kHz offset, the first group’s inputs sit below the outputs (a “minus” offset) and the second group’s sit above (a “plus” offset). If your radio sets the offset direction automatically, check it against the repeater listing.
The reverse function on a VHF/UHF radio makes it listen on the repeater’s input. If you can hear the other station clearly there, you are within simplex range of each other, and simplex channels exist so that stations within range can talk without tying up a repeater (Technician pool questions T2B01 and T2B09).
Access tones
A repeater may require a CTCSS tone: a sub-audible tone sent along with your voice that opens the receiver’s squelch. If you can hear a repeater but cannot access it, the likely causes are the wrong offset, the wrong CTCSS tone or the wrong DCS code. Some repeaters also accept DTMF (touch-tone) signaling, which uses two simultaneous audio tones (Technician pool questions T2B02, T2B04 and T2B06). Set the tone the repeater uses, such as the 100.0 Hz in the diagram above.
Simplex calling frequencies
The ARRL band plan lists a simplex calling frequency or simplex segment for each of these bands (ARRL band plan):
| Band | Frequency | ARRL band plan entry |
|---|---|---|
| 6 m | 52.525 MHz | Primary FM simplex |
| 2 m | 146.52 MHz | National simplex calling frequency |
| 1.25 m | 223.40 to 223.52 MHz | FM simplex segment |
| 70 cm | 446.00 MHz | National simplex frequency |
| 23 cm | 1294.500 MHz | National FM simplex calling frequency |
Calling frequencies are used to start a contact; once the contact is established, the stations move to another frequency (Ethics and Operating Procedures). On 2 m, the ARRL band plan sets aside 146.40 to 146.58 MHz and 147.42 to 147.57 MHz for simplex (ARRL band plan).
Identifying your station
The ITU phonetic alphabet gives each letter one standard word so that letters are not mistaken for each other (Ethics and Operating Procedures). “KE7ZZZ” becomes “Kilo Echo Seven Zulu Zulu Zulu” (ARRL FSD-220). The phonetic alphabet tool converts any call sign for you.
A sample exchange
The call signs below are examples. Start by listening to make sure the repeater is not in use. To let people know you are available, give your call sign followed by “listening” (Technician pool question T2A09):
KE7ZZZ listening.
A station that wants to talk replies with your call sign, then theirs:
KE7ZZZ, this is W1ZZZ.
You answer the same way, their call then yours, and continue the conversation:
W1ZZZ, KE7ZZZ. Thanks for the call. My name is Sam and I’m near the fairgrounds on a handheld. This is my first contact on the air. How are you hearing me? W1ZZZ, KE7ZZZ.
To call a specific station you know is listening, say their call sign and then yours: “W1ZZZ, KE7ZZZ” (Technician pool questions T2A04 and T2A05). When you finish, give your call sign one last time, as the rules require at the end of each communication (47 CFR 97.119):
Thanks for the contact, and 73. KE7ZZZ.
“73” means best regards (ARRL glossary). The ON4UN and ON4WW guide advises keeping repeater contacts short and to the point (Ethics and Operating Procedures).
Common mistakes
- Keying up without speaking. Pressing the transmit button just to hear the repeater respond, without giving your call sign, is an unidentified transmission (47 CFR 97.119). If you want to test, say so and give your call: “KE7ZZZ testing.”
- Not pausing. Between transmissions, wait until the repeater’s carrier drops or its beep sounds. The pause avoids two stations transmitting at once and gives new stations time to identify (Ethics and Operating Procedures). It also leaves room for emergency traffic: every operator must give priority to stations providing emergency communications (47 CFR 97.101).
- Shouting into the microphone. Talking too loudly can make FM audio drop out on voice peaks (Technician pool question T2B05). Speak at a normal level.
- Long transmissions. Keep each turn short and hand it back. Pausing between turns usually lets the repeater’s timer reset and avoids a time-out (Ethics and Operating Procedures).
- Using more power than needed. The rules require the minimum power necessary (47 CFR 97.313). Try low power first.
- Saying “break” to join a chat. The ON4UN and ON4WW guide reserves “break” for emergencies. To join a conversation, wait for a pause between transmissions and give your call sign (Ethics and Operating Procedures).
Finding local repeaters
RepeaterBook is a repeater directory with North American and worldwide listings, searchable by location, call sign or frequency and maintained by a team of administrators; its premium tools are optional. Confirm that a listed repeater is on the air by listening before you rely on it.
A frequency coordinator is an entity recognized in a local or regional area that recommends transmit and receive channels for repeaters to avoid or minimize interference (47 CFR 97.3). When a coordinated and an uncoordinated repeater interfere, the uncoordinated repeater’s licensee has primary responsibility for fixing it (47 CFR 97.205). Ask a local club which repeaters are active and when their nets meet; the resources page lists ways to find one.
Next steps
The rules on the air guide covers the rest of the FCC rules you need day to day. Once FM feels comfortable, try digital modes or contacts through amateur satellites. The Technician study material covers the operating procedures in this guide in exam form.