220 MHz: The El Camino of Ham Radio
Are we ignoring half the ham bands?
In this episode, Eric N1JUR, Todd W1STJ, Paul N1OG, and Mike N2MAK dig into the “lost bands” of amateur radio — 220 MHz (1.25m), 900 MHz (33cm), 60 meters, and other underused parts of the spectrum.
Why are these bands so quiet?
Is it cost? Equipment availability? Programming headaches?
Or are we just stuck on 2 meters and 440?
We break down:
220 MHz — the “bridge band” (aka the El Camino band)
900 MHz resurgence with surplus Motorola radios
DMR & CPS software barriers
Baofeng vs. buying once, crying once
Why manufacturers won’t build a true “do-it-all” radio
How POTA growth could change future radio design
Propagation differences between 2m, 70cm, 220 & 900
If you’ve ever asked:
👉 “Is 220 worth it?”
👉 “Should I try 900 MHz?”
👉 “Why doesn’t anyone use these bands?”
This one’s for you.
We’ve got the spectrum… maybe it’s time we actually use it.
//**************************************************************//
Support the show:
Buy Us a Beer: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/lfhpodcast
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/LiveFreeandHamPodcast
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100093543540309
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/livefreeandham/
//******* Feedback and Questions! //
Leave the hosts a voicemail:
Call and leave us a voicemail with comments or questions, or let us know how we can improve our jobs. 978.233.1142
Affiliate:
Reliance Antennas - 10% off and free shipping at https://www.relianceantennas.com/ CODE: LIVEFREEANDHAM
Halibut Electronics - 10% discount on all purchases https://electronics.halibut.com/ of $25 or more, limited to three uses per listener. CODE: LIVEFREEANDHAM
SeeedStudios - Here are a bunch of discounts you can get on Seed Meshtastic products directly from Seeed Studios - https://seeedstudios.com
SenseCAP T1000-E for Meshtastic T911V2C9
Wio Tracker L1&L1 Lite for Meshtastic 6JOK7P67
Wio Tracker L1 Pro & L1 E-ink for Meshtastic 0RAXP5FG
Solar Node P1 Series for meshtastic YHOO5J2D
YouTube Channel:
Live Free and Ham - @livefreeandham
Eric (N1JUR) - @N1JUR
Paul (N1OG) - @NovemberOneOscarGrouch
Todd (W1STJ) - @W1STJ
Swag/Shows/Updates:
https://livefreeandham.com
Join our Discord:
https://discord.com/invite/zas2cAVNPs
If you would also like to learn more about the hosts:
Todd (W1STJ) - https://w1stj.com
Eric (N1JUR) - https://n1jur.com
Paul (N1OG) - https://www.qrz.com/db/N1OG
