1.   It's a great band, with characteristics similar to 144-148 MHz, and has certain real advantages over the 2 Meter band.
2.   Radio amateurs will lose this band unless we make better use of it than we do at present.  Amateurs in the US lost 220 to 222 MHz some years ago.  Canadian amateurs have just recently lost 220 to 222 MHz to manufacturers too.  I suspect that commercial interests in Canada want access to the rest of the band, 222 to 225 MHz.
3.   Everybody and his dog seems to want to put up a repeater on the 144 or the 430 band.  You could encourage use of this band if you promoted a repeater on 222 MHz instead.
4.  Use it or lose it.  We have been warned often enough.

Most amateurs, especially those newly-licensed, get equipment for the 2 Meter band.  Manufacturers put out lots of neat rigs for this band, many paired with 440 capability, and they generally  have put the 220 band on the back burner (not totally, as you will see below).  This all goes back to the early days before amateur rigs were available for VHF and when commercial radios could be readily converted to 144 MHz, and not so easily or not at all to 220.  So, lots of hams got on 2 Meters with converted gear.  Eventually manufacturers started making rigs for 2 Meters because they saw that the market was there.  The same sort of thing happened on the 440 band.  But a few manufacturers made equipment for the 220 band, and some amateurs discovered what a good VHF band it is.  Some of us used the Midland 13-509, a 12 channel crystal-controlled 10 watt rig, still good today.  The Clegg FM-76 is a comparable rig.  There is also the Midland 13-513, a similar but synthesized transceiver, 20 watts.

Many amateurs when asked why they don't try 220 say 'why should I buy another rig when nobody is on the band, and there is hardly any equipment available for 220'.  Why you should make a move to get on 220 is noted above - and there are amateurs on the band.  The perception that there is hardly any commercial gear for the 220 band is a fallacy, and new equipment is available - some at very attractive prices.  There is equipment out there that you can use for weak-signal work as well as for FM.  Serious VHF contesters have already made the effort to get on 220 using SSB and CW, for the extra multipliers.

     No equipment available, you say?  Check out the following, compiled by Ted, N4TW.
     Some of these are new, currently available transceivers.  Others may be found on eBay or swap nets.

A Useful Book, if you can find it -
'The Practical Handbook of Amateur Radio FM and Repeaters' by Bill Pasternak, WA6ITF, and Mike Morris, WA6ILQ, was published by Tab Books in 1980.  This book has a lot of information on guess what? FM and repeaters.  It has quite a bit on equipment for the 220 band, including modifying some older commercial equipment for 220, and details on how to convert a Clegg FM-76 (or Midland 13-509) to a 220 repeater.  This is Tab Books No. 1212,  ISBN 0-8306-9959-7.

Transverters - 
Transverters are generally used to get on the CW/SSB portion of the band, but with the right input can be used on FM as well.  You drive the transverter on one band and come out on another.  Received signals are converted to your driving transceiver's frequency.  

The following transverter designs use a 28 MHz transmitter/receiver to generate and receive 222 MHz signals.  You do have a 10 Meter rig, don't you ?  A Radio Shack HTX-100 transceiver makes a good interface rig for these transverters.

An article in QST recently (May 2001) describes how you can modify a Ten-Tec Model 1210
2 Meter transverter (available in kit form at a reasonable price) to come out on 222 MHz.  The modifications could be done by anyone who could build the kit ( for 2 Meters ) in the first place.  There are lots of colour photographs showing details of the conversion.

There is a design for a no-tune transverter for 222 MHz on the QEX CD-ROMs from ARRL.  This was designed by Jack Lau, W1VT, and was described in the July 1993 QEX.  The tuned circuits are etched on the circuit boards.  The pc boards for this project are available from Far Circuits.  Rick, VE3CVG, has notes on the construction of this transverter at  More info on my 222 Xvrtr project .

Down East Microwave Inc. has a transverter for 222 MHz, the 222-28, which is available already constructed or in kit form.

Transmitter, Receiver and Transceiver Kits -
There are a number of companies that offer kits (or sometimes built up) for 222 MHz, mostly FM equipment.

Ten-Tec offers the model 1230 synthesized transceiver.  This rig has 20 watts output.  If you plan to build an FM transceiver, check this one out first.

See also Hamtronics for their T301 and TA51 transmitter and R301 and R100 receiver kits. 

VE3BYT

   Send me an Email if you need further information,
or if you have information we might add to this file.

Return to the SLVRC - Table of Contents.

We're happy to be on the 220 Band -

But these guys aren't on yet !!