@GM4LLD Ha ha⊠that did make me laugh. One thing I like about English is it is always evolving.
That said⊠thereâs a few Iâd rather hadnât become popular and âreach outâ is one of them⊠(no offence to @KI2D, itâs become a popular phase in some countries)
If you can access Facebook⊠these two super sarcastic Australians have all the new âbusiness speakâ nailed!
A little late to the party, I just saw this. Having blown my radio budget for quite some time into the future, I wonder if my old Yaesu FT-100D has SSB/CW available on 2m and 70cm. The rig is a few states away now in storage and the manual doesnât seem to specify. Anybody know?
Cheers and Happy Solstice,
Eric KG6MZS
Rigpix mentions all modes including packet but says nothing to suggest that this isnât on all bands.
Looks like it can.
HF 6 m 2 m 70 cm
AM: 25 W 25 W 12.5 W 5 W
FM/NFM: 100 W 100 W 50 W 20 W
SSB (PEP): 100 W 100 W 50 W 20 W
CW/Packet: 100 W 100 W 50 W 20 W
Thanks Ian and Brian. I love that old radio, so look forward to resurrecting the aged beast.
Continuing the discussion from 2026 SOTA Challenge (Part 1):
My QRZ bogus location data story:
Iâve spent months trying to work out why so many NZ activators are claiming (Park/Summit/Lake)-to-Lighthouse contacts with Pencarrow Head Lighthouse. Especially when many of the hams listed at this location actually live on the South Island, not the North. Turns out that the 6-digit grid location that the PoLo logger gives to all NZ callsigns who donât specify a maidenhead on QRZ is Pencarrow Head Lighthouse (or more accurately a grid-cell within its AZ). Not sure if QRZ or PoLo make up this fictional location, but itâs been driving me nuts!
Do not trust locations from QRZ (or PoLo) was the lesson learnt!
One request please?
After making a CQ call and getting a reply on the calling freq 144.300. Please QSY up or down so as to leave it clear for others.
It will be QRZ.COM that is generating the grid of RE78kp as a default for ZL amateurs that donât set their own grid or coordinates. I believe PoLo can take this info from qrz.com and includes it in the log.
A similar thing happens with VK amateurs where the default grid is PG66pa. This grid is about 50km from the geodetic centre of Australia, but nowhere near a lighthouse.
This is great news. Would it be possible to include serial number fields (optionally) too? I expect several of us will combine 2026 Challenge activations with contests such as the RSGB Backpackers.
Itâs not a calling frequency in the band plan.
I got a lot of flack on this reflector for pointing that out a year or so ago so I fought my urge to reply. Happy to let you take the flack this time Richard. Expect all the usual arguments pro and con for VHF/UHF CFs vs COAs.
DĂ©jĂ vu
Iâll go and pour myself a whisky 
Never the less it has been known as and treated as a calling frequency at least since the late 70âs. I assume they now call it the centre because you can QSY in either direction, but for the SSB fraternity it remains the calling frequency and should be treated as Don requests.
My turn!
Charming.
Most SSB regulars view it as âthe calling frequencyâ despite what band planners want to imply. There was, I havenât checked the latest rules, something in the RSGB contesting rules that you had to keep 144.290-144.310 clear of contest traffic though it may have been 144.295-144.305. The reason was people still operate 2m SSB during contests and would like to be able call and then QSY out of the way.
Me, well my last non-contest 2m SSB was in the big lift in October. I called CQ on 144.300 and then QSYâd to Geraldâs Frequency* when people came back. With a spot out on SOTAwatch being on Geraldâs Frequency made sense 
* 144.333 is listed as âGeraldâs Frequencyâ in the IARU Region 1 band plan