1.25-meter band

Lore & Background

The 1.25-meter band has a very long and colorful history, dating back to before World War II. Experimental amateur use in the U.S. was known to occur on the '1+1⁄4-meter band' as early as 1933, with reliable communications achieved in fall of 1934. In 1938, the FCC gave U.S. amateurs privileges in two VHF bands: 2.5 meters (112 MHz) and 1.25 meters (224 MHz), both natural harmonics of the 5-meter band. Amateur privileges in the 2.5-meter band were later moved to 144–148 MHz, and the old frequencies were reassigned to aircraft communication during World War II. At that time, the 1.25-meter band expanded to a 5 MHz bandwidth, spanning 220–225 MHz.

Amateur use of VHF and UHF allocations exploded in the late 1960s and early 1970s as repeaters started going on the air, but this interest never fully found its way into the 1.25-meter band. Many amateurs attribute this to the abundance of commercial radio equipment designed for 136–174 MHz and 450–512 MHz that could be easily modified for 2-meter and 70-centimeter bands, while no commercial frequency allocations were near the 1.25-meter band. This meant amateurs had to build their own equipment or purchase specialized radios. In 1987, the FCC modified the Novice license to allow voice privileges on portions of the 1.25-meter band, prompting some manufacturers to produce equipment, but it never sold well and most stopped production by the early 1990s.

In the late 1980s, United Parcel Service (UPS) lobbied the FCC to reallocate part of the band to the Land Mobile Service, leading to the 1988 220 MHz Allocation Order that reallocated 220–222 MHz to private and federal government land-mobile use, leaving 222–225 MHz exclusively for amateur use. UPS eventually pursued other means, and the 220–222 MHz band was later issued to other commercial interests via a lottery. In Canada, a similar reallocation of 220–222 MHz to land mobile users went into effect January 2006, with a provision allowing amateur use for disaster relief on a secondary basis.

Reader's Guide

The 1.25-meter band's significance lies in its unique position as a VHF allocation that has faced both reallocation pressures and a persistent, if niche, amateur community. The band's history illustrates the interplay between amateur radio and commercial interests, particularly the 1988 U.S. reallocation of 220–222 MHz following lobbying by United Parcel Service, which sparked renewed amateur interest in protecting the remaining 3 MHz. The band's legacy includes its role as a testing ground for narrowband technologies and its use by paging companies in the 1990s and 2000s, most of which ended by the mid-2000s. Today, the band is used by many amateurs with an interest in VHF spectrum, with pockets of widespread use in New England and western states such as California and Arizona. The number of repeaters grew to approximately 1,500 nationwide as of 2004. New handheld and mobile equipment is being produced, and it is estimated that more amateurs have 1.25-meter equipment now than at any point in the past. The band also serves as the lowest available frequency for auxiliary stations (repeater control links) in the United States, as many frequencies in the crowded 2-meter band are prohibited for such use.

Did You Know?

• The 1.25-meter band calling frequencies are 223.500 MHz for FM simplex and 222.100 MHz for SSB/CW in the U.S. and Canada.
• Experimental amateur use on the band was known as early as 1933, with reliable communications achieved in fall of 1934.
• The band is not available for use in ITU Region 1 except in Somalia, and not in ITU Region 3.