UHF APRS: I think I may have a solution!

 Hello there, just a short tidbit I wanted to share.

With the re-banding of my Maxon SM4450, I wanted to share some information regarding the use of APRS on 70cm FM. It turns out, it is possible! The ARRL website has a PDF document that lists the following frequencies as recommendations for packet radio, written and drawn up in the summer of 1987. Paraphrased, it reads:

    "The 70-cm band presents the most difficult challenge for recommending frequencies for packet radio. Due to its heavy use in the metropolitan areas of the US, it makes recommendations nearly impossible. The committee, after deliberation, has agreed upon the following frequencies if they are available for use in the area in question:

    "1. 100KHz-wide packet channels at 430.05, 430.15, 430.25, 430.35, 430.45, 430.55, 430.65, 430.85, and 430.95 are strongly encouraged. The use of 430.75 is discouraged to prevent interference from ATV stations.

    "2. 25KHz-wide packet channels at 440.975, 441.000, 441.025, 441.050, and 441.075 are recommended. An additional narrowband channel at 431.025 could be used as a buffer for these frequencies."

This is a huge find as I have had several questions about doing APRS on UHF. For practical reasons, I think 441.000MHz is the perfect place to put a 1200-baud APRS station. Personally, I don't see why we couldn't put APRS on UHF.

If you have implemented a UHF APRS system, please let me know! I'd love to learn more about it.