I have an idea which might spur on usage of these bands (And developers to manufacturers to develop radios to operate on BOTH Analog AND Digital modes)

That is a firmware upgrade to make it possible to transmit & receive on the 6M & 1.2 GHz. bands

I'm not sure how it is in other parts of the world BUT those of us in North America NOT ONLY have access to these bands BUT ALSO are GROSSLY GUILTY (And I'll admit my part) of UNDER UTILIZING them

To alleviate this, I suggest an upgrade to the firmware to spur on growth of these bands as this would give manufacturers like Radioddity incentive to develop radios capable of transmitting BOTH Analog AND Digital on these bands

Plus (And SINCE) the ARRL National band plans for these bands (And those at the local level) leave room (Albeit indirectly like that of VoIP modes) for use of DVM operation on those bands

So WHY SHOULDN'T you guys lead the way in spurring growth of these bands by launching a firmware update to include the ability to transmit & receive on 6M & 1.2 Ghz. just as it's currently possible to do the same on 2M & 440 today

This way, once radio development catches up, you guys will be ahead of the game while the other hotspot developers will still be playing catch-up [emoji1787][emoji23]

As someone who once owned a Quad-Bander (Albeit a 6M / 2M / 440 / 1.2 GHz. radio) & was once active on 6M SSB, I'm sure you can appreciate my desire to get back on those bands (And I see HUGE potential for that in the DVM world [emoji23])

As for antennas, last I checked,, any 5/8 wavelength 2M IS a 1/4 wavelength on 6M. As for 1.2 GHz., a thick stubby-stick rubber duck antenna would do the job quite nicely (I'd suggest a thin stubby-stick rubber duck antenna from a Raspberry Pi based hotspot but those are a bit lossy at higher power levels higher than a quarter milli-watt or so)

Now, you'll note that I didn't include the 220 band because there's no room for DVM modes on EITHER the ARRL National Band Plan OR those at the state level here in America (Can't speak for you foreigners however). As such, people with better knowledge than me will have to chime in here

Anyway, does this sound like a good idea or is it crazy like my last one??

Insert thoughts here [emoji23]

Cheers & 73 [emoji23]

Pat, KB0OXD

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