Simplex Is Not the Problem… It's the Solution
12/07/26 06:16
Why Simplex and Weak Signal Operating Still Matter
By Greg Lewis, N5XO
Over the past several years I've heard the same comment repeated more times than I can count.
"Simplex nets are a bad idea."
Usually that opinion comes from someone who simply cannot participate effectively on simplex because their station, antenna system, or operating location doesn't allow it. The conclusion they reach is that all nets belong on repeatersbecause "that's where everyone can hear everyone."
I respectfully disagree.
In fact, I believe that mindset runs contrary to one of the very foundations upon which Amateur Radio was built.
Let's Define the Difference
Before we go any further, let's make sure we're talking about the same thing.
A Simplex Net
A simplex net operates with every station transmitting and receiving on the same frequency, with no repeater or outside infrastructure involved.
Every signal you hear is traveling directly from one station to another.
Your success depends upon:
Your station.
A Weak Signal Net
A Weak Signal Net is a specialized form of simplex operation.
Instead of simply trying to communicate locally, operators intentionally push the limits of their stations to make contacts at remarkable distances using modes such as:
They're looking for the contact everyone else thinks can't be made.
That's experimentation.
That's engineering.
That's Amateur Radio.
Repeaters Are Wonderful...
Let's be perfectly clear.
I own repeaters.
I appreciate repeaters.
Repeaters serve an incredibly valuable purpose.
They allow handheld operators to communicate over large areas.
They support emergency coordination.
They provide daily conversation and fellowship.
They introduce countless newcomers to our hobby.
Repeaters absolutely have their place.
But...
They should never become a crutch.
What Happens When the Repeater Isn't There?
This is the question every Amateur Radio operator should honestly ask themselves.
What happens when:
If your entire Amateur Radio experience depends upon talking through a repeater...
...your communications capability just disappeared.
The operator who regularly practices simplex doesn't have that problem.
Neither does the Weak Signal operator.
They're already accustomed to communicating directly.
Exactly the way Amateur Radio was originally designed.
Emergency Communications Begins With Direct Communications
One of the stated purposes of Amateur Radio is providing emergency communications.
Notice what it doesn't say.
It doesn't say:
"Emergency communications...provided the repeater is still working."
Infrastructure is wonderful...
until it isn't.
History has shown us repeatedly that hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, ice storms, wildfires, and other disasters don't always leave infrastructure standing.
The operator who has learned how to communicate directly station-to-station possesses a skill that cannot be replaced by a taller tower or a more elaborate repeater system.
Amateur Radio Has Always Been About Pushing Limits
One of my favorite things about this hobby is that hams have spent over a century proving people wrong.
How many times have we heard...
"That band is useless."
"Those frequencies are garbage."
"You'll never communicate very far on that."
We've heard it over...
and over...
and over.
Then hams went out and did exactly that.
Six meters?
Called "The Magic Band."
Two Meter SSB?
Hundreds of miles.
432 MHz?
Hundreds of miles.
1296 MHz?
Hundreds of miles.
Microwave?
Thousands of successful contacts.
Moonbounce?
Signals literally traveling nearly half a million miles.
Every generation of Amateur Radio operators has expanded what people believed was possible.
Not by accepting limitations...
But by challenging them.
Our Nets Are Proving the Point
Here in South Texas, our Simplex and Weak Signal Nets continue demonstrating exactly why these activities matter.
Week after week we hear stations checking in from distances that surprise many operators.
Some are using modest stations.
Others have invested in improving antennas, feedlines, mast height, low-noise preamps, or operating techniques.
Many of those improvements happened because someone listened during a net and thought:
"If they can do it...maybe I can too."
That's exactly the kind of inspiration our hobby needs.
I've watched operators upgrade from:
Each improvement expanded their capabilities.
Each improvement made them a better operator.
No repeater could have taught those lessons.
Don't Lower the Standard...
Raise Your Station
If simplex is difficult...
don't give up.
Improve your station.
Raise the antenna.
Replace poor coax.
Experiment with antenna designs.
Learn about feedline loss.
Study propagation.
Try horizontal polarization.
Optimize your equipment.
Ask questions.
Learn from operators who have already traveled that road.
The answer isn't to abandon simplex.
The answer is to become better at simplex.
That journey is where Amateur Radio becomes truly rewarding.
The Culture We Should Encourage
Instead of saying:
"Simplex doesn't work."
Let's ask:
"How can we make it work better?"
Instead of saying:
"You need a repeater."
Let's ask:
"How can we improve your station so you don't?"
That subtle difference changes everything.
One accepts limitations.
The other overcomes them.
The Spirit of Amateur Radio
At its heart, Amateur Radio has never been about taking the easiest path.
It's about learning.
Experimenting.
Building.
Improving.
Teaching.
Mentoring.
Sharing.
Discovering.
If every contact is made through infrastructure built by someone else...
we miss one of the greatest educational opportunities this hobby offers.
Simplex reminds us that our station matters.
Weak Signal reminds us that our imagination matters.
My Challenge
If you've never joined a Simplex Net...
Give it a try.
If you've never operated 2 Meter SSB...
Borrow a radio.
Listen.
Ask questions.
If your station isn't reaching as far as you'd like...
Don't become discouraged.
Become curious.
Every antenna improvement teaches something.
Every foot of added height matters.
Every better connector, every lower-loss feedline, every improved operating technique moves you one step farther down the road.
You may surprise yourself.
And one evening you'll hear a distant station answer your call—a station you never imagined you could work.
That moment is what Amateur Radio is all about.
Not because a repeater connected you.
But because you connected.
That is the spirit of Amateur Radio.
That is why we continue promoting Simplex and Weak Signal operation.
Not because repeaters are unimportant.
But because Amateur Radio has always belonged to those willing to discover what lies just beyond the horizon.
And history has shown, time and time again...
Those horizons are always farther away than we first believed.
73,
Greg Lewis – N5XO Founder, HAMster Weak Signal Group Emergency Coordinator – Bandera County ARES
By Greg Lewis, N5XO
Over the past several years I've heard the same comment repeated more times than I can count.
"Simplex nets are a bad idea."
Usually that opinion comes from someone who simply cannot participate effectively on simplex because their station, antenna system, or operating location doesn't allow it. The conclusion they reach is that all nets belong on repeatersbecause "that's where everyone can hear everyone."
I respectfully disagree.
In fact, I believe that mindset runs contrary to one of the very foundations upon which Amateur Radio was built.
Let's Define the Difference
Before we go any further, let's make sure we're talking about the same thing.
A Simplex Net
A simplex net operates with every station transmitting and receiving on the same frequency, with no repeater or outside infrastructure involved.
Every signal you hear is traveling directly from one station to another.
Your success depends upon:
- Your antenna
- Your feedline
- Your radio
- Your operating technique
- Your location
- Your understanding of propagation
Your station.
A Weak Signal Net
A Weak Signal Net is a specialized form of simplex operation.
Instead of simply trying to communicate locally, operators intentionally push the limits of their stations to make contacts at remarkable distances using modes such as:
- 2 Meter SSB
- 70 cm SSB
- CW
- Digital modes
- Tropospheric enhancement
- Meteor Scatter
- EME (Earth-Moon-Earth)
- Microwave bands
They're looking for the contact everyone else thinks can't be made.
That's experimentation.
That's engineering.
That's Amateur Radio.
Repeaters Are Wonderful...
Let's be perfectly clear.
I own repeaters.
I appreciate repeaters.
Repeaters serve an incredibly valuable purpose.
They allow handheld operators to communicate over large areas.
They support emergency coordination.
They provide daily conversation and fellowship.
They introduce countless newcomers to our hobby.
Repeaters absolutely have their place.
But...
They should never become a crutch.
What Happens When the Repeater Isn't There?
This is the question every Amateur Radio operator should honestly ask themselves.
What happens when:
- Commercial power fails?
- The backup battery dies?
- Lightning destroys the controller?
- The tower collapses?
- Internet linking disappears?
- Fuel for generators runs out?
- Multiple repeaters fail simultaneously?
If your entire Amateur Radio experience depends upon talking through a repeater...
...your communications capability just disappeared.
The operator who regularly practices simplex doesn't have that problem.
Neither does the Weak Signal operator.
They're already accustomed to communicating directly.
Exactly the way Amateur Radio was originally designed.
Emergency Communications Begins With Direct Communications
One of the stated purposes of Amateur Radio is providing emergency communications.
Notice what it doesn't say.
It doesn't say:
"Emergency communications...provided the repeater is still working."
Infrastructure is wonderful...
until it isn't.
History has shown us repeatedly that hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, ice storms, wildfires, and other disasters don't always leave infrastructure standing.
The operator who has learned how to communicate directly station-to-station possesses a skill that cannot be replaced by a taller tower or a more elaborate repeater system.
Amateur Radio Has Always Been About Pushing Limits
One of my favorite things about this hobby is that hams have spent over a century proving people wrong.
How many times have we heard...
"That band is useless."
"Those frequencies are garbage."
"You'll never communicate very far on that."
We've heard it over...
and over...
and over.
Then hams went out and did exactly that.
Six meters?
Called "The Magic Band."
Two Meter SSB?
Hundreds of miles.
432 MHz?
Hundreds of miles.
1296 MHz?
Hundreds of miles.
Microwave?
Thousands of successful contacts.
Moonbounce?
Signals literally traveling nearly half a million miles.
Every generation of Amateur Radio operators has expanded what people believed was possible.
Not by accepting limitations...
But by challenging them.
Our Nets Are Proving the Point
Here in South Texas, our Simplex and Weak Signal Nets continue demonstrating exactly why these activities matter.
Week after week we hear stations checking in from distances that surprise many operators.
Some are using modest stations.
Others have invested in improving antennas, feedlines, mast height, low-noise preamps, or operating techniques.
Many of those improvements happened because someone listened during a net and thought:
"If they can do it...maybe I can too."
That's exactly the kind of inspiration our hobby needs.
I've watched operators upgrade from:
- A handheld to a mobile.
- A mobile whip to a quality base antenna.
- Vertical polarization to horizontal polarization for Weak Signal.
- Fifty feet of lossy coax to quality low-loss feedline.
- Simple installations to carefully engineered stations.
Each improvement expanded their capabilities.
Each improvement made them a better operator.
No repeater could have taught those lessons.
Don't Lower the Standard...
Raise Your Station
If simplex is difficult...
don't give up.
Improve your station.
Raise the antenna.
Replace poor coax.
Experiment with antenna designs.
Learn about feedline loss.
Study propagation.
Try horizontal polarization.
Optimize your equipment.
Ask questions.
Learn from operators who have already traveled that road.
The answer isn't to abandon simplex.
The answer is to become better at simplex.
That journey is where Amateur Radio becomes truly rewarding.
The Culture We Should Encourage
Instead of saying:
"Simplex doesn't work."
Let's ask:
"How can we make it work better?"
Instead of saying:
"You need a repeater."
Let's ask:
"How can we improve your station so you don't?"
That subtle difference changes everything.
One accepts limitations.
The other overcomes them.
The Spirit of Amateur Radio
At its heart, Amateur Radio has never been about taking the easiest path.
It's about learning.
Experimenting.
Building.
Improving.
Teaching.
Mentoring.
Sharing.
Discovering.
If every contact is made through infrastructure built by someone else...
we miss one of the greatest educational opportunities this hobby offers.
Simplex reminds us that our station matters.
Weak Signal reminds us that our imagination matters.
My Challenge
If you've never joined a Simplex Net...
Give it a try.
If you've never operated 2 Meter SSB...
Borrow a radio.
Listen.
Ask questions.
If your station isn't reaching as far as you'd like...
Don't become discouraged.
Become curious.
Every antenna improvement teaches something.
Every foot of added height matters.
Every better connector, every lower-loss feedline, every improved operating technique moves you one step farther down the road.
You may surprise yourself.
And one evening you'll hear a distant station answer your call—a station you never imagined you could work.
That moment is what Amateur Radio is all about.
Not because a repeater connected you.
But because you connected.
That is the spirit of Amateur Radio.
That is why we continue promoting Simplex and Weak Signal operation.
Not because repeaters are unimportant.
But because Amateur Radio has always belonged to those willing to discover what lies just beyond the horizon.
And history has shown, time and time again...
Those horizons are always farther away than we first believed.
73,
Greg Lewis – N5XO Founder, HAMster Weak Signal Group Emergency Coordinator – Bandera County ARES
