Common Ham Radio Repeater Channel Spacings and Offsets
Part of the Ham Radio For Dummies Cheat Sheet
A ham radio repeater station is an amateur station that retransmits the signals of other stations. The difference between the repeaters' input frequency (the frequency for listening for your signal) and the output frequency (the frequency you listen to) is called the repeater offset. The combination of the two is the repeater pair. Each input or output channel is separated by the same frequency, the channel spacing, so each pair leapfrogs its neighbor.
This list shows the most common output frequencies and repeater offsets to try.
| Band | Output Frequencies of Each Group (In MHz) | Offset from Output to Input Frequency |
|---|---|---|
| 6-meters | 51.62 - 51.98 | - 500 kHz |
| 52.5 - 52.98 | ||
| 53.5 - 53.98 | ||
| 2-meters (there is a mix of 20 and 15 kHz channel spacing) | 145.2 - 145.5 | - 600 kHz |
| 146.61 - 147.00 | - 600 kHz | |
| 147.00 - 147.39 | + 600 kHz | |
| 220 MHz | 223.85 - 224.98 | - 1.6 MHz |
| 440 MHz (local options determine whether inputs are above or below outputs) | 442 - 445 (California repeaters start at 440 MHz) | + 5 MHz |
| 447 - 450 | - 5 MHz | |
| 1296 MHz | 1282 -1288 | - 12 MHz |
