Depending on the country the band is shared with other radio services (in United States with government radar systems such as PAVE PAWS).
Due to its size, it's the lowest frequency ham band which can support amateur television transmissions.
However, higher frequencies also present a lower noise floor, making it easier to overcome both natural and artificial interference, especially prevalent in urban environments.
Portable antennas for 2 meters are generally continuously loaded coil spring or "rubber duck" types, while on 70 centimeters they can be a full quarter wavelength.
[2] This allows for many more channels, accommodating fast scan television, wideband digital modes, and point-to-point linking, which may not be permitted on 2-meter and lower frequencies, depending on local regulations.
This can cause receiving stations to experience rapid fluctuations in signal strength, or "picket fencing", when they are in motion.
In properly engineered systems, multipath can also be reduced by assuring that the transmitter uses only the minimum necessary power, allowing the reflected signals to be lower than the receiver's detection threshold.
In some countries, particularly Germany (until the end of 2008)[7] and Switzerland, a portion of the 70 cm band overlaps with a secondary frequency allocation for the operation of Radio control models.
American radio amateurs may use a maximum of one watt of radiated RF power, on any ham frequency authorized for data emissions, to control RC models.