tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-73522234556419581012012-01-31T19:57:44.763ZA spot to keep the SCARS membership up-to-date on the club's repeater systems.plawsnoreply@blogger.comBlogger391100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7352223455641958101.post-69227959757129942132012-01-31T19:57:00.004Z2012-01-31T19:57:44.773Z

As many members know, there has been an intermittent interference issue affecting the VHF repeater.  What the committee believes is happening is that two signals are mixing with the product of the two showing up at the link receiver.  This is why members hear the Stadium courtesy tone after the repeater drops.  One of the two signals mixing is SCARS' own UHF system; the other is unknown.  The

plawsnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7352223455641958101.post-91753639921789568802011-11-14T15:55:00.001Z2011-11-14T16:00:48.512Z

A representative of the Technical Committee visited the main repeater site on Friday, 11/11.  The repeater controller was re-initialized using special software from the vendor then had the firmware and our configuration reloaded.  As of this writing, all seems well. The recorded announcements were not reloaded due to a "connector failure" (as in the TechComm rep did not have the correct adapter!

plawsnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7352223455641958101.post-74692919446797288042011-11-06T23:59:00.000Z2011-11-06T23:59:15.660Z

Your SCARS Technical Committee has not been having fun over these past few weeks.  About the end of September, the crunch monster returned to the VHF repeater.  Since then, things have become less-fun.  There are two things going on; RF issues and controller issues.  RF Signals are appearing in the repeater that are unwanted.  Sometimes, these signals are retransmitted by the repeater because

plawsnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7352223455641958101.post-54387284373481711242011-09-27T15:57:00.000Z2011-09-27T15:57:29.471Z

Boy, if it's not one thing, it's another.  Sometime on 2011-09-26, we started getting noise on the 06 repeater.  Sometimes, the noise is near the tail end of a user's transmission, sometimes it appears on its own.  Occasionally, the UHF repeater voice ID can clearly be heard, other times not.  Whether this is the old "Crunch Monster" that used to appear on the system years ago and not heard in a

plawsnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7352223455641958101.post-70955757124211810272011-09-15T13:51:00.000Z2011-09-22T15:47:02.338Z

06 (and the UHF repeater and the Norman digi) are back on the air. There was a fault in the underground power feed to the county radio hut.  The power provider has connected a generator to keep the radio equipment and tower safety lighting on. Please note that repairs are not yet complete with no time-line known to this reporter. It is expected that repeater service will be interrupted at

plawsnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7352223455641958101.post-81906215990522814612011-09-14T17:39:00.000Z2011-09-14T19:18:21.975Z

Looks like the power supply may have "crowbarred."  We are unable to access the site until Thursday afternoon, so in the meantime, please avail yourselves of SCARS' 443.7000+ (141.3) repeater or N5MS' OU repeater at 146.8800- (CSQ).

plawsnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7352223455641958101.post-12262150993214612462011-07-20T14:54:00.000Z2011-07-20T14:54:16.598Z

On this day in 1969.

plawsnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7352223455641958101.post-74431267073332865982011-06-24T21:52:00.000Z2011-06-24T21:52:16.050Z

We'll need to make some tweaks, of course.  Kyle already dialled back the too-aggressive kerchunk filter and I'm sure there will be others. Special thanks to Ken B, Ken E, Kyle K for doing the work, Phil S and Bill L for the supervision, and our friends from the Cleveland County Sheriff's Office, John G and Jon L (both hams). Next up:  Tower work!

plawsnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7352223455641958101.post-78746702097901897392011-05-06T16:35:00.002Z2011-05-07T15:25:30.220Z

But only temporarily. The room that houses it is being renovated, so it has been moved to a temporary location. Once power is restored, it will again be active and we expect that to occur TODAY, May 6. UPDATE:  We're back.  Shouldn't be any change in operation as no equipment was changed, just moved.

plawsnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7352223455641958101.post-24989980855977649312011-03-14T17:03:00.003Z2011-03-14T17:09:09.548Z

... This is W5NOR ...Whenever you hear the repeater transmit its callsign, in voice or code, take this as a hint that you should identify your own station. The timer is set for 9 minutes, so if you've been in a long QSO, you should have enough time to stay legal.Also recall that the repeaters have blab-off timers. Should you talk too long without allowing the repeater to reset its timer, the

plawsnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7352223455641958101.post-60940222145114053992011-03-14T17:02:00.000Z2011-03-14T17:03:23.698Z

(This has been posted this before but it's worth repeating)Your HT, mobile, or home station should have the following channels programmed into memory slots:147.0600 +600 kHz offset, transmit tone 141.3 Hz147.0600 +600 kHz offset, transmit tone 100.0 Hz147.0600 simplex, transmit tone 141.3 HzFollowing this pattern allows switching between repeater receivers with a minimum of hassles.The repeater

plawsnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7352223455641958101.post-27362847950299604832010-11-24T02:33:00.016Z2010-11-24T02:51:26.588Z

Ken B recently brought the repeater project to a place where several of us can work on it. Progress!This is the front view. Top to bottom: Custom box housing control and link receivers; RC-210 controller; Kenwood repeater; Astron power supply.Close up of front: The Kenwood actually has several "channels" in it, to allow testing and to have a fallback mode should the controller fail.Close-up of

plawsnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7352223455641958101.post-1531776224982714562010-05-14T14:16:00.005Z2010-05-14T14:30:37.494Z

We had a recent event where a ham was sitting on or otherwise keying his mic unintentionally. Unfortunately, the ham's rig was tuned to the 147.06 repeater! This caused the repeater to become unusable, of course. The repeater itself will timeout if a station transmits for longer than 3 minutes. Unfortunately for the rest of us, the unknown ham was still transmitting after the repeater reset.

plawsnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7352223455641958101.post-20160424875466230812009-11-30T22:40:00.005Z2011-05-04T20:00:17.281Z

The repeater, not the Weird Al movie.Please tune to 443.7000 MHz, tone 141.3, and give it a test drive.This 10-year-newer Motorola unit was a gift from Ken, KC5OU, who found it online and gave it a new home. Controller for the unit is a Computer Automation Technology CAT-200B. Although used, it is in very clean condition.KC5OU and your editor took it out to the site and installed it today.While

plawsnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7352223455641958101.post-48605564154271176702009-08-03T20:18:00.002Z2009-08-04T03:31:24.961Z

Ken KC5OU has refurbished the Stadium Remote and it is back in service atop the OU Football Stadium press box. A new channel element was installed moving the input to 147.660, the same as the main receiver. To use the Stadium Remote, please use tone 100.0.Consider the next few weeks as a "test" to make sure that all is well.

plawsnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7352223455641958101.post-31120356851308229392009-05-05T20:29:00.003Z2009-05-05T20:35:10.005Z

OK, not really. In fact, you'll probably need less power to reach the VHF repeater. Thanks to Ken KC5OU, the receiver section of the repeater was recently re-aligned. The increase in sensitivity was on the order of 25 dB thanks to adjusting some components that had changed value over time. We've had some good reports from KE5DVB in Newalla and KD5RAK on his HT in far west Norman.

plawsnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7352223455641958101.post-43231326763326263112009-05-02T02:26:00.005Z2011-03-14T17:02:05.670Z

(This has been posted this before but it's worth repeating)Your HT, mobile, or home station should have the following channels programmed into memory slots:147.0600 +600 kHz offset, transmit tone 141.3 Hz147.0600 +600 kHz offset, transmit tone 100.0 Hz147.0600 simplex, transmit tone 141.3 HzFollowing this pattern allows switching between repeater receivers with a minimum of hassles.The repeater

plawsnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7352223455641958101.post-68707465068981908642009-04-29T19:04:00.003Z2009-04-29T19:23:49.843Z

Whenever the power cycles at the Stadium, the Stadium Remote resets. That's why we've been hearing AC6GT's Echolink node coming through the repeater. We are working on gaining reliable access to the Stadium in order to visit with the equipment which is surely lonely not having been touched in several years. If we can repair the CTCSS tone board, that should end the interference issues with

plawsnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7352223455641958101.post-27998350029949840962008-12-29T18:21:00.002Z2008-12-29T18:25:57.527Z

ORSI (see link over to the right) is Oklahoma's repeater coordinator. They haven't seen fit to become a spectrum manager like many other coordinators. TASMA, the group that coordinates the 2-m band in Southern California, sure has though. Look at their bandplan: http://www.tasma.org/bandplan.pdf. There is no need to worry about where you can set your dual-band rig to be a cross-band repeater

plawsnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7352223455641958101.post-44431190664346310672008-08-19T14:37:00.003Z2008-08-19T14:44:29.574Z

SCARS holds a coordination on the 147.0600/147.6600 pair. We do not hold a coordination for 146.46. AC6GT has put up an IRLP or Echolink node on 146.46 in South OKC. Needless to say, this gets into the "minus input" quite well. As a result, we have disabled the Stadium Remote pending a decision on further upgrades. The tentative plan is to complete the main repeater upgrade and then devote

plawsnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7352223455641958101.post-91426176008662497132007-11-10T19:50:00.000Z2007-11-10T19:53:24.674Z

Looks like the receiver at the main site for the Stadium Remote has gone deaf. We can hear the link signal, but it's not getting through the repeater.Unfortunately, the main receiver seems to have reduced sensitivity as well. Given work schedules, it may not be possible to get out to the site until 11/18. Watch this space for updates!

plawsnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7352223455641958101.post-75745747496668158382007-08-11T21:38:00.000Z2007-08-11T21:48:16.514Z

The purchase of a cabinet was approved at the August meeting. The Technical Committee expects to have that on-hand in the next two weeks or so (the manufacturer is right here in Wynnewood - buy local!).Programming of the controller is under way. The guts of the system are much more capable than the older RC-85 controller in the current system. Not that there is anything wrong with the current

plawsnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7352223455641958101.post-87663807683556508592007-07-24T19:20:00.000Z2007-07-24T19:22:18.890Z

Didn't find a cabinet at Ham Holiday, but did get a couple of leads. Following up on those now.The Main receiver (the "+ input") is flaky again. Jeff KT5OK had to remotely shut off that receiver today as it caused the transmitter to lock on. Please use the Stadium Remote ("- input") in the meantime. Thanks.

plawsnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7352223455641958101.post-36485612051821404822007-07-17T13:27:00.000Z2007-07-17T13:28:29.463Z

Bill, KD5DOB, suggested we wait on purchasing the cabinet until after Ham Holiday in the hope that a suitable one can be found there. If one cannot, we will make a motion at the August meeting to purchase the cabinet from the folks in Wynnewood.

plawsnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7352223455641958101.post-73179532020430446842007-07-14T13:26:00.000Z2007-07-14T13:38:04.794Z

The main receiver on the VHF system is in an intermittent state, due either to lightning or to the 18 feet of rain we've had. Ken B has been out to look at what can be done and as of about 0830 local on Saturday, the main receiver (the "+ input") was functioning normally. The Stadium Remote (the "- input") has functioned correctly all along.As a reminder, your HT, mobile, or home station should

plawsnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7352223455641958101.post-61652710505756441092007-06-17T18:34:00.000Z2007-06-18T02:43:33.709Z

Ken B has a cabinet suitable for temporarily housing the new repeater. In the meantime, we have been actively seeking a new weather-resistant cabinet and believe we have found a suitable candidate. Please see http://www.ddbunlimited.com/indoor-nema-enclosures.htm. The one that meets the club's needs is the model ST-30D. One neat feature: these cabinets are built right here in Wynnewood,

plawsnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7352223455641958101.post-9557569149965175162007-05-25T16:00:00.000Z2007-05-25T16:01:41.482Z

Thanks to Ken B, the 443.7000 system is back in service at the regular site!

plawsnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7352223455641958101.post-45132726168322573432007-05-22T13:37:00.001Z2008-11-13T07:19:50.754Z

This is part of the power supply for the 440 system. See the label that says 8 AMP? See what appears to be a black spot just beneath it? That's where the magic smoke escaped when lightning struck the tower back on 5/8. Click on the image for a better view. This is the back cover of the 440 system. See that black spot? That's where the magic smoke forcefully contacted the cover. There is a

plawsnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7352223455641958101.post-10369843601826889162007-05-20T15:17:00.000Z2007-05-20T15:19:14.528Z

Thanks to quick work by Tech Comm member Ken, N5KUK, the 443.7000 system is back up ... at a different location temporarily. We hope to get it back to its rightful spot sometime this week.

plawsnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7352223455641958101.post-27630087685825179192007-05-19T18:16:00.000Z2007-05-19T18:16:33.181Z

5/8: As of about 08:00 this morning, the UHF system was down. 147.06 and the NORMAN digipeater (144.3900 MHz) seemed to be OK. A site visit will be made, weather permitting.Update 5/9: KC5OU made a site visit yesterday. He was able to reset the power on the NORMAN digipeater, but the power supply for the 443.7000 UHF system is, apparently, dead. Further updates soon.Update 5/18: The 440

plawsnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7352223455641958101.post-4187283340578897972007-04-13T16:40:00.001Z2007-04-13T16:59:58.235Z

I've added a few links, over there on the right margin, to the band plans for the 2m and 70cm amateur bands. The band plans are "gentlemen's agreements" amongst us all that divide the band in to different areas for different uses. The band plans also incorporate FCC regulations, namely our frequency allocations. Do they have the force of law? In some cases directly, yes. For example you may

plawsnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7352223455641958101.post-9917022099380056502007-04-05T21:38:00.000Z2007-04-05T21:48:20.002Z

We're still searching for a permanent cabinet. This reporter was up at Total Radio (a Motorola Service Station) in OKC last week to have an NMO mount installed in a vehicle and noted a number of surplus cabinets in their shop. The tech committee may send an expedition there to see if they'd be willing to part with any of them and whether or not any are suitable for our use. The repeater itself

plawsnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7352223455641958101.post-58988272987760475102007-04-02T18:21:00.001Z2011-05-04T20:01:19.330Z

Ken KC5OU and I went out to the repeater site. We found that three fuses had given their lives in service to the club. The VHF, UHF, and NØELS digipeater are all now back in service!Your reporter thanks Ken for his "tour of the cables"!

plawsnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7352223455641958101.post-26779778590649180162007-04-02T13:41:00.001Z2011-05-04T20:02:55.326Z

As you are likely aware, the W5NOR repeaters, as well as the Norman Digipeater, ceased to function Friday, March 30, at about 1915 local time. Fortunately, this was after the severe weather net had gone into standby mode! Since all three transmitters are off the air, we believe that this is power-related. Once we have secured site access, we will visit the site and make a further diagnosis and

plawsnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7352223455641958101.post-53135700678897066612007-03-24T16:15:00.000Z2007-03-24T16:36:46.209Z

We're making progress. All the major parts of the replacement repeater have been ordered. Updates as they occur!

plawsnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7352223455641958101.post-67557802184506733232007-03-19T15:34:00.000Z2007-03-19T16:52:41.579Z

Ken N5KUK liked the looks of the Arcom RC-210 repeater controller that we've spec'd out for the VHF System Replacement so much that he bought one for his own repeater. His unit has arrived and, so far, we're impressed with the workmanship. He bought the rack-mount case and one audio delay board. We'll be buying the same, plus another delay board and the autopatch board. Ken has also played

plawsnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7352223455641958101.post-91533102202663920402007-03-15T17:14:00.001Z2011-05-04T20:02:20.179Z

We think we know why the Stadium Remote has occasional problems!First, a little background. Up in the Press Box area on the west side of OU Memorial Stadium, SCARS has a 146.46 MHz receiver. This is the "minus side" for our VHF system. That receiver is connected via a controller to a transmitter that sends the signal back to the main site east of town. This system had been tended by a fellow

plawsnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7352223455641958101.post-50000315892242231372007-03-15T01:51:00.000Z2007-03-15T01:59:08.095Z

We're getting close to actually ordering equipment, maybe even as early as this week. Ken and I were discussing what all needs to be done and it occurred to us that we'd better give you folks an idea of how long this will take. Ken's example was this: If we got ALL the equipment tomorrow, it would still likely be 60 days until the new station is on the air. Both major pieces will need to be

plawsnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7352223455641958101.post-84593929576649314632007-03-15T01:19:00.000Z2007-03-16T17:01:20.718Z

I'll post a PDF of the Tech Comm's repeater report here in a few days. The committee realized that there will be a lot going on over the next 60-90 days in regards to the repeater and that we needed to keep SCARS members up to date. So, a blog.We have decided on the equipment, as we discussed briefly at the last meeting. The main RF section will be a Kenwood TKR-750. This is a commercial Land

plawsnoreply@blogger.com0