147.060 off the air - 7/9

147.060 off the air

Shortly after the July SCARS meeting, the 147.06 repeater failed.  In its absence, please make use of the W5NOR UHF repeater on 443.7 (141.3 Hz tone) or the N5MS OU repeater on 146.88 (no tone).

Your Technical Committee Chair happened to be listening at the time.  The transmitter came on about 1220 or so and stayed on for several minutes.  Usually, when a mobile station "sits on their key", you can hear other stations trying to key up.  Their signal will often heterodyne with the station holding the repeater open; sometimes their signal is stronger and they capture the receiver.  No activity of this type was noted.  The repeater did not ID or make any other sounds or announcements (i.e., "Repeater Time Out").  Since the Technical Committee Chair happened to be on Alameda at the time, and on his way home, he stopped in front of the repeater site and attempted to execute some commands on the regular input as well as the discreet control channel to no effect.  In addition, and of interest, he tried to key the repeater from his mobile while listening on an HT.  From that location, his signal should have easily overridden any other signal.  No heterodyning or other evidence of the mobile signal was heard.

Some time later, the transmitter dropped and has not been heard from again.

Several weeks ago, it was noted that the repeater controller (a component separate from the repeater itself that handles ancillary functions) was no longer answering the telephone line when a connection was attempted.  A visit to the site has been planned since then but schedules haven't permitted it.

It is hoped that members of the Technical Committee Tactical Squad will be able to visit the repeater site on Monday, July 11th, to investigate.

NORMAN APRS digipeater

On a happier note, some updates to SCARS APRS node are upcoming.  As readers will recall, the county required the use of the antenna the club had been using (but did not own) for the APRS digipeater and the digi has been off the air for the most part since then.

Using a new transceiver, this node is back on the air from a temporary location (the location shown on the aprs.fi map may be inaccurate).  More importantly, the TC has ordered a multicoupler which will allow the digi to be connected to the same antenna as is being used by the W5NOR 147.060 repeater.  More information about APRS can be found at the links above as well as kcaprs.org.

2015 Report

Let's see if we can wrap up the year in SCARS -- and other -- radio infrastructure.

• The tower project is finally finished.  This took way longer than anyone expected when we started in 2007 but it's done.  The 147.06 repeater (radio, controller, power supply, cabinet) has been replaced.  The 443.7 repeater has been replaced -- a side project entirely done and paid for by KC5OU.  Those parts of the project were done a few years back.  Recently, both antennas (DB224E for 2m and DB404 for 70 cm) were been replaced and both have new 7/8" Andrew Heliax feeding them.  Finally, there is a new Yagi and new feedline for the link to the remote receiver at the stadium.  

• The NORMAN APRS digipeater remains out of service.  Members of your SCARS technical committee installed what was thought to be a working digipeater (radio, TNC, power supply) in December but, unfortunately, while the radio would transmit, no AFSK was heard.  

• The Stadium remote receiver ("In Town") also remains out of service.  New (to SCARS) land mobile radios and assorted parts are in  the committee's possession but system integration has gone slower than expected.

In other news, the N5MS repeater on 146.88 MHz has been back on the air since August.  N5MS has also put into service a new UHF repeater at 443.825 MHz.  This repeater is a DMR repeater.  Time Slot 1 is set on the "North America" talkgroup and Time Slot 2 is set to "local".   Like OU's D-STAR repeater, this DMR repeater is connected to others via the internet.  Watch for another D-STAR repeater to come online in 2016, also sponsored by N5MS.

Keep an ear on 444.55 MHz as well - KE5CZA has taken over the coordination of the W5IF repeater that used to be in Purcell and hopefully it will be in service soon.  

N5MS/R Returns To Air

Thanks to its owner, Micheal, N5MS, the 146.880 MHz repeater known as "the OU repeater" is back on the air.  Several components were replaced, some proactively, and the transmitter re-tuned.  One of the reasons it was off the air was that it had been generating spurious signals on other frequencies that were interfering with other systems.  Preliminary testing didn't find any of that, but it may take some time, perhaps while several different transmitters are operating at the same time, for those problems to show. In the meantime, go over, ID, and say hello.  If there are any issues noted, please contact N5MS (or N5UWY).