We now pause for Station Identification ...

... 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 transmitter will be shut off.

The repeater will signify that the timer is reset by sending the courtesy tone. If you "tailgate" and start talking between the time the other operator stops transmitting and before the courtesy tone sounds, the timer will not reset!

Programming your radio (repeat)

(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 Hz
• 147.0600 +600 kHz offset, transmit tone 100.0 Hz
• 147.0600 simplex, transmit tone 141.3 Hz

Following this pattern allows switching between repeater receivers with a minimum of hassles.

The repeater also passes the 141.3 Hz tone, but whether you include that as a receive tone in your configuration is up to you.

If you can set channels to be "skipped" or "locked out" on scan, you should consider doing that for the 2nd and 3rd channels above as they all carry the same audio.

Why the simplex version? Should the repeater go down completely, you will be able to talk to folks on the repeater's output frequency. This will alert others to the fact that the system is down since they may be able to hear you.

For UHF:

• 443.7000 +5 MHz offset, transmit tone 141.3 Hz
• 443.7000 simplex, transmit tone 141.3 Hz

Again, lockout, or skip, the simplex version so that you don't end up scanning what are, essentially, duplicate channels.

Inching Closer

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 the repeater itself: Another benefit of the new location will be less dust.









Type N connectors for RF. Rear view shows lightning protection.