[SMCARA] Repeater Questions

Mon Aug 25 16:01:54 EDT 2014

Hi Guys and Gals,

We already have a lightly used digital repeater (147.195 D*Star), as well as a D*Star Hot Spot in town, so starting up another with an incompatible digital protocol doesn't make sense.  The existing D*Star machine has great coverage and a fairly well established user base.  I am not particularly interested in buying a new radio to support a second even more lightly used repeater.  Had our first machine been a Yaesu, I would feel the same way about a proposed D*Star effort.  Let's expand the user base on 195 and explore some of the features, present or future, that are in the system.

The 146. 64 machine started out as a local area (5 mile HT coverage, plus a bit more for a 25 watt mobile) repeater to support rag chew, club nets,  and emergency comms in the "greater" Lex Park area.  It does that well.  Occasionally we hear folks trying to work the repeater from the  Mechanicsville to Waldorf area with a mobile rig.  There are some "sweet spots", but far more "RF Holes"!  Just keep in mind you are trying to make the repeater do an "un-natural act"!  A home station with a decent gain antenna (or a small beam) can make the haul, as evidenced by several regulars from up the road.

The 145.35 repeater system does a splendid job of covering the tri-county area, and therefore compliments the other local area repeaters.  This magic is accomplished by a high elevation transmit antenna, robust effective radiated power, proper engineering,  and strategically located receivers that vote in to the main site. When the going gets rough, a quick "QSY to 35" will probably solve the problem.

I like Dan's idea of a 70CM digital repeater in Leonardtown if the addition of a digital repeater is justified.  Perhaps we can start off with an analog (voice) repeater on one of the big poles in Leonardtown.  If it is done well, i.e., solid commercial antenna fed with large hardline and a reliable RF deck, it will have good coverage and be an asset to our emergency comm infrastructure. It would serve as a local coverage machine for the Leonardtown and west/northwest areas. 70 cm is probably the best choice, since there are probably very few 2 meter assignments left, if any.  You may not hear them on the air as they are "paper repeaters"! A subject for another discussion.

Back in the day when Pete and I were putting 64 on the air (and fighting mosquitos!), the used Motorola tube gear worked fine.  By the late 70s we graduated to factory new Motorola MSR2000 and Micor stuff.  That was awesome and it ran day and night for well over thirty years before it started "getting tired".  We tried some "ham made" gear ( Ramsey and VHF Engineering - I can hear Dwayne groaning all the way over here in LP!) along the line and it was a disaster.  The repeater was on base in those days (remember Quonset Hut Bldg 1216?), so we could repair/tweak it during lunch hour!  I think we set a record for the number of clip leads used in a repeater as we "grafted" transmitters and receivers in and out of the repeater. Commercial, continuous  duty equipment is the way to go.

Let's get the ideas together, bat it around at a future meeting and go from there.

73 Tom/W4OKW

Trivia Question:  What was the call sign and frequency of the original SMCARA repeater?
 Answer: Call WR3ACP and 146.73. Repeaters had specific WR calls and our assigned frequency
 caused mutual interference issues with the Wilmington DE repeater, as it was a straight shot up the bay.
We were assigned 146.64 since the nearest 64 machine was low power, low antenna in Germantown.
 Worked fine until they moved it to a tall building in Rockville and goosed up the power! T-Marc
shifted them to 955 and everybody was happy.

-----Original Message-----
From: SMCARA [mailto:smcara-bounces at mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of Daniel Metcalf
Sent: Monday, August 25, 2014 2:56 PM
To: jpsmith
Cc: smcara at mailman.qth.net
Subject: Re: [SMCARA] Repeater Questions

Jim,

These are my thoughts exactly. That is why I suggested maybe we sponsor a second repeater in the 70cm band that is If someone has the space for it.
I do think it would be nice to have a space where we can experiment with DMR or C4FM but not at the expense of leaving Club Members behind.
--
Dan Metcalf -- KB3UUN
c. 301 769 1111

On Mon, Aug 25, 2014 at 2:37 PM, jpsmith <jpsmith at md.metrocast.net> wrote:

> I don't know what percentage of our club members have consumed the digital
> koolaid. But for basic short range informal communication support for the
> good the many.....and many differenty budgets.... I would just leave it as
> it is. For me, like many, I would not spend the money to upgrade my
> equipment to digital. SO, I would just drop off the repeater.  N3NVJim
>
>
> Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S3 4G LTE via Verizon Wireless.
>
> -------- Original message --------
> From: Daniel Metcalf
> Date:08/25/2014 1:38 PM (GMT-05:00)
> To: smcara at mailman.qth.net
> Subject: [SMCARA] Repeater Questions
>
> I have been approached through email several times in the last week by
> different individuals about converting out .64 machine to one that can
> support digital communications. To be specific they have requested to
> convert to the System Fusion by Yaesu. There are some drawbacks and some
> advantages. I would like to use this email as a way to start a discussion
> as to what the club would like to do.
>
> Personally I would like to leave the .64 as it is but maybe sponsor an
> second repeater and have it in reside in the 70cm band. Maybe use the K3NHK
> for the repeater's call. Please send me any thought you might have on this
> subject and include possible locations for a second repeater if you agree
> with me. Right now without installing a new tower in my back yard I have no
> idea where a second repeater would be hosted.
>
> Discussion is now open. Have FUN!
>
> --
> Dan Metcalf -- KB3UUN
> c. 301 769 1111
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