[SMCARA] Repeater Questions

Tue Aug 26 08:10:57 EDT 2014

Dan, et al

  My two cents is to leave well enough alone.

  The K3HKI 146.640 MHz repeater has been in continuous operation for over
42 years and has succeeded in being a nice, local rag-chew enabler and
gathering point for most of the club members residing in southern
Maryland.  SMCARA has always been a general interest club and, as such,
the repeater serves to connect the majority of folks who are just
interested in 'what's going on' in the local ham community.  The
repeater is simple, unconstrained and easy to use... even with older FM
radios.  It is not a linking repeater for a number of reasons but
primarily to keep it available for the local community of users who just
want to hear what's going on here and not worry about the much broader
user base around the country (or the world).

  There are a number of other repeaters and remote bases in the local area
that are specifically configured for long distance communication;
interconnection to the Internet; supporting digital experimentation;
etc.  As Tom Clarke mentioned, if you want to have wide-area
communication then we are blessed with the very fine 145.35 machine in
the Prince Frederick area which has several remote receivers and
excellent multi-county (and even multi-state) coverage.  If you want to
connect to the Internet using regular FM, try Sam Leach's Echolink node
on 147.42 MHz.  If you want to try D-STAR digital, use the Hollywood
system on 147.195 or the D-STAR hot spot I am running in the Lexington
Park area on 145.600 MHz simplex (which is usually parked on the
world-wide 001C conference bridge reflector).  As you have already
heard, some of your fellow hams are experimenting with the other digital
modes that are emerging such as the Motorola MOTOTRBO system, the YAESU
C4FM/FDMA digital system, etc.  All of these new modes are in the niche
category... i.e., they are of technical interest but typically more
complex to set up, can be very expensive and are usually proprietary to
the specific manufacturer.  Worse yet, in many cases they are NOT
interoperable or compatible with other much more popular modes such as
D-STAR.  Even worse yet, YAESU (in my opinion and of many others also)
is heading in the wrong direction by using much wider frequency
bandwidths).  But that is another story for another time.  Bottom line:
the average ham doesn't want to spend many hundreds (or thousands) of
dollars just to talk to his fellow ham up the street or from Lexington
Park to Mechanicsville.

  I have absolutely no disagreement with playing with new operating
modes... but don't take away the common linking capability that we
currently have that very nicely serves the vast majority of the club
members.  If you want to play with the YAESU system (or some similar
specialty mode), great... but set up a separate system to do so.  When
you are playing with niche technologies, it can be a very lonely place
since usually only a few hams jump in early while the vast majority
usually hang back to 'see how it goes' before even thinking about how to
find the money and time to invest in the new capability.

  Just for historical purposes, I'd like to remind everyone that hams in
southern Maryland are usually pretty savvy folks and have tried out just
about every new ground-breaking technology as it begins to develop.  I
know personally that I have had to opportunity to build AX25 packet and
AMTOR digital systems and bulletin boards over radio; built a lot of
repeaters; played with IRLP and Echolink protocols; built a beautiful
5-band remote base on my UHF repeater; built a satellite station; played
with D-STAR for over 6 years now... and on and on.  With all of this, I
still gravitate back to the basics for my day to day hamming by getting
on HF and VHF/UHF because what I REALLY want to do is just talk with my
fellow ham friends and stay connected with their experiences and
adventures.  It doesn't take much to do that when you stick to the
basics for your general hamming.

  As I said, just my .02 cents worth.

  Hope all of you are having fun with the hobby.

  Regards,

  Pete (WA3UMY)

> 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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