Category Archives: Repeaters

Amateur Radio, Contacts, Event, News, Overseas, Repeaters, Williams

Amateur Log: 20160402 0231GMT Bunbury Australia

What is amazing about amateur radio is you never know who you will talk to.

I live in Williams, Arizona. We have a Western Intertie Network (WIN) system repeater maintained by Bryan – W7BNW. He fixed the repeater after a massive snow storm knocked it out early in the season. It has been up for about two-week.

Today he got the down link radio connected and the system was complete. We can now talk to people through the western States and, at times, around the world. It is a very interesting coincidence that Bryan got the system working today.

About 2:31 AM GMT (7:31 Arizona Time), I heard a call from Richard VK6VRO in Western Australia (10:30 AM his time). I had to call him when he mentioned that he was from Bunbury, Australia.
cruise-ship-sun-princess-bunbury
You see, his city is a part of my history.
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When I was in the Navy, I was on the Spruance Class Destroyer USS Oldendorf DD-972. I was on the crew that commissioned the ship. Our first overseas cruise we spent nearly half in Australia. Our very first stop in Australia was Bunbury on August 15, 1980. In fact, we were the second ship to moor at the new pier the city just built—the first United States Navy ship. It brought back great memories of a visit with some of the greatest friends in the world. When we left it seemed like the whole town shut down to come and see us off.
australia-bunbury
Bear in mind I spoke with him through a UHF repeater on a Baofeng BF-F9 V2+ radio which I purchased from FOSCAM for about $70.

Throughout the day I heard a couple of stations in Canada and I have talked with people in Canada, England, Spain and other States before the tragic loss of the repeater months ago.

A basic Technician license gives you access to the very high frequencies (VHF) from 144 to 148-MHz and Ultra-High Frequencies (UHF) from 420 to 450-MHz. You also have access to other frequencies in this range and above. But the frequencies I described are usually what people refer to when they speak of VHF and UHF. Most repeaters operate in this range.

As you can see, with a Technician license, you might be very surprised who you will speak with.

Amateur Radio, Flagstaff, News, Repeaters, Williams

Crews fix repeaters on Bill Williams Mountain

800-BillWilliamsMountain16-02-07-02CORRECTION: Jud’s proper call sign is N6GYF. I had two letters in incorrect order. That is corrected. – 9/3/2018

WIN Repeater
449.75 Tone 123 –
Currently not connected to WIN system.

Bill Williams Mountain Radio Club Repeater
146.78 Tone 91.5 –

WILLIAMS — In January a strong snow storm knocked out the antennas for the repeaters on Bill Williams mountain. The two main repeaters are the UHF Western Intertie Network system and the VHF repeater operated by the Bill Williams Mountain Radio club.

The road to Bill Williams mountain is poorly maintained. The snow and ice after a major storm make it impassable. It only became usable recently.

Starting last Friday crews worked through the weekend to get the repeaters back on line.

Bryan W7BNW and his wife worked to restore the antennas for the WIN system repeater. He is currently working on the uplink radio so that Hams from Arizona can connect to the network that mostly covers California.

Bill Williams Mountain repeaters from Benham Trail.
Bill Williams Mountain from Benham Trail.

Jud N6GYF traveled from California to repair the antenna for the standalone Bill Williams Mountain Radio Club repeater on 146.780. This repeater allows Hams from Flagstaff, to Prescott to Seligman to communicate.

These crews are amateur radio volunteers and we appreciate their efforts.

Amateur Radio, News, Repeaters

Mount Elden icy

800-16-01-11 001FLAGSTAFF — Got a chance to go to Flagstaff today. After fighting car trouble, I made it to Flagstaff and wound up getting a close-up view of the Mount Elden repeaters. I’m surprised they are operating.

I did have a problem connecting with the 980 repeater. I thought, perhaps, that the repeater was down again. KF7QPG, Ted in Seligman, assured me the repeater was working, but I simply could not connect. It turns out that you have to have the correct duplex programmed in to make the repeater. Somehow my program file was changed. Now it is set correctly and I should be able to connect with the repeater.

When I got home I heard the SKYWARN net on the 980 repeater so it is, indeed, still working.800-16-01-11 006It was a beautiful drive to Flagstaff with the sun shining and the snow on the sides of the freeway. The freeways were clear. There was a soft fog as the heat of the sun turned the snow to steam.

News, Repeaters

Bill Williams in January

NAME FREQUENCY DUPLEX TONE OFFSET
Williams Repeater 146.78 – 91.5 .6000
WIN Sys 449.75 – 123 5.000

800-160109-IMG_1921 In Williams over a few days we received 27″ of snow. This is an image which shows why the Bill Williams Repeater is still silent. Ditto the WIN system repeater. These images were taken by my friend Steve who lives in the area.

Williams has probably received as much snow as last year and the winter is just getting started. This is great for the water situation in Williams and the surrounding areas. But it reeks havoc on electronic equipment and antennas. It can be aggravating when your favorite repeater does not work. We must remember however that amateur radio is a volunteer hobby and volunteers keep our repeaters going. Safety is important.

Fortunately in our area we have the Mount Elden repeaters we can reach in Flagstaff. With the appropriate power you can probably reach the repeater on Mingus.800-160109-IMG_1914 Continue reading Bill Williams in January →

News, Repeaters

New snow in Williams

800- Snow 2016-01-07 003Here is what Williams looked like yesterday. We received about 10″ of snow. That means that the snow on Bill Williams Mountain is thick and it is not likely that the Bill Williams repeater will be up any time soon. The last estimate is spring.

The sun did peek out for a bit, yesterday, and the sun is up this morning. The snow we picked up yesterday was the amount predicted for today. So we might get only small amounts today and tomorrow is supposed to be sunny. This will melt off some of the snow.

Still, safety in amateur radio is paramount. It does not do to go through all of the trouble to get a license only to get electrocuted or fall from a tower. Even at home, safety should be your concern. Make sure that you read, and heed, all safety instructions for equipment that you purchase. Some may be over the top, but…. Well, you know that old adage.
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Amateur Radio, Amateur Radio Organizations, News, Repeaters, Skywarn

Oh, what a tangled mess nature weaves…

146.980 – 162.2 Mt Elden, Flagstaff W7ARA

800-980 Tower EldenJoe Hobart, W7LUX, sent out these photos of the 980 repeater on Mount Elden in Flagstaff at the end of December. Mount Elden is located in Flagstaff and the repeater frequency is 146.980. The 146.140 repeater is also located on Mount Elden and is connected to the RIMLINK network of Arizona Repeater Association repeaters. The 146.980 repeater is part of the SKYWARN system.

The image to the left shows how the tower should look. The lower image shows how the tower looked at the end of December.
800-980 Tower Elden-2The picture of the mangled tower was taken by Mike Moroney and the picture of the good tower is from Joe.

As you can see, nature can reek havoc with repeater towers. In the top photo, the antenna for 146.980 juts high in the sky. In the lower photo it dangles by a thread. Well, actually, by a cable. It was expected to be down for the winter.

I do not know if a New Year resolution was involved, but today at about 15:00 -7, the 980 repeater is back online thanks to a volunteer crew. It bears repeating that amateur radio is a hobby and these guys that climb the towers are not paid. I’d like to thank those who help us keep contact with the world.

Amateur Radio, News, Repeaters

The dang repeater is out again!

As a new amateur radio operator I learned quickly that repeaters are an important link in communications. Particularly if you have to operate, currently, on cheap equipment. When they go out, new operators tend to get mad.

For several reasons, people are flocking to the Baofeng hand-held radios. The main reason is the price. For under $100 you can get on the air (if you have the appropriate license). Hand-helds are dependent mainly on repeaters.

Repeaters dot the United States from one coast to the other. Some are connected together in links, such as the WIN system and RIMLINK. When new operators get used to talking through repeaters, they may get upset and wonder why the repeater stops working. Why does my local repeater not connect to RIMLINK? Why do I not get the ARRL news feed on my repeater?

Well, here is one reason.
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These pictures are from a recent storm on Bill Williams mountain. The antennas have been knocked around by high winds and ice. To protect the equipment, repeater operators necessarily have to shut down the repeaters. If you operate equipment without an antenna, you are asking for equipment failure altogether.

In fact, this is a good life lesson for new amateur operators who are not really electronically inclined. Antennas are the core of your equipment. A decent antenna will make your five-watt handheld travel farther.

I have received fair distance and reports with my Baofeng BF-F9 in my vehicle with a magnet mount antenna while travelling. The problem is the Baofeng microphone. The cheap mics you purchase through Amazon and other retailers are just that. Cheap mics. They work, but I have received reports of static. The earphone microphone I received with the Baofeng gave me a zap through the earpiece. Through the built-in mic I received pretty good reports.

If you are looking for a good microphone for the Baofeng, you might check out this web site. It is not cheap.

The point is that you can see why repeaters go down. Repeater operators cannot control the weather. Until you can afford better equipment and a decent antenna, you have to cowboy-up.

Personally I would like to help keep repeaters going. As an old Navy tweeker, I find that would help increase my knowledge of the Ham radio art. At the same time I understand that repeater operators have to carefully select who they receive help from. This equipment is not cheap.

Since I received my first license in October, I have been able to listen—but not always participate in—nets on the repeaters. I appreciate the efforts of the people who maintain the repeaters. These images even woke me up to the reality of keeping repeaters going.