I got an email from N0BZZ (Randy) about the repairs being made to the LSAC network. You may recall my previous post on LSAC, which is the linked network in northern MN that stretches nearly to Michigan along Lake Superior. Pat (KB0QYC) has fixed the repeaters in Gilbert and Virginia, and Randy is working on the repeater in Mahtowa. Bear in mind that this is northern Minnesota, and it's been cold for weeks now as these guys have been climbing on towers to restore these repeaters. Randy is also going to do some maintenance on the repeater in Bayfield, WI. The main "hub" of the linked network is in Proctor, and upgrades have been made to that machine so that it will be solid when the UHF links are re-established.
As I understand it, the links are tentatively scheduled to be in place by late summer 2014, and the southern half of the network should be connected to the northern parts. The Aitkin repeater will also be linked, which means everything to the east of Brainerd will be continuous. That's an ambitious goal for just two guys.
There are also plans for a powerful VHF repeater in Duluth. I don't know about the timetable for the restoration and linking of the old LSAC II system, but the current plans are aggressive as it stands.
With the UHF 443.325 LSAC machine being accessible from the Twin Cities, the potential for EchoLink access to LSAC, and the plans of local K0LAV to link the big UHF .800 to "Lake Country" by UHF, 2014 should be exciting for FM here. It's also rumoured that HandiHam will bring a 10 meter FM repeater on line and link it to their network. Conceivably, a little 4-watt hand-held could then reach 75 miles or so.
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