Impromptu links with N0YNT-L

N0YNT (Matt) has been experimenting with a "remote base" and EchoLink over the past week or so. This involves asking permission from the people that operate a specific repeater, then using a normal transceiver connected to the internet with an interface cable and accessing EchoLink.

When I was driving home from work on Friday (1/31), I was hearing people that normally populate the HandiHam network on the 1.25M Arden Hills machine (223.940-, PL 100.0). At first, I thought that the link to the .940 had been restored, which would seem improbable. But, after a few minutes, I heard a computerised voice ID announce "N0YNT link" over the 223.940 repeater. I puzzled over it for a bit while driving, and I guessed that Matt had deviously used his (previously described) remote base link to connect the 223.940 to the HandiHam network. When I got home, I flipped my radio on to 444.425 and asked about this. It turned out that my speculation was correct. He had obtained permission from KA0PQW (Matt) to conditionally link the machines when a net wasn't in progress.

I knew that N0YNT had done a similar thing with the UHF 443.000, but I had thought that there were problems caused by the CW IDs between the remote base link and the HandiHam network. Apparently those issues were resolved, because the link arrangement worked very well.

Further surprises were yet to come. Last night (2/1), I had left my 1.25M mobile (TYT TH-9000) monitoring the Arden Hills 223.940 repeater as I often do. There isn't a lot of activity, so it's not really distracting to leave the radio on. Also, I want to be able to come back to anyone that's experimenting with the band and let them know that somebody is listening. Though the volume was low, I vaguely heard someone throw out their sign as I read an old pulp fiction novel. Springing into action, I got KC0IVL to come back and I gave him a 'signal report' on his EchoLink connection. After I signed, I heard that same computerised voice ID announcing "N0YNT link". Moments later, N0YNT's voice emerged from the ether as he recognised my sign. I thought that he was mobile, because he has 1.25M capability in his vehicle, but he said that he was at home.

As it turns out, "N0YNT link" had been employed to link the 223.940 repeater to the UHF 444.425+ (PL 114.8). The HandiHam net was in progress at that time, so the link from the .940 to the HandiHam network had to be taken down. The signal wasn't "full-quieting", but it was very good. And so we had a temporary cross-band link between the 'busiest' 1.25M repeater and the 'busiest' UHF repeater. I kind of wanted to put this link arrangement to the test, so I remained on 1.25M throughout. N0YNT and N0DSH joined me in a conversation for about an hour, and the link worked fine for the duration.

I guess that the moral of the story is that you should keep your ears alert for that computerised voice announcing "N0YNT link" as you monitor or talk on your favourite repeater. It might very well be that the person you are talking to isn't on the same band, and it could take you to places that you don't expect. Of course, with the HandiHam network, that's always been the case. You could be talking to someone on UHF when you're on the two metre HandiHam machine and not even know it. And that's a good thing, because we don't need any more fragmentation of our local community into isolated bands.

A lot of the available gear for 1.25M is monoband. In other cases, such as with the TYT TH-F9 440/222 HT, the other band (440 MHz) is useless. For many, turning on their 222 MHz radio means leaving behind everyone on two metres and UHF and camping out in an empty frontier. That's not an inviting proposition, even for those that want to do their part to prevent the loss of the 1.25M band to commercial interests by actually being on it. With the "N0YNT link", however, you can turn on your 222 MHz radio and still have access to the entire HandiHam network on both VHF and UHF -- at least when the nets aren't in operation.