Repeater update 3/15

A few things are happening with the local repeater scene, and I wanted to get a post in this weekend.

First, the Becker VHF 147.345+ (85.4 tone) is finally on the air! I threw out my sign tonight and got an S7 voice ID, but no takers. This machine isn't linked, nor will it ever be, and it seems to be another of those "emergency" repeaters. No word on if any nets are planned, but this VHF machine is separate from the Central MN UHF/1.25M linked network.

Second, I spoke with KB0YUL (Sam) tonight on the Burnsville 224.540 repeater. He's the guy working on a 1.25M repeater in Maple Grove. While he told me that the feed-line is up for the repeater, the PA blew in testing. My impression from him is that the 224.400 Maple Grove repeater won't be up any time soon; perhaps not even this year. Sam said that this repeater has been in the works for six years already.

Third, there's allegedly a new UHF repeater in Hugo, MN. I wasn't able to reach it, but the word on the street is that it can be found on 443.050+ (114.8 tone). It's definitely a "hobby" repeater, with an antenna on a garage, but it's encouraging to see UHF in the rural areas.

Fourth, work is being done on all four of the TCTC's repeaters currently. KE0NA told me on the 224.540 that the UHF .300 was down to 8W output. The VHF .210 was off the air for a while today, but it's back up now. No word on what was being done, but there was talk of a "re-cap" a few weeks ago. The 6M machine is down for repairs, as it died in testing. The 224.540 itself will need some work on the power supply, but otherwise is going strong. 

Also, KD0UDM (Neal) has told me that he's pondering a low-power 222 MHz repeater operating from downtown Minneapolis.

Lastly, I'm waiting for confirmation from N0FKM (Dan), but it may be that the long-dead 224.500+ (114.8 tone) will be back in operation soon. Again, this is unconfirmed. Previously, Dan has hinted at tentative plans to restore this machine and cross-link it when the weather warms up.