This Cult Has Radios!

 It seems to me that very few people ever grasped what this blog is all about, and it will go into oblivion completely misunderstood. My goal, from the first, was to make a record of my experiences in amateur radio and write down my impressions of the hobby. I handed off the "how-to" articles to others, but there were a few cases where I simply couldn't find people willing to put the effort into writing these pieces, and I had to take on the task myself. The "news" part of the blog was essentially things that I discovered by being on the air, or things that other people told me on the air.

In other words, if I'm not on the air, there is no content for this blog.

  For most, though, this blog has been something altogether different. What that "something" comprises is determined by your view of the hobby. For some, it was the opportunity to chuckle at an obvious moron who was too stupid to know that everyone didn't agree with his views. For others, it was an outlet of heresy and the only acceptable response was to send me emails telling me to "Shut the hell up!". Others saw it as a journalistic endeavour, and criticised me for "bias" and failing to cover everything. Some saw me holding myself out as an "expert", because only experts are supposed to be able to have opinions in this hobby, and they ridiculed me at length.

  There were always a few, though, that appreciated what I was trying to accomplish. Even among these, however, the tired mantra "I don't agree with everything with you say" was (all too frequently) expressed. I never wanted to be the guy that everyone agrees with, because that guy always ends up saying nothing but generic, wishy-washy emptiness. Still, amateur radio is a bizarre culture in which tightly-enforced conformity of opinion is seen as a vital defence against...something that isn't quite clear. So, in light of that, people saying that they don't agree with 100% of what I say is actually high praise.

  As the blog grew in popularity, I was forced to remove it from search engines in order to spare myself nearly daily abuse from my "superiors" in this hobby. This allowed me to write posts about less-explored aspects of amateur radio to give others (especially new hams) the confidence to make their own explorations. In spite of the endless accusations that I was somehow "corrupting" or discouraging new hams by my honest impressions of the hobby, new hams became my most avid and supportive readers.

  One thing that this blog has provided me with is an in-depth examination of the ugliest elements of this hobby. This is an experience that the 30-year veteran operator, who always says "the right things" straight off The Script, is totally oblivious to. You can use your tiresome clichés like, "It's not everybody!", but there's a bottomless pit of ugliness out there motivated by arrogance and a desperate need to enforce conformity. We tell ourselves that we welcome new people to the hobby, but the actual truth is that such a welcome only extends to those that buy into an extensive indoctrination that has absolutely nothing to do with operating a radio. Of course, we have several tortured and convoluted justifications for this. At the root of it all, though, is a vague realisation that the technological context amateur radio has existed in for decades is no longer valid. So we must force some kind of delusional group-think on all practitioners (including new hams especially) in order to reassure ourselves that we are far more relevant, respected, and admired than we really are.

  It would be easy, of course, to parrot "the right things" and get little condescending pats on the head from the Wise Elders. I already knew what all of "the right things" were long before I ever obtained my licence, in fact. There are two problems with this strategy, though. The first is that all new hams are presumed to be (and spoken down to as if they are) absolute morons. They are seen as empty vessels into which we pour our weird group-think and cult-like indoctrination into -- all very 'helpfully' done, of course. Once marked as an absolute moron, it's a decades-long crawl from subhuman moron to accepted peer -- at which point, you can return this twisted 'favour' to other new hams. The second flaw is that most new hams don't get their licences as part of some scheme to be re-made into their Elders likeness. The vast majority simply want to talk to people, have some kind of "emergency" communication provision, or tinker and experiment. They aren't really in the market for indoctrination and strictly-enforced conformity, yet most of the 'help' that new hams get from the Wise Elders boils down to little more than telling them what to think and "the right things" to say.

  In most cases, this conformity is not enforced with fire-breathing rage. Instead, a demeaning and insulting style of condescension is employed. There aren't many responsible and intelligent adult males who enjoy being spoken to as if they are developmentally-disabled children. For those few that do enjoy that, amateur radio is a wonderful opportunity for that kind of abuse. Obviously, those engaging in this condescension see themselves as being 'encouraging', 'helpful', and 'welcoming'. Instead, it's viewed by their victims as insulting, demeaning, and alienating. They either learn to say "the right things" or they leave the hobby. Either way, the Wise Elders 'win'.

  Over the three years I've been a licensed operator, I can count on one hand the instances when I've received actual, constructive help from my Elders. There are even fewer instances where this help did not come with generous amounts of demeaning condescension. In the vast majority of cases, my Elders didn't even bother to listen to what I was saying, instead inserting what they thought a complete moron would say. For example, in the first few weeks as a licensed operator I was looking for suggestions for stealth antenna solutions. I prevailed on my Wise Elders, explaining that I lived in a condo and I needed to conceal my 440 MHz antenna, since antennae weren't allowed. The response: "Just string up a wire!". Not only did this jackass 'hear' me say that I was trying to put up an HF antenna, he also seemed to think that I was unaware that wire could be used for one. Gosh, I've seen tubing and rods used for an antenna, but I never thought you could use a wire! Duh-huh. It took nearly ten minutes for this clown to actually 'hear' that I was looking for a stealth 70 cm antenna. His response was to suggest a Hustler ground-plane mounted on the roof. Yeah, really stealthy. I never would have thought of that. Eventually, this jackass 'heard' what I said initially, and his wise advice was to tell my HOA that their rules were stupid. Thanks a shit-load, buddy!

  This was not an isolated instance, by any means. In the vast, vast majority of cases in which I sought advice, information, or insight my Wise Elders 'heard' something else, and that "something else" was always profoundly stupid. It's as if most operators decide in advance that you're stupid, so they don't bother to listen to what you say. Instead, they 'know' what you mean. The stupider they can imagine you are, the more 'helpful' they can be.

  Even beyond that, the mere admission that you're unfamiliar with something or don't know everything puts most operators in Condescension Mode. Many is the time that I've been having a nice chat with someone and I ask them about some aspect of a mode or kind of operation that they had mentioned. Immediately, their tone changes to something like Mister Rogers speaking to a child. They stop listening, and you have to resign yourself to never getting a real answer. You will, however, be told all sorts of obvious crap that has nothing to do with what you were asking about. And, of course, your condescending friend will pat themselves on the back for being so 'helpful'.

  This weird and irritating phenomenon convinced me early on to write posts for new hams so that they could avoid being insulted by their ever-so-helpful superiors. I wrote posts about simple indoor antennae, satellite operation, 2M SSB/CW, webSDR, tropo propagation, APRS, and many other topics. The idea was to give these operators enough information to explore things on their own. Instead, the response from my putative 'superiors' was that I was an uninformed "know-it-all" that was leading new hams astray. I should, in their view, have written an exhaustive treatise that they could pick at and ridicule further.

  Even more depressing than being a constant punching bag for an ugly, insecure, and deeply arrogant section of the amateur population is having to endure the warped apologetics from the so-called "good hams". These are the hand-wringing bastards that seem incapable of criticising any operator's behaviour -- except mine, of course. "It's not everyone", these cretins will always whimper on cue, as if that makes any difference. Duh-huh. I did not know that. This is the kind of operator who refuses to use their status as a "peer" to any useful end in response to the on-air or in-person ugliness that is dished out to others. The only "wrong" hams are the ones that complain about ill treatment, to these hand-wringing bastards anyway. Complaining about ill treatment is "bad for the hobby". Actually treating other people like crap, however, is okay and doesn't hurt the hobby. Invariably, the hand-wringing bastards employ the same condescending technique: the victims of ill treatment "just don't understand amateur radio" or some other explanation that actually serves to encourage the worst elements -- as if they're providing some kind of valuable 'service' by being ass-holes.

  I've made the effort to expose the weirdness, the ugliness, the petty arrogance and the pathetic apologists in amateur radio. I've taken the heat for it, too. I didn't do it because I moronically thought it would be a popular thing to do, either. I didn't do it because I was too stupid to know "the right things" to parrot. These are all the knee-jerk reactions that the indoctrination of amateur radio has taught you to employ without thinking: critics are only critical because they are morons who don't understand amateur radio.

  I did this because I appreciated amateur radio and wanted it to exist in the future. It was obvious to me from the outset that most long-time operators are so deeply immersed in the bullshit that's been tacked on to the hobby that they needed an "outsider's" perspective to see the real situation. Unfortunately, the self-perpetuating 'logic' of the hobby demands that "outsiders" be dismissed as idiots out of hand. I stuck it out for three years, wondering when I would actually stop being considered an "outsider". Sadly, the answer is that you only stop being an "outsider" in this hobby when you embrace the indoctrination and enforced conformity of opinion without question. It's the same kind of airtight 'reasoning' that one finds in religious cults, only this particular cult has radios.

  In the end, you, the reader will most likely smugly chuckle and dismiss everything that I've written here as the words of an idiot. That, however, says more about you than it does me. Several years from now, I think people will look back on this blog and see that I was more right than wrong. The demographics are not sustainable, the technology will only become more archaic by comparison to reality, and the arrogance that abounds in the hobby will fester into an open wound. The social premise of the hobby is firmly rooted in looking down on others, and that just isn't sustainable in this modern world.

  But, of course, you're one of the "good ones", right?

It's All Over Now...

  Over the past three months, I've experienced several unpleasant encounters locally -- both on analogue and digital. There's also been a slow, but steady, decline in activity. The quality of the activity that remains is also declining. There seems to be a general jockeying for 'position' between the micro-empires, the various cliques, and between those considering themselves to be 'experts' and those designated as 'dumbasses'. I could go into detail, but it doesn't matter to me any more. 

  I get on the air because it's fun. I enjoy talking to people, and I'm good at it. When it becomes something other than fun, I think twice about even turning my rig on. Over the past year, I've felt a sense of personal responsibility to create quality activity and support the local amateur community. I've attempted to use this blog to support positive developments, and to point out the consequences of counter-productive attitudes (e.g. arrogance, elitism, enforced conformity of opinion, scape-goating, self-delusion, etc.). Instead, I've experienced increased harassment, slander, arrogant condescension, and "rig-shaming". 

  After one particularly ugly incident, I decided to take a month off from amateur radio. A few weeks into this, I turned on my DMR rig to try to catch up on the scene. What I found was one operator slandering me, and another operator (that I've always respected) simply nodding along with him. It was at this point that I realised the sorry state of affairs was too far gone to justify my further involvement. In addition, returning to the air will only 'prove' that I will "get over" any ill treatment, thus ensuring even more ill treatment in the future.

  I'll still remain on APRS and GMRS, but my days on the local amateur scene are over. This blog has always been a journal of my experiences in the hobby. Everything in it (at least the parts that I've written) have been driven by my participation. Since I'm no longer participating, there is no more justification to create new content. I don't think that APRS alone is a rich enough source of content for future posts. 

  The previously-written material will remain here, but there will be no more updates. I have a couple of draft posts that are "opinion pieces", and those will be published soon. Beyond that, it's over. 

  Comments have been disabled. I don't want to continue to keep the blog clear of spammers and trolls. Previously-made comments will remain. Co-authors' access has been removed. The blog will remain off search engines, as this policy has been reasonably effective at curbing vehement abuse from my 'superiors'. You've had three years to submit your posts and rebuttals. That door is now closed. 

  I expect that things will remain this way for several years. I'm unwilling to rule out a return, but I'm hard-pressed to imagine a situation that would justify it. Perhaps some new technology or a profound shift in operators' attitudes would compel me to re-evaluate things. I'll keep my licence active and become one of those "inactive Techs" that we tell ourselves don't exist. I'll keep my radios for camping and hiking. I consider my gear to be "sunk costs", and I don't need the money (or hassle) to be gained from selling anything. My donations to amateur organisations and individuals will cease -- until, and if, I ever do return to the hobby. 

  This blog has generated intense responses. It seems that people either really like it or really despise it. There's an opening here for some other enterprising individual to fill the void, and I'd consider writing a few guest posts to assist in getting another effort off the ground. I'll continue to write about other subjects, because I enjoy it and I'm good at it. 

  Since comments are disabled, I'll pre-emptively address the most likely responses: 

•  "Good riddance!" --  Thanks for that. It makes my decision much easier. 

•  "I'll miss this blog" --  Sadly, the warped social environment of the hobby can't tolerate something like this blog at the moment. Many people wish that I'd simply say "the right things", or they imagine that I'm too stupid to know what "the right things" are. You should consider writing a 'better' replacement that expresses "the right things". 

•  "I'll miss you on the air" --  Odds are pretty good that I'll miss you, too. I'm simply unwilling to embrace the requisite ugliness that goes along with talking to you, though. And I'll still be on GMRS. 

• "You're a hypocrite/idiot/threat to the hobby!" --  Celebrate my departure from the hobby, then. Things should really improve now that the scapegoat is leaving, right? 

•  "We'll get along just fine without you" -- Great! While I hope that things change to a more open and less arrogant model, I still see potential in amateur radio to bring people together, break down social isolation, and get people to stop talking at each other. The odds are pretty good that you see that as fatal to the hobby, though -- "too much like CB". Odds are also pretty good that you will 'dynamically re-define' the terms "getting along" and "just fine" to be "whatever the current situation is". I hope that works well for you. 

•  "You don't understand amateur radio" -- Well, I've been participating in it for over three years now. If it takes longer than that to 'understand' it, the hobby has a tough sell to newcomers. Oddly, it seems that people are deemed to 'understand' ham radio right about the time that they start parroting "the right things" and begin sucking up to their "superiors". Strange, isn't it?

•  "This isn't a SOLUTION!" -- Nope, it's not. It's a reaction. Making me into a scapegoat, harassing me, talking down to me as if I'm an idiot, and promoting pointless, artificial hierarchies isn't a solution, either. Strange how you're okay with those things, though. You've made a toxic mess in order to boost a few egos and let a relative few continue to believe that the world of thirty years ago is still valid and relevant. I don't particularly care for those kind of 'solutions'. 

•  "You'll be back!" --  Hey, who knows? How would you treat me if I did come back? Because the answer to that is how the community is going to get out this toxic mess, or relegate it to a slow death. I don't make plans beyond several years' time, so I can't unequivocally state that I won't ever come back. Even if I were to return, I'd leave right away as soon as it stopped being fun. If you find some sort of feeble validation in that, it says more about you than it does about me. 

As always, thanks for reading. I wish that things had been different, but I live in the real world. 
 

Break Time

  I will be taking a break from amateur radio for at least a month. During that time, I will not be updating this blog. 

  It's possible that others will contribute posts, and they are certainly welcome to do so.

Loose Notes 2/27/16

  There are just a few developments over the past week, and I want to get them updated early. 

FM Repeaters 

• RepeaterBook is inquiring if the 146.820- (no tone?) repeater in Fergus Falls in on-air or not. If you can confirm either way, update the listing. 

• We have a new cross-band link in the metro! The VHF 145.290- (114.8 PL) repeater in New Brighton is now linked to the UHF 444.750+ (114.8 PL) repeater in Columbia Heights. In previous on-air conversations with K0FCC (Dan), he's said that his plan is to link three bands together. Judging by the listing for the (currently down) 224.500- (114.8 PL), it looks as if the intention is to add 1.25M to this linking scheme. 

• I'm not sure what's happened to the 443.250+ (DCS 023N) repeater in Dayton lately. It used to come back with an S7 or S8 signal, but now it's only S4. 

• I've been wondering in the 443.000+ (114.8 PL) SNP repeater in Chaska is ever going to come back on-air. This was an interesting UHF machine that came back S9, and had a working auto-patch, but it's been down for a couple of weeks now (at least). 

Satellite 

•  With AO-85 (Fox 1-A) already in orbit and working, the next "bird" is scheduled to launch some time in January of next year (2017). This would be another FM satellite, Fox 1-B. Plans are already being made for Fox 1-E, which will be an SSB (linear transponder) satellite. 

• Though it was launched in mid-2014, the FM satellite EO-80 still hasn't had been activated for amateur use. 

DMR 

• Well, I was wrong about a new DMR repeater going up in Prior Lake. N0AGI (Nagi) did get a new 50W repeater and duplexer, but it isn't going up on the Prior Lake site. Rumour has it that the new repeater is in search of a site in the south metro, though. Testing has gone well.

• We're now up to 88 DMR IDs in Minnesota. Several new operators have been added in Faribault now that the 442.175+ has been moved there. Also, new operators have popped up in Ham Lake, Blaine, White Bear Lake, Bloomington, New Hope, Buffalo, Willmar and even Duluth.

• I just welcomed WA0CQG (Carl) this morning to DMR as his first contact. He had a very good signal into the Minneapolis 442.425+ repeater from Bloomington. 

• In a QSO with K0LAV (Paul) on the MARA 444.800+, I learned that Paul is now on DMR with a full-powered rig. He's still trying to navigate the code-plug, but I'm very confident that he'll be able to access the Oakdale 443.425+ machine. The Dayton 442.850+ is probably a safe bet, too, from his location. You really only need to be able to get in to one repeater. 

• Also, in that same QSO, Paul reiterated his plan to put a VHF DMR repeater on the air. It wouldn't be linked to the UHF network, but would serve as a standalone 100W power-house for local coverage on TS1 (Time Slot 1). A selected few talk-groups would be accessible on TS2, and these would likely be state-wide in nature (i.e. covering a single state, rather than world-wide or regional). All DMR rigs are monoband, so keep this in mind when shopping for a rig. You'll need a second rig to access this VHF repeater along with the UHF network, though you won't need a second DMR ID. There was no mention made of the planned site for Paul's new repeater, though the stated power level and narrow-band digital nature of the mode should provide metro-wide coverage. 

• Discussions will soon be starting on a potential re-arrangement of time-slots on (at least) three local repeaters: the Dayton 442.850, Oakdale 443.425, and Minneapolis 442.425. Currently, the calling channels are all on TS1, and everything else is on TS2. As local traffic increases, TS2 is starting to get locked up. Start thinking about clever options to move TGs off of TS2, and what you would like to see carried on TS1. It's good to start discussing this now, rather than at some future point where we have a serious problem. You can also submit your ideas here on the blog.  

APRS 

• It seems that almost as soon as I mentioned the KD0KZE gateway coming back on-air, it went down again for the week. 

• Southern Minnesota's KG0QR-1 gateway has now handled more than 6.2k packets this month! It's handling digipeated packets from Windom to Winona, all the way up to Ramsey. 

• The Mora 147.240+ (146.2 PL) repeater now has an APRS icon, courtesy of N0DZQ. 

• With the nicer weather, we're seeing a lot more aircraft equipped with APRS. Please remember to adjust your N-path when you do this, so that you aren't using digipeaters. You really don't need multiple bounces at high altitudes, and you are only causing unnecessary congestion. WIDE 1-1 is a considerate adjustment.                               

APRS coverage maps for February

  As February ends, it's a good time to look at the coverage maps of a few digipeaters and gateways. Aprs.fi compiles the data of all packets heard. I'm only going to look at a few elements of the network, and I'm keeping the coverage maps limited to packets that are directly heard. Including packets that have been digipeated would, in most cases, make these maps very large. 

  First, let's look at the N0RUA-10 RX-only I-Gate in St. Paul. This machine has seen dramatic growth in it's received coverage in the past few months. 

N0RUA-10 2/16 coverage

   This gateway is covering the south-east and south-west metro, and into Minneapolis proper. It's the kind of "fill-in" coverage that contributes to the good redundancy of our local network. Even when a major I-Gate or digipeater fails, the multiple RX-only gateways really carry that load quite well. 

  Moving north, (outside of Wyoming, MN) there's a TX gateway just off of 35W. N0DZQ-10 has returned to the air recently and is covering the gap on I-35 quite nicely. Since this a TX gateway, it's also able to pass on messages to mobile stations.

N0DZQ-10 2/16 coverage

   This gateway also handles digipeated packets from St. Cloud to Hinckley and down to Minnetonka. 

  Moving down to the south-eastern part of the State, W0NE-1 is a TX gateway operating a handful of miles south of Winona. It frequently reaches the metro area, and it's gated over 61.6k packets this month alone. 

W0NE-1 2/16 coverage

   While this gateway directly hears traffic on I-90, into Winona and Bluff Country, it's real strength is in gating digipeated traffic. Much of the southern part of Minnesota is only covered by big digipeaters. This model relies on a relative few I-Gates to actually gate the bulk of the traffic, as well as generate messaging traffic. The terrain is very challenging in this part of Minnesota, and this is a great coverage map with that in mind. 

  On the south-western edge of the metro near Chaska, WB0ZKB-5 is a digipeater providing "fill-in" coverage. It feeds the N0AGI-5 gateway in Prior Lake

WB0ZKB-5 2/16 coverage

   Here we see a digipeater that handles packets for Highways 169 and 212, all the way to I-35 and the edge of the I-494 loop. It's a machine that's heard from Mankato down to Winona on a regular basis, providing a redundant link to the metro area. It's main role in the network is in filling gaps, and the packet load is relatively light.
 

   Last, but not least, is the KB0GTF-1 TX I-Gate near Bloomington. This gateway picked up a lot of the slack when W0YC-5 went off-air earlier this month. It handles digipeated traffic from St. Cloud to Rochester, and well into Wisconsin. More than 18.1k packets were handled by this gateway this month alone. 

KB0GTF 2/16 coverage

   A look at the map above shows that KB0GTF-1 directly hears stations across the metro. It can also generate messaging, and is in a great position to reach very powerful digipeaters to pass message traffic over a wide area. This machine has become a crucial part of the metro's redundancy. 

  So that's a look at five elements of the Minnesota APRS network. Each one has a different role, but they all support the goal of moving your packets to a gateway seamlessly -- even when the core elements fail.  

                                      

U.S. amateur licences: slowed growth

The national amateur licence numbers for January have been up for a few weeks now, and I thought I'd write up a brief look at the latest trends. 

Much slower growth

• Total licences dropped by 382 compared to 12/15, but still showing an increase over November.  
• The Extra Class only gained 90, which is the smallest increase since 9/14. 
• The Advanced Class numbers dropped a bit more steeply than average (311). 
• The most interesting development is that General Class licences dropped 160. There have been six other month-to-month drops in General licences since 1/14, and three of them have been in the past twelve months. Even considering the loss of 60 General Class licences in January 2016, the current level is still higher than it was back in November. 
• Technician Class licences hit a new record, but it's a mere gain of 79 over the previous month. We're still more than 5300 above this same point last year, but that pales in comparison to the 8600+ gain from 1/14 to 1/15. 

  It's quite possible that "upgrade fever" is losing steam under the relentless pressure of expirations. We've had three month-to-month drops in Technician numbers since 1/15, and three month-to-month drops in total licences over the same period. If the poor showing in Technician Class licences is due to upgrades to General, then why did General Class licences decline? Upgrades to Extra Class don't account for this drop. And the decline in total licences is a pretty convincing fact in favour of dismissing upgrades and lateral moves between Classes as the culprit. 


  I'm more inclined to attribute the drop in General Class numbers to expirations (i.e. death). With both General and Technician Class growth becoming sporadic, it seems that the hobby is starting to lose the ability to replace expiring licences.


                                         

DMR: Reflector-based talk-groups

  Lately, I've been having a little fun exploring a different facet of the DMR world. The popularity of the DV4Mini dongle has opened up DMR (and other modes) to those operators without a repeater in their vicinity. There are three talk-groups on our local (K4USD) network that allow this kind of operator access to the RF side: the Hytera Reflector (TS2, TG 4639), the Brand Meister 8001 (TS2, TG 8001) and the Brand Meister 8002 (TS2, TG 8002). 

  These are "worldwide" channels without time limits on QSOs. However, they are PTT -- which means that you need to key up on these particular TGs to open the repeater to them, and that they have a disconnect timer.  

  You still need a DMR radio to access these talk-groups using a DV4Mini, and it has to be a UHF transceiver, as well. The DV4Mini receives the signal from your HT and passes it on to the network through a computer. If you're asking, "What's the point, then? Why not just use the HT to get on a repeater?", then you aren't considering that everyone doesn't live within range of a DMR repeater. People travelling can also talk to their local operators back home (or other operators anywhere) by using an internet connection. And amateurs that have living arrangements that preclude the use of an exterior antenna can also access the world through these three talk-groups. There are still many countries that don't have a lot of (or any) DMR repeaters, after all. China, for example, only has four. Russia has only three. Japan has none. This type of operation is an excellent alternative in those places.

  It's a limited kind of access to the world of DMR, but it is access. You can't access "Local 2" or "North America", for example. But you can talk to RF-based operators on local repeaters that have access to these three TGs -- or other internet-based operators anywhere. 

  This morning, I had a nice chat with an operator in Texas and another in England. It was interesting to hear how this kind of operation is developing in different parts of the world. In England, they have a whole block of talk-groups set aside for DV4Mini operation. They have regional breakdowns, and a general channel on TG 4400., and it's primed for future expansion. There are even cross-over operations with D-star reflectors in some cases.

  It remains to be seen how popular internet-based DMR operation will be using this kind of device. Rather than being used as a "workaround", it could become the preferred means for a certain subset of amateurs. You can access many places in the world that the RF-based "Worldwide" (TG 1) channel doesn't cover, and you don't have to contend with restrictive time limits, moving to a TAC TG, or tying up a time slot on repeaters all over the world. And the DV4Mini could end up being the best tool to communicate across the various digital modes.

  As it stands with our local situation, these three talk-groups are PTT and don't take up a timeslot when no one local is using them. Multiple local repeaters means that an operator on one repeater can access one of these three TGs without taking away the slot on another repeater. 

  It's another interesting angle to explore on your local repeater. If you don't have these three talk-groups on your radio, I suggest adding them and at least giving them a listen.

Loose Notes 2/20/16

  I'm going to attempt to catch up on another week's happenings in the metro amateur radio scene. Let's hope this works... 

FM repeaters 

• RepeaterBook questioned whether the 146.985- (no tone) in Hastings was on the air or not this week. This is a repeater that I haven't even ker-chunked in over a year, and I was always under the impression that it was in Inver Grove Heights instead of Hastings. Maybe it's moved. Either way, 25W into a three-element Yagi brought back a nearly full-scale signal. I updated the listing to show it as "on-air". 

•  The 224.500- (100.0 PL) 1.25M repeater in Columbia Heights has been down for a couple of weeks now. The 224.940- (100.0 PL) in New Brighton also seems to only be working infrequently. Of course, the TCRC's 224.540- (100.0 PL) machine has been down for several months now.

• Per N0AGI (Nagi), the System Fusion repeater that was formerly on 442.175+ will not be going back on the air. When a DMR repeater was installed on the same site, the idea was that the Fusion machine would move to a different site at some point. That isn't going to happen. The repeater was sold to another amateur operator to use as a testing platform. There's still a UHF Fusion machine in Burnsville (444.300+) and a VHF machine in Eden Prairie (146.880-), so that area still has coverage.

• Speaking of the 146.880- C4FM repeater, I've noticed that they dropped the CTCSS tone on the input. I've always wondered why this machine didn't use tone squelch to prevent analogue users from hearing digital traffic. Removing PL tones on a VHF repeater seems equally bewildering to me. 

•  There is still no word on the club website as to the apparent remote base linked to the TCFMC's 444.100+ (114.8 PL) repeater.

• The traffic on the morning drive-time "nets" (actually roundtables) has dropped off steeply over the past two weeks or so. I'll usually monitor the 146.850, 145.370, and 444.100 repeaters as I'm getting ready to for work, and I can't help but notice the declining activity. 

EchoLink 

• The EchoLink node on the 444.425+ (114.8 PL) has been down for over a week now, as N0YNT (Matt) is not in town to give it a kick. The node for the 224.660- (100.0 PL) repeater is back on, after several days of down-time. I haven't been able to connect to the node on the 145.290- (114.8 PL) repeater for over a week, though it shows up as "logged in". And the node for the 145.370- (107.2 PL) is now "listen only" -- which I've never seen on any other repeater. Of course, the TCFMC maintains it's perfect streak of leaving their node logged off for well over two years now, in spite of mentioning it on their website. 

DMR  

• Big news for the local DMR scene! Per N0AGI (Nagi), a fifth DMR repeater is going on-air in the metro -- perhaps this weekend. Running on 443.125+, it will be at the same site as the 442.175+ machine used to be (before it moved to Faribault). More info and photos are available here, but it will be a 50W machine with a six-cavity duplexer -- all brand-new gear. We already have a fairly decent idea of the coverage, since an identical 50W machine was operating at this same site for a couple of weeks. The plan is for the Faribault repeater to switch to an omni vertical antenna, which would cut down the coverage of the 442.175+ for the south metro considerably -- especially when the vegetation returns. The addition of this new repeater in Prior Lake will assure continuous coverage for the south metro when the Faribault repeater switches over to normal coverage. This means that the south-west and southern freeway approaches to the metro will, in all likelihood, be HT-mobile accessible. Coverage of the south-eastern approaches will probably require more power than a 5W HT can provide, but reception should be no problem in that part of town. This arrangement will leave the 442.175+ repeater in Faribault free reign to cover southern Minnesota, and probably reach to Mankato and Rochester with a full-powered rig. 

•  There is a new DMR website for you to check out: MNDMR.net. The twintrbo.com website remains alongside this new site. MNDMR.net will be the place to get updated code-plugs, get information about repeaters, coverage maps, and talk-groups offered. Discussions are carried out on this forum. 

• The Doers Co-op and the MN DMR Enthusiasts will have a booth at the upcoming Mid-winter Madness (March 12) in Buffalo. Stop in to check out DMR, APRS, and other nifty projects. You can also get your DMR radio programmed, too. A TYT MD-380 DMR HT will also be given away, courtesy of N0AGI. 

• I am now officially out of the DMR code-plug business. I've been maintaining the Connect Systems code-plugs for the metro network for some time now, and the vast majority of operators with CS rigs are now able to keep their own radios updated. Those that can't perform this task will simply need to learn, instead of scapegoating me. Writing and updating code-plugs is a tedious and thankless task as it is. When operators that have never even seen the Connect Systems software start telling me what's inside it, and demanding "proper" programming, then it's time for the Big Experts to take over. The latest CS code-plugs are still available, and they can be used as a template to build your own 'proper' version. I've written blog posts in the past giving instructions on how to edit various aspects of code-plugs: adding channels and editing scan lists and zones. I'll probably add another post in the future explaining how to add contacts. 

APRS 

• KE0CRW (Greg) has set up an RPi RX-only APRS gateway in Plymouth. KE0CRW-10 runs on DireWolf from Greg's home, and is still in the experimental stage. The metro really needs a gateway in this particular area, though it may not end up running full-time. The more people that gain the hands-on experience to create gateways and digipeaters, the more options that the local community has when key elements of the network fail.  

• Also, a new APRS gateway has appeared in Circle Pines. KD0KZE is now covering the north-east and north-central metro, with very good direct reception coverage. When you include digipeated packets, this gateway is handling traffic all the way to St. Cloud. I seem to remember that KD0KZE was in operation at some point in the past, but went off-air. The loss of the WR0P digipeater in Cambridge has reduced APRS coverage in the rural areas north of the metro, so seeing new gateways pop up on the northern edges of the metro is an encouraging sign. 

• N0DZQ is also back in action near Wyoming, MN. Previously, the machine had stopped receiving packets. It's now carrying the load for most of the traffic on 35W north of the metro, and even gating the N0HOY-10 digipeater in Arden Hills. Great to see this one back in the line-up! 

• Likewise with KG0QR-1 in southern Minnesota. It seemed to have gone quiet for quite a while, but is now back. While this gateway is a local coverage machine for directly-heard packets, it's crucial for gating the digipeater-heavy southern Minnesota packet traffic. It's handled over 4K packets so far this month! We could use a couple more like this one down there.        

                               

"Emergency" repeater policies clarified...mostly

  Ever since I was first licensed, I've heard conflicting assertions over who can use the "emergency" repeaters in Hennepin County. By "emergency" repeaters, I mean the following repeaters: 145.430-, 146.700-, 146.820-, 444.175+, 444.200+, 444.500+. 

  These repeaters are either run under the signs WC0HC (RACES) or W0PZT (HCSO-CRT). They are taxpayer-supported, well-maintained machines with excellent coverage. In the past, "EmComm trolls" have chased me (or tried to chase me) off of the 145.430, 146.700, and 444.200 repeaters. Also, I've been been told by N0TNL (Matt) -- the official monitor -- that general use (i.e. conversations) is acceptable on these repeaters if users "yield to emergency traffic". Others have told me "over the top" spook stories about jail terms for even keying up on these repeaters. Other "EmComm types" have told me that some of these machines are "off limits" to mere mortals, while other repeaters are open for use by any licensed amateur. 

  About a month ago, I found a definitive answer for some of these repeaters on WC0HC.org. The 145.430- (127.3 PL), 444.175+ (127.3 PL), and 444.200+ (127.3 PL) repeaters are (per the people that run them) open for "general use". This means actual conversations with other hams over subjects that don't include life-or-death matters, disasters, or "I'm more deadly serious than you are" pissing contests. 

  The exception is the 146.700- repeater in downtown Minneapolis. From the website:

GENERAL QSOs DISCOURAGED: When not in use for RACES or SKYWARN operations, this repeater is designated as a CALLING AND EMERGENCY frequency. Several Governmental RACES stations, EOC centers, ARES, Hospitals, Disaster Relief and other organizations attempt to maintain a radio watch on this repeater in order to respond to emergencies. This radio watch cannot be done effectively if there is any amount of rag-chewing. The repeater should be KEPT CLEAR of general amateur radio conversation traffic AT ALL TIMES in order for the channel to be open and available for calling/ hailing/ distress and emergency reporting traffic. Amateur stations are welcome to use the repeater for calling/ hailing in order to make initial contact and make arrangements to move to another frequency but are asked to AVOID the repeater for any extended duration QSOs.

  Okay, that's pretty clear. 
"Their repeater, their rules", I suppose. If my Hennepin County taxes are supporting the 146.700, I should have some kind of limited use on it. And there is just that sort of limited use permitted -- calling and hailing. Personally, even if that sort of use wasn't allowed, I'd be okay with this policy because it unequivocally opens up three repeaters as it closes off one. 

  This should make the monitor's job easier, put some trolls out of work "guarding" the other repeaters, and give the most deadly serious people in town a place to not talk to each other, while being extremely pleased with that situation. It's a "win-win". 

  Still, this leaves two repeaters with unclear policies. What of the 146.820- and the 444.500+ machines run by (the apparently defunct) MARC? 

  I asked Dan Anderson, who is the repeater trustee for the WC0HC repeaters. He got back to me promptly, and referred me to SD Lt. Joe Sherohman. Joe is the Director of the HCSO-CRT (Hennepin County Sheriff's Office - Communications Response Team) -- the group that runs the W0PZT repeaters. 

  Joe's response is as follows: 

The W0PZT repeaters are for all practical purposes closed to general use and reserved for official Sheriff’s Office use only. I’m referring the final word to the trustee of these repeaters, Sgt. Peter Hall.

  Okay, this has got to be one of the best-kept secrets in local amateur FM, then. Even the "EmComm trolls" don't bother devoting their eternal vigilance to these two repeaters. I've used these two repeaters for as long as I've been licensed -- especially when I first got my licence -- because they're close, have great coverage, and work with HTs. Lately, it seems as if I'm on the 444.500 at least once a week because I can get into it virtually anywhere in Plymouth while driving and reach across the metro. I'm not the only one that uses these two repeaters, either. And, over the course of three years now, I've never heard any "official Sheriff's Office use" on them. Once, I heard some organisational SkyWarn activity for about 20 minutes, but that's as close to EmComm as I've ever monitored. 

  I'm still waiting for Sgt. Peter Hall to get back to me, but this strikes me as an unreasonable policy, and more restrictive than the WC0HC policy on the 146.700 machine. Certainly, any repeater can be designated as "closed" by those that operate it. I'll grant the HCSO-CRT that much. These two machines are now The Forbidden Repeaters, at least in my mind. 

EDIT: It's been over a week since Lt. Sherohman asked Sgt. Hall to confirm this policy, and four days since I followed up with a message of my own. There has been no response. I've been unable to find any public policy posted on the Internet, especially on the HCSO website. This is, indeed, a secret policy. I'm going to err on the side of caution and go with Lt. Sherohman's statement, but it seems more like nobody at the HCSO-CRT really knows what their policy is. 

*****
EDIT: On 3/19, Sgt. Peter Hall confirmed that the 444.500+ and the 146.820- repeaters are closed to amateur use. I'm going to update the RepeaterBook listings accordingly.
*****

  Aside from these repeaters being taxpayer-supported, they aren't even used for emergency communications. This is a "dog in the manger" policy that goes against the spirit of amateur radio. If I had ever heard any "official" communications taking place on this repeater, I'd feel differently. I see no reason why these machines can't be shared.

  Second, I'm confused as to why the County Sheriff would need even one amateur repeater, much less two. They have their own state-of-the-art digital systems that make these analogue repeaters look like toys in comparison. If these are backup machines, then close them off when they are needed, just as any other analogue repeater can be closed off for emergencies. 

  Third, these repeaters are both listed as "open" on the MRC's list, as well as on RepeaterBook. This is a poor way to communicate to licensed amateurs that they are, in fact, closed. I'd suggest correcting these listings, and also adding a voice ID stating the policy -- if the HCSO-CRT really cares about restricting use, that is. 

  Fourth, the HCSO-CRT is blowing an opportunity for outreach here. Do something with these machines to engage the amateur community, recruit volunteers, elicit support, and generate positive PR. Get these putative amateur operators from the Sheriff's Office on the air for a monthly net on The Forbidden Repeaters. Promote your mission. Disseminate your propaganda. Tell your stories. Make yourselves appear to be human. 

  Last, if the HCSO-CRT is not going to enforce this (secret) policy, then drop it. Designate troll-guardians with special authority to speak on The Forbidden Repeaters to guilelessly chase away intruders, for a start. If you're going to go down this (frankly ridiculous) road, then go "all in". Put up the radio equivalent of a "No Trespassing" sign. Anyone that operates a closed repeater knows that it needs to be defended, at least with a token gesture. Otherwise, you're daring the worst elements to abuse it. Indeed, I've heard some of the worst elements abusing it in the past. 

  If the HCSO-CRT confirms this highly-restrictive (and ill-conceived) policy, I'll abide by it and warn others not to use these two repeaters. That doesn't mean that I agree with it, however. 

  Being more anal than the worst of the EmComm crowd in the metro should serve as a warning to the HCSO-CRT that they're being unreasonable.

Loose Notes 2/12/16

  I'm just catching up on the developments over the past couple of weeks. Some interesting stuff has been going on, and a few minor developments are worthy of mention. 

FM Repeaters 

• Per K0UMM (Travis), the VHF SuperLink repeater on 147.015+ in Collegeville (near St. Cloud) is "sickly". Travis rang up the machine for a "noisy S1" from less than 13 miles away. More troubles for the crumbling SuperLink network. Even worse, he also noted that the 146.940- in Sauk Rapids is "off-air". No mention of these problems on the St. Cloud ARC's website, but it appears that they're raising money for a new repeater. No mention as to which repeater they are raising money to replace. 

• Near Albert Lea, the 146.880- (100.0 PL) wide-area two-metre repeater is back on the air. Also in that same area, the 443.525+ (100.0 PL) is reported as back on the air. 

• The 462.675+ GMRS repeater in Crystal is down. Per N0RVY (Steve), the transmitter has failed. No timetable for restoration at this point. 

DMR 

• The big news in the local DMR world is that N0AGI (Nagi) and N0BVE (Don) have moved the 442.175+ machine in Prior Lake to Faribault. More information can be found in Nagi's blog post on the subject. Don and Nagi were reportedly able to access the repeater continuously on the drive back to Prior Lake using an HT and an external mobile whip. The site in Faribault is much higher in elevation and the tower is higher than the (currently abandoned) site in Prior Lake. A Yagi is currently beaming the signal towards the metro, but that will switch over to an omni vertical in a few months. This move comes as a big surprise, but the Prior Lake site didn't really reach well north of the Minnesota River. It's possible that operators just south of the metro will have to upgrade their rigs and/or antennae once the repeater switches to a vertical -- especially as the leaves come in. 

APRS 

• W0YC-5, the major metro APRS gateway, was down for about two days last week. Fortunately, tropospheric conditions weren't overloading the metro with distant traffic, and we've gained adequate redundancy to handle these failures without collapsing. 

•  AE0MT-10 is back on the air as an RX-only I-Gate in Coon Rapids after an absence of just under two weeks.  

• Though the month of February is still young, two RX-only gateways have racked up impressive stats. KE0NA-11 in NE Minneapolis has gated over 1300 packets so far, while N0KFB in Mounds View has handled nearly 5000 in the same period. Both of these gateways are operated out of homes with rooftop antennae. It really can be done.             

Voice Alert: APRS tool for FM simplex

  There are quite a few local operators that don't really "get" APRS. They may have a vague understanding of what it is, but not what you can do with it. Aside from being a good entry point for the world of amateur FM packet, you can use APRS to send short messages, get an idea of your station's coverage, contribute to real-time VHF propagation maps, let other operators know which frequency you are on for a QSO, locate repeaters in unfamiliar areas, inform the local community of nets and meetings, and even get weather information. 

  Still, there's another feature of APRS that can help you explore two-metre FM simplex. Voice Alert has been around for a while, and is more of a commonly agreed-upon convention than it is a technology. You don't need a TNC, a computer, or an APRS/GPS enabled radio to take advantage of it, either. You just need a two-metre FM radio with PL tone and tone squelch capability -- which covers practically all 2M FM rigs nowadays.  

  Tune your 2M FM rig to 144.390 (no offsets, just simplex) and set your PL tone and tone squelch to 100.0 Hz. Without tone squelch, you'll hear a lot of squawking APRS traffic that doesn't help you. Without the 100.0 Hz PL tone, you won't be able to make contact with mobile APRS operators. Now just listen. 

   If you hear a squawk come through the speaker, you'll know that there's somebody within simplex range. It would be easier, of course, if you have aprs.fi open on a computer, tablet, or smart-phone because you could see the callsign of the operator in your vicinity. Then you could call them specifically. 

  Next, make your call. Wait for a quiet moment, rather than talking over the digital traffic. If you know the other operator's callsign, then say "Voice alert <other sign> from <your sign>". If you don't know the other callsign, just say "Voice alert from <your sign>". 

  It's important to use the word "voice alert" because the other person doesn't know if the voice they are hearing (yours) is on a repeater or on APRS simplex. If the other operator comes back to your sign, you should immediately suggest a QSY to an FM simplex frequency, such as 146.52. You can continue your QSO there, but don't stay on the APRS frequency (144.390) because you'll be interfering with the packet traffic. 

  Using Voice Alert largely guarantees that the other person is within simplex range. It's a great tool for mobile operation, because you know someone is listening and within range of you. You can also use it with a marginal home station (such as an HT) to experience FM simplex, because the stations come to you -- instead of you trying to reach long distances to reach them. 

  Two-metre FM simplex is usually the domain of higher-powered stations with excellent antennae, because there's no repeater involved to "magnify" your signal. But, if a station is close to you (as indicated by your reception of their APRS packet), then you can "make it work" with a less-than-ideal rig. 

  Be aware that the other station is most likely moving, and may soon be out of range. If you're mobile, however, you might find that you're both on a parallel course. Either way, you've got a shot at an FM simplex contact that you weren't otherwise aware of. 

  Don't use Voice Alert on a home RF beacon, especially one that's running unattended and/or at high power. In other words, don't set up a 100.0 Hz PL tone on your beacon. If you aren't monitoring the APRS frequency for calls, or if you're transmitting further than you can receive QRP FM simplex, then you're just making noise on the APRS channel. 

  Voice Alert is yet another reason to run APRS in your mobile installation. It just might make you a simplex contact that you would have missed.         

Exploring local DMR coverage

  The local DMR community didn't even have the chance to fully assess the coverage of the new Dayton 442.850+ DMR repeater before two new repeaters went on-air: the Oakdale 443.425+ and the Prior Lake 442.175+ machines. 

  KC0VRV (Matt) experienced problems getting in to the Oakdale repeater reliably from near Hugo (about 14 miles) with an HT and an indoor antenna. Using higher power levels, KE0NA (Dave) has worked the Oakdale repeater from NE Minneapolis, and KA0KMJ (John) has done the same from Brooklyn Park. KC0BBK (Galen) can also reach the repeater from Falcon Heights. A lot more experimentation will need to be done before we have a clear idea of the Oakdale .425's HT coverage.  
EDIT: Using a seven-element Yagi and 45W, I got in very well to the Oakdale 443.425 from Plymouth (about 23 miles away).

   In an on-air conversation with AD0MI (Pete), he expressed confidence that a full-powered mobile could reach the Dayton repeater from Buffalo, based on experience with the Fusion repeater on the same site. I know that I can use the Dayton machine with an HT and a stubby 2-inch antenna indoors at my home ten miles away. Driving around Plymouth with an HT as a mobile and a dual-band whip on my trunk, I have no issues getting in to the repeater beyond very low spots. My experiences have shown me that HT mobile coverage ends in Robbinsdale, where the Minneapolis (442.425+) repeater picks up seamlessly. I've also found low areas in New Hope where an HT mobile is unsuitable. KE0NA has used the Dayton repeater from NE Minneapolis with a beam antenna at high power. 

  I was surprised to hear KA0KMJ reaching the Prior Lake repeater from 30 miles away using full power (40+W). I've yet to set up a beam and try the same thing from Plymouth, but I'm optimistic about success. In a few months, when the 442.175 is moved to a much higher tower, coverage should be very impressive. This is another case where we need more experience to determine HT coverage of the Prior Lake machine. 
EDIT: Using a seven-element Yagi and 45W, I was able to get in to the 442.175 repeater without packet loss from Plymouth (about 26 miles).

  A few local operators are now experimenting with "roaming" on Motorola radios. Dave has set up a code-plug to take advantage of this feature, which switches the radio to the repeater that has the best signal. Using roaming, N0BVE (Don) drove from Hudson, WI to Minnetonka along the 494 loop with continuous coverage using an HT and an external mobile antenna. 

  It seems that an HT mobile setup, or an HT at home with an exterior antenna, would be an adequate solution for many operators. Certainly, a full-powered mobile should give someone seamless coverage from home or on the road within the freeway loop (and a lot of areas just outside of it). Considering that most of the network is operating at the "hobby repeater" level of RF output, this is quite impressive. It's doubtful that much more could be gained by adding PAs to the existing repeaters. It's perfectly feasible to use a repeater with only one "bar" of signal, due to the digital nature of the mode. It's impossible to distinguish between an operator blasting in to the repeater with high power and another operator using only the bare minimum.

  Future expansion might be into Wisconsin. N0YNT (Matt) has also set a target of adding another repeater at the St. Paul campus as a backup solution, rather than as an attempt to expand coverage. This would probably take care of things should the Minneapolis or Oakdale repeater fail -- for a time, anyway. Other frequently-mentioned targets for expansion are Rochester and Duluth. And there's still a repeater in Ellendale (between Owatonna and Albert Lea) that could go on the air at any time. 

  My impression is that the NE metro is the weakest link in the network's coverage, though a full-powered station will certainly work there. Something In Forest Lake, Isanti, or North Branch would solidify coverage greatly. 

  EDIT: N0BVE (Don) has been testing the coverage of the Prior Lake repeater south of the Twin Cities today (Sunday). Using a 5W HT as a mobile with a 5/8-wave whip, he was able to get in to the 442.175 from Faribault. A few other areas to the north of there, such as Elko, were hit-and-miss due to terrain. Per N0AGI (Nagi), operators in Rochester have reported that they are able to hear the repeater, too -- but not access it. Using a full-powered mobile should provide more reliable coverage. When this repeater moves to the new site, three times as high as the current site, coverage should be much more solid. Mankato and Rochester could be possible with a full-powered mobile.

Community Rig Project

  For the past couple of weeks, I've been floating the idea of the "Community Rig" to basically anyone that will listen, in an effort to get some constructive feedback. A few problems remain that could end up being "deal-breakers", but the potential is there to do something novel in the metro. 

  The Doer Co-op has two TYT TH-9000D monoband 1.25M transceivers left over from The Aggrandizer (now "The Alincoizer") repeater. In brief, two mobile rigs were used to create a 222 MHz repeater, which is still in operation on 223.900- in NE Minneapolis. For months, we've been wondering what to do with these two rigs. Vague ideas of a remote base or cross-band link have been mentioned, but nobody has the time or interest to make those notions into reality. 

  In parallel with that, I've noticed that the lack of a rig keeps many local operators from exploring the 1.25M band. There are quite a few operators in town with decades of experience that have never operated on 220, and are unlikely to ever buy a monoband rig to do so. The band remains a mystery to most, though we have some decent repeaters and simplex is wide open. 

  My idea is to loan out these two transceivers for two months, and pass them around to various operators so that they can explore the local 1.25M scene. 

  Some say that they'll get ruined, lost, or simply kept. Whatever. We've got our use out of them, and the community is mostly honest people. My biggest concern is that the people who borrow them won't even use them, and they'll sit there for a couple of months in the box until they are passed along. 

  There are potential problems with logistics, too. Will the rigs be returned to the Co-op, or handed over to the next operator on the list? Setting up meeting times and places to hand off the transceivers could be a major hassle. It's not insurmountable, though. 

  The big practical issues would be that the person borrowing one of these radios would need to provide their own power supply, antenna, and coaxial cable.  

  The power supply isn't a big deal; 12A minimum should do it, and most operators have that already. New hams might not, though. I'm really not willing to pass around a power supply for each radio, because it just becomes more stuff that needs to be exchanged every two months. 

  The antenna is the biggest obstacle. People are highly unlikely to buy an antenna for something that they will only use for two months. It's not hard to make a vertical dipole out of speaker wire, or solder up a 1/4-wave ground-plane from an SO-239 and some rods...but will they actually do that? 
I have a 1.25M J-pole that I got on EBay, and I could loan that out. But it's five feet long, making it a bit unwieldy for hand-offs. And it still needs a mounting solution. I'm ordering a 1/4-wave ground-plane antenna, and we'll see how that works out in practise.

  The coaxial cable probably isn't a big deal, either. But who knows? Still, a length of cable is just another item to get lost in the shuffle, and it's not something specific to the band like an antenna. People should be able to provide their own coax. 

  It would be great to give local operators the chance to work with a rig powerful enough to do simplex across town, as well as reach local repeaters. 

  The first person to try this out will be WW8A (Wayne).     

Fourth DMR repeater up in Prior Lake

 N0AGI (Nagi) has a new DMR repeater on the air at 442.175+ in Prior Lake, complete with an APRS icon. The local DMR scene has exploded in the past two months, after simmering for the previous five months. Four months ago, when I got in, there was one reliable repeater and a second (low coverage) machine that was often not on the air. 

  Over the course of the past two months, a small group has added a repeater in Dayton and another in Oakdale. UHF being what it is, there are dead spots in coverage due to terrain. But it's undeniable that coverage has vastly improved into St. Paul and the east metro -- even at 5W transmission power levels. None of these DMR repeaters operate at anything near the power-house RF outputs common in analogue and some other digital mode repeaters in town. They are all 25W or less. Still, the narrow-band and digital nature of the mode has been leveraged to make coverage work at these lower power levels throughout the majority of the metro. 

  The south metro coverage has been spotty from the first, basically being provided by the 442.425+ machine at the University and requiring a more powerful signal than an HT can offer in most cases. It's still a bit early to make definitive statements, but the Oakdale repeater doesn't seem to reach much of the south-east metro (e.g. Inver Grove Heights, Cottage Grove, Eagan) due to terrain. The Dayton repeater also lacks coverage in the south-west metro, facing similar topographical challenges. It seems unlikely that high power levels would make a substantial improvement in either of these situations. 

  This was a situation that called for a fourth repeater sited in the south metro itself. But the DMR team had no site in that area, nor a spare repeater to put up. Nagi had been talking about operating a DMR repeater out of his home in Prior Lake, and even shopping for repeaters, but it had all seemed months away to everyone in the DMR community. He was negotiating access to a great tower in Prior Lake, and it seemed natural that the DMR repeater would wait until the tower was secured. 

  I was quite surprised to find out by email, during an intense roundtable on the 444.425+ Friday night, that Nagi had actually put the repeater on the air. He lacked a user radio to test the repeater, but the network op was able to access it through the C-bridge and confirm that it was connected to Local 2 -- and, thus, the rest of the local network. 

  Since hardly anyone has an updated code-plug that includes the new 442.175+ repeater, it will take a while to determine the coverage in the south metro. NK0M (Brandon) made a stab at it with an HT from Shakopee (seven miles away), but didn't fare well. Packet loss was heavy, but Brandon's effort proved that it was actually operating and connected to the local network. At this point, it's safe to say that, if you were previously able to access Nagi's Fusion repeater on that same frequency, you should be able to get in to the new DMR repeater.  The new DMR repeater in Prior Lake is now the most powerful DMR machine in the state, running 50W.

  I'm told that the System Fusion repeater will return to the air under a new frequency pair, so C4FM users shouldn't see this as a loss. 

  It would be very surprising if this new DMR repeater were not relocated to the higher tower once access has been obtained, and the Fusion repeater would probably join it. I'm looking at the current site as a test arrangement, and one that finally links an uncovered area of the metro to the rest. The south metro is a challenge to cover (especially with UHF) due to the steep drop in elevation south of the Minnesota River. There will undoubtedly be dead spots in the south metro coverage (as all three of the other repeaters have in their respective areas), and an exterior antenna may be needed for HT operation, but I think that the community will be pleasantly surprised at what's now possible. And, once the new tower site is in place, coverage should be quite impressive. 

  If you have the ability to update your DMR radio to include the 442.175+ repeater, it would be great to get some first-hand experiences of the coverage.