KD0TLS: Anoka County update 8/21/22

   Just a brief update to note some new real and potential developments in the APRS infrastructure north of the metro. 

 N0MQL-1 has burst onto the scene in Centerville -- the eastern edge of Anoka County. Initially showing up as a digipeater, it now is functioning as a TX I-Gate (and presumably a digi). This station uses RPi (Raspberry Pi) hardware to run Xastir on Linux -- a popular solution. 

 As I've previously noted, Anoka County has no APRS infrastructure of its own. Worse, the KE0CRR-10 digi that provided some baseline coverage to the northern parts of the County has been MIA for well over a month. The long-anticipated Ham Lake digipeater has not yet appeared. APRS-IS stations exist, but RF operation has been a spotty proposition in most of the County. Metro gateways and digipeaters have provided fringe (and barely baseline) coverage for the southern half of the area. 

 Adding the new Centerville TX I-Gate is a big development for the area. RF-based messaging is now possible for a significant share of Anoka County. Motorists with RF stations are now being gated. We can now begin to see the extent of RF activity that went undetected and ungated for years. 

N0MQL-1's coverage over a few days

 Keep in mind that these aprs.fi coverage maps are worst-case scenarios. Click on the map above to expand. 

Rumors

 A few days ago, I ran across one the metro's senior operators on the 444.750 repeater. I won't name him because I don't want people to pressure him, but he is the same ham that I mentioned previously as planning to put up a digipeater in Ham Lake. He confirmed that the project was still destined to happen, only with a TX gateway instead of a digipeater on the County tower. That's a pretty high tower, and he stated the gateway's antenna will be "high up there".  He's a very experienced ham who has put up more than one repeater, so I think this is beyond a "rumor". 

 But a gateway like this should reach across Anoka County easily. I would also assume it will include a digi function to move metro traffic outward, and this will also connect to the (extensive) Wisconsin digi system. If the Isanti KE0CRR-10 digipeater ever reappears, our MN network would take a big step forward. The addition of a digipeater in Princeton would make for continuous coverage over currently uncovered parts of the state. 

 Just as aside, I'm also told that a GMRS repeater will be going up on that Ham Lake site, too.

 Other developments 

 The North Branch KC0KUR-10 TX I-Gate has faded away, sadly. The RX-only gateway in Stacy -- WB0VGI-1 -- has also dropped off the map. The latter tells me that it will return soon. 

 This leaves some big gaps in coverage along I-35, especially now that the Hinckley digi has made an exit. 

 

 Even with a "mega-station" in Ham Lake, the network will still need elements on the fringes for reliability, redundancy, and expansion.