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.                               

Loose Notes 1/16/16

  It's another week, and I'm summarising what's been going on in the metro amateur radio scene.  

FM Repeaters and DMR

• The 444.725+ (127.3 PL) in Dayton is no longer on the air, having been replaced by the 443.250+ (D023N DPL) Fusion repeater at that same site. 

• AD0MI (Pete) graciously explained the unusual linking arrangement of the new 443.250 machine to me this week. This NW metro UHF SF machine is linked by WIRES-X to several other repeaters to provide very wide coverage across bands. Not only is the UHF .250 linked to the power-house 444.525+ in Mounds View, it's also linked to another Fusion repeater in Zimmerman (444.450+) to provide rural access to the metro activity. What I didn't understand, though, was how the (currently analogue) 145.230- and 223.900- repeaters also functioned in this digital linking scheme. Pete cleared this up as follows: 

  If you transmit in FM into the 223.900 or 145.230, it will come out on 223.900 and 145.230 in FM, and on the .250, 450, and 525 in Fusion Digital.  If you transmit on the .250, .450, or .525 in Fusion digital, it will come out in digital on the other digital machines, and in FM on the .900 and .230.  If you transmit into the .250, .450, or .525 in FM, it remains local to that repeater only.  

•  So it would seem that UHF System Fusion operators in the rural north-west would be able to access metro 2M, 1.25M, and UHF repeaters through the Zimmerman 444.450+ machine. Metro analogue operators can communicate with System Fusion users through the 1.25M 223.900- or the 2M 145.230- repeaters, and participate in the Fusion-only nets. 

 

• The new 442.850+ DMR repeater went on-air in Dayton last week-end. It's an exciting development, as it expands the mode into the west and north-west metro. Local operators have been excited about the great coverage of this new machine, and have been testing it out. KE0NA (Dave) was one of the first to access it, though he had to use a beam to make the 17-mile trip from NE Minneapolis. I found that I was able to get in to the new repeater from ten miles away using an HT with a rubber duck at low power (one watt) indoors, and was able to get into it reliably around Plymouth using the same HT at 5W as a mobile with an external dual-band whip. KC0CAP (Dan) reports that he can get in to the repeater with an HT mobile from around Maple Plain (13 miles). The narrow-band digital nature of the mode allows signals that would be unreadable on analogue to be completely clear. As time goes on, we'll get a clearer picture of the practical coverage area of the new .850, but it looks impressive right now. 

• For those in the east metro, a new DMR repeater will go on-air in a few weeks that promises to cover St. Paul and as far north as Hugo. N0YNT (Matt) will soon be replacing his (currently down) UHF analogue repeater on 443.425+ with a DMR machine in Oakdale. Code-plugs have already been updated to accommodate the new addition to the network, so make sure that you get your radio updated in advance. This means that DMR will very soon have metro-wide coverage, as all three repeaters are linked. 

• Further down the road (perhaps in Spring) N0AGI (Nagi) is making plans to set up a power-house DMR repeater in Prior Lake that should bring the south metro into the network with quite reliable coverage, even using low power levels. It should easily reach to both 35W and 169, meaning that all major approaches to the metro will be covered by linked DMR access.

• Many local operators are contemplating taking advantage of the low prices on DMR HTs -- such as the TYT MD-380 -- to get into the rapidly-growing DMR network. Home operation with an HT within the metro is completely practical and reliable if you have an exterior antenna. Generally, if you can hear one of the DMR repeaters with your analogue radio at an S2 or S3 level, then 5W into an exterior whip, 1/4-wave ground-plane, or J-pole should allow you access to the network. I use an indoor three-element Yagi mounted on a photographic tripod. Mobile operation with an HT and exterior whip is fairly practical, with the limitation mostly being terrain and the quirkiness of UHF coverage in general. Portable operation with a rubber duck is certainly possible, but unreliable in a lot of areas -- as is the case with analogue UHF operation in those circumstances. 

• Also regarding DMR, I've been exploring the Hytera Reflector (TG 4639, TS2) on our local network. It's a link to the (otherwise incompatible) Hytera DMR network that allows world-wide contacts. Apparently, there's also some kind of RTL dongle that will allow internet (non-RF) access to the Hytera network. The Hytera Reflector seems to allow these operators limited access to the broader DMR network. Check your code-plug to make sure that this talk-group is included. 

• Those of you testing your coverage should be aware of the net-watch page for our local network. This will allow you to see your relative signal strength (RSSI) and percentage of packet loss. Judging by what I've been seeing, a signal of -122 dBm (with the smaller negative number indicating a stronger signal) will allow you access with very little packet loss. Packet loss of over 7% is generally not intelligible. When your signal is weak, packets will be lost and your transmission will be somewhat garbled and broken. Packet loss of less than 1% is almost unnoticeable.

APRS 

•  The big metro digipeater N0HOY-10 is back on the air, after being down most of the week. With its excellent site, it commonly re-transmits packets from the Faribault and Rochester digipeaters and other machines outside of the metro. 

• I'm not sure what's happened with the N0RUA-10 RX-only gateway, but it's suddenly expanding its coverage remarkably: 

       

• The new RPi gateway in Coon Rapids, AE0MT-10, has only been in business for a week. Still, it's covering Hwy 10 from 610 to Anoka pretty well.

• N0QHM-1 in Bloomington has disappeared after establishing itself as quite capable of handling the fill-in role in the south metro. EDIT: It looks as if N0QHM-1 is back on the air!

• The big Rochester digipeater WB0MPE-7 has gone down for about a week now, leaving W0MXW-3 with a heavier load than ever. 

• AE0RF-10 wasn't expected to stay on the air into the cold weather, but the RPi RX-only gateway in downtown Minneapolis is still gating packets in a challenging environment. 

• A new APRS icon has popped up for a 2M repeater in the western exurbs near Litchfield. 146.685- (71.9 PL) seems to be the W0CRC machine in Darwin, only with a different PL tone (previously 146.2). This machine was once linked to the Hutchinson 147.375+ (146.2 PL) using EchoLink, but these two nodes are most often down.

• Speaking of APRS icons for repeaters, N0AGI (Nagi) was kind enough to set up an icon for the new UHF DMR repeater in Dayton. Nagi also maintains icons for most of the repeaters in the HandiHam network.                

Another look at 1.25M FM

  The 1.25M (220 MHz) band has been in a precarious and neglected state for several years now. The loss of 220-222 MHz to commercial use was a wake-up call of sorts, and commercial digital FM systems still comprise the biggest threat to the band. Amateurs on the East and West coasts use the 1.25M band, though popularity is scattered and coverage is far from continuous. The positive side of the loss of 220-222 was that amateur radio use was made primary on 223-225

  From time to time, various bad ideas emerge from the amateur community about "what to do with 220". Most of them boil down to dumping whatever activity doesn't fit into our current VHF model on to 1.25M: auxiliary links, ATV (amateur TV), digital modes (repeater-based and simplex), packet, satcom, etc. Some have even revolved around making the band shared with a new (non-existent) unlicensed FM service in order to create activity and "save" 1.25M for ham radio. Most of these ideas would require a dramatic over-haul of the band plan and disrupt current users. Additionally, the lack of gear for these "solutions" is a deal-breaker. In effect, the current users of 223-225 MHz are "saving" the band from misguided destruction at the hands of the fellow hams. 

  Making effective use of 1.25M FM has always had two intractable obstacles: very few users and very few radios available. Repeaters, duplexers, full-powered mobiles, and quality antennae have been hard to find. Many of the HTs with 1.25M coverage have had very low output power on the band, and the mobiles have been monoband rigs. Repeater coverage has been concentrated in scattered locales, making a 1.25M monoband useless when outside of the area. These hardware issues, combined with declining overall FM activity, keep operators from moving into the band. And this, in turn, makes getting on 1.25M FM less compelling. 

  In an interesting sense, 1.25M FM has become a "frontier" of sorts. It's the place where you can go for privacy and elbow room. You and your buddies can have simplex to yourselves, with no one listening in. You can operate a repeater that's very exclusive, or you can set up a simplex node for basically private use. 

  If you've read this blog for any amount of time, you probably are aware that I'm an advocate for increased use of 1.25M FM. Two-metre FM got a huge early advantage with the surplus commercial and public-service gear available, but I think 1.25M would have been a  better option if we could do it all over again. 2M FM is great for covering wide rural areas, but 1.25M is superior for wide metropolitan areas. 222 MHz has the over-the-horizon characteristics of two-metre propagation, while also having some (somewhat marginal) reflective and knife-edge characteristics -- and it doesn't suffer considerably from "green leaf attenuation" like UHF does. Like UHF, however, you can do more with less power. 

  Locally, I'd rate our 1.25 FM network fairly well. We don't have the power-house repeaters that two-metre FM has, and coverage is restricted to the north and east metro for low-power end-use operation. About half of the 1.25M repeaters have below-average sites, and the actual hardware seems about ready to collapse at any minute in a lot of cases. On the other hand, we have cross-band operation through the 223.940- (100.0 PL) and EchoLink access through the 224.660- (100.0 PL). The 223.900- (100.0) is also now linked to the "MNWIS-FUSION" WIRES-X room for cross-band access to a growing number of linked UHF machines. The TCRC's 224.540- (100.0 PL) repeater is currently down (contrary to what their site says), and a decision has apparently been made not to use their old 75W PA and not to operate cross-band. Still, when this machine is back on the air, it will balance the north-favouring coverage of the other repeaters. 

There's certainly plenty of room for "hobby" repeaters operating out of homes, and good opportunities for clubs to assist people in setting them up. It's the next best thing to putting up a two-metre repeater, and getting a frequency pair is easy. A $50 Yagi would link that "hobby" repeater to another on the band, and expand the coverage of both. A $35 ground-plane antenna (or vertical dipole) and a $50 BaoFeng would give you a base station.

  I don't understand a few operators' belief that "there's no one to talk to" on 1.25M. The 223.940- is linked to the HandiHam network, after all. It's probably the easiest way to get in to the network from the north, east, and north-east metro -- especially if you don't have a great 2M station. Even if you only have a monoband 220 station, you can still talk to operators on 2M and 70cm using the 223.940 repeater. That's the beauty of cross-band linking. And accessing the 223.900- gets you on a network of System Fusion UHF repeaters, including the power-house 444.525+ repeater and the 444.450+ in Zimmerman.

  If there were demand (in the form of actual users) for it, I think that a few of the existing repeaters could be whipped into shape pretty quickly. Remote receive sites could significantly improve coverage for HT operation. Links could be established between repeaters, and simplex nodes could open up fringe areas.

New developments

 Over the past year, however, things have been happening that dramatically change the potential of 1.25M FM. 

First, Bridgecom is now producing a 25W monoband mobile (around $250) with detachable face and packet capability. This makes mobile operation quite practical, and it also makes base operation from even fringe areas possible. A decent ground-plane or Yagi antenna at 25W would make you competitive with a lot of the repeaters in town, and make FM simplex enjoyable. Bridgecom is also selling a $110 monoband HT (with programming cable) if you don't want to gamble a lot of money on a new band.

Second, Bridgecom is also selling a repeater for 1.25M. $1000 will get you the BCR-220 30W machine. $4800 will get you an entire package: repeater (with power supply), four-cavity duplexer, base station antenna, 100' of LMR-400 feed-line, a 100W PA (with power supply), and ten monoband HTs. If your club can get ten guys to put up $500 each, and if you have a decent site, you could guarantee wide-area coverage and give each guy an HT to access it. My experience using a 5W HT and a mobile whip in my car here in Plymouth to access the 223.94- machine in Arden Hills has convinced me that this is practical. And I've used a 5W HT connected to a ground-plane or Yagi for years as a nice base station to access repeaters on the other side of town. I'll also point out that none of these repeaters are running 100W, either. 

Third, there are Chinese radios that will soon be released to solve the hardware issues for end-users. In about a month or two, Baojie will release a tri-band 25W mobile (BJ-218) for under $200. This could be an affordable base station for a lot of new hams. There's a nicer AnyTone rig that will be released in the coming months under the brand Shi Ying. At $335, the SR-224 will have tri-band coverage, air band RX, and cross-band repeater operation. It has a detachable face, too. On 1.25M, power will be limited to 25W, but that's really enough for the metro area. 2M will be 50W, and UHF at 40W, and cross-band repeat won't work on 1.25M.  The point is that you will no longer have to add a second monoband rig to operate on 1.25M FM. 

 The Alinco and TYT rigs that have been around for a few years now look as if they are sticking around, too. The BaoFeng UV-82X is also only $50, and can be an adequate rig when it's connected to a decent exterior antenna. The addition of an after-market Nagoya duck ($17) for 1.25M can make HT operation less-than-ridiculous, particularly if you're within ten miles of a repeater. Bear in mind, however, that the band doesn't have the building penetration that UHF does. Indoor antennae, like the case on two-metre FM, are often disappointing solutions.

Coverage 

  The two big repeaters currently on air in town are the Arden Hills 223.940- (100.0 PL) and the 224.660- (100.0 PL). I can reach both of these from Plymouth with an HT in my car connected to a tri-band whip, and (quite easily) from home using an exterior tri-band whip. The .660 does very well to the north (of its site in Columbia Heights), and makes it down to Bloomington easily. Both the 224.660 and 223.940 reach out to Rockford with a full-powered mobile. 

  When the 224.540- (100.0 PL) in Burnsville is on-air, it rivals these two machines. Coverage to the south is obviously better than than the other two.

  Next in line is the 224.500- (114.8 PL), which reaches out to here in Plymouth, almost to Edina, and covers St. Paul almost completely. 

  The 224.940- (100.0 Pl) in Mounds View, the 223.900- (100.0 PL) in NE Minneapolis, and the 224.880- (no tone) in Maplewood are basically local coverage repeaters. I can bring all three of them up with 25W and a tri-band whip from Plymouth. The .880 is toughest from here, because it's so far and doesn't seem to be running more than 25W, by my estimation.

  I've never been able to "ker-chunk" the 224.100- (no tone) in White Bear Lake from my place, or in any of my travels around town.

  In Minnesota, 1.25M repeater coverage is more or less limited to the metro area. There's a very good repeater in Paynesville on 224.800- (no tone) that covers the area west of the metro, and up to Little Falls. It's also linked to two UHF repeaters and has EchoLink access (node 925804). I've never been able to reach it directly from Plymouth. N0YNT (Matt) has previously offered to link it to the local 444.425+ machine, but the Paynesville folks want to "keep it local". Beyond that, you basically have your own private band for FM simplex. There's allegedly a repeater in Duluth, but I've been told that it isn't working very well. 

  With the large number of unused frequency pairs available on 1.25M, the potential for wide area coverage, and the improving rig options, the 222 MHz band might be a better option for out-state expansion than UHF. The cost of a brand-new Bridgecom 1.25M repeater is likely competitive with the expense involved in maintaining an ancient UHF Micor, and the range will be better (all other things being equal) than UHF. Cross-band linking would make such an approach even more compelling. I wouldn't bet money on this actually happening, but the potential is there.

  Wisconsin has a few machines, most notably near Madison and Milwaukee. Iowa has several, including a linked machine in Des Moines on 224.980- (114.8 PL) for very wide coverage. South Dakota has only one repeater in Sioux Falls with local coverage. North Dakota has none. There are a couple of repeaters in the Chicago area, if you travel that way.  

  The existence of repeaters, obviously, is no guarantee of activity. 

The Bottom Line 

  Until more people spend the money for tri-band or monoband rigs, either HTs or mobiles, very little of the potential of the 222-225 MHz band will be realised. There's a lot of opportunity to set up home-based, "hobby" repeaters on 1.25M VHF, with two-metres being locked up. Linking these local coverage 1.25M repeaters to UHF machines in more distant parts of the greater metro area might prove to be an attractive way to both increase coverage for UHF repeaters and make 1.25M FM more practical. On the other hand, it may prove that FM simplex on 223.500-223.840 (13 channels) will end up drawing small groups of like-minded operators for 'private' round-tables. This could prove an interesting "social refuge" for new hams disenchanted with the local repeater scene, or long-time hams looking for something different. 
  
  Over the next couple of years, I think that new tri-band rigs will be an increasingly attractive option for newer hams looking to upgrade beyond an HT. These are also operators with less-hardened allegiances, who might be willing to explore the 1.25M scene with an open mind. 

  Once more people get radios capable of working the 1.25M band, I think that a core group of ten (or even twenty) operators will emerge on local 1.25M FM. The needs of that group will drive further infrastructure (either repeaters, simplex nodes, or links) development, and shape the band for the next decade.             

Loose Notes 11/8/15

  Just a few scattered items this week. I've found it hard to drum up activity (for the most part) this week. Local DMR activity is non-existent, and the people that I usually talk to on my brief commute (using analogue FM) haven't been around much. Since actually talking to people is how I obtain most of the information for the blog, it makes it hard to come up with posts. Having said that, let's look at the latest developments: 

• N0YNT (Matt) is back in town! I ran into him yesterday (11/7) on the 444.425+ (114.8 PL) repeater, and we chatted while he unpacked a few boxes. Hopefully, he'll find some time to write here about his West Coast radio adventures and his trip back. Matt is also more focused on his many projects, and his main interest now is in setting up a "turnkey" Raspberry Pi (RPi) box to link repeaters over the internet (SVXLink). The MAGIC repeater network would probably be the biggest target for this effort, but there's potential to link other repeaters in a cross-band scheme, too. 

• Per Matt, the 442.025+ DMR repeater in St. Paul hasn't been connected to the network for a few weeks now. Most people use the 442.425 machine on the East Bank campus, but it was KC0BBK (Galen) who detected the failure of the .025 locally. My impression is that the .025 won't be restored until it's moved to the St. Paul campus, where it should provide very good coverage for the east metro. 

• Speaking of the 444.425+ repeater, activity has picked up sharply there over the past week or so. Activity draws activity, and spontaneous QSO's and even roundtables are happening again. It's not at the level (yet) that it was a year ago, but it is increasing from virtually nothing. 

• Aprs.fi has implemented the new standard icons this week. The new symbols are a lot clearer, and no longer look like something out of the '90s. Take a look and maybe consider updating your APRS icon. 

• Looking at APRS, I notice that AE0RF (Justin) has set up a new I-Gate (AE0RF-10) in downtown Minneapolis. It hasn't been in operation long enough to judge its coverage, but it does reach into St. Paul. Per an uncannily well-timed QSO with Justin, I learned that this arrangement is only temporary, however.

• Yet another I-Gate was added recently, or perhaps I just now noticed it. N0GEF-7 is now gating packets near Annandale, and looks like it has wide coverage. This is an area that has had poor coverage in the past, so we can certainly use some redundancy to fill in the gaps in the west metro.

•  In southern MN, KG0QR-1 looks as if it's sticking around, too. This is an area that has several strong digipeaters, but weak gateway capacity. KG0QR-1 is a gateway operating out of Minnesota Lake, MN (about 13 miles north of I-90) that is fed by the digipeaters in Mankato and Owatonna, as well as handling local traffic. So often these gateways pop up for a few days and then disappear. This one has stayed around for a few weeks now, and the MN amateur community benefits from the redundancy of coverage this gateway provides. Now if we could only get something in Alexandria to cover I-94... 

• The new Chinese SSB satellites are having difficulties, apparently. XW-2A, B, C, and D are only operating as beacons, and XW-2E hasn't been heard for days. Only XW-2F is currently operating as a transponder.                   

Loose Notes 10/11/15

  Not a heck of a lot has happened in my radio world this week, but I'll try to put something together. 

• On Wednesday (10/7), the RF link between the 1.25M 223.940- repeater in Arden Hills and the HandiHam network was restored by KG0BP (Chris) after being down for nearly two years. Chris received substantial help from N0BVE (Don), who provided a tower. The signal from the 223.940 is received in Richfield and sent to the network via EchoLink, and any traffic on the network is transmitted to the 223.940 repeater with an Alinco mobile. I had a chance to test it out yesterday (10/10) with KA0PQW (Matt) and Don, getting in easily with 10W into a mag-mount tri-band whip from the opposite side of the metro. Don was also on 1.25M, so I had a chance to hear the audio directly and it's pretty good. The .940 will get a work-out with all of the traffic on the network. Thanks to everyone involved in this useful project. 

• As part of this upgrade by KG0BP, the 444.850+ (114.8 PL) HandiHam repeater is back on the air. In contrast to my discussions with Chris last November, he decided to use the old antenna that the .850 used before, rather than a north-facing beam. At only 13 miles distance, I'm unable to "ker-chunk" the .850 nor even hear any of the network traffic carried on it. Don has worked it from about seven miles at the University, and Chris' wife has worked it from about five miles distance. Undoubtedly, topography is the major limitation here. In its previous incarnation, the 444.850 had quite decent coverage to the south, and it's likely that it still does. Try it out and put your signal reports on RepeaterBook. Some operators in the inner southern suburbs might find the .850 a welcome alternative to the .650, as it's not plagued by a short time-out. The 444.850 is a fully-functional linked network repeater, so reaching it re-transmits your signal on every other HandiHam repeater over three bands.

• In an on-air chat with N0YNT (Matt) over DMR (N. America TG), I learned that he will moving back to St. Paul (from San Francisco) in 3 or 4 weeks. We discussed moving the 223.900- repeater to the St. Paul campus (definite maybe), and the 224.940- machine to K9EQ's (Chris) site (unlikely). Matt also has some hazy plans for the 443.425+ and 147.150+ repeaters that have more or less languished for years. Before his move to the West Coast, Matt expressed a vision for an ambitious metro-wide, linked, cross-band network. The pieces are finally coming together, with various people contributing their unique talents and thinking outside the conventional box. 

•  A chat with N0GOI (Terry) revealed that his six-metre FM repeater project (53.470-) is "not that far off". Two years ago, the TCRC's 53.370- machine died a whimpering death and left the metro without 6M FM coverage. Last year, W0CE (Charlie) informed me that his 6M repeater in Ramsey was, indeed, off-air, and would not be restored. N0BVE (Don) has been looking for a site for his 6M repeater for years now. I'm unsure how much interest there is in the metro for the six-metre band, at least as far as FM goes. With three bands already, and activity declining, it might be a "tough sell". In theory, the lower frequency should provide somewhat better "over-the-horizon" coverage (all other propagation anomalies aside). I could see more value with six-metre FM as part of cross-band linked system than as a stand-alone option. 

• In a QSO with K0ZZK (Tom) on the 444.475+ (118.8 PL) repeater yesterday (10/10), I learned that the antenna for the Richfield (RARC) machine has been upgraded. I was fairly surprised to reach it so well with an indoor antenna 13 miles away, especially considering my complete failure to reach the 444.850 (in the same city) with an outdoor antenna. Tom gave me a good signal report, however, and the .475 came back to me with an S6 signal here in Plymouth. Per Tom, the cross-band link to the RARC's 145.390- (103.5 PL) is no longer working and the idea has been abandoned. Still, the UHF .475 is a System Fusion machine, which offers potential for WIRES-X linking if the RARC ever wanted to do something creative with their coverage. For example, a WIRES-X link to the 442.075+ C4FM machine in Prior Lake (18 miles away) would be mutually beneficial. It would open up more of 169 and 35W to the metro and boost the fringes of the 444.475's coverage. As it stands now, though, the upgraded .475 has excellent coverage. I just need to find out how well I can reach it with 10W in my car this far away. 

• Not satisfied with being a major metro APRS gateway, N0AGI (Nagi) has teamed up with N0BVE (Don) to put N0AGI-5 on the Chaska water tower. This moves the I-Gate about a dozen miles north, and much higher. The results are very impressive. The map of stations directly heard shows that coverage for the west metro (which has always lagged) and the north-west metro (always spotty) has now dramatically improved. Keep in mind when looking at that map, that this is showing the results from less than a week at the new site. There still might be a gap between N0AGI-5 and the Litchfield KD0JOU-2, but the odds of getting your packets gated in the west metro are now pretty good. The map doesn't show coverage from digipeated stations, so this is a worst-case scenario...and it's very good. More information on the new gateway can be found at Nagi's blog.

• Nagi is also involved in another project: a WinLink gateway and packet node on 145.670. Per Nagi, this is actually three different projects. N0AGI-10 is a WinLink gateway that allows access to mail over RF. N0AGI-15 is a KA-node for packet allowing you to link to other packet nodes. And N0AGI-5 is a BBS (bulletin board) for posting messages, accessible over RF. Nagi is very keen to have others test this out and make use of it. Remember, packet works over FM. Your standard FM mobile, connected to a TNC and your computer, will allow you to do access these nodes (and other nodes on 145.110). While I'm just getting in to packet through APRS, I'm not familiar with anything outside of that. Nagi has generously agreed to advise me on how to set up a working packet station, and I hope to share that information here on the blog in the future.

• After being unable to reach N0YNT's (Matt) UHF SNP repeater on 443.000+ (118.8 PL) for a couple of weeks, I was surprised to find it working this week. Located in St. Paul, it's been around for years. Hopefully Matt can find time to look at it when he returns to Minnesota in a month or so. 

• On the other hand, I'm finding it increasingly difficult to get in to the 444.950+ (114.8 PL) repeater in White Bear Lake. I haven't been able to raise it in my car for over a month, nor with an indoor whip. I takes an outdoor antenna and at least 10W to open it up. A few months ago, I was able to work it with an HT/duck indoors. 

• The MARA 444.800+ (114.8 PL) continues to struggle. If you use this machine regularly, you are probably aware of it's annoying tendency to shut down completely for ten minutes or more if a QSO goes beyond six or seven minutes. In a QSO with KG0BP this week, it went dead just as we were discussing the effort to restore his UHF .850 repeater. It's smart to agree to a backup QSY when using the .800 repeater.

Loose Notes 8/16/15

  I had a great day on the air yesterday (8/15). Getting up early to take advantage of the tropo ducting, I spent an hour on two-metre SSB and CW with my tape-measure Yagi set up horizontally. Then I switched over to a vertical whip and tried the same thing, with the idea that I might not have been pointed in the best direction. Topping it off with some UHF SSB and CW, I called it quits after two hours as the propagation began to fade. No contacts were made, but I had a few near-misses. 

  Putting the Yagi in the vertical position, I moved over to FM. Even though the peak ducting was past, I reached a VHF repeater in Owatonna for a short contact with K0AJB (Kevin). Then I took advantage of the beam to work some local repeaters that are harder to reach from Plymouth -- such as the St. Paul VHF .120 -- where I ran into KC0FMI (Bob) and WW8A (Wayne). FM simplex was apparently dead at that point, but I did run into WE0K (Phil) in Columbia Heights later on the 146.52 calling frequency. I even put my six-element UHF Yagi up and managed to reach the Hugo .050 repeater and chat with N0SBU (George) himself. 

  Later in the evening, I ran into K0LAV (Paul) on the UHF .800 repeater. During the course of our conversation, the repeater just plain quit for several minutes. And, in another conversation with N0BID, it did the same thing. The 444.800+ hasn't been its old reliable self over the past year. 

  With all of that out of the way, let's look at some of the recent developments: 

• The Richfield 444.475+ (118.8 PL) repeater is back on the air, incarnated as a System Fusion machine. Though it putatively is linked full-time cross-band with the Richfield 145.390- repeater, I was only able to get traffic from the UHF side to repeat on the VHF side. As far as I could tell, nothing on the VHF machine gets re-transmitted to the UHF side.  

• N0BVE (Don) has resurrected a previously-mentioned project on his SNP 145.230- (114.8 PL) machine in Chaska. Formerly on 442.925+, the VHF .230 now hosts a WIRES-X link to a hub in Beaumont, TX. This hub, in turn, connects with dozens of other repeaters in the U.S. and even England. To me, it seems like the closest analogue equivalent to DMR. The Chaska repeater can be hard to reach -- it's only S7 here in Plymouth -- but it's an interesting experiment that I hope will stick around.  

• The latest rumours are that N0AGI (Nagi) is exploring the possibility of linking his 442.175+ (100.0 PL) System Fusion repeater in Prior Lake with the Minneapolis 444.425+ (114.8 PL) power-house machine.  While Nagi's UHF repeater has excellent coverage to the south and south-west (nearly to Mankato), topography has conspired against him to prevent any significant coverage to the north. If this works out, the coverage of both repeaters will greatly expand and the metro will see more continuous UHF coverage. 

• The 442.600+ repeater in Maplewood has been down for several weeks now, and the Dayton 444.450+ (114.8 PL) has, at least temporarily, joined the list of absent UHF machines in the metro. The UHF .450 is the only System Fusion repeater in the north-west metro.  EDIT: I've confirmed that the 444.450 is back on the air now.

• Looking at APRS, it seems as if KC0LDH has pulled the plug on his Becker I-Gate. Meanwhile, AE0EE-5 has appeared on a part-time basis in the Uptown area as an RPi gateway. N0HOY-10 has the icon for the digipeater in the proper place (rather than in Wisconsin) now. KD0RVY-1 is (hopefully) sticking around now as a much-needed I-Gate in the northern exurbs. Also, W0AZR-1 has recently popped up as a digipeater near Austin, MN. It's doing a great job covering I-90, working as a team with the gateway in Glenville. And K8IRC also just appeared as a gateway in northern MN between Coleraine and Hibbing. There are a lot of digipeaters up that way, but gateways are scarce, so it's always nice to see hams stepping up to the plate and filling the gap. 

• What else? The power-house 147.225+ (no PL) repeater near Brainerd has switched over to System Fusion. It's now the most northerly SF repeater in MN, and boasts a 50+ mile coverage radius. The 145.130- (no PL) is another SF machine just slightly further south, but is no slouch in coverage, either -- and it has an EchoLink node (233515). 

• We're less than two weeks away from the launch of the Fox-1A FM satellite (435.180 up, 145.980 down). Next year should see four more FM satellites launched, including three Chinese "birds". The number and quality of satellite passes should be amazing this time next year. As always, the time of local passes can be found here, so practice up on the SO-50 and be ready for the new opportunities.

Loose Notes 7/5/15

  Not much here that I haven't covered in other posts.

• There's a new six-metre FM repeater in Faribault on 53.790-. Originally listed as an NXDN repeater, WA0SSN (Don) confirmed that it's actually a standard FM analogue machine. Per KC0OUZ (Adam), the repeater has a PL tone of 100.0, though the listing shows no tone. It's also supposed to be cross-band linked to a UHF repeater in Faribault. Given that it's relatively easy to reach the 2M 146.790- repeater in Faribault from the metro, it's not unrealistic to think that we could reach the 53.790 from here, too. There certainly aren't any local 6M repeater options at the moment. 

• Per N0GOI (Terry), the Hugo 443.050+ (118.8 PL) repeater has a new controller that will make it much easier to link it to the 444.050+ (114.8 PL) machine in St. Paul in the future. Current plans involve linking these machines to the Foreston repeaters, the VHF 145.170-, and the NE Minneapolis 443.575+ repeater. It's an ambitious plan, and one that could potentially serve as a model for the future. 

• I've neglected to mention that a local C4FM repeater has now moved from 444.725 to 444.450+ (114.8 PL). Local C4FM expert K9EQ (Chris) provided the expertise and time involved in re-tuning the duplexer. The repeater is sited in Dayton. Per KA0KMJ (John) -- the owner -- the repeater's coverage is very good to the north, but terrain provides a challenge to the south. That being said, I'm about 15 miles south of the repeater and I can get into it reliably with an indoor mag-mount whip. The NW metro has lacked a lot of UHF options, especially with the 444.100 moving further south recently, so this is a welcome change. 

• Just another reminder of the hybrid C4FM 442.925+ (114.8 PL) linked repeater in Minnetonka. This machine is linked through WIRES-X to a hub in Beaumont, TX to several other repeaters -- even one in England. Just yesterday I had a chat with an operator in Japan on the .925 -- JA1GAY (Toshi). His basic English was a lot better than my non-existent Japanese skills, and we struggled through a nice QSO. The .925 can also be accessed through analogue FM (which is what I used), so it might be worth your while to check it out. 

• It looks as if the AE0RF-10 APRS gateway is back in business. Previously, it seemed that an experiment in mobile gateway service was being undertaken, but the solar-powered I-gate is now back where it always was.        

Loose Notes 6/14/15

Another quick run-down of the previous week's radio developments:

• I guess that there was some kind of MS 150-type event over the weekend, as there was a lot of APRS traffic indicating that. The Hinckley K0YTH-10 digipeater got a work-out, and a lot of traffic bounced off from that machine to the N9XH-4 (Balsam Lake, WI) digipeater, to the northern metro digipeaters (e.g. N0HOY-14 and K0LAV-8). The network of RX-only I-gates did a great job handling the extra load. 

• Another new digipeater has sprung up in Brooklyn Park. KC0KEP is located near the Crystal Airport, and the new digipeater has handled a lot of packets for the recent weekend event from Forest Lake and even further north. I'd rather see such a nice receiving setup acting as a gateway instead of a digipeater, but we need something in the NW metro. Hopefully, this new addition will stick around. 

• My new 15M dipole (with balun) has arrived in time for Field Day. Barry from Hy Power Antennas was as good as his word, and I'm ready to wade back into HF waters -- if only for a day. I'll be setting up in St. Louis Park with KE0NA (Dave) for QRP operation on 15M and 10M using voice and CW. Look for us on APRS to find out the band/mode we're working at the moment. I expect to have my 5W HT running into my three-element Yagi, and that should reach the local packet infrastructure just fine. 

• On Saturday (6/13), I was surprised to hear KE0NA on the local C4FM 442.925+ (114.8 PL) repeater. I was even more surprised when he told me that he was operating mobile on the 223.900- (100.0 PL) repeater. Obviously, the WIRES-X link to the 1.25M repeater has been restored by N0BVE (Don) over the course of the past week. The audio was strongly "digitised", and I scarcely recognised Dave's voice, but he was completely readable. The EchoLink node for the 224.660- (100.0 PL) has been down for a few weeks now, so the .925 is the best way to operate on 1.25M if you don't have a radio for the band. 

• Speaking of the 442.925, I had a chat there this week with KA8JRJ (Fred). He was operating on WIRES-X from Michigan through a hub in Texas. Per Fred, the WIRES-X room in Beaumont, TX connects several repeaters across the country and even into England. The local 442.925 machine is one of those repeaters linked to the Texas hub, so it's a good place to hang out for some out-of-state conversation. 

• I had my first 2M SSB contact this week! I was immensely surprised to hear KA0RYT (Ron) come back to me on CW, and he then suggested moving to SSB. I first heard someone on CW while casually listening on 144.200 with a vertical whip, so I put up my VHF Yagi hastily. It was set horizontally, and pointed east. This greatly improved the signal, and I was able to tune in precisely and get the callsign. The tone of the CW signal was a bit raspy, but I could copy it. After making contact, I learned that he was in Milaca (to the north-west), and I turned my beam towards Ron for even more improvement in the signal. At a distance of 50 miles, this was my furthest two-metre simplex contact yet.

• I put some LMR-240 coax on my Sirio GP-430 UHF ground-plane antenna this week, replacing the RG-8X that I've been using. This is the antenna that looks like a beer can with three radials sticking out. I've had the mount for about two months now, and I've been using it on UHF FM to get into the local amateur repeaters, as well as the local GMRS repeaters. It's very wide-band and shows flat SWR on all of the 440-MHz frequencies and even up into the 467 MHz GMRS repeater input frequencies. I've been relying on it heavily to reach the 442.425+ DMR repeater, as well. The radials provide a rock-solid signal that my other whips don't give me, and I no longer have to swap antennae to work GMRS. The upgrade to LMR 240 coaxial cable has given me (much) less noise from neighbours' electronics, and boosted reception by about one S-unit. 

• One of the first repeaters that I tried with the new coax was the 444.050+ (114.8 PL) in St. Paul. It's always been a challenging UHF repeater for me to reach. I got in well at 10W, and caught up with N0GOI (Terry). He's taking a well-deserved break from developing his various repeaters, but he still has plans to link the VHF 145.170- (100.0 PL) to the UHF 444.050 machine. Ultimately, he wants to create a cross-band linked network that would incorporate the NE Minneapolis 444.575+, the Hugo 443.050+, and the Foreston VHF and UHF repeaters into the previously-mentioned cross-band pair. It's an ambitious vision, but one that would create activity on currently-unused repeaters and expand coverage dramatically.      

Loose Notes 4/4/15 - Easter

  I didn't spend a great deal of time on the air this week, but I did spend a fair amount of time in amateur radio discussions off-air. Here's the round-up: 

• KA0KMJ (John) has moved his C4FM repeater to a new site in Dayton (northern metro suburb) about eight miles from his home. The 444.725+ (127.3 PL) hybrid-mode repeater now has a 50W Henry PA, making it the second most-powerful C4FM machine in the metro. The new site is nicely unobstructed and significantly higher, and John has been exploring the improved coverage radius. The machine uses an ARS GasFET RX pre-amp to really clean up signals on the fringe, and it's a welcome addition to the UHF under-served NW suburbs. Don't be fooled by the PL tone; this is an open repeater, and not one of the "emergency" machines. John tells me that a 50W UHF mobile gets him in to the .725 from Zimmerman.

• Last night, I had a brief QSO with John on the UHF .725 while returning home from a birthday party in St. Louis Park. At Hwy 55 and Winnetka, I was virtually unreadable on my 10W mobile (with trunk-lip mounted tri-band whip). That's a very low spot, however, and I chose it specifically to test the coverage. I've always considered it interesting that the County put the 444.175+ (127.3 PL) "emergency" repeater in that vicinity. Once I got on I-169, however, the signal into John's repeater improved -- especially as I gained a little elevation. This is the nature of UHF, and one of the things that I love about the band. It's not "easy". It's also a compelling case for linked repeaters on the band, rather than "monster coverage" machines that attempt to defy the physics of UHF propagation. Also, another QSO with John this afternoon had him getting in readably at 23 miles from I-35W and CR 36. 

•  Coverage reports are also trickling in for the KE0NA/N0AGI cross-band link effort. Using WIRES-X, the 1.25M 223.900- (100.0 PL) and UHF 442.175+ (100.0 PL) have been linked for a few weeks now. At the moment, this is the only 1.25M cross-band action in town. Still no word on when the 223.940- (100.0 PL) machine in Arden Hills will have its link with the HandiHam network restored, either. N0AGI (Nagi) recently reported that KE0NA (Dave) was getting through to the UHF .175 Prior Lake repeater while mobile on the 1.25M .900 -- even as he went through the Lowry Hill tunnel. There have also been scattered reports of activity from distant parts accessing the twin repeaters through WIRES-X.

• The APRS site aprs.fi is back up again after a dust-up with Google over the use of OSM maps on the site. I had expected the site to be down over the holiday week-end, but Google responded promptly.

• Speaking of APRS, the Doers Coop looks as if it is reviving its efforts to use Raspberry Pi (RPi) boards for APRS gateways. If it's successful and documented, turn-key I-Gates could very easily be set up anywhere with internet access. Even rural areas could see gateways implemented with mag-mount 1/4-wave antennae, connected to the internet at libraries, courthouses, schools and vo-techs, and even municipal garages. There are a lot of digipeaters in rural MN, but few gateways. Strategically placing one of these RPi I-gates a few miles from a digipeater would connect local APRS end-users to the rest of the world, and add valuable VHF propagation data to alert hams of VHF tropo openings.

• And, it seems as if AE0RF (Justin) is on a parallel course. He's had AE0RF-10 operating as a receive-only gateway in St. Paul's Payne-Phalen neighbourhood for a few weeks now. His gateway uses RPi, an SDR receiver, and solar power. It was a valuable resource when W0YC-5 went down recently, and it's proof-of-concept for the Doers Coop. Hopefully, Justin can team up with the Doers and we can make this clever solution accessible to the amateur radio community at large. K0LAV (Paul) has also told me of a solar-powered digipeater in Isle, MN.

• Also along these lines, WB0GVI-8 is back on the air with a digipeater near Loring Park. As you can see here, WB0GVI (Noel) is providing fill-in service for the metro, and he routinely reaches the N0AGI gateway in Prior Lake.

• Last weekend, on N0BVE's (Don) 145.230- SNP repeater, I had a nice QSO with WA0DKS (Susie) in southern California. It seems that Don has left the EchoLink node constantly connected to the MN_CONF conference server. The repeater itself is in Chaska, which might make reaching it a challenge for some in the metro.

• N0AGI has put his ARISS I-Gate on the air! The International Space Station (ISS) has about a half-dozen passes over the metro each day, lasting from five to ten minutes each. While it's FM voice function is mostly disabled, it receives FM AX.25 packets (including APRS) on 145.825 regularly. Naturally, a gateway is needed for those packets -- and Nagi has provided one. If you'd like to get in on the fun, see Nagi's "how-to" post on his blog. Work the "digipeater in the sky"!

• KE0NA (Dave) has a short video of activity at the Doers Coop table in the Mid-winter Madness hamfest last weekend. 

•  Over the past week, I've noticed test digipeaters in Maple Plain and Anoka on aprs.fi. Both of these are nice locations to fill in the gaps in coverage and make HT APRS operation possible. 

• The 443.075+ (146.2 PL) machine in Little Falls (WU0S) is now "periodically" connected to the small Central MN linked network (run by DARC). This network links the UHF repeaters in Avon (443.650+), Litchfield (443.800+), and Paynesville (224.800-), and it is accessible through EchoLink (node 925804). This network has always impressed me. UHF can be a "tough sell" in rural areas, and 1.25M is a "tough sell" in general. The 443.475+ in Becker was, at one time, part of this linked network -- and the only part that reached into the metro. N0YNT (Matt) offered to link the network to the local UHF 444.425+ power-house, but DARC wanted to keep their network local in nature. Still, LSAC is making UHF work in northern MN, and western MN is also implementing UHF in rural areas through linked repeaters. And, there's also a linked UHF repeater system in Moorhead. Stand-alone repeaters on the band make a good showing throughout the State.

Well, that's more than I thought that I had when I sat down. There you have it.

Loose Notes 3/8/15

A smattering of intriguing developments that I've encountered lately: 

• N0AGI (Nagi) has an interesting project in the works: a portable HF rig. As usual, he's documented it meticulously on his blog and in video. Part 1 can be found on his blog, and Part 2 of the project can be found on this video. 

• This weekend, I stumbled across the UHF repeater operated by K0LAV (Paul) on 444.950+ (114.8 PL). I've grown accustomed to being unable to reach most of Paul's repeaters, being quite limited in antenna options here and being on the opposite side of the metro from him. But I was pleasantly surprised to see the .950 come back full-scale using my exterior antenna and 10W. I discussed this development with Paul on the MARA UHF .800 repeater and learned that the repeater's antenna was a respectable 90 feet up, and also that it was cross-band linked to his 33 cm 919.100- machine. So, if you've ever wanted to play with 33 cm operation, the UHF .950 is an excellent means to do that. 

•  With the addition of a new exciter, and a 100W Henry PA, the 223.900- (100.0 PL) "Aggrandizer" repeater has officially moved out of "testing" and into "on-air" status. This effort has only been made possible with the help and advice from the local amateur community, though some elements of that same community have placed significant barriers in its path. Whatever success may come from this project is a testament to the positive and co-operative spirit that still exists here, as well as the vision and drive to experiment found in some quarters. While the site in NE Minneapolis keeps the 223.900 in the "hobby" repeater class, we are exploring various linking options to make this repeater more valuable to the amateur radio community.  And, as I predicted back in September, The Aggrandizer is in full operation before the TCRC has restored their 224.540- repeater.

•  In an on-air conversation with N0BVE (Don) yesterday (3/7) I found out that the VHF SNP 145.230- (114.8 PL) repeater that he's running is currently located in Chaska. It comes back to me with a (somewhat noisy) S6 signal, but pretty much everyone in town has a better antenna arrangement than I do, so you can probably reach it much better than me. The .230 is EchoLink-capable (through KA0KMJ-L), though not connected to the rest of the HandiHam network. 

• Per K0LAV (Paul), the 146.850- (no PL) operated by MARA is averaging 9.5 hours of key-up time per day. That figure didn't mean much to me, until Paul explained that it's about twice the activity of just two years ago. No similar records are kept for MARA's UHF counterpart, the 444.800+ (114.8 PL), though it seems to me that activity has increased somewhat over the past year. Certainly, there are more people monitoring it regularly, based on the number of people coming back to me when I throw out my sign there. Maybe UHF is slowly becoming more accepted by the two-metre crowd here.  

Loose Notes 2/22/15

As usual, just a few scattered bits of info that don't merit an in-depth examination. 

• N0BVE (Don) has apparently been trying to get his SNP 2M repeater to take off. On 145.230- (114.8 PL), it's operating out of either Minnetonka or Chaska. It's hard to keep up with the constantly-shifting status of his multiple machines, after all. The EchoLink node says Chaska, but Don has told me that it's at his home in Minnetonka. The 145.23 has a decent signal strength (S7 here in Plymouth), but there's a fair amount of noise. I'm not sure if the audio is just fairly low, or if there's interference, but the quality of the signal is not good relative to the signal strength. There's not a lot of local activity on the repeater, and it's not often linked to the rest of the network, but Don does frequently connect it to a different EchoLink conference -- MN_CONF. This is a chatty (and friendly) group of people from outside of the area, and the connection to the conference server does create activity on a repeater that would otherwise be dead. It's worth checking out.

• One of Don's other projects, the C4FM repeater on 442.925+ (114.8 PL), is still holding up. There's been issues with the PA blowing on the local C4FM repeaters, but this one is working fine. It has a much better signal than the 145.23 machine (from my vantage point, anyway), though it doesn't seem to be connected to the larger HandiHam network. I'm pretty sure that it has WIRES-X access, though, so it's a bit more than a stand-alone UHF machine. 

• It's not often that we can look forward to a new two-metre repeater in town. The frequency pairs are tightly locked up, but K0LAV (Paul) managed to get his hands on the 147.390+ (94.8 PL) pair a few months ago. In an on-air conversation with him, I learned that his two remote receive sites (White Bear Lake and Columbia Heights) are up and running. The repeater itself is not yet on the air, though. Current plans involve a cross-band link to his 1.25M 224.100- (no PL) repeater in Gem Lake, and DTMF access to the SuperLink network. Big plans, certainly, but Paul has a proven track record of making big plans a reality. It's also encouraging to see something innovative finally taking shape on the local 2M scene. The vast majority of those who cling to the two-metre pairs have rejected, struggled, and fumbled with anything new. Adding voice ID seems to be the major concession to the world of thirty years ago. And there's those three D-Star repeaters. And a bare few EchoLink nodes -- that never seem to be logged in. So it's pretty impressive that Paul has undertaken this novel course of action. 

• The major digipeater in the metro, K0YTH-13, has been down for the past three days. I notified N0ZRD (Gordy), and he's confident that it can be returned to service quickly. This is why it's great that we have redundancies in coverage. Most of that redundancy is provided by individuals, and not the clubs. The clubs talk up EmComm, but seem completely incapable of connecting a BaoFeng to a junky old laptop and making even a feeble pretence of  supporting the local APRS infrastructure. Thanks go out to those guys that are there when things fail. 

• I've confirmed that KA0KMJ (John) has his C4FM repeater back on the air in Osseo. Operating in hybrid mode on 444.725+ (127.3 PL), John has reduced his output power to 20W in order to prevent the PA from melting down again. I'm only about seven miles from the repeater, and it comes back S9++ (full scale), but I'll have to try out the coverage on my mobile to get an idea of how useful the machine will be for my day-to-day purposes. The 444.725 holds up the NW for UHF C4FM, while Don's 442.925 repeater takes care of the SW metro. And, of course, K9EQ (Chris) runs his power-house (100W+) 444.525+ (114.8 PL) machine out of Mounds View, which takes care of Minneapolis and St. Paul proper (at least). UHF is definitely where the new stuff happens around here. 

• In about a week, the 1.25M Aggrandizer repeater on 223.900- (100.0 PL) will have its new PA up and running. Capable of 100W, it will be run at "only" 80W to provide a margin of safety and reliability. KE0NA (Dave) has run some models, and we expect that it will cover Minneapolis and most of the first-ring suburbs quite well. The rest of the metro generally falls into a S5-or-less zone. Options for expanding this range (which is already far more than we originally anticipated) are being explored. You can get a full-powered rig for this band for $150, and there's decent mobile coverage for most of the metro already. In a few months, the HandiHam network will be linked to 1.25M and the SuperLink will be accessible. There's already EchoLink on the 224.660- (100.0 PL) repeater. N0FKM (Dan) is pondering the restoration of UHF cross-band with his 224.500- (100.0 PL) machine, too. Things are happening on the infrastructure end, but we need more operators using this band or we'll lose it to commercial interests.

K0LAV: repeaters and auxilliary stations

This is another post by K0LAV (Paul) that he passed along to me for educational purposes. As he explains, it was originally written by another ham and is being used here with permission. - KD0TLS

New local repeaters...?

RepeaterBook is showing two new repeater updates for the metro. The first is a UHF machine on 444.950+ (114.8 PL) in Gem Lake (basically White Bear Lake in NE metro). The second is another Gem Lake site with a 33cm machine on 919.100-. Both have been confirmed to be on-air independently. Estimated coverage radius for the 33cm repeater is 15 miles.

I was not able to hit the UHF .950, and I don't have a 33cm radio. These repeaters are run by K0LAV (Paul), who is a legend in local amateur FM. Unfortunately, I can hit almost none of his various Gem Lake repeaters from Plymouth. I'm using 45W into a six-element Yagi 40 feet above ground -- and Plymouth is already "high ground" -- but I can't "ker-chunk" this new UHF repeater. So I can't really comment on any other aspect of the machine, other than to say that people believe it exists.

In various on-air discussions with Paul, he's told me about some of the cross-band projects that he envisions, including a few linked repeaters. While he eschews EchoLink as impractical for many situations, he has none of the existential biases against linked networks and cross-band that are so very common among his contemporaries. Much like N0GOI (Terry), Paul is working on out-state FM infrastructure in addition to developing the local scene, and he's also working on a rural APRS gateway. Paul was one of the original masterminds of the visionary remote-receive network that makes the VHF .850 work so well, and he's remarkably open about his ideas and plans. One of those plans is a cross-band VHF/UHF repeater 300 feet up, sited in Isanti County, that could reach the metro -- much like the (currently-down) LSAC UHF .325 machine. But those are just plans, for the moment. Exciting plans, though.

Paul is also the trustee for the MARA UHF .800 repeater, which has the best (in my opinion) coverage of any UHF machine in the metro. So he knows how to put up repeaters and make them work well. I just wish that I could reach more of them.

If you've wanted to play with 33cm before, you should take advantage of this cross-band arrangement. If nothing else, try to reach the UHF .950 repeater and submit a propagation report on RepeaterBook so that we can all get a clearer idea of its coverage radius.

EDIT: I did get a very faint "ker-chunk" from the 444.950 yesterday (7/19), so I can now confirm that the repeater is actually in operation. It took 40W and a six-element Yagi aimed exactly perfect, though.

TCRC's UHF effort

It's been a couple of weeks since the Twin City Repeater Club has put the hybrid Yaesu DR-1 to work. It's nice that they also announce it on their website. The UHF .300 now transmits all over the metro, though there's a bit of an "alligator" happening with the receiver. In my car, I'm often unable to even "ker-chunk" the .300 out here in western suburbs, though I can hear other people within its reception area at S9 when they make it in. The tech team is becoming aware of the issue, and a preamp for the front end might be in order. As I understand it, the VHF .210 is already using a receive preamp.

With so much of the UHF infrastructure here either being dedicated to "emergency" use or "hobby" repeaters, those notable exceptions that remain struggle to attract users to a band that has been deemed "empty" and "unsuitable" to a generation obsessed with two metres. While the TCRC has spurned any cross-band endeavours, they have long been a force in town for UHF. That doesn't mean that they always had the best equipment, because they have four repeaters on four bands, after all. Who else does that? N0FKM (Dan) had three bands going for a while. HandiHam is talking about adding six and ten, and still talking about restoring their link to 1.25M, but it isn't here.

Some clubs in the metro have implemented UHF repeaters, while others want nothing to do with the band. The TCFMC operates two UHF machines, MARA runs the 444.800+, and the Gopher Radio Club has the 444.425+, for example. HandiHam, of course, is the biggest UHF "player" in the metro: the Chaska SNP machine, the Bloomington 444.325+, the 444.650+, and the (currently down) 444.850 repeater in Edina. All of these HandiHam machines are linked and cross-band to VHF.

But that's about it, as far as clubs go. The Anoka County Radio Club (ACRC) can barely handle its UHF link to the remote receive site, abandoned their token support of 1.25M, and sees nothing beyond two metres. The Maple Grove Radio Club (MGRC) is another two-metre-only group that seems almost embarrassed by the UHF linked network growing on its fringes, and one that rejects remote receive sites because it would involve UHF links (scary!). Even though two prominent members of the organisation operate UHF repeaters (444.375+ and 444.775+), "cross-banding" is a profane word to the group. And the St. Paul Radio Club (SPRC) is looking as much towards ten metres as it is two metres -- UHF never really happened in that world.

The "club model" that was envisioned thirty years ago to drive development of the infrastructure and operator base has largely failed, at least here in the metro. Instead, the clubs are a regressive force serving more as a museum, preserving the infrastructure of the past.

It's not that UHF is particularly difficult to get into, after all. There are all kinds of UHF machines of various quality floating around. Duplexers are easy to find, and antennae are smaller. There are even open frequency pairs to be had. It's not surprising, then, that individuals are driving so much of the UHF development instead of clubs. The consequence of this is a proliferation of low-powered, low-coverage "hobby" repeaters on the band, and most are fairly unreliable at that. Clubs have access to the best sites in most cases, and we know where their priorities are.

This is why it's encouraging to me that the TCRC is taking back the 444.300 from its obscure and crippled state. With some improvement on the receiver capabilities, it would be a true power-house that would cover all of the outlying areas of the metro. It would be a fantastic mobile repeater, even if it's never linked or cross-banded.

Cross-band operation is the best way to overcome the "two metres rules" mind-set that has become so entrenched. With dual-band radios so much more common than thirty years ago, UHF just needs a little nudge. As with 1.25M, expecting hams to isolate themselves from the vast majority on two metres is a fairly lousy plan. And there's no constructive reason to make two metres the sole option. UHF and 1.25M are much more suited to the urban/suburban situation, and are more scalable. Rather than exacting some kind of social penalty for using these bands, forward-thinking clubs should be trying to make it as painless as possible.

It seems as if the TCRC isn't "there" yet on cross-banding. Likewise with the "emergency" network on UHF. I'm still hopeful that an individual will seize the initiative and break this inertia. Why couldn't the VHF .370 cross-band via EchoLink to the Medtronic 444.525+, for example? They both have EchoLink and they largely duplicate coverage. Is it really just about egos, control, and status -- or is about the future of the hobby? Neither is likely to get "overwhelmed" by traffic if a cross-band link is implemented. Wouldn't it be easier and more cost-effective to maintain two machines rather than four or five on HandiHam? Even if this particular example doesn't "work", it bolsters the case for TCRC to make a link between their own machines. Most individuals don't have the VHF side of the equation, but some do. N0FKM (Dan) has UHF, VHF, and 1.25M slots, gear, and sites along with EchoLink. But is it fair to expect one guy to do what others are too weak-willed and myopic to tackle?

Unfortunately, at this point we should simply feel lucky as a community that TCRC moved forward on UHF at all.

The state of the HT market

The market for amateur radio HT's (walkie-talkies) is changing fairly rapidly. As I noted in December, Puxing has released the PX-UV973 dual-band HT that costs about the same as the monoband PX-777 that I got into ham radio with. With various BaoFeng models selling for around $40 (and the 888S for around $20), one might think that Baofeng will continue to dominate. They are popular radios, obviously, and the UV-B5 can be programmed to work on 222 MHz (1.25M) at about two watts. Only two years ago, hams were raging and shaking their fists over the invasion of Chinese HTs. Now, though, it's not that uncommon for even long-time hams to actually own one. Even though I'm a big fan of Puxing, I still own a BaoFeng UV-5RB (2M/70cm) and a UV-5RS (2M/1.25M) that I mostly just use for monitoring. The flashlight and FM radio functions are a plus for car-camping and boating. I've found that the BaoFeng HTs don't handle being connected to external antennae very well -- beyond the "rubber duck", anyway. If you're just using it as a walkie-talkie, then it's not a big deal. But if you want to use it as a mobile or a base, then you'll find that you get much less improvement in signal strength with a mobile whip, for example, than you would with other radios. Does it "work"? Yes, it does.

If, for whatever reason, you decide to spend more money on a non-BaoFeng HT, you have many, many options. The PX-777 and PX-888 are both available for around $70, are both monoband, and the PX-888 has MSK ANI . The "old" dual-band PX-888K is now slightly more expensive than the new cross-band, dual-band PX-UV973 model. Both have MSK ANI encode and decode. Likewise, there are at least eight other brands offering monoband HTs, all around $68-70. With a market like this, there's little point in taking a gamble with a Golden Spring or a Linton radio that may not have batteries around in the future.

Even the "YaeComWood" manufacturers are beginning to exploit the market conditions. For example, about $100 gets you the Yaesu FT-257 UHF monoband HT. Unsurprisingly, the same type of ham that scowled and snarled over the introduction of the cheap Chinese HT is now dismissing the cheap Japanese HTs out-of-hand. And, the multitudes that ignored those hams and bought BaoFeng, PuXing, and TYT radios continue to ignore those same hams' dire warnings and specious objections.

Digital FM is also experiencing the start of the same phenomenon. PuXing has a DMR Tier-II compliant HT coming. And ConnectSystems is laying the groundwork to steal a significant share of the  DMR-based HT market.

Everybody has an opinion on HTs, it seems. Some have a favoured brand, others just loathe a particular brand. For me, the best (non-BaoFeng) deal right now looks like the TYT TH-UVF9 dual-band HT for $69 with MSK. But, realistically, I would spend the extra money and buy the PuXing PX-UV973 if I were in the market for a new HT.

Still, HTs are likely to be the entry point into the hobby for some time. While many new hams will end up buying a "real" radio at some point, the HT will be their best option during that crucial period of introduction and evaluation of the hobby. A snobbish attitude and 'helpful' advice regarding how many hundreds to spend on that "real" radio is counter-productive. In the 18 months or so that I've been a ham, dual-band HTs have come down in price while monobands are no longer competitive. This has meant that UHF is available for "free", and hams that have ignored it are now getting exposed to it. It's clear that HTs "mean something different" to hams that have been around for decades. To them, it's about "emergencies", public service stuff like marathons and parades, and "serious business". To those new to the hobby, HTs are cheap mobiles and base stations to get in the 'fun', such as it is. Thus, the old-timer's plaintive whining about 'quality', the ridiculous $400 bar (when battery packs, software, and antennae are included), and the casually-dropped notion that such a price point is merely the 'start' are things that leave new hams disillusioned.

People can get a lot of fun out of the hobby for very little money. Having a radio that lasts thirty years is not a big attraction, since the hobby might not be viable then. Likewise, this obsession with Armageddon, "emergencies", and 'serious business' doesn't relate to the desire to be able to chat to someone on the drive in to work. The cheap HT is not just an entry point in to the hobby. It's also an entry point into the disconnected and increasingly irrelevant world of the deadly serious and terminally boring 'real' ham.

EDIT: Just thought that I'd add that the Weierwei VEV-V16 dual-band also has MSK for $85. Interesting to me because I've only ever seen PuXing and TYT radios with MSK capability.