A short while back I posted a bit called Why are repeaters more quiet than they used to be? In that post, I mentioned....
The wide area networks that I mentioned earlier will also aid in getting traffic going. I'm afraid that the RF only purists aren't going to like it much, but WANs like EchoLink, AllStar, and so on are going to be more than any other Factor responsible for making repeaters active again, particularly amongst younger hams who are just getting into the hobby.
"You mean I can get on my little 5 watt walkie-talkie that I paid $30 for and talk to somebody across the country?"
Yeah it's going to be like that.
Being a truck driver who travels all over the northeast and occasionally, outside that area, I have begun to find the attractions of wider area linked repeater systems. An example would be the East Coast Reflector. Another would be the one I've been playing with for the last several days.... the N3KZ system.
For those unfamiliar with the concept, what we have in both cases is a number of repeaters in various localities, which are linked together. What one repeater hears, the rest repeat.... often in huge distances, which are unavailable by other means on the VHF and UHF bands.
Now there are many systems that are regional in nature. for example, my friend Bob, N2HJD here in my hometown of Rochester, runs a lined system that is focused on the Genesee Valley around Rochester. As he says,
The repeater system consists of 13 Amateur repeaters cross linked on 6
different Amateur bands. There are 11 sites all radio linked in two
counties around the Rochester,NY area.
The system also contains a translator, remote receiver, 2-meter remote base, an internet interface, and a DIGITAL VOICE RECORDER
The N2HJD repeater system is all home brew with 17 CONTROLLERS, 26 receivers, and 21 transmitters, and has evolved from May of 1988 to it's current state.
The N3KZ system is a bit larger and is mostly focused on Pennsylvania though it has repeaters on the fringes of the state.... for example, New Jersey and Southern New York state. The result is I can keep track of the system and the folks active on it from anywhere in the state, and often outside of it. (Here's a list.)
The East Coast Reflector, is much larger than either of those two. The founder of that whole deal , Dick WB2JPQ lives just down the road from me, in Buffalo, NY. I had the happy chance to meet him at Dayton this year. The thing is flat out huge, and there's no way for me to list all of the ways to connect to that net in this smallish blog post. I suggest looking at the link above to start your journey. However, here's a graphical taste:
Practical examples? Many, but the most recent on the N3KZ system is a good one. For the last few days, I've been chatting at 4am with a fellow driver based out of the Harrisburg/York area. One day I caught up with him from Borderntown, NJ on the Philly machine while driving down I295. On another, I spoke with him from farm country in Delaware, out on the Delmarva Peninsula, and finally, the next day from the PA Pike near Breezewood, and again later that day in Pittsburgh. All I could do at each instance was shake my head and smile. This is stuff that someone figuring on the shorter ranges that UHF and VHF usually offer, wouldn't expect. I mean, yeah, as a logical thing I certainly understand the process, but it's still a bit staggering in some ways.
Mind you, my radio is not a huge power monster. Then again, it doesn't need to be. The expense on tying into such nets can be as small as $150, even in today's messed up economy. The 779UV cost me $105. It is about the size of a pack of smokes. The pic on he right isn't my own, but I can vouch for it's accuracy. This thing is TINY. The antenna coax and mount around another $60 though of course what you use for an antenna can be ajusted for your situation and will of course affect the total cost.
The 779UV offers 5,10,and 20w output, which I normally keep at 10w. (Gets a bit warm, running full power for extended QSO's, and really there's no point to running high power most of the time since I'm making it just fine with the lesser power levels.... often I even cut the 10w to 5w.) I'm running a half-wave stick on my truck's mirror at the moment. Works just fine. One advantage of this particular radio is that it has some 200 memories available, so plugging entire networks into this tiny box is a breeze. The other advantage is that with it's smaller power demands, it's powered by a cigar lighter plug. Which means no permanent wiring to the truck. Makes the boss happy.
Anyway, back to the linked systems. There is a consistency of feel, contacts, and community on these systems that I find attractive to say nothing of the ability to work the usual crowd from just about wherever I happen to be at the time. All on a radio that is smaller than a lot of HT's.
HF in the truck is a bit more than I want to get into at this point, but tying onto linked systems is more than enough to keep my Ham radio addiction growing properly. Perhaps yours, as well?
As an aside, let's consider the normal repeater system and explaining such things to the non-ham. It can be done fairly easily... I've done it often enough, myself. Now explain however many repeaters linked together to that same person.
Smoke will be coning out their ears.
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