I have a Hamtronics RE-100 2 meter repeater. The machine is not yet active. I am waiting for a set of duplexers to complete the installation. I have been assigned the coordinated frequency of 147.00 and a PL tone of 123.0 hz. The repeater site is ontop of a hill on the farm I grew up on 10 miles SSW of Deer Park, WA. The RE-100 has an autopatch and I have plans to have a phone line at the site for remote control and for autopatch functions. The output of the repeater is 15 watts to a 6db gain antenna. This will provide coverage for North Spokane and the Deer Park area. It is not a wide coverage repeater but will provide local coverage for Southern Stevens County and Northern Spokane County.
The repeater will be open to all hams. As you have gather we have a fairly large family so the repeater will have a family flair. I encourage youth and any families to use the repeater. I want the machine to be a place where any ham can feel comfortable to discuss topics suitable for families and to use the machine for staying in touch for one another. My family homeschools and we love to learn and pursue various interests. I want the repeater where hams can come and hopefully contribute to others and maybe walk away learning something themselves.
I am in the process of procuring a set of duplexers. Once that is done getting the machine on the air should be done fairly quickly. The deal I had setup for a set fell through late last year. I am not ready to spend a whole lot and to buy new or a good used set is around $500-$800. I have plans to build a set but am waiting to get my lathe setup in my shop so I can machine the bushings for the rods. Hopefull the machine will be operational by mid to late summer.
I am on the road alot and having the capability to link in to the machine via the internet is very appealing. I plan to have Echo Link setup to the machine so I can access it from my hotel room in any city I may be. This would also allow the users to access other repeaters around the world via the internet.
I also may put a APRS digipeater at this site to give local coverage for mobile APRS stations. There are too many fringe areas in the Spokane area and the more digipeaters and relays we can get the better. If you have a old TNC and radio that is being used, I encourage you to set it up on APRS and have it relay for the APRS system. This would allow better coverage to mobile trackers. Email me for info on how easy it is to have your TNC setup for this.
Please check back here to find out the status of the machine. I have limited time at home so it may be a few months before it is up. My application for coordination may have to be updated also because it has been over a year since it was assigned.