West Australian Repeater Group Inc

There have been some recent and ongoing upgrades to the Repeater and APRS networks around VK6.

SERG have successfully linked Albany to Mt Barker, as well as extending the APRS coverage down in the south west. Plan is to possibly link Mt Barker back up to Katanning. Thanks to Rob and the crew down south.

WARG have recently been doing some refurbishment up at Tic Hill, consisting of new antennas, new coax cable runs, new solar panels and regulators, new batteries, refurbishment of repeater, APRS and telemetry monitoring of battery voltage, and soon to install a wind generator. This site has also had increased WAFreenet upgrades including IP Surveillance cameras, 5GHz data links and VOIP capabilities.

will be recovering/repairing/replacing the repeater at RMS at Mt Saddleback in the comming weeks thanks to William who will be working in the area on a commercial basis. This should see all services at RMS, including the WIA news link back to RAP restored.

Peter VK6FUN has been doing extensive work on the APRS network with BBR getting re-instated up at rolleystone soon, and APRS coverage expansion out towards Kalgoorlie, starting with Northam, York and Kellerberin links. Thanks to VK6TNC for offering to host an APRS digipeater link in to Tic Hill from the East.

HARG have a new APRS digipeater up at the club rooms. keep an eye/ear out for VK6AHR. There has been a recent uptake of APRS throughout the South West, particularly the Perth area, so this new APRS digi should assist in some void areas to the SE of Perth and beyond. It’s great to see so many more people showing an interest in APRS. This is largely due to “Beacon in a box” units being offered by BigRedBee and Byonics, and VK6FUN distributing 10 Argent Open Trackers.

VK6RAP is due for an overhaul of it’s antenna and feeders. Date is penciled in as 11th and/or 12th September. Please feel free to come and help out.

December is penciled in as a “Weekend at Cateby” to do a major overhaul of most of the site. Works will consist of guy replacement, antenna/feeder refurbishment/replacement, new radios, new batteries, new solar cells, new DC distribution etc etc… Let us know if you’re keen for a great weekend away.

WARG is currently costing up the replacement/upgrade to the entire WARG Repeater network which will consist of new repeaters, new controllers and refurbishment of Antennas and feeders. A 300m roll of LDF5-50 has been purchased for Rolleystone, and considerations for repeater upgrades has come down to the Icom IC-FR5000/6000 series and the Spectra MX920 series. Negotiations are currently underway to secure the supply/support and sponsorship of the new network. Recovered equipment will either be refurbished and used for spare repeaters, expanding the network even further, or possibly even sold to raise more funds for more new equipment.

With the upgrade to the network we should see improved performance of all of our repeaters, expansion of the WIA news broadcast, new features such as permanent linking between some site, as well as the ability for a user to connect to a particular site manually/remotely.

Expansion of the network is being explored to the North up to Geraldton, and to the East to Kalgoorlie. Path profiling, Site Surveys, and site access/agreements are currently being looked at.

Ive been working on some google map plots which some of the WARG members have seen. Eventually they will incorporate all of the APRS and voice, current and future links. Keep an eye out in the files section here: http://groups.google.com/group/wahams/files

If anyone is aware of more network activities, or would like to offer ideas, equipment or hosting facilities, please let me know.

73′s

Heath VK3TWO / VK6TWO

WA Repeater Group – President
VK6 DSTAR coordinator
VHF Group – Vice President
Hills Amateur Radio Group – Vice President
Wireless Institute Civil Emergency Network – Technical Officer
Wireless Institute of Australia – Advisory Committee (VK6)

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Thank those of you who have replied to the idea of rebuilding our repeater network sing equipment like the Hamtronics REP-200.

The point was made that we would be best to perhaps buy one or two and see just ow well they work.

Hamtronics have been making amateur repeaters and many other amateur products or at least two decades. The REP-200 is a proven and very reliable repeater. Do a search on the web and you will find endless information about the REP-200 along with user comments. I see little point in using the argument of only buy one or two to see how they work. However for the total skeptics this may be required.

What we do need to be sure of is the functionality of the repeater in terms of linking and the way we use repeaters in VK6, such as WIA news broadcasts. Remember these repeaters are set up for the American amateur, but they are
used all round the World.

What we should understand is what does warg see as its future? Is it just doing the same building repeaters over and over hoping to come up with the repeater of all repeaters? Is it so in the process of building replacement repeaters, amateurs
become involved and learn? This was one of the reasons touted a couple of decades ago and it did not work.

Now stop rolling your eyes and saying that was then (at least two Iraqi wars ago) and now is now. Getting a significant number of amateurs involved in building replacement repeaters can happen but the odds are against you. This is due
to logistics of getting people together on a regular basis over a long period of time. It can be done but it requires a very dedicated one or two people with the time to organise this to happen. Busselton, Tic Hill & Cataby are examples of
where it did happen but you need that special person of persons to drive the project.

The projects mentioned were largely due to Jill Weaver VK6YL being that special person who did much of this organisation.

However the Hamtronics repeaters built from the kit form is a much easier group project that could happen. Building 10 repeaters from X commercial equipment very unlikely.

The point;

The reason for my renewed interest in what warg is moving towards doing, replacing the existing 2M repeaters with modified X commercial equipment, I firmly believe will not work to the extent we all would hope.

Money seems to be the main argument against the REP-200 concept. Warg has been a very successful club for over 3 decades and it is only of recent with the donation from the VK6WIA that it has become well off. For most of wargs existence the club only had a few dollars at best. What better way to spend the windfall from the WIA than spend it on an investment in the future and then move on to doing more than just re-building repeaters.

I will find out the exact total cost from Hamtronics for the cost of 10 completly built and tested and the cost of the 10 kits.

Links to sites on the Hamtronics Repeaters

Hamtronics REP-200

Repeater Builders Website

Why a Hamtronics Repeater?

** Notice of business at the next WARG meeting 05/11/2007 **
From Will VK6UU

Request that regular business be expedited so a discussion can take place under the following topics.

Note; discussion without cost being part of the discussion (see below*)

1. Does warg intend to replace its existing 2M network in part or full?
2. What are the reasons for the replacement?
3. If so what equipment is to be used for the replacement (control board)?
4. How much replacement equipment is available?
5. Is the replacement equipment suitable?
6. How is this to be achieved (who is to do it)?
7. What is the time frame?
8. Would the REP-200 be a better choice if cost was not an issue?

Further discussion.

Does warg have a longer term strategy once (if) the 2M network is successfully replaced?

Under this question points for discussion.

1. Linking of warg’s repeaters.
2. Any new ideas outside rebuilding and maintaining repeaters.

*Cost could bog the discussion down. I believe warg has ample funds and should use them as members intended, however with my offer to fund the project in part of full, cost need not be mentioned and the discussion focus on the points (and others) raised in this motion.

Comments;

Warg have a long and successful history with the club being formed in the 1970′s and continues today with excellent attendance at meetings and considerable efforts by a range of amateurs to maintain the repeater network. For example work done at the Rolystone site over the past couple of years is to be commended.

However a critical examination of warg’s achievements over its entire history has repeatedly shown the club struggles, despite generous effort and time by many amateurs, to move beyond maintaining its existing network. The number of warg repeaters and linked repeaters is less today than a decade ago.

Why?

My examination of the problem is our efforts are fundamentally due to limitations in building our own 2M repeaters. It is the amateur tradition to build as much as possible and to scrounge and be resourceful, all skills to be commended, but not at the expense of being caught in a going no where situations. Repeaters like the ten & six metre repeater are separate to this due to their singular nature.

Warg should not be struggling to maintain its 2M network but fixing it and building in easy replacement so any repeater failures do not result in these systems being off air for months. If a reliable high quality 2M repeater can be achieved (and it can) warg can then move onto standardising and improving all the other important elements of a repeater installation. The talent and interest is there we just need to organise ourselves so we gain enthusiasm due to success.

Repeater linking (by RF) can be achieved in a better way than at present. Standardisation of linking equipment can be done so wherever a link is required it is plug & play. Hamtronics make a range of UHF RX/TX units ideally suited for linking.

Without a close examination of warg’s situation the club may not be able to make the progress it wants and deserves.

Will
VK6UU
Founding & life member of WARG

Hello all,

Attached are copies of path profiles from Avon Valley to Roleystone,
kindly done by Milan VK6KTV using the Radio Mobile software.(WARG
members may recall William VK6KWT demonstrating this at a previous
meeting, last year).

The plots may not be 100% accurate (Milan asked me for the key info,
some of the figures I gave him are a bit rubbery, eg: antenna heights
on the Roleystone mast) but provide an interesting picture. The key
conclusion being that a Roleystone-Avon link is feasible, but it is no
picnic – the path loss doesn’t leave much fade margin at all.

According to the plots, a UHF link would need lots of antenna gain,
eg: stacked/bayed yagis, and possibly a low noise preamplifier. A 2m
link has a better path, but would require more complex filtering at
the Avon Valley end to prevent the repeater TX blocking the news RX.

(Click images to view full size)

I am putting this on the email list to allow some consideration/
discussion prior to the meeting tomorrow (or today…depending on when
you read this..)

My thoughts would be that the results are encouraging enough to
proceced with future experiments on a link path, but we should
expect some effort will be required to engineer a good solution.

I suggest a good first step would be to find & prepare a length of
LDF-450 cable (we have stocks of s/hand at Hillview) with suitable
connectors, ready to install to the VK6RAV mast at the same time the
problem antenna is changed, etc. Once the feeder is in place &
suitably weatherproofed a variety of antenna/RX system combinations
can be tried to see what works. Of course if a trial link antenna is
ready to go at the same time as the feeder, all the better. However,
if not I would still prioritise the feeder installation in the short
term – it’s a much simpler matter to climb a tower & swap antennas on
an existing feeder than to also have to run the feeder from scratch.

One other point I should make is that due to existing commitments I am
unlikely to have time in the near future to devote to much of the work
for this project. I suspect many of WARG’s techo “usual suspects” are
similarly committed.

So, calling all hitherto non-techo WARG members, whether old-timers,
newcomers &/or newly licensed: over to you, were you thinking of
volunteering for a WARG project? Could this be the one? Come to the
meeting, discuss it further, put your hand up to be part of the team.
Us techos are not going to drop you in it – any questions you want
answered, any support you want, we will be there to guide the way. But
us small group of usual suspects can’t do all of the work by
ourselves. We need you to join us. Don’t think it all looks too hard.
(As I keep telling everyone: if I can do it, it can’t be that hard).
Sometimes it will be hard, but it is not impossible and you will learn
heaps. As you learn your confidence will grow, and at the end of the
day have the satisfaction of knowing you are helping develop our
repeater network & keep it running.

See you at the meeting!

BR & 73,

Anthony VK6AXB

The solar panel charging regulator delivered to me earlier this week for repair is now serviceable. The fault was a failed LM317L which is used as a constant current regulator to provide the reference voltage for the 358 op amp which controls the FETs that switch the DC from the panels to the battery. Interestingly, my records indicate that it was the same fault
which caused the failure of a similar Arlec SR712 regulator in 2004. (I think that this one is now in use at either Tic Hill or Cataby).

The 317L (little TO92 case) regulator is now unobtainable but in any case is probably being run a bit hard, so has been replaced in both instances with a full size 317 (TO220 case) heatsinked to the aluminium box. Unlikely to fail again!

Does anyone know what the max amperage output in full sunlight produced by the solar arrays at Tic Hill and Cataby is? The Arlec 712 is limited to 15 amps by the IRF530 switching FETs but could be upgraded if necessary by using more modern and better FETs. However, if the output of the panels is well under 15 A – as I think is the case – then there is no point in changing these devices. Maybe we could discuss on Sunday’s net?

Cheers, 73 Clive VK6CSW.