This repeater is also
used for SKYWARN
reports in East Tennessee,
specifically in Skywarn
District 6, which includes
Jefferson, Hamblen and
Sevier Counties.
Here, weather spotters
can contact the
National Weather Service,
directly, during inclement
weather, to officially log
in unusual weather
observations.
It is also used by many
other groups for
emergency communications
as well!
|
Fall
on English Mountain
Images courtesy of
Anthony Smith, N4TFU
|
|
Images courtesy of
Anthony Smith, N4TFU
|
BIG
NEWS:
The
Repeater is Back at FULL Power!
For those of you
who remember 146.73 as Sam (WB4HAP, SK) and Matt (WB4IOB) Kirby’s repeater,
and how well it worked from it’s English Mountain home, you know that I
have not been able to duplicate their great success since I returned .73
back to English almost two years ago. It’s been a “work in progress,” and
I’m happy to report that progress is being made!
If you have tried .73 lately, you have noticed
that it has had a “squeal” in the audio on occasions when it has been keyed
up, or when it has been up with a QSO in progress. The squeal is a result
of an “intermod hit,” or two or more (in this case three) signals that
mix together and produce a different signal that is the sum or difference
of the others. Intermodulation, or “Intermod,” has long been a nemesis
of Mountaintop repeater operations, but sometimes it is misdiagnosed, or
confused with other problems.
Latest Update:
I installed the $500 isolator on 146.730,
and unfortunately
the intermod problem did not completely go
away.
It is very weak, however, and I hope that
moving the antenna higher up the tower
and away from the offending UHF antennae will
eliminate the problem altogether.
Please “cross your fingers…” that the
vertical separation will help,
and also it will get the .73 antenna above
the tree line
and help its coverage that way as well!.
For more information as
the work progresses... Stay tuned here & on my Repeater blog…
or better yet, fire up your 2-meter rig, and
check 146.730 for yourself!
The Repeater is located in a new "Climate Controlled" space in the
building!
The NEW Duplexer for the 146.730 Machine has been INSTALLED, and
seems to be
working perfectly... improving the overall performance!
Yes... this brand-new duplexer is now in service high atop English
Mountain,
and has already proven to enhance the performance of the 146.730
reepater!
We have been able to increase the power output of the machine to
near TWICE what it was...
and the machine is able to recieve very weak signals much better
than before!
Repeater maintenance in the middle of the winte can pose unusual
circumstances -
just in getting to the tower site!!! Welcome to a winter wonderland
on English Mountain!
Just a quick note of thanks to all the Amateur operators in East
Tennessee who have been patient
in waiting for this machine's return to English Mountain... and
especially those who have
donated money, to help get this duplexer in place.
We thank you for
your patience!
Installation
on English has been accomplished!!
Finally,
we can say the '730 machine
has
been installed on top of the Mountain - at it's brand new home there!
|
Yes...
for a long time now, we have been waiting, patiently, for the
146.730
machine to make it's way back up
English
Mountain...
and
that day has now finally arrived!!
|
The
repeater was placed back in service on the crest of English Mountain
at
about 3pm on Wednesday, August 6th, 2008!
Here you see the antenna farm within which
the 146.730 antenna is located, as seen
from the OLD 146.730 Site.
|
This repeater is dedicated to the memory of
Sam Kirby, WB4HAP-SK
Thank you Sam for your service to Amateur Radio
|
Look very closely. That tiny tiny town
down there, is actually NEWPORT Tennessee!
To the Right, you can see the only remnant of the
old 146.730 repeater site. The abandoned
building is all that's left of where this machine
USED to live, years ago.
|
 |
(You
can click on any of the photos for an even-closer look!)
We
are very happy this machine is now back at it's original home atop
English
Mountain in East Tennessee
(in
extreme southern Jefferson County, near the borders of Cocke & Sevier
Counties)
By
the way... here is a view from the mountain, looking back toward the smokies.
(Notice
the mountain tops are not very high... this is because from this vantage
point,
the
mountain tops are only a bit higher than the repeater site!)
Although
the 146.730 (-) Repeater is the most recent acquisition of the WB4GBI Repeater
System... it certainly isn't new to East Tennessee Amateur Radio Operators.
Second only to the 146.940 machine... this machine had been one of the
most prominent repeaters in this part of the country...
spending
the majority of it's useful life atop English Mountain.
The
history of this repeater dates back to when there were only a handful of
2-meter repeaters available in Eastern Tennessee
Some Final Adjustments...
|
...and an appropriate tribute.
|
Until
recently this machine had been maintained by Sam Kirby, WB4HAP... now SK.
Tim acquired this repeater from Sam's estate on September 12, 2007... and
moved the machine from Sam's home, to his own home... where it underwent
some major refurbishing.
As mentioned
before... this machine had occupied space on top of English Mountain, a
very high profile location, which enabled this repeater to enjoy a very
wide area footprint of the Eastern Tennessee landscape. However,
due to economic and political reasons, the machine was forced to evacuate
it's strategic position, and was put into a much lower profile service
at Sam Kirby's home. There it remained, awaiting a better climate,
which might allow it's return to English Mountain.
Sam's
untimely death in August of 2007 placed those plans in jeopardy... but
only temporarily, as Tim was determined to follow through on Sam's vision.
Now that it is once again back on English Mountain, with a new duplexer
in service, it is hoped that it will once again become a valuable resource
to the East Tennessee Amateur community!
|
