Saturday, December 21, 2013

"THE EMPIRE STATE NETWORK" LINKED REPEATERS: (updated)


This is a great system and fun to use. Coverage from Albany to Buffalo, south to Cortland and north to Lake Ontario and the Adirondacks.Thanks to all the repeater owners and trustees for all their hard work that makes this system possible.

The "Empire State Network" statewide linked repeater system (System 1)
(UPDATED 10/29/14)  See the Front Pages section for the latest list

147.36+ PL 91.5  Albany/Lake Nancy N2FEP(K2LM)  (added PL tone 5/12/14)
444.400+ PL 103.5 Fonda/Ilion KB2AUJ/R
442.100+ PL 103.5 Frankfort KA2FWN/R
442.575+ PL 103.5 Utica KA2FWN/R (temporarily disconnected from this system? on north/south system?)
449.925- PL 151.4 Remsen KB2AUJ/R
442.850+ PL 71.9 Cortland KB2FAF/R(new May 2013)
443.100+ PL 103.5 Syracuse WA2AUL/R (is back on-the-air! April 28th, 2013)
442.400+ PL 103.5 Syracuse KD2SL/R (Wow! new higher antenna location as of 9/25/14)
449.425- PL 103.5 Watertown KA2FWN/R(temporarily off the air )
442.350+ PL 103.5 Oswego K2QQY/R
444.150+ PL 71.9 Auburn W2QYT/R
443.600+ PL 110.9 Bristol N2XFX/R
444.050+ PL 88.5 Attica N2XFX/R
442.100+ PL 88.5 Colden W2IVB

***Link to the REPEATER SYSTEM MAP: http://goo.gl/maps/JK7xt

These are the active repeaters on the statewide system west from Albany to Buffalo and north to Oswego and Watertown. Program them into (14) successive memory locations in your radio and spin the "knob" as you drive across the state!

Thanks to the owners/trustees; Clint-N2FMM, Nick-N2XFX, Bob-KA2FWN, Kevin-KD2SL, Jack-W2QYT, Chris - KB2FAF, Bob-N2FEP, Mike-KB2AUJ, Darrell K1DCC and Jim-K2LM for helping me update the latest status on their great linked system.

Try it out........It's working great!

Sunday, December 15, 2013

Public Service Monitoring today.....


Monitoring public service communications is rapidly changing. Many local, state and federal agencies have gone to Digital Radio Systems. Cayuga, Oswego, Onondaga and Madison counties have switched over to the Central New York Interoperable Communications Consortium (CNYICC) Network, which is a P25 digital trunking system. Analog radio and scanning receivers will not properly receive the audio from this system. 

Don't worry too much, because there are several options. 

Scanner listeners in Cayuga, Oswego, Onondaga and Madison counties can use a digital trunking receiver to listen to this system. Scanners such as the Uniden BCD 396X/T and 996X/T, Uniden Home Patrol and the Radio Shack Pro-197(same as GRE PSR-600) are excellent radios for listening to the new CNYICC system.

There is also an analog simulcast of Cayuga County Fire/EMS dispatch that you can still receive on 453.41250 mhz. Also Onondaga County Fire dispatch simulcasts on 453.850, 82.5 PL and EMS on 460.025, 82.5 PL. Unfortunately Law Enforcement and Municipal services are not simulcast on any analog frequencies.

Another option is live Scanner feeds from the Internet on your personal computer. Internet feeds can be found at http://www.broadcastify.com/ as well as http:/www.radioreference.com. Hams can also keep track of their favorite repeaters when away from the radio.One local feed from Stan; N2STC covers Oneida County (http://www.broadcastify.com/listen/feed/11348/?rl=rr). There are also several other feeds covering different areas of upstate NY. 

Learn more about the CNYICC system and frquencies at: http://www.radioreference.com/apps/db/?sid=5298

Sunday, December 8, 2013

220 Mhz Repeaters

There has been a recent surge in local repeater activity on 220 Mhz. New repeaters in Syracuse and Newark, along with some new ones being planned for Auburn and Ithaca, make 220 mhz a viable option for many upstate hams. There are also quite a number of 220 Mhz repeaters in both Rochester and Buffalo. Here is a summary of the CNY 220 mhz repeaters that I am aware are presently active. If you can confirm others, please send me an e-mail (UpstateHam@gmail.com).

224.120 (-) PL = 103.5, Syracuse (Sentinel Heights) KD2SL
224.900 (-) PL=82.5, Newark,  N2TKR (temp off air Feb. 2017)
224.260 (-) PL 110.9, Romulus, W2ACC
224.160 (-) PL = 141.3, Whethersfield (Attica) WA2CAM
224.700 (-) PL = 88.5, Orangeville (Attica) K2XZ
224.580 (-) PL = 110.9, Rochester; N2HJD
224.680 (-) PL = 110.9, Bristol; W2IMT
224.660 (-) No PL, Utica (Deerfield), WA2CAV
224.260 (-) No PL, Verona, (Rome) KA2NIL (temp. off-the-air, looking for a new site)

You may also hear some folks chatting on Simplex at 223.400 or 223.500 Mhz.
(see the ARRL band plan for more details at: http://www.arrl.org/band-plan )

Some newer multi-band HT's have the 220 mhz capability, but a fairly inexpensive radio that I purchased recently is the TYT-9000, 220 mhz single band mobile. It comes with the programming software and a DTMF microphone.You can find them online in the $150-200 range. Several Syracuse friends suggested this model to me and I have no regrets.

[LAST UPDATED 3/4/17]

Tuesday, December 3, 2013

New Syracuse Repeater - 146.67 - a note from Kevin, KD2SL

Syracuse has a new 2M repeater, on 146.670, minus offset, 103.5 tone.

Here are some answers to some frequently asked questions, from Kevin, KD2SL  :

Why build another repeater?  Aren’t there enough repeaters already?

Indeed, I’m on record as saying that we have plenty of repeaters – that if you’re going to build a new repeater, you should have something different and unique to offer.  This repeater was born out of the idea that we needed:  1) Excellent wide-area 2m coverage, with strong HT support in the city of Syracuse and surrounding suburbs, AND:  2) A repeater not affiliated with, or controlled by any club or organization.  In Syracuse, you could easily find one or the other, but not BOTH.

Who owns the repeater?  If it’s not a club or organization, where did the money come from?

The great thing about this repeater is that no one person owns it.  Fifteen Syracuse-area hams generously and anonymously contributed the money to build it, as a gift to ALL area hams.  They didn’t do it for recognition, because they don’t even know who the other hams are, or how much they gave, and nobody else will ever know either.  There were no meetings; everything was organized through blind e-mail.  I’m the trustee, but not the owner.

Wasn’t 146.67 already in use?

146.67 was coordinated to another ham several years ago, with a repeater located south of Skaneateles Lake.  However, with the repeater off the air for the past 2 or 3 years, according to UNYREPCO guidelines the frequency becomes eligible for reuse, and official coordination paperwork is currently being processed.

Why isn’t there a courtesy tone?

The final, permanent repeater is still being constructed, and should be ready just before Christmas.  An anonymous person has provided temporary use of a Kenwood TKR-750 for a few weeks.  This allows us to enjoy immediate use of the frequency.  This temporary repeater does not have any bells, whistles or courtesy tone – just a CW ID.  The permanent repeater will have a modern controller with a more typical “sound.”

Where is the repeater?

As with the other repeaters that carry the KD2SL call sign, it is located near the WSTM-TV channel 3 tower on Sentinel Heights.

Will it be linked?

There are currently no plans to link 146.67 with any other repeaters, or the Internet (EchoLink, AllStar, IRLP, etc.).  It will remain a stand-alone repeater, dedicated to Central New York ragchewing.  A possibility for a future upgrade would be a link to one or more other repeaters that could be turned on for public service or emergency use.

Who can use the repeater?

146.67 is a gift to the entire ham community by the 15 anonymous hams who paid for and built it.  It is completely open to ALL well-behaved and licensed hams, regardless of whether or not they helped build it.  EVERYONE is encouraged to stop by and say “hello!”  Regular repeater users are strongly encouraged to make every effort to warmly welcome new users, and draw them into the conversation.

Will there be any nets?

There currently are no nets scheduled, but nets are welcome.  Please contact KD2SL, the repeater trustee before setting up a net.  One idea (that isn’t technically a net) would be a weekly news bulletin broadcast (Amateur Radio Newsline, ARRL Report, etc.).  If anyone wants to volunteer to do this, or has a good suggestion for a day and time, please contact KD2SL.

Conclusion:

Once again, I emphasize that this repeater is open to all hams.  The Central New York ham community is made up of a lot of great people, with a huge diversity of interests and experiences.  Our primary goal is that 146.67 be a meeting place where we can all get to know each other better.  For more information, or to make suggestions or comments, please contact Kevin Tubbs (repeater trustee) – KD2SL@yahoo.com.

Wednesday, November 27, 2013

Upstate NY Repeater - NEW UPDATES 11/27

1. Some recent changes in a brief note from KD2SL: "The 53.67 repeater has a new vertical dipole antenna at 725 ft. on the tower, which has improved the RX quality significantly to the W, N and E.  To the S, range has actually been lost due to tower blockage.  Can’t have everything, I guess. The repeater is still transmitting on the old antenna on the top (see KD2SL.com for more info). Please Let KD2SL; Kevin, know your reception reports at KD2SL@yahoo.com.

The 224.12 repeater (-) and 103.5 PL, gets regular use, with decent RX range.  It is actually coupled into the 6m dipole for RX (TX is near ground level).  The 6m dipole works so well for 220 RX that I also want to experiment with it for 2m.  Even though it has less gain than the DB-224, the tremendous height overcomes that to a large degree.  It’s worth checking out; this stuff is fun to experiment with.  If it matches or exceeds distant RX performance of the ground-level DB-224, it may be worth doing the split antenna thing for the 2m repeater."

2. When you are in the North Country, don’t forget the repeater on Blue Mountain in Hamilton County,   146.865 (–), PL = 162.2  call sign = KC2ZZO.
The Bear Bait Radio Club has worked very hard to put this important amateur radio asset in place. It has great coverage in the Adirondacks. Several people have asked me how they can support this nice machine. You can do so by sending donations to the club at: Bear Bait Radio Club, P.O. Box 172, Clay ,N.Y.  13041. Please enclose a note indicating "donation for the repeater fund".

3. A new 220 MHz repeater has been installed in Newark by Tom; N2TKR. The frequency is 224.90 (-), with no PL tone. It is located at the same site as the 146.745 Drumlins repeater.  It is on the air, but Tom is still fine tuning the receiver pre-amp and expects full operation within the next few weeks. I am receiving it full scale here, 10 miles south of Auburn. I will post another update in mid-December.

4. A new Syracuse 2M repeater is in the works! Here is a brief note from Kevin - KD2SL, discussing a new project!
“Thanks to the donations of several interested Syracuse-area hams, a new 2M repeater will soon be on the air in Syracuse.  Why a new repeater?  With the recent removal of 147.21 by LARC(as of 11/30 the 147.21 is back on the air with K9CHP as trustee), these hams felt there was a void, and interest was expressed in a new 2m repeater that would have:  1) Best possible range and coverage; 2) No ties to clubs or other organizations.  Clubs and other organizations perform important functions, but at times they can also encumber a repeater with partisan and political restrictions and maneuvering that don’t always promote the advancement and enjoyment of amateur radio."

“A frequency was found, funds were raised privately, and equipment has been ordered.  Look for this new repeater to be on the air sometime in late December or January.  All well-behaved hams will be welcome, regardless of club affiliation, regardless of whether they helped pay for it.”

Note  - Thanks to all the supporters of this project! I am glad to see another large coverage repeater going on the air. The technical details will be posted here soon. As a person who covers a lot of ground each week around CNY, I really appreciate the efforts on these wide coverage repeaters and linked systems.  73- Tony - KC2VER


Please support your favorite repeater and the folks who install and maintain them. A lot of time and expense goes into having this capability that is open to all licensed Hams.

Friday, November 15, 2013

Bear Bait Radio Club

Here is the latest on the Bear Bait Radio Club sponsored repeaters:

(Thanks to WA2DAD, Tom for the update)

Long Lake             146.640-  Pl 162.2
Long Lake             443.850+  Pl 162.2
Blue Mnt.(Lake)    146.865-  Pl 162.2
Clay                       146.640 -  Pl 131.8  - Will be on Dec 1st
Clay                       444.250+  Pl 131.8
Morrisville             443.XXX                - Will be on over winter

All these repeaters are supported and sponsored by BBRC. The repeater equipment is privately owned.

Contact them at:  Bear Bait Radio Club, P.O. Box 172, Clay ,N.Y.  13041

learn more at:
http://cazsys.com/hamradio/BBRC%20Identy%20Flyer-1.pdf

Monday, November 11, 2013

CNY Linked VHF Repeaters

This system has excellent coverage across a wide area of the Finger Lakes, Southern Tier, Southwestern Adirondacks and the Mohawk Valley. This includes the cities of Auburn, Cortland, Rome, Utica and Syracuse. The system also has EchoLink capability and is well used. The trustees of this system do a fantastic job keeping the system at peak performance. Thanks to Bob-KA2FWN, Jack-W2QYT, Chris-KB2FAF, Mike-KB2AUJ, Matt N2PYI and Jerry N2FSD for all their hard work!

**** 145.33 is back on the air as of 11/10/13 - 5 pm!  Thanks Bob!

THE CNY LINKED REPEATER SYSTEM

147.000 + PL 71.9 Auburn W2QYT (echolink node #9188)
145.330 - PL 71.9 Remsen KB2AUJ
147.225 + PL 71.9 Cortland KB2FAF
146.970 - PL 103.5 Ithaca -AF2A (TCARA)
443.150 + PL 71.9 Syracuse (MOST)

***View the CNY Linked REPEATER SYSTEM MAP here: http://goo.gl/maps/g76aF

GET UPDATES link: http://www.upstateham.com/p/cny-linked-vhf-repeaters-this-system.html

Monday, November 4, 2013

2M SSB Net in Rochester - Monday nights

The Rochester VHF Group has a Monday Evening Net on 144.260 USB at 9pm local time. I believe they also move over to 50.200 at 9:30pm. Stop by and check them out some Monday.

Sunday, October 13, 2013

CNY Swap Net moving to the 147.000!

The CNY Swap and Information net is moving to the 147.000 and its sister linked repeaters!

The Swap Net hosted by Tim; N2VZD, will be moving from the 146.910 repeater to the 147.000 in Auburn on Wednesday October 16, 2013. Hear others or post your own swap listings or ham radio information. This is an excellent coverage repeater system covering a large area of upstate NY. This net is a well attended net that takes place at 7pm every Wednesday night.

Auburn, 147.00, + offset, 71.9 tone
Cortland 147.225, + offset, 71.9 tone
Remsen 145.33, - offset, 71.9 tone
Ithaca 146.97, - offset, 103.5 tone
Syracuse 443.15, + offset, 71.9 tone
Syracuse 53.67, - offset, 103.5 tone ****linked in only during this Net
Syracuse 29.64, - offset, 94.8 tone ****linked in only during this Net
(and soon, Syracuse 224.12, -offset, PL 103.5!!)

Details on the 147.000 linked repeater system:
(http://upstateham.blogspot.com/2013/03/cny-linked-vhf-repeaters.html)

Stay tuned for here for more details!

Saturday, October 12, 2013

2014 Upstate Hamfests that I have heard about.......

2014 HAMFEST SCHEDULE (just developing!)  .......STAY TUNED!!!


January 11, 2014 - Marathon Hamfest, Skyline Amateur Radio Club, Marathon NY. info at: http://www.skylineradioclub.org/

January 25, 2014 - Lockport Amateur Radio Winter HamfestLockport Amateur Radio Association, Lockport, NY. info at: http://www.lockportara.us/

February 1, 2014 - RARA Winterfest, - Winterfest at Mendon Ponds Park, Stewart Lodge, Mendon, NY. (Rochester)

February 22, 2014 - 33rd annual ARAST Winter Hamfest, Horseheads, NY

April 5, 2014 - Drumlins Hamfest, Newark, NY. , (need to confirm location).Palmyra VFW Post 6778, 4306 Route 31, Palmyra, NY., Vendors at 7:00 AM, Public 8:00 AM-Till?

April 19, 2014 - Syracuse VE Team Exams, Liverpool Library, 12-1pm, contact the Syracuse VE Team : VEexams@hotmail.com

May 3, 2014 - The 2nd annual Auburn Ham Swap Meet will be held at the old GE Powerex parking lot at 357 W. Genesee St. in Auburn N.Y. (next to McDonald's). All proceeds to charity! link; http://www.upstateham.com/2012/12/2013-upstate-hamfests.html

May 3, 2014 - The annual Antique Wireless Association (AWA) Spring Meet will be held at the Veterans Park Complex on Rts. 5&20 in East Bloomfield NY. Stay tuned for more details! link: http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/awa-spring-meet

May 10, 2014 - East Greenbush ARA HamfestEast Greenbush Amateur Radio Club, Rennselaer NY (Albany), info at link: http://www.w2egb.org/docs/w2egb%20hamfest%202014%20flyer.pdf

May 16-18, 2014 - Dayton Hamvention, Dayton, Ohio

June 14, 2014 - Cortland Hamfest, Skyline Amateur Radio Club, Cortland County Fairgrounds Exit 12 from I-81, Event runs from 7am to 2pm. info at: http://www.skylineradioclub.org/

June 28-29, 2014 - ARRL Field Day 2014 - lots of local sites! Learn more at: http://www.upstateham.com/2014/06/field-day-activities.html

July 13, 2014 - RAGS Hamfest, Radio Amateurs of Greater Syracuse  American Legion Post, Cicero, NY. link: http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/rags-2014-hamfest-2

July 19, 2014 - Syracuse VE Team Exams, Liverpool Library, 12-1pm, contact the Syracuse VE Team : VEexams@hotmail.com

July 19, 2014 - Radiocom 2014, Utica Hamfest, Utica Amatuer Radio Club, Frankfort NY link:http://www.uticaarc.com/what-we-do.html

July 19, 2014 - Batavia Hamfest 2014, Lancaster Amatuer Radio Club, Alexander NY, 
link: http://gbhamfest.hamgate.net/

August 2, 2014   Ithaca Hamfest, Tompkins County Amateur Radio Club, Trumansburg Fairgrounds  (website link: http://tcarc-ny.org/hamfest.htm )

August 16, 2014   KLARA Hamfest, Hornell, NY.  (website link: http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/klara-hamfest-2

September 7, 2014, (Sunday)  Saratoga Hamfest, Balston Spa, NY.  (website link:
http://www.k2dll.org/

September 13, 2014,  RARA "Thrill before the chill" Ham Tailgate and Flea Market, Webster NY more info at: http://www.upstateham.com/2014/07/rara-thrill-before-chill.html


September 14, 2014,  Lancaster Hamfest, LARC, Lancaster, NY.  (website link: http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/lancaster-hamfest-3 )

September 20, 2014,  ROC City Net Picnic, Mendon Ponds Park, west of Victor, NY. more info: http://www.upstateham.com/2014/07/roc-city-net-picnic.html

September 27, 2014, 39th Annual Elmira Hamfest, ARA of Southern Tier, Horseheads, NY ,
link: http://www.arast.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=4&Itemid=6

September 27, 2014, Bear Bait Radio Club - Tailgate fest -  Clay Historical Bldg, Rt. 31, Clay, NY ,
link:http://www.bearbaitradioclub.com/index.html

(keywords; Upstate, CNY hamfests, WNY hamfests, NYS hamfests)

Friday, October 11, 2013

NYS UHF Linked Repeater System 2 - NORTH / SOUTH


When your headed into the North Country, also try the North/South UHF System 2 that KA2FWN and company are putting together. This has very nice coverage along the Route 12 and 28 corridors, as well as many other areas in the north country. We will post updates here as the system development progresses. 


NYS UHF Linked Repeaters: System 2 - NORTH / SOUTH:

443.850 + 103.5 Kirkland, NY - KA2FWN/R on air,linked
443.175 + 103.5 Old Forge, NY - KA2FWN/R on air,linked
449.675 - 103.5 Long Lake, NY - KA2FWN/R on air,linked (please note the correction to freq)
449.325 - 103.5 Crystal Dale, NY/Lowville, NY - KA2FWN/R > will be on the air soon -few weeks,linked
449.675 - 103.5 Waterville, NY - KA2FWN/R > will be on the air soon - next week ,linked

Thanks to KA2FWN - Bob for the latest info on these growing systems!

GET UPDATES: http://www.upstateham.com/p/nys-uhf-linked-repeater-system-2-north.html

"THE EMPIRE STATE NETWORK" LINKED REPEATERS:

****NEW WATERTOWN REPEATER UP AND RUNNING ON 8/29/13 

This is a great system and fun to use. Coverage from Albany to Buffalo, south to Cortland and north to Lake Ontario and the Adirondacks.Thanks to all the repeater owners and trustees for all their hard work that makes this system possible.

The "Empire State Network" statewide linked repeater system (System 1)
 [UPDATED status - as of 8/29/13]  
See Front Pages section for latest updates at: http://www.upstateham.com/p/the-empire-state-network-linked.html


147.36+ no tone  Albany/Lake Nancy N2FEP(K2LM)
442.100+ PL 103.5 Frankfort KA2FWN/R
444.400+ PL 103.5 Fonda/Ilion KB2AUJ/R
442.575+ PL 103.5 Utica KA2FWN/R
449.925- PL 151.4 Remsen KB2AUJ/R
442.850+ PL 71.9 Cortland KB2FAF/R(new May 2013)
443.100+ PL 103.5 Syracuse WA2AUL/R (is back on-the-air! April 28th, 2013)
442.400+ PL 103.5 Syracuse KD2SL/R 
449.225- PL 103.5 Watertown KA2FWN/R (NEW as of 8/29/13)-note; there may be changes to this frequency - STAY TUNED HERE, For updates as they become available!
442.350+ PL 103.5 Oswego K2QQY/R
444.150+ PL 71.9 Auburn W2QYT/R
443.600+ PL 110.9 Bristol N2XFX/R
444.050+ PL 88.5 Attica N2XFX/R
442.100+ PL 88.5 Colden W2IVB


***Link to the REPEATER SYSTEM MAPhttp://goo.gl/maps/JK7xt

These are the active repeaters on the statewide system west from Albany to Buffalo and north to Oswego and Watertown. Program them into (14) successive memory locations in your radio and spin the "knob" as you drive across the state!

Thanks to the owners/trustees; Clint-N2FMM, Nick-N2XFX, Bob-KA2FWN, Kevin-KD2SL, Jack-W2QYT, Chris - KB2FAF, Bob-N2FEP, Mike-KB2AUJ, Darrell K1DCC and Jim-K2LM for helping me update the latest status on their great linked system.

Try it out........It's working great!

GET UPDATES link: http://www.upstateham.com/p/the-empire-state-network-linked.html

(keywords = linked UHF repeaters, New York repeaters, CNY repeaters, The Empire State Network)

Thursday, October 10, 2013

Don't forget 220mhz if you have the capability!


The Syracuse 220 Repeater is now back on the air and run by Kevin; KD2SL. It has been rebuilt and is going through some fine tuning. Give it a try and watch for coming improvements over the next month or so.

224.120 (-) PL 103.5 – KD2SL at Sentinel Heights, Lafayette, NY.

Sunday, October 6, 2013

Have you heard their Balloon? (on 446.450mhz)

The Tompkins County Amateur Radio Association (TCARA) launched a radio equipped weather balloon around 4pm today (Sunday 10/6/13) from a location near the Pyramid Mall in Ithaca. The radio transmitter was tracked North and East into Cayuga County. The last known strongest signal was from a location between Owasco and Skanaeateles Lakes. The radio payload was not recovered and the search was called off at dark. The radio was transmitting a CW ID on 446.450 mhz. The club estimated the life of the battery at about 10 hours, so it will most likely fail overnight into Monday morning. If any one does recover it, please contact any TCARA board member through their web site at  http://tcarc-ny.org/officers.htm for instructions on how to return it to their group.


Saturday, October 5, 2013

Software Defined Radio (SDR) info

Software-defined radio (SDR) is a radio communication system where components that have been typically implemented in hardware (e.g. mixers, filters, amplifiers, modulators/demodulators, detectors, etc.) are instead implemented by means of software on a personal computer or embedded system. While the concept of SDR is not new, the rapidly evolving capabilities of digital electronics render practical many processes which used to be only theoretically possible.

Here are a few SDR radio information links. I will add more as I find them or other people recommend them:

Wikipedia link to SDR : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Software-defined_radio

SDR Radio roundup listing of Radios: http://www.rtl-sdr.com/roundup-software-defined-radios/

Listen to some SDR radios around the world: http://websdr.org/

A blog about RTL-SDR (RTL2832U) and cheap software defined radio: http://www.rtl-sdr.com/

Ham Radio Science - some good SDR info: http://www.hamradioscience.com/

SDR Transceiver.com is a brief overview of several SDR transceivers on the market:
http://www.sdrtransceiver.com/


SDR software links:

THE BIG LIST OF RTL-SDR SUPPORTED SOFTWARE: http://www.rtl-sdr.com/big-list-rtl-sdr-supported-software/

SDR # (sharp) - SDR software that works well with the RTL-SDR dongle: http://sdrsharp.com/

HDSDR - SDR software: http://www.hdsdr.de/

Nooelec software (downloads tab) help page SDR # Auto loader (works very well!):
http://www.nooelec.com/store/sdr/nesdr-mini-rtl2832-r820t.html#.Ue3NqW3Bw7

SDR-Radio.com SDR Console software and general SDR information:  http://www.sdr-radio.com/

(last updated 4/25/14)

Sunday, September 1, 2013

Repeater etiquette - roundtable discussions

A few of us were having a conversation on the repeater the other day and several people had joined in with information to add to the topic. To make a long story short, lets just say things got confusing. This happens frequently enough and one of the guys mentioned that maybe I should put a mention of proper round table "hand-off" techniques on this blog and I agreed. I am quite often guilty of this myself and was glad that someone mentioned that we could do this better. Many people already do this quite well, but we all can always use a reminder. So here is a "general" set of guidelines that I found online please give them a read:

Roundtables and "Turning it Over": When more than two amateurs are in a QSO, it is
often referred to as a "roundtable" discussion. Such a QSO usually goes in order from
amateur A to amateur B to amateur C and eventually back to amateur A again to
complete the roundtable. To keep everyone on the same page, when any one amateur is
done making a transmission, they "turn it over" to the next station in sequence (or out of
sequence, if so desired). Without turning it over to a particular station when there are
multiple stations in the QSO, nobody knows who is supposed to go next, and there ends
up either being dead silence or several stations talking at once. At the end of a
transmission, turn it over to the next station by naming them or giving their callsign, such
as "...and that's that. Go ahead Joe." or "....and that's that. Go ahead XYZ." If it's been
close to 10 minutes, it's a good time to identify at the same time as well, such as "...and
that's that. N3XYZ, go ahead Joe." The bottomline here is be sure to identify who the next
person in rotation should be.


Monday, August 12, 2013

Rochester Ham Tailgate!

RARA has once again joined with the Damascus Shriners to produce our third annual Fall Fest and Tailgate Party. The Shriners will provide a first class location with ample parking, indoor bathroom facilities, a separate area for larger vehicles and RVs, a large covered picnic area to eat in, and a large deck to rest after all that shopping. If you’re running late, there will be some breakfast food to fill up on. Then use that energy to walk around and buy some more gear! This is our opportunity to give back! Here’s the chance to buy and sell items you need or want to part with, as well as to socialize with others in the ham community.

This event will be on Saturday, September 14th, and will open at 7 AM for vendors and 8 AM for all others. It will go to around Noon. It is conveniently located off Rt.104 at 979 Bay Rd., Webster, N.Y. 14580.
Upon entering, the staff will ask for a $5 donation that will all go to help fund the Shriners Hospital for Children. Please spread the word and don‘t miss your last local flea market for buying and selling ham radio gear.

Read more in the September RARA RAG:
http://rags.rochesterham.org/e-RAGS/RAG_Sept_2013.pdf

Saturday, July 27, 2013

New 2 meter Repeater for the Adirondacks!

UPDATE:  7/27/13 The Blue Mt. repeater is back on the air as of noon today. I talked with both W2CJS and WA2DAD this afternoon on the repeater. The repeater sounded great. Thanks to Clark, Tom and the team that hiked up to repair the repeater and antenna that were recently damaged by a lightning strike.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Original Post date: 5/20/13

On Saturday, May 18th, the Bear Bait Radio Club and other NNY amateur operators installed a 2 meter repeater on the top of Blue Mountain, near Blue Mountain Lake. This will be a Hamilton County RACES repeater available for general public use as well. The frequency is 146.865 (-) with a PL of 162.2. Area coverage plots for this repeater are quite impressive, showing potential coverage from the St. Lawrence to near Utica, and Watertown to Vermont. The only noticeable dead spot is the Champlain Valley.

I had the new repeater full scale and full quieting all around the Old Forge and Inlet areas when I was mobile on Sunday morning. While talking with a few folks on it, the repeater sounded top notch. I also heard folks later checking in from places as far away as Verona, St. Regis Falls and Saranac Lake. I am sure this is only the beginning of some very nice distant communication around the central Adirondacks. Great Job by the whole crew who put this together! (If I can find out more of the story and those involved, I will post it here)

Several people have asked me how they can support this nice machine. You can do so by sending donations to the club at: Bear Bait Radio Club, P.O. Box 172, Clay ,N.Y.  13041. Please enclose a note indicating "donation for the repeater fund".

On another North Country note, if you haven’t already tried them; there is both a 2M and 70CM repeater on McCauley Mountain just outside of Old Forge. The repeaters are the 147.315 + PL 71.9(KA2FWN) and the 443.175 + PL 103.5(KA2FWN). The 443.175 is also linked to the 443.850 +PL 103.5 in Kirkland. Both Old Forge repeaters have very good coverage. Give them a try!

Find more Adirondack Ham and repeater information at: http://nnyara.net/

                                                        Fire Tower on Blue Mt. (7/2010)

Sunday, June 16, 2013

New Fulton area repeater

WN8Z has a new repeater operating from Fulton. Signal reports so far indicate this to be another wide coverage repeater for CNY. The repeater output is on 147.390 + and will eventually have a PL of 103.5. Pat (WN8Z) mentioned that he will provide a message on the repeater several weeks before the PL is actually added, but at this time no PL tone is required (note as of 8/2013 the PL is required). The repeater is located near the Oswego County Airport northeast of Fulton.

Full quieting reports have been heard from Homer north to Pulaski and from Waterloo east to Verona on the Thruway. Several people are also getting excellent signal reports on handhelds from over 30 miles away.

Nice job Pat! Thanks for your efforts and support to Upstate NY Radio Amateurs!

 - Also check out the 147.15 mhz Fulton area repeater, (+) offset with 103.5 PL!

Wednesday, June 12, 2013

6 Meter repeaters - confirmed


Presently known working 6M Repeaters

Freq 
      Town         Call              +/-      PL         Location


53.47     Waterloo   KA2NDW    Minus   82.5   Waterloo/Clyde                                              
53.05     Auburn       W2INH       Minus   71.9       Frozen Ocean
53.63     Bristol         WR2AHL   Minus  110.9      Worden Hill with 145.110 - Bristol Mtn.

53.67     Pompey      KD2SL       Minus  103.5      Sentinel Heights   ***      

53.33     Rochester   N2HJT        Minus   123.0     Henrietta
53.57     Buffalo         W2IVB       Minus      88.5     Colden

In our travels, several of us have been trying to confirm some of our previously listed (Dec. 2012) 6M repeaters both in eastern and western NY with limited success. 

We are always looking for more active 6M repeater confirmations! If you can help us, leave a comment here or e-mail us through my QRZ e-mail address.

Monday, June 10, 2013

UPDATE: The New 6M repeater in Clyde NY has been updated.

I got an e-mail yesterday from Mike - KA2NDW and he has finished up the final set up of his repeater at 53.47 Mhz, with a minus offset of 1.00Mhz and a PL of 82.5. Mike is looking for signal reports from anybody who can hear it. Here in Auburn it comes in full scale. Learn more about the KA2NDW repeaters at: http://www.KA2NDW.net.

.....don't forget the present CNY 6 meter repeaters of 53.05, 53.63 and 53.67 Mhz. Please support 6 Meters and join in the 6 Meter net each Tuesday night at 7:30pm on the 53.05 in Auburn.

Saturday, June 1, 2013

Vintage Korean and Vietnam war Survival Radio

A few weeks ago a friend gave me a couple of old tube type portable survival radios that had been sitting in his basement. The radios are both Hoffman RT-159/URC-4 models. One is Army green and the other bright yellow. Both are in pretty good condition. They are dual band transceivers set up to transmit and receive on the air band emergency channels 121.5 Mhz and 243.0 Mhz. One of the coolest things are the telescoping dipole antennas that you can unfold and set for either VHF or UHF.

I started to do some research on the history of this radio and found it dates back to the early 1950's. One of these days I will have to try to find a power source to try and see if they will function (though I better use a dummy load, as both frequencies are still the main aircraft emergency channels). If you know anything about these radios, please leave a comment on this blog entry or e-mail me through my QRZ e-mail address.

Here is a link to an interesting article about the Hoffman RT-159A/URC-4: http://www.eetimes.com/design/power-management-design/4006313/Retro-wireless-Hoffman-RT-159A-URC-4-survival-radio


73- Tony - KC2VER


Sunday, May 12, 2013

2013 Upstate Hamfests that I have heard about.......

February 23, 2013 - ARAST Winter Hamfest, Horseheads, NY
New York Armory, 128 Colonial Dr., Horseheads, NY
Gates open:  6:00am Vendors, 7:00am Breakfast and 8:00am the Hamfest opens
website link: http://www.arast.org/

April, 13, 2013 - Drumlins Hamfest, Newark, NY. 
Note: New location this year (no longer in Marbletown).....Palmyra VFW Post 6778, 4306 Route 31, Palmyra, NY
Vendors at 7:00 AM, Public 8:00 AM-Till?
website link: http://www.drumlinsarc.org/hamfest.htm

April, 14, 2013 - Binghamton Area Hamfest, Binghamton, NY.
Broome Community College - Ice Center, 907 Upper Front Street
Website: http://www.w2ow.org
Sponsored by: Binghamton Amateur Radio Association

May 4th, 2013 - Ham Tailgate Fest, Auburn N.Y. will be held at the old GE Powerex parking lot at 357 W. Genesee St. in Auburn N.Y. (next to McDonald's). Entry is a canned good or $2.00 cash donation, all proceeds to charity! Rain or shine! (.....added 4/3/13)

May 4th, 2013 - The annual Antique Wireless Association (AWA) Spring Meet will be held at the Veterans Park Complex on Rts. 5&20 in East Bloomfield NY. Stay tuned for more details!

May 17-19, 2013 - Dayton Hamvention, Dayton, Ohio
website link: http://www.hamvention.org/

June 1, 2013 - Cortland Hamfest, Skyline Amateur Radio Club, Cortland County Fairgrounds Exit 12 from I-81, Event runs from 7am to 2pm. info at: http://www.skylineradioclub.org/

June 15, 2013 -  Rochester Hamfest - RIT Campus (JUST ANNOUNCED 2/24)
(watch for more info athttp://www.rochesterham.org/index.htm)

July 14, 2013 - RAGS Hamfest, Radio Amatuers of Greater Syracuse  American Legion Post, Cicero, NY. (website link:http://www.ragsclub.org/hamfest.html  )

July 20, 2013 - Utica Hamfest, Utica Amatuer Radio Club, website is fixed http://www.uticaarc.com/what-we-do.html

August 3, 2013   Ithaca Hamfest, Tompkins County Amateur Radio Club, Trumansburg Fairgrounds  (website link: http://tcarc-ny.org/hamfest.htm )

August 17, 2013   Keuka Lake ARA Hamfest,  details at:   http://www.arrl.org/hamfests/keuka-lake-amateur-radio-association-klara-hamfest                           

September 14, 2013, RARA Ham Tailgate, ROCHESTER AMATEUR RADIO ASSN. Webster NY. 
learn more at: http://upstateham.blogspot.com/2013/08/rochester-ham-tailgate.html

September 28, 2013, Elmira Hamfest, ARA of Southern Tier, Horseheads, NY
( web site link http://www.arast.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=4&Itemid=6 )

see more Hamfest listings...............http://www.ragsclub.org

Tuesday, April 30, 2013

CNY - Liverpool Amateur Repeater Club (LARC)


The Liverpool Amateur Repeater Club operates four repeaters in the Syracuse area. Their two sites are located 1,600' above sea level and providing coverage from Rochester in the west, to Cortland in the south, to Utica in the east, and into southern Canada to the north. No PL tones are required for the LARC repeaters.

Trustee;          Input                Output

WA2KFV,  146.31 mHz     146.91 mHz

N2VZD,     147.81 mHz      147.21 mHz

KD2SL,      222.52 mHz      224.12 mHz

KD2CJS,     448.3 mHz        443.3 mHz

Check them out! The .91 is fairly busy and you can always find drive time folks on the air between 6-8am weekday mornings on the 146.91 repeater.

LARC website:
http://www.liverpoolamateurrepeaterclub.org/repeater.php

Monday, April 29, 2013

Ham Tailgate Fest, Auburn N.Y.

May 4th, 2013 - Ham Tailgate Fest, Auburn N.Y. will be held at the old GE Powerex parking lot at 357 W. Genesee St. in Auburn N.Y. (next to McDonald's).

Entry is a canned good or $2.00 cash donation, all proceeds to charity! Rain or shine! 

Bring your old Ham and computer gear, or anything else to sell.

If you have questions, try calling Jerry K2QJB or John WB2YGN on the 147.00 Auburn Repeater for more specific information.

Talk in is on 147.00+ PL 71.9

Saturday, March 2, 2013

Radio programming software - check it out!


I have purchased several different software packages for programming my various radios. Each one is just a little bit different and has the data formatted in different ways. Managing and updating all the different radios has not been easy. I finally stumbled across a software program called CHIRP that can share data files across several manufacturers and models. 

Need software to program your radio? Here's the place to go:

CHIRP is a free, open-source tool for programming your amateur radio. It supports a large number of manufacturers and models, as well as provides a way to interface with multiple data sources and formats. CHIRP was developed by Dan Smith; KK7DS and runs on Windows, Linux and Mac operating systems.

To get started:

   - Download CHIRP for your platform
   - Check out the Documentation
   - Join the mailing list!
  
CHIRP Supported Radio Manufacturers:

Alinco -7 models
Baofeng -3 models
Icom -21 models
Jetstream - 1 model
Kenwood -15 models
Puxing -2 models
TYT - 2 models
Yaesu - 16 models
Wouxun - 2 models

Monday, February 18, 2013

New 6M repeater in Clyde NY

We have a new 6M repeater operating in CNY. KA2NDW has recently set up this repeater at 53.47 Mhz, with a minus offset of 1.00Mhz and a PL of 82.5. Here in Auburn it comes in full scale. I believe testing and set up tuning are still going on so be patient while they get their set up optimized. Learn more about the KA2NDW repeaters at: http://www.KA2NDW.net.

.....don't forget the present CNY 6 meter repeaters of 53.05, 53.63 and 53.67 Mhz. Please support 6 Meters and join in the 6 Meter net each Tuesday night at 7:30pm on the 53.05 in Auburn.

Saturday, January 5, 2013

10 Meter stuff


CNY 10 Meters:

Notes from KD2SL.com website:

Syracuse’s First 10 Meter Repeater

Posted on December 14, 2012 by kd2sl.com
Another brief update:

Today, on a hunch, I connected the 10m receiver to the same antenna used for the 6m repeater. Amazingly, it actually works! So, we have a 10m repeater in Syracuse!

Feel free to give it a try, and let me know if you can get in. Also, whether or not you can get in, let me know what antenna, how much power, and where you are.

Remember, the 10m and 6m repeaters are permanently linked (crossband repeat), and you must have PL tone on transmit for either side. Program your radio carefully:

10m Repeater – Output: 29.64 MHz, PL 94.8 – Input: 29.54 MHz, PL 94.8
6m Repeater – Output: 53.67 MHz, PL 103.5 – Input: 52.67 MHz, PL 103.5

If your radio supports it, you can activate tone squelch on receive to keep the squelch from opening on noise.

Join us each Wednesday at 7:00 pm for the LARC Swap and Information net, now a tri-band net!

73 – KD2SL
kd2sl.com
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 
10M Repeater in Rochester?
Output 29.620, Input 29.520 (no PL) WR2AHL - Avon NY (Rochester)
I was told that W2HYP is working on bringing this repeater on the air in early 2013. Stay tuned!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 USA 10 Meter repeater list: 
http://www.qsl.net/kc4qlp/10meterrepeater.html
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Great 10 Meter information:
http://www.hamuniverse.com/10meterinformation.html
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The National 10 Meter FM Simplex Frequency:  29.600 MHz.

 10 METER FM REPEATER OUTPUT FREQUENCIES ARE FROM 29.610 MHz. to 29.690 MHz.   (offset = - 0.100MHz):

 29.610 MHz. 29.620 MHz. 29.630 MHz. 29.640 MHz. 29.640 MHz. 29.650 MHz. 29.660 MHz. 29.670 MHz. 29.680 MHz. 29.690 MHz.


 It is helpful to have an HF radio with dual VFO's or one that the "split" can be programmed into. An example of working a typical 10 Meter FM Repeater "split" is as follows: Repeater Output Frequency= 29.680 MHz. Repeater Input Frequency= 29.580 MHz.

 Be aware that some 10 Meter FM Repeaters may require a PL tone that needs to be inserted to bring them up just like many 2-meter and 440 Repeaters. Listen for band openings and good luck on working the DX!


Tuesday, January 1, 2013

Railfan Frequencies for Western & CNY, New York


Local Railroad Amateur Railfan Frequencies for Western & CNY, New York.
Arcade & Attica Railroad
Sorry No Radios, watch for hand signals
Livonia Avon & Lakeville
160.830 161.205 161.175
Genesee & Wyoming
160.500 Road (salt mine)
161.100 Yard
160.590 Shop
Rochester & Southern
160.770 Road (repeater)
161.100 Yard
161.445
160.500
160.590
CSX (ex Conrail)
160.800 CH-1 Road
160.980 CH-4 Yard
160.860 CH-3
161.070 CH-2
161.130 PBX (OUT) MoW
160.710 PBX (IN) MoW
161.055 MoW special projects
160.680 Police
160.560 Police
160.245 Frontier Yard CH-1
160.410 Frontier Yard Pulldown CH-2
160.890 Frontier Yard Pulldown CH-3
161.055 Frontier Yard Pulldown CH-4
161.310/161.350 Frontier Yard Car Dept.
161.370/160.650 Frontier Yard Hump
160.995 Seneca Yard Switching (New May 26, 2000)
457.9375 EOT or "FRED"
Amtrak
160.800 Talking to CSX

Eastman Kodak
160.305
RG&E Russel Station (Greece)
160.860 Talk to CSX
Genesee Railroad Museum and NYS Museum of Transportation (Rush)
160.440
160.470
Ontario Midland (Sodus)
161.370
Ontario Central (Victor)
161.370
Finger Lakes (Geneva)
160.740
161.520
161.220
160.950
161.340
161.070 Talking to NS
160.800 Talking to CSX
B&P
160.230 Road & Buffalo Creek Yard
160.320 Dispatcher
160.530
160.785
161.445
Buffalo Southern
160.260
CN
161.415 Road CH-1
CP
160.815 Hamilton Sub. CH-82
D&H
160.590 Buffalo SK Yard
DL&W (Batavia)
160.920
Falls Road (Lockport)
160.920
Norfolk Southern
161.070 Southern Tier Line
161.250 CH-2 Buffalo Jct. Yard
160.440 CH-3 Bison Yard
161.490 CH-4 Alt. Switching CH.
161.145/160.275 CH-8 ARN (Telephone)
161.235/160.515 CH-9 ARN (Telephone)
161.205 Police Car to Car
South Buffalo RR
161.190 Area D All Yard Operations
161.280

Adirondack Scenic Railroad "ADCX"(Utica, NY to Thendara, NY)
160.380
160.440
161.190
161.460
160.470
Steamtown National Historic Site(Scanton, PA)
CH. 1 164.475 Crew Channel 1
CH. 2 165.4375
CH. 3 168.350 Main Park Channel
CH. 4 158.490
CH. 5 155.475
CH. 6 166.950
CH. 7 166.350
CH. 8 164.175 Crew Channel 2
CH. 9 163.175
CH.10 NOT USED
CH.11 NOT USED
CH.12 NOT USED
CH.13 NOT USED
CH.14 NOT USED
CH.15 160.800 CSX
 - All A.A.R.'s Railroad Frequencies (http://rochester.railfan.net/rrfreqlist.html)
 - Back To Rochester.Railfan.Net main page. (http://rochester.railfan.net/)
Any questions or comments on this page, send mail to:
From: Dale L. Fravel / N2LWY d_fravel@yahoo.com
                                  Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002 Dale L. Fravel