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.