Alabama Linked Repeater System

 

 

 

The enhancement of the Alabama Linked Repeater System is a goal of the ARRL Alabama Section.  The ultimate idea is for Alabama to have a state-of-the-art, 24/7 statewide repeater system.  This repeater system will connect amateur radio operators throughout the state, and be a vital mechanism linking agencies such as, National Weather Service, Southern Baptist Disaster Relief, EMA’s and Red Cross during times of severe weather and disasters.  This repeater system would work in conjunction with and supplement the existing statewide HF Alabama Emergency Net system on 3.965MHz.   

Digital Repeater Systems will enhance the Alabama Repeater Link System. 

 

Alabama amateurs are pioneering D-STAR and is a leader with new digital radio communications technology.  Digital repeaters using D-STAR technology have been located throughout Alabama and can connect state amateurs together and the outside world via the internet. 

 

This project is comprised of three parts, first, the Alabama ARRL project to upgrade and enhance the state wide linked repeater system.  Second. this will provide more emergency communications capabilities of ARES, Southern Baptist, EMA’s and others and third this will help radio amateurs continue to be productive in radio innovations and amateur radio service.  All three of these show the contribution and justify the use of amateur radio.

 

Radio clubs and groups throughout Alabama are considering adding a D-STAR repeater systems in their area. This is a great project for clubs and groups.  Fund raising and the dedication to install and use this new technology will greatly benefit your club.  Some clubs are finding that grants are available.

 

Digital is the future of radio communications and many advantages are being realized.  Digital uses smaller bandwidth, is BPL tolerant, digital data transfer, GPS position, automatic IDs and more.

 

 

Check this site often for D-STAR repeater status activities and news.

 

Test

Alabama Digital news and activities:

 

Alabama D-STAR Digital Repeater List and Configuration:

 

(listed in order of activation)

 

Huntsville, On the Air  *Gateway Connected*

Repeater Call sign: KI4PPF
145.430 - C

443.375 + B
1284.000  -12MHz  A
Data frequency: 1251.800 A

Pictures

For local repeater information contact: Ed Myszka, KE4ROC

  

Cheaha Mountain, Anniston Alabama, On the Air *Gateway Connected*

Repeater Call sign: WB4GNA
145.300 - C
442.425 + B

1285.000 -12MHz  A  (coming soon)

Data frequency: 1251.000 A

Pictures 

For local repeater information contact: Randall Landers, KG4EUD

 

Tuscaloosa, Hospital, On the Air  *Gateway Connected*

Repeater Call sign: W4KCQ

146.605 - C

444.075 + B

1284.400 -12MHz A

Data frequency: 1249.000

Pictures

For local repeater information contact: David Drummond, W4MD

 

Huntsville, Experimental, On the Air *Gateway Connected* 

Repeater Call sign: W4WBC
145.360 + C

443.325 + B
1282.500 -12MHz  A
Data frequency: 1253.500 A

For local repeater information contact: Ron Shaffer, W4VM

 

Magnolia Springs, On the Air  *Gateway Connected*

Repeater Call sign: KI4SAZ

145.310 - C

444.300 + B

1285.000 -12MHz A 

Data frequency: 1251.000  A

Pictures

For local repeater information contact: Joe Smith, WA4VSH

 

Tuscaloosa, Tall Tower, On the Air

Repeater Call sign: W4TTR

145.350 - C

442.900 + B

1287.960 -12MHz A  (coming soon)

Data frequency: 1248.200 A

Pictures

For local repeater information contact: David Drummond, W4MD

 

Birmingham, On the Air  *Gateway Connected*

Repeater Call sign: K4DSO

145.410 - C
443.200 + B

1283.400 -12MHz  A

Data frequency: 1250.000  A

For local repeater information contact: Ken Adkisson, WB4FAY

 

Guntersville, On the Air *Gateway Connected*

Repeater Call sign: KI4RYX

145.140 - C

For local repeater information contact: Barry Harbin,  KF4EYT

 

Alabaster, On the Air

Repeater Call sign: N4RON

146.730 - A

442.075 + B

1293.000 -20MHz  A

Data frequency: 1248.000  A

For local repeater information contact: Ron Arant, N4PHP

 

Fort Payne, On the Air *Gateway Connected*

Repeater Call sign: KI4SAY

145.440 - C

443.325 + B

1285.000 -12MHz A 

Data frequency: 1251.000  A

For local repeater information contact: Tom Whitehurst, KC5UN

 

Mobile, On the Air *Gateway Connected*

Repeater Call sign: W4IAX

145.390 - C

444.900 + B

For local repeater information contact: Charles Miller, KD4NGA

 

Montgomery, On the Air *Gateway Connected*

Repeater Call sign: W4AP

146.920 - C

other bands soon

For local repeater information contact: El Erby, K4DJL

 

Anniston, On the Air

Repeater Call sign: KJ4JGK

145.280 - C

443.350 + B

For local repeater information contact: Randall Landers, KG4EUD

 

Birmingham, Experimental

Repeater Call sign: KI4SBB

145.340 - C

443.975 + B

1282.500 -12MHz A 

Data frequency: 1251.000  A

For local repeater information contact: Ken Adkisson, WB4FAY

 

Talladega, On the Air *Gateway Connected*

Repeater Call sign: N4WNL

145.160 - C

For local repeater information contact: Jim Mc Ilwain, W4LVT

 

Greenville, On the Air *Gateway Connected*

Repeater Call sign: K4TNS

145.190 - C

442.225 + B

For local repeater information contact: Bob Luman, W4MPQ

 

Madison, On the Air *Gateway Connected*

Repeater Call sign: KJ4NYH

443.0250 +B

For local repeater information contact: Will Wright, W4WWM

 

Roanoke, On the Air *Gateway Connected*

Repeater Call sign: KJ4JNX

145.400 - C

444.900 + B

1283.000MHz +20.00 A

Data frequency: 1251.600MHz

For local repeater information contact: Gary Pike, KA4KBX

 

Enterprise, On the Air *Gateway Connected*

Repeater Call sign: KJ4OTP

145.130  C

442.650  B

For local repeater information contact: Todd Pippin, KI4DFC

 

Gadsden, On the Air *Gateway Connected*

Repeater Call sign: K4RBC

145.490  C

444.775  B

For local repeater information contact: Vernon Lee, KI4FLY

 

Clanton, On the Air *Gateway Connected*

Repeater Call sign: W4AEC

145.180  C

444.375  B

For local repeater information contact: W4AEC

 

 

D-STAR Book, Nifty E-Z Guide to D-STAR Operation

Nifty Ham Accessories

 

 

 

FCC issued a letter clarifying that a D-STAR repeater is a repeater

FCC ruling, 23Mar09

ARRL Story

 

 

March 2009 U.S. D-STAR repeater map

 

 

March 2009 U.S. D-STAR repeater map printable version

 

 

Alabama D-STAR repeater map

 

 

Gulf Coast D-STAR repeater map

 

 

How to set up your D-STAR Radio?

D-STAR Radio Setup

 

 

D-STAR Calculator

Calculator

 

Alabama Digital NETS

 

Alabama D-Star Net

Tuesday night

8:30 PM

 

 

Cheaha Mountain D-STAR

 

The East Alabama D-STAR Repeater Net meets on,

Thursdays at 7:30 pm,

145.300- WB4GNA-C.

 

Southeastern Weather Net

Sundays at 8:00 pm

 


 

You are invited to check in to the ALABAMA D-STAR Net on
   *Tuesday night at 8:30 pm local time (CDT) *
 
This net started on the K4DSO repeater in Birmingham however we have expanded the coverage area using one of the D-STAR reflector ports.   During recent nets we have had the Birmingham (K4DSO), Tuscaloosa (W4KCQ), Montgomery (W4AP), Huntsville (KI4PPF), Magnolia Springs (KI4SAZ), Mentone (KI4SAY), Atlanta (WX4GPB) and New Orleans (W5GAD) repeaters linked to a reflector so that everyone on all these repeaters can participate in the net.
 
(Other gateway'ed repeaters are invited to join the net by having the local gateway administrator link the repeater to REF002 - Module B.   It would be helpful if this link can be established approximately 15 minutes before the net start time.)
  
To participate in the net, please follow these guidelines:
 
1.  SET THE CALL SIGNS IN YOUR RADIO AS YOU WOULD FOR NORMAL LOCAL USE.   (RPT1 = your local repeater port C; RPT2 = your local repeater gateway; and YOURCALL = CQCQCQ)
 
2.  IT IS IMPERATIVE THAT EVERYONE SET 'RPT2' to point to the appropriate gateway (K4DSO  G, W4KCQ  G, W4AP   G, etc.).  Without setting RPT2 to the gateway, you will not be heard by everyone on the net.  Nobody beyond your local repeater will hear you.
 
3.  DONGLE USERS:  If you are checking into the net using a DONGLE, make your connection to 'REF002' Port B instead of to your local repeater.  Only by connecting to the Reflector (REF002 port B) will all the net participants be able to hear you.
 
4.  BEACONS & DATA TRANSMISSIONS DURING NET During the net, please disable all automatic beacons and refrain from using slow speed data messaging.  As has been seen during the last few weeks, the data transmissions almost guarantee doubling during a directed net.  As we have all learned, digital transmissions are very unforgiving when it comes to doubling.  The header information at the start of a transmission is critical for proper operation and this addressing information is sent only once at initial key up.
 
5.  SLOW SPEED DATA DURING NET:  Given that the D-RATS program has been used during the recent hurricane's, we will begin trying to pass some limited information via slow speed data as well as voice.  This will give anyone that is interested a chance to get familiar with data usage in a net environment.  If you would like to use the slow speed data, please download and install the latest version of D-RATS (version 0.2.6) from http://d-rats.danplanet.com/wiki/FrontPage.  Note if you have installed a previous version, it is highly recommended that you upgrade to the latest version. 
   
If you know of anyone that would like to be added to the distribution list for the weekly net reminder, please send their email address to wb4fay@wb4fay.com.
  
73,
Ken Adkisson - WB4FAY
Net Manager

 


 

D-STAR high speed data / repeater access

 

The ID-1 can be configured to connect to the WAN and it works well.  Here is a working example for the Huntsville KI4PPF repeater.

 

1253.000 DD

YOUR = KI4PPF

RPT1 = KI4PPF G

RPT2 = none

RPS

Computer network TCP/IP = automatic   

 


 

D-PRS to APRS interface active in Huntsville.

 

The D-STAR Position Reporting System (D-PRS) is interfaced with the Automatic Position Reporting System (APRS).  The Huntsville D-STAR KI4PPF  repeater will pass your GPS coordinate information via RF to the APRS existing network.

 

To use the system you will need to add a message command in your D-STAR radio's TX message area.  Go to this site to compute the message command.

http://www.aprs-is.net/DPRS.aspx

http://www.aprs-is.net/DPRSCalc.aspx

 

Find yourself or other D-PRS and APRS stations on these web sites,

http://www.findu.com/cgi-bin/find.cgi?call=KE4ROC-5

http://www.jfindu.net/DSTARReports.aspx

 

For additional information see,

http://www.ki4ppf.org

 


 

Alabama D-STAR Group

 

Join the Alabama e-mail group:  Alabama D-STAR yahoo group

 

Georgia D-STAR

http://www.dstarinfo.com/

 

 

D-STAR History

 

 

More Information:

 

For additional information contact w4ozk@arrl.org

If you or your club has D-STAR equipment and wishes to be added to the above list contact W4OZK

ICOM D-STAR Information

ICOM D-STAR Forum

Discussion List for D-STAR use in AL

Alabama D-STAR Presentation

D-STAR Radio Setup

 

New information will be posted to this web site as it is received.

 

 

 

 

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