News!
9/19/2021|
10/17/2020|
Today, I am pleased to announce the W6WLS 147.180 Repeater is back on the air with temporary setup in the Santa Cruz mountains! Please keep in mind that this is a temporary setup that runs on battery/generator power. This site is also analog only and will remain that way until the new site is built.
The coverage seems to be good, while not comparable to 170ft tower it should fill in the lost coverage in the San Lorenzo Valley and Summit Road and Aptos areas.
I would like to thank everyone for the support we have received and remind everyone that the GoFundMe is still active to raise the funds needed to rebuild the Empire Grade Tower. As of this post the 67% of the funds needed have been raised!
https://www.gofundme.com/f/rebuild-the-empire-grade-tower-site
9/12/2020|
The KE6STH 443.575 South Bay area system is OFF AIR for site and antenna system maintenance. We are expecting it to be off air for at least 5 days until we can get a temporary antenna up in the interim. We found the repeater antenna had some problems as expected given the issues we were having at that site. Upon initial inspection we found at least 1 bad/broken solder joint and a damaged capacitor. The antenna will be replaced with a new one in the coming weeks.
9/7/2020|
CZU COMPLEX FIRE UPDATE:
Earlier this week we lost our Empire Grade tower site to the CZU Augest complex fire in burning in the Santa Cruz Mountains. The W6WLS 147.180, W6DXW 442.750 and WB6ECE 441.300 simulcast repeater burned down in the fire. These means that those repeaters are OFF AIR until further notice.
Over the last week I have received and overwhelming amount of people asking to donate or volunteer their time to help us rebuild the site. It will be some time before we can, in good faith take donations from you (our users). There are many logistical issues that need to be accounted for first.
73, Joe KG6NRI
6/24/2020|
Well everyone, It was a long 10 hour day at Fremont Peak yesterday, but I'm pleased to announce that the antenna installation is complete. The new 4 Bay Dipole is located at the 140ft level of the tower, fed with 1-1/4 inch hardline and hearing many of you on the air testing it though out the day proves that the system is covering as expected. The coverage map of the system has also been added to the website. I would like to encourage everyone to try the system out! 441.900 + PL 110.9 and for P25 NAC $293.
6/6/2020|
Please keep in mind that the system is on a temporary antenna so performance will be greatly enhanced once the scheduled tower climb is completed.
Today I'm pleased to announce a new addition to the Salinas Valley Repeater Group, Harry W6HPB and I spent most of the day configuring the new Prunedale repeater site. We still have lots more do to but we are on the air, this will phase out the 442.775 system located at my house and bring added coverage to the Prunedale, Salinas and surrounding areas on UHF.
The new frequency is 444.675 + PL 110.9 Please update your radios with the new frequency and give it a try!
7/9/2017|
Well its been a long 2 weekends working on the Meadow Lakes VHF box. We have final achieved the required amount of isolation to get rid of the desensitization happening to the VHF repeater from not just our transmitter but the FM broadcast transmitters at the site.
It took splitting the antenna system with two Telewave ANT150D3 2 bay dipole antennas one mounted at the top of the tower at 80 feet and the other one mounted at 60 FT. Three Telewave TPRD-1556 pass reject cans and a DCI filter 4 MHz window filter final bring the noise floor down to a usable level with two TPRD-1554 cans on the transmitter.
The bottom line is the receive performance has improved since the original launch of that repeater in ~ may 2016. But unfortunately the usable noise floor at that site is still quite high. But over all I'm pleased the repeater was usable with 50 mW on a handheld in the parking lot of Starbucks. Something that could not be done before.
Special thanks to K6WGJ & Son for providing us with the site and tower climb, to WA6PKY for the Telewave ANT150D3, W6WLS for the DCI filter, and K6TS for the extra Telewave cans. KC6UDC, W6WEB, and K7MJD for coming out last weekend to install the antenna and take some pics!
-- So try it out guys the hard work has been done its time to have fun!
5/17/2017|
Today marks a noteworthy moment for the Salinas Valley Repeater Group, as we put to rest the 2 Meter, 440, 900 Mhz repeaters located at our soon to be former site in Pacific Grove. This site gave us the start 5 years ago that brought W6DXW to the Monterey Bay. As we have expanded to cover areas I certainly never considered and gained tower sites I could only dream of this site has become outdated and under utilized.
Effective this afternoon,
147.735, 440.450, 927.0375 are OFF AIR.
The frequencies and equipment from this site will bring forth new systems and locations in the future.
With our friends on the hill (WB6ECE RG) that provide the 2 key tower sites and the microwave backbone for covering the Monterey Bay, I am confident the discontinuation of this location will not hinder our coverage in the slightest and free up resources for our expansion in the future.
73 to PG.
5/7/2017|
Some of you guys may have heard or maybe haven't - I am pleased to announce the addition of the KF6FGL repeaters to the Salinas Valley Repeater Group. KE6STH and KF6FGL have been working hard on adding two new repeaters to the network located at Bear Mt. (Fresno). One is linked analog and one is linked digital P25.
This site brings two full time linked analog and digital systems allowing for simultaneous traffic in both modes at one site. Unlike some systems where the repeaters are configured in 'mixed mode' operation. Please give them a try! I will also be making coverage maps for the new site and hope to have them on the website some time over the weekend.
The Frequencies:
443.775 + 110.9 (analog)
443.875 + NAC $293 (P25 Digital).
With a big round of applause for KE6STH for his relentless work to innovate our IP linking that makes our analog and digital audio sound great. I don't think we would be half as cool with our his hard work.
I'l tell you guys there is nothing more satisfying after a hard days work at the tower site than hearing you all enjoy yakking it up about 40 different ways to BBQ chicken or how bad the traffic is on HW 17...
12/11/2016|
The N6WZ 440.125 and W6DXW 147.300 Meadow Lakes repeaters are now back on the air again! Thank you Lauren, Zac, and Mike for going up to the site with me today. We removed the New Mar 35 Amp power supply, and replaced with a GE ferroresonant power supply. That should keep us on the air until we figure out why the fuse is blowing on the New Mar.
11/27/2016|
I would like to say thank you N6IB and N6VQL for going up to meadow lakes and installing a power supply for us to use until we get it replaced. With out the support we get from our little ham radio community, Salinas Valley Repeater Group would not be on the air as we know it today. On 11/24 at around 4PM, the repeaters went off the air due to a power supply failure. I'm happy to say the site is now backup on the air!
11/15/2016|
Today KE6STH and I installed a Motorola Quantar for the KE6STH 443.575 Repeater in San Jose. This seems to have greatly improved the RX sensitivity on the repeater system. We can kiss the Yaesu fusion - DR-1X and all the problems we had with it goodbye! Say hello to Motorola P25 in the Santa Clara valley!
On the SVRG system there are now 3 repeaters capable of P25 mixed mode.
442.750 + PL 110.9 NAC $293 (Empire Grade)
443.575 + PL 110.9 NAC $293 (San Jose)
147.300 + PL 110.9 NAC $293 (Prunedale)
Give'em a try!
11/1/2016|
We've had a few issues over the last week, first the microwave link has been intermittent to the WB6ECE 147.270 repeater on Mt.Toro. The W6DXW 442.750 had a few issues as well, causing its performance to degrade after the rain.
First the router that connects Mt. Toro to the rest of the world has had problems causing connection drops, Matthew went to the Mt. Umunhum site to correct the issue, I'm happy to say the link is back up now.
With the rains over the past week, we got water in the 7/8 hard line that was replaced during our most recent tower climb for the W6DXW 442.750 repeater on Empire grade. Water entered into the hard line, thankfully it was the lower 7/8 connector, this caused a 5.2-1 SWR at the duplexer. The Motorola Quantar detected the high SWR and faulted lowering the systems transmitter power to 2 watts. Zac K6ZWA and I went to the site today to correct the issue by reinstalling and sealing the connector again, The SWR is back to 1.2-1. Hopefully it stays that way.
We have also moved the Asterisk computer used for linking the repeaters at that site, over to a raspberry Pi correcting yet another issue we had, previously when the power failed at the site the former Intel atom computer would not power back up when AC was restored.
I would like to thank K6ZWA for going to the site with me to repair the hard line connector and swap computers, KE6STH for all his continued hard work on our Asterisk system that makes our linked repeater system possible, KE6SQG for the repeater sites and microwave network he provides and graciously lets the Salinas Valley Repeater Group utilize. I'd also like to thank the countless others that have volunteered there time and hard work and equipment that make our repeater system what it is today.
10/13/2016|
This afternoon I went up to the Empire Grade site and did even more work to the W6DXW 442.750 Repeater. I installed an SCOM 7330 Repeater controller and configured P25 to finally function correctly. In the past if users keyed on P25 it would tie the linked system up with dead air. I'm happy to say that no longer happens, users can talk on P25 with out affecting the linked system.
Any link system traffic takes priority of P25. If there is no traffic on the system, users can access the digital side of that system with $NAC 293.
10/09/2016|
Sunday we had a very successful tower climb, The 442.750 W6DXW Repeater had very poor performance, due to having water in the 7/8. The WB6ECE 441.3 repeater had a few discrepancies in the feed line as well, Both runs of coax have been swapped, increasing the performance of both repeaters significantly.
I would like to thank our tower climbers Marcel Stieber AI6MS and Kenneth Finnegan Finnegan W6KWF for their continued hard work on our repeaters antenna system. We would not be 'In the air everywhere' with out these guys climbing the towers, doing a clean and professional job installing and maintaining our antenna systems.
I would also like to thank our ground crew, Dave N0YES, Sione Ragle KE6STH, Zac K6ZWA, Nick K6CQX, Mike W6WLS, Matthew Kaufman KE6SQG, for volunteering their time, energy and expertise. With out everyone's support as a community, SVRG would just be static in the air.
Photo credit goes to Arianne KK6QFQ thanks for taking photos all day!
9/5/2016|
The KI6PAU 146.940 Repeater in Big Sur is now back on the air!
The system outage was caused by the PA failing in the Kenwood TKR-750. The Repeater has been swapped out restored to normal operation thanks to Jeff KG6UYZ and his hard work on this repeater system.
9/3/2016|
This Wednesday at 8 PM is our first official Salinas Valley Repeater Group net! I would like to invite you all to check in.
Our First Topic of Discussion will the upcoming BBQ October 1st!
9/1/2016| The KI6PAU 146.940 Repeater in Big Sur is OFF AIR. Possibly caused by a PA failure but is unknown at this time.
8/15/2016|
442.775 + PL 110.9 Hz, W6DXW Prunedale/Salinas is back on the air! The repeaters AC power cord was slightly unpluged from the outlet due to a box of stuff being set on the cord.
I also swapped out the repeater controller, the Link Comm RLC 1+ that was running the site is in need of some TLC.
8/14/2016|
442.775 + PL 110.9 Hz, W6DXW Prunedale/Salinas is off air. I will be assessing the cause on Monday.
7/31/2016|
I have received word that amateur communications is no longer needed for the Soberanes Fire in Big Sur. With that being said I have linked the 3 repeaters set aside for fire only traffic back to the main system.
146.940 - 94.8 (KI6PAU)
147.270 + 94.8 (WB6ECE)
442.750 + 110.9 (W6DXW)
Are back to normal use!
7/29/2016|
To better support the Soberanes fire, and the users of this repeater system, The SVRG Linked system will be configured as stated below.
3 Repeaters will be dedicated to the fire Tac net. (As of right now some user traffic is aloud if adequate spacing is provided between transmissions.)
146.940 - 94.8 KI6PAU Big Sur. (Fire Tac Link)
147.270 + 94.8 WB6ECE Mt. Toro. (Fire Tac Link)
442.750 + 110.9 W6DXW Empire Grade. (Fire Tac Link)
The Rest of the system will be linked and on the air for normal rag chew traffic.
147.180 + PL 94.8 Hz - W6WLS, Santa Cruz.
147.300 + PL 94.8 Hz - W6DXW, Fresno.
147.735 + PL 110.9 Hz - W6DXW, Monterey.
440.125 + PL 110.9 Hz - N6WZ, Fresno.
440.450 + PL 110.9 Hz - W6DXW, Monterey.
442.625 + PL 110.9 Hz - N6WZ Fresno (lower)
442.775 + PL 110.9 Hz - W6DXW, Prunedale.
443.575 + PL 110.9 Hz - KE6STH, San Jose.
443.600 + PL 110.9 Hz - W6MOW, Hollister.
1287.200 - PL 88.5 Hz - KE6STH, San Jose.
Thank you for your understanding and on going support.
This change will take place at 14:30.
7/22/2016|
Do to the Soberanes Fire burning in Garrapata State Park, Monterey County ARES has called upon our system for use in communications should amateur radio assistance be requested. I ask that all operators to be mind full in the event the system has to be reallocated for tactical use, there traffic is priority.
http://cdfdata.fire.ca.gov/incidents/incidents_details_info?incident_id=1348
7/19/2916|
We have been talking about a group BBQ for some time now. After mulling over a few possibilities, I have spoken to Scott WA6LIE and John W6UQZ from LPRC. They have generously invited us to join them for there annual club BBQ & Potluck!
The date is Sunday August 14 at Mt. Madonna Park, setup starts at 10 AM, BBQ 12-5. There will be a raffle, transmitter hunt, BBQ,
beer and more! It costs about $10 to enter the park and a meal ticket is $15.
If you are interested in helping LRPC keep there repeater located at one of the best mountain top locations on the central coast, there membership includes a free meal, beer, raffle ticket ... all the goodies. Please see John W6UYZ at the BBQ for membership information or a meal ticket.
I strongly encourage all of you to join us with our fellow Loma Pioneer Repeater Club BBQ. Please RSVP by August 7 if you are going to be attending by sending an email to Kilo Golf 6 November Romeo India @ gmail.com. Please let me know if you have potluck items you would like bring!
Address: 7850 Pole Line Rd, Watsonville, CA 95076
7/15/2016|
The W6DXW 440.450 repeater has been repaired and is back on the air with a new PA!
7/13/2016|
Looks like the PA is having issues again on W6DXW 440.450 in Monterey. I will be looking into getting this fixed in the next week.
6/27/2016|
The WB6ECE 147.270 + 94.8 repeater is back the on air. The Astron 30 amp regulated power supply was the failure. We moved the repeater to the other Astron power supply that is now powering both WB6ECE UHF and VHF repeaters. In turn that caused a high pitched tone on the repeaters TX so we also installed an 11 AMP ICT power supply to run the repeater controller to avoid that problem.
6/20/2016:
147.270 WB6ECE on Mt.Toro is down. We think the issue is a power supply or repeater controller failure. No ETA on restoration at this time.
5/29/2016:
I'm pleased to announce the antenna system work was very successful yesterday at our Meadows Lakes tower site. First I would like to thank everyone who came out to the site yesterday, our tower climbers AI6MS, W6KWF, the ground crew consisting of KE6STH, N6WZ, K6ZWA, and our local Telewave engineer WA6PKY. With out their help I don't think we could have pulled this off.
Yesterday we found the UHF antenna system had water in the jumper between the antenna and the 7/8 heliax , the helical resonators in the UHF repeater where about 5-6 DB down from the peak of the pass response. Probably due to the original tuning that was centered on our old RX frequency of 447.625.
On to the good stuff!
A 4-bay UHF Dipole was installed at the top of the 80 Ft tower fed with 7/8 heliax. The UHF bandpass filter was re-tuned for 3 DB insertion loss to aid in protecting the front end of the 18 DB gain pre-amp that was installed yesterday. This has greatly improved coverage. Testing on my way home last night from Fresno I had full HT coverage on the UHF system from Fresno to Pacheco Pass even going thru Los Banos!
The VHF system also has seen a major improvement with the Installation of a 2-bay VHF dipole at 60 Ft on the tower and is now working in locations that it could not be heard at all before.This system also has a run of 7/8 heliax run up to the antenna.
I would like to thank all who donated to making the VHF antenna possible. The hours of hard work are starting to pay off.
I'd like to ask everyone to please give these systems a try over the next few weeks so we can get a more accurate idea of what coverage is like.
5/18/2016|
System Update:
The link to Meadow Lakes has been restored, and the W6DXW & N6WZ Repeaters are now back on the network as of 3:55PM PST.
As of 2:30AM PST, our link to the Meadow Lakes site went offline. Until further notice the W6DXW & N6WZ Meadow Lakes Fresno repeaters will be online but standalone.
We will be heading to the site shortly to diagnose the potential issue. We believe it is either the power supply on the linking computer, or we simply had an interruption in power and the system never recovered. One way or the other we will have an update for you later this afternoon.
Thanks for your understanding and patience while we address this issue!
5/11/2016|
147.735 and 440.450 W6DXW systems are now on the IP link, with an RF backup link installed in case AT&T gives us trouble. This enables the site to be linked in with full duplex audio.
5/6/2016|
The new antenna has been received from Telewave for the Meadow Lakes VHF repeater. Thank you all so much for your donations! We are tentatively planning to install it on may 28th.
4/28/2016|
We are now at 100% of our goal! Thank you to each and everyone of you who donated. As I mentioned before, we sincerely appreciate every donation, large or small. If you would like to donate to our group please click the link below!
https://fundrazr.com/e17SH0?ref=ab_65caub
4/24/2016|
The W6DXW Linked Repeater System has returned to normal operations. Thank you to all who participated in the Big Sur Marathon. It was yet another successful year.
All links have been restored.
147.735 + PL 110.9 Hz - W6DXW, Monterey.
147.180 + PL 94.8 Hz - W6WLS, Santa Cruz.
147.270 + PL 94.8 Hz - WB6ECE, Salinas.
146.940 + PL 94.8 Hz - KI6PAU, Big Sur.
147.300 + PL 94.8 Hz - W6DXW, Fresno.
440.125 + PL 110.9 Hz - N6WZ, Fresno.
442.750 + PL 110.9 Hz - W6DXW, Santa Cruz.
442.775 + PL 110.9 Hz - W6DXW, Prunedale.
440.450 + PL 110.9 Hz - W6DXW, Monterey.
443.575 + PL 110.9 Hz - KE6STH, San Jose.
443.600 + PL 110.9 Hz - W6MOW, Hollister.
1287.200 - PL 88.5 Hz - KE6STH, San Jose.
4/21/2016|
The Big Sur International Marathon is this Sunday (4/24/2016), This will lead to some different system configurations to support marathon traffic.
147.270(WB6ECE Mt.Toro)
146.940(KI6PAU Pt. Sur)
146.670(W6DXW Pebble Beach portable system)
442.750(W6DXW Empire grade)
Will be linked for marathon traffic.
The following repeaters can be used for normal system traffic but in different configurations.
W6WLS Empire grade will be standalone.
W6MOW Hollister will be standalone.
W6DXW Monterey and Prunedale will be linked to each other but standalone from the main system link.
KE6STH San Jose, W6DXW, and N6WZ Meadow lakes will be linked to each other but standalone from the main system link.
This will take effect 9PM Saturday(4/23/2016).
The System will resume normal operation by 5PM Sunday(4/24/2016).
4/16/2016|
The W6DXW Meadow Lakes Fresno repeater has been moved to 147.300+ PL 94.8. Please check in with signal reports when able!
4/14/2016|
We are now at 72% of our goal in just a few short days! Thank you to each and everyone of you who donated. As I mentioned before, we sincerely appreciate every donation, large or small. If you would like to donate to our group please click the link below!
https://fundrazr.com/e17SH0?ref=ab_65caub
4/11/2016|
The W6DXW 147.360 Repeater has been disconnected from our linked system to reduce the amount of interference we cause to our co channel W6FM. This Repeater will remain off link until we have settled on a new frequency pair.
4/10/2016|
Salinas Valley Repeater Group is raising funds to complete our VHF repeater installation at the Meadow Lakes tower site. Funds will pay for a new Telewave 2 bay dipole antenna and mounting hardware.To complete the installation, we need to acquire a commercial-grade antenna. We've chosen the Telewave ANT150D3 for its adjustable antenna pattern and its robust engineering. https://fundrazr.com/e17SH0?ref=ab_65caub
4/9/2016|
A very successful day at our meadow lakes tower site. We changed the frequency of our UHF repeater to (440.125) also launching our VHF repeater (147.360). The VHF repeater is on a temporary antenna until we can raise the money for a Telewave 2bay dipole antenna. We are unable to put the super station master we originally planned up there due to the spacing on the tower, its just too big of an antenna!
The frequency on the VHF repeater is also temporary due to possible interference that may be caused to our co channels on that pair. No tower climbing was done yesterday due to the rainy weather and I would also like to thank Bill K6WGJ for helping out with an antenna to use on our VHF box. We would not be on the air on VHF with out his generosity!
If you are interested in volunteering to operate this years marathon please email Jeff, KG6UYZ at gmail dot com. Any questions can be answered there.
The Marathon is April 24, 2016.
4/3/2016|
Big Sur repeater update! The KI6PAU repeater has been serviced in preparation for the Big Sur international marathon. Today the repeater controller was reprogrammed to support the voting comparator that was installed today. With the addation of the comparator we are expecting a much needed inprovment with handheld coverage along the course of the marathon. The voting sites are not on the air yet as we will be adding them in the up comming month.
4/2/2016|
Mt.Toro VHF Repeater update! The WB6ECE 147.270 Repeater is now linked in full time and the receiver sensitivity has been inproved greatly. The problem was the due to a improperly alligned helical resonators in the Kenwood TKR-750. This problem has been corrected and the system is working much better now. The VIOP link up via the WB6ECE micorwave network which allows us to link this system in full duplex. So please try the system out and let us know how the coverage works for you.
3/30/2016|
On saturday 4/9/2016 The N6WZ repeater frequency will be changing to the a new pair on UHF. This will bring a few changes to the system including the addition of a VHF repeater and replacing the current UHF repeater antenna with a 4 bay dipole to inprove coverage. Stay tuned for the new frequencies.
3/19/2016|
Mt. Toro VHF install today - added a 2M repeater (Kenwood TKR-750) on 147.270 CTCSS 94.8 with Arcom controller and an additional power supply. 4-cavity Telewave duplexer. Installed 2-bay VHF dipole array on bottom half of side mount where UHF(WB6ECE 441.300Mhz) repeater had been. Fed with RFS 7/8" line, grounded top and bottom, with Polyphaser at entrance. It is on the air, but receive performance is much worse than expected. We suspect it may be caused by the helical resonators being miss tuned in the repeaters receiver.
Next visit to Mt. Toro we will: install the VoIP link controller for the 2M repeater, replace the temporary two power supply situation with a single more efficient supply (possibly with a bit of backup battery to cover the generator start interval) and install a DC distribution panel to clean up all the DC wiring. And diagnose the poor receive performance of the new repeater.
3/1/2016|
The W6MOW repeater link has been restored. The repeater is located in Hollister, its frequency and PL is 443.600 + 110.9. In the upcomming weeks the repeater will be moved to a slightly different location and the antenna will be replaced to improve coverage in hollister and up highway 101 to Morgan hill. We plan to link the repeater via our VOIP network to ensure link stablity and full duplex capabiltiy.
2/27/2016|
The N6WZ repeater is now on the air at its new home at the Meadow Lakes tower site 4500' Above the San Joaquin Valley. The Frequency is 442.625 + 100 Hz PL. This system will be linked full time into the SVRG Repeater system and is open for all to use! Please check it out and give us feedback on the coverage.
2/23/2016|
The W6DXW 440.450 and 147.735 repeaters in Monterey are back on the air. Both Repeater transmitters have been repeaced, restoring the system back to normal operation.
2/9/2016|
The W6DXW 440.450 and 147.735 repeaters in Monterey Is down due to a PA failure.
2/4/2016|
The N6WZ Repeater is online, low level in Fresno for testing and is linked in the complete SVRG system.
The frequency and PL tone is as follows:
442.625+ PL 100
All of Fresno is covered via a base station, most of Fresno on a mobile, and all of the river park/north fresno area on an HT!
The system will be deployed on a mountain top location in the coming weeks!
1/29/2016 |
The KI6FKX 147.270 repeater on Mt. Toro is off the air as of a few days ago, but will be back as the WB6ECE 147.270 repeater on Mt. Toro once we can raise some funds to get antenna and feedline, and get a climber up the tower to do the install. It will be linked, as before, to the W6WLS/W6DXW repeater system. If you would like to make a donation to help get the repeater back on the air please visit https://fundrazr.com/campaigns/9167q4?fb_ref=share__049e02.
