Has anyone used the Premier version of Radio Reverence to download frequencies right into their Amateur ham radios or scanner? I have RT system programming but Repeater Book is outdated when I download from it. I looked on-line The free version of Radio Reverence doesn't even show my hometown of Freetown in Bristol county MA at all on it's website. Freetown has several amateur repeaters. I don't want to pay for the download service if it's not complete. Repeater book shows the local repeaters but has at least one repeater with a very old outdated call signs. Thanks for any info. I would like to upgrade and download from Radio Reference if it was more complete than the free stuff shown.
Using RT System programing
- Thread starter Tispaquin
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My experience is that RepeaterBook has a more complete and up-to-date list of amateur radio repeaters than RadioReference.
Not a knock on RR at all ... remember that the database is crowd-sourced, so what's in the database is only as good as what has been submitted by local hams (or unlicensed listeners).
Local ham radio clubs probably have repeater lists that are better than what either site has.
YMMV, of course.
Illinois and up to nine other states' repeater coordinating councils do NOT contribute to Repeater Book, RFinder, or the ARRL "Official" Repeater listings.
Since it is no longer garnered from the coordinating councils, yes, it's crowd-sourced, and not necessarily accurate. I can say that for sure for the State of Illinois, as I am the Secretary/Treasurer of the Illinois Repeater Association, Inc. I do not have control of coordination for Illinois repeaters. That is the responsibility of the Frequency Coordinator (Aaron Collins N9OZB) and Assistant Coordinator (Mike Sorenson K9KQX).
Since it is no longer garnered from the coordinating councils, yes, it's crowd-sourced, and not necessarily accurate. I can say that for sure for the State of Illinois, as I am the Secretary/Treasurer of the Illinois Repeater Association, Inc. I do not have control of coordination for Illinois repeaters. That is the responsibility of the Frequency Coordinator (Aaron Collins N9OZB) and Assistant Coordinator (Mike Sorenson K9KQX).
You will most likely find the need to use multiple sources when compiling repeater lists. I compile my lists using RR, Repeater Book, online research, old printed guides (like ARTSCI and Carl Pagel's booklet), and old fashioned band scanning.
Unfortunately, there is no single authorative source for accurate amateur radio repeater info. This is one of my major issues with ARRL: the organization has the resources to compile and maintain a reasonably accurate national repeater database, yet fails to do so. For me, this would be far more beneficial than the League's near-constant stream of "When all else fails".
I use RT Systems with several radios. Any volunteer database will have errors or omissions. The strength of the RT connection is the ability to create a database and use it in more than on radio through other RT software. Hopefully they will develop a similar digital feature in the future.
Note that RepeaterBook is not all that accurate, either. In one Indiana county listing on RepeaterBook, 73% of the listings are incorrect. Half of the repeaters listed for this particular county are off the air.
RepeaterBook is also crowd-sourced. Publishing crowd-sourced data is no guarantee of accurate data.
You would like to think that local ham radio clubs have a pretty good handle on local repeaters. However, some local ham club websites are hopelessly out of date, so I take their data with a grain of salt, too.
The Indiana Repeater Council does not provide data to the ARRL, RFinder, or RepeaterBook, either. We have our own online repeater listing that is as accurate as the data we have in our database. But, as you know, even coordinators' databases are only as accurate as the data provided by the repeater trustees.
I agree. There is no one, single accurate source for amateur radio repeater data.
The organization had the resources to do this and was doing it as well as could be expected given their annual publishing schedule for the ARRL Repeater Directory. However, a now-retired CEO hired an outside firm, RFinder, to compile the data which is used in the ARRL Repeater Directory. Unfortunately, RFinder wasn't entirely forthcoming with the repeater coordinating councils about how their data would be used and who could edit it. Also, the ARRL had a financial relationship with the coordinators (who were compensated for their efforts with a a small fee paid by the ARRL per repeater listing) that RFinder did not wish to continue. It became a matter of principle since RFinder was going to make money from the repeater data, but the coordinators who were to provide the data wouldn't be compensated. Many coordinators, as Will mentioned above, elected to not participate with RFinder.
I had numerous conversations with my ARRL division director about this situation and he agreed that the RFinder deal needed to be addressed. But, then, the directors got tied up with hiring and firing key staff people, a failing IT system, and a pandemic. Then, my director resigned. I don't know how my new director feels about it.
In the end, the annual publishing of the ARRL Repeater Directory is an anachronism that really needs to go away. There is no way that a directory published annually can keep up with the changes. The ARRL, in my opinion, should work with the coordinators to develop an online repeater directory that can be fed from the coordinators' databases. This should have been done in house several years ago rather than hiring a less-than-altruistic third party to do it.
Hit_Factor
Member
I look for the frequency coordinators database. Some identify stale data.
Here is a webpage that lists the various coordinator websites for different states. You find your state, then go to the respective coordinating body website and review their repeater listings. As was previously noted, even that will be out of date because repeater trustees have taken the repeater offline temporarily or permanently or are simply holding onto the frequency pairs for no damn good reason (paper repeaters). Still, this method is what I would use to find out the coordinating body in my state/area and then go through the list and actually see if I can open the repeaters listed in my area. Yes, that means putting in the frequency and tones and testing one by one.
Be the hero: After you do this and confirm the working repeaters you can reach, submit/update the RR database with your find. Note in the submission that you actually tested to confirm. It does not end there: Make a yearly reminder to test the repeaters again and update RR with any changes.
Be the hero: After you do this and confirm the working repeaters you can reach, submit/update the RR database with your find. Note in the submission that you actually tested to confirm. It does not end there: Make a yearly reminder to test the repeaters again and update RR with any changes.
K2KOH
Silent Key
Excellent idea. Thing is though, Metrocor has a bad track record in NY for maintaining their database. C'est la vie
Hit_Factor
Member
Submitting amateur is hard to do, it's not the same standard as many other other radio services.
Indeed - I had some push back as well as whomever eventually double listing with bad info. We get what we get with volunteers.
ai8o
Brachiating Tetrapod
>>NO.
>>When you are out in the field with no internet connection; a paper directory is the only way to get RPTR info.
>>Good idea, but some coordinators refuse to put their database online because they want to sell their repeater journal.
>>And have said so on their website.
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Firekite
Member
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>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Please link to one.
KD8DVR
Member
Did you submit corrections to Repeaterbook then? That helps solve the problem.
Now, state admins are *supposed to* work on researching and making an accurate database in their home states.
Unfortunately, that doesn't always happen.
For the record, 3 years ago I informed them of several repeaters on I-22 and I-65 in Alabama and I have yet to see the updates.
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