Question about DMR repeater 443.1125 MHz

[GregOH]

Hey all, please excuse me, for I'm relatively new to the world of DMR and learning.

Does anyone know if the 443.1125 MHz repeater in Akron at Akron University is available for use? I programmed a DMR handheld for a friend to access this repeater because when I used the Repeaterbook page for the programming "On Air" is shown.

However, when I look at "Last Heard" on the BrandMeister page for this repeater it looks as if this repeater hasn't been accessed in quite some time with the last entry for Last Heard being 21 months ago.

Is this repeater accessable and I'm misunderstood or is it possible that the status information is not correct on Repeaterbook and needs to be updated?

 

[nd5y]

I don't know about Ohio but in many areas repeaterbook.com is not accurate or reliable.
I would think BrandMeister would have better data for any repeater on their network.
Is this it?

Repeater Info | BrandMeister

brandmeister.network

 

[GregOH]

I don't know about Ohio but in many areas repeaterbook.com is not accurate or reliable.
I would think BrandMeister would have better data for any repeater on their network.
Is this it?

Repeater Info | BrandMeister

brandmeister.network

Yes, I believe that's it, but when I looked at the page with my search, it showed 21 months ago for the most recent last heard and the call sign is W8UPD.

This is the page I'm seeing...

Akron 443.11250 W8UPD Ohio Repeater

Amateur radio W8UPD 443.1125 repeater at Akron, Ohio

www.repeaterbook.com

 

[kayn1n32008]

Hey all, please excuse me, for I'm relatively new to the world of DMR and learning.

Does anyone know if the 443.1125 MHz repeater in Akron at Akron University is available for use? I programmed a DMR handheld for a friend to access this repeater because when I used the Repeaterbook page for the programming "On Air" is shown.

However, when I look at "Last Heard" on the BrandMeister page for this repeater it looks as if this repeater hasn't been accessed in quite some time with the last entry for Last Heard being 21 months ago.

Is this repeater accessable and I'm misunderstood or is it possible that the status information is not correct on Repeaterbook and needs to be updated?

The address on repeater book doesn't work, but a Google search returned this:

W8UPD

About

sites.google.com

There is an email address on the site. I would try sending an email and inquire about the status of the repeaters. It shows the HF analogue repeater as off air in 2023, so how up-to-date the site is is unknown.

 

[GregOH]

The address on repeater book doesn't work, but a Google search returned this:

W8UPD

About

sites.google.com

There is an email address on the site. I would try sending an email and inquire about the status of the repeaters. It shows the HF analogue repeater as off air in 2023, so how up-to-date the site is is unknown.

I just did a search on the BrandMeister dashboard and W8UPD yields no results, but KA8OAD does with the same RX and TX frequencies, so that leads me to believe that my programming will work, and it's a matter of the Repeaterbook page needing to be updated.

 

[GregOH]

The reason I asked if anyone knows if this repeater is active is, yesterday I gifted a DMR handheld to a friend that I programmed for his location. When we met up, I asked him to go for a ride with me and try to access a repeater, because I wanted to make sure I had programmed the radio correctly with his call sign and ID# before I passed it on to him.

I took him with me to arguably the highest point in Tuscarawas county and he communicated with stations in Lewisburg WV and Lancaster OH with a good signal transmitting to the Massillon repeater roughly 25 miles away. So I figured if the radio works from there, it should have no problem accessing the Akron and Massillon repeaters when he gets back to his home in North Canton.

He got home with it and was unable to access either of them, but the weather conditions were poor (not sure how that affects UHF signals) and he does live very close to the airport, so the radar and microwaves are most likely the issue.

I told him he may just have to use the radio when away from home, which is a bummer because the radio would get more use at home than on the road. Mine does anyway.

 

[nd5y]

but the weather conditions were poor (not sure how that affects UHF signals)

It doesn't.

and he does live very close to the airport, so the radar and microwaves are most likely the issue.

Not that either.

 

[GregOH]

It doesn't.

Not that either.

Ok, so if that's the case, I'm at a loss then, because with being solid into the repeater at 25 miles, 10 and 15 miles should be no problem I would think.

 

[nd5y]

Terrain matters more than distance.

 

[GregOH]

Terrain matters more than distance.

I understand, but he is on an elevation and the repeater is as well and I don't believe there's much if anything in the way.

 

[tweiss3]

The repeater is now run under KA8OAD, Ken helped them get online, there were a few issues keeping it online. It has a short footprint, the other KA8OAD repeater covers it's entire footprint and more.

 

[GregOH]

The repeater is now run under KA8OAD, Ken helped them get online, there were a few issues keeping it online. It has a short footprint, the other KA8OAD repeater covers it's entire footprint and more.

So I guess since the frequencies are the same, the only thing I'll have to do is change the color code from 1 to 7, because the page I used showed it as one and KA8OAD is 7.

So which one would be the one to use?



Also, am I correct with thinking if the color code is incorrect the radio won't RX from nor TX to the repeater?

 

[tweiss3]

444.5125 CC7 is Richfield, much better coverage
443.1125 CC7 is U of A

Incorrect CC is like incorrect tone, just doesn't work if its not correct.

 

[GregOH]

444.5125 CC7 is Richfield, much better coverage
443.1125 CC7 is U of A

Incorrect CC is like incorrect tone, just doesn't work if its not correct.

Thank you, much appreciated!

 

[GregOH]

444.5125 CC7 is Richfield, much better coverage
443.1125 CC7 is U of A

Does it matter which one I access due to them being linked?

Description​

This repeater is located at The University of Akron and is running in "mixed mode" so you may at times hear analog traffic on it as well as DMR. The Ohio (TG 3139), NE Ohio (TG 31391), ARES TAC (TG 31395) and Ohio EMCOMM (TG 31398) talk groups are carried full time on TS2. The repeater is also linked to the Richfield repeater as well as the W8NP repeater system in Stark County using TG 2 on TS2. NOTE: this machine at times may be used for emergency communications by Summit County ARES. Owned and operated by Ken Dorsey - KA8OAD, Emergency Coordinator Summit County ARES.

 

[tweiss3]

No, it doesn't matter, but only TG 2 on TS2 is linked to the NEO group locally. 3139, 31391, 31395 & 31398 on TS2 all the time are connected to any hotspot or repeater that has those active talk groups active.

Typically, on 77, south of the interchange to 277/224 is better for U of A, 8 north of the interchange is picked up by Richfield.

 

[GregOH]

No, it doesn't matter, but only TG 2 on TS2 is linked to the NEO group locally. 3139, 31391, 31395 & 31398 on TS2 all the time are connected to any hotspot or repeater that has those active talk groups active.

Typically, on 77, south of the interchange to 277/224 is better for U of A, 8 north of the interchange is picked up by Richfield.

I just figure since the radio is an HT and will be used in the N Canton/Greene area, the U of A repeater would be easier to access.

 

[tweiss3]

The U of A repeater is rooftop, and doesn't have a huge footprint. For North Canton, W8NP-West may be a better choice:


KE8LDH was the better covering repeater for Green, but when there was hardware failure, it was removed from service in Akron and placed in Norton as an analog repeater.

 

[GregOH]

W8NP-West is programmed and with a map with distance calculator is 15 miles away, while Akron is 10. The radio won't RX from nor TX to W8NP-WEST from it's location, and I programmed U of A as well because it's closer.

I'd had no problem with this radio in the past using it from where I work in Navarre and hitting the W8NP-WEST repeater with a solid S8 signal every time (roughly 7.5 miles away) but it don't work well being in N Canton. With this repeater being a 300w Motorola, you figure the radio would at least hear this repeater with no problem.

 

[wd8chl]

Repeaters are not created equally. Remember-this is a purely volunteer arena. People are putting these together and maintaining them out of their own pockets. Not to mention that getting high profile sites has been increasingly difficult as time goes by. Most high profile sites don't want hams on their tower, and/or charge a pretty penny for access.
So a lot of these repeaters you see listed maybe on someone's house, or otherwise low profile, and don't cover a very big area.