peterjmag
Member
I just read in the skywarn database for Tulsa that 146.88 is back up. Can anyone confirm this?
P.J. Maguire
P.J. Maguire
SKYWARN net
- Thread starter stormchaser1144
- Start date
- Status
146.880
Pete-
I got this submitted to the database over the weekend:
--FAST 2
Pete-
I got this submitted to the database over the weekend:
--FAST 2
steveaa5v
Member
146.88 Temporary Fix
As per N7XYO's post - The 88 repeater is back up using the local receiver at the transmitter site. Use a 88.5 PL on transmit. The coverage will be quite a bit less than the repeater has with the receiver from the tower. Stay tuned. I hope for a fix on the tower receiver very soon but I see the wx folks are saying a 60% chance of rain tomorrow. There are some things flying around about using a repeater other than 146.94 for spotting until 88 is back up to it's best. This is being discussed so 146.94 would remain open for Tulsa Area Emergency Management Agency should they need it for damage reports during a wx event. I think with all spotters familiarity with the coverage of 94 that TAEMA would come nearer moving to a more local machine. We'll see.
73's All
As per N7XYO's post - The 88 repeater is back up using the local receiver at the transmitter site. Use a 88.5 PL on transmit. The coverage will be quite a bit less than the repeater has with the receiver from the tower. Stay tuned. I hope for a fix on the tower receiver very soon but I see the wx folks are saying a 60% chance of rain tomorrow. There are some things flying around about using a repeater other than 146.94 for spotting until 88 is back up to it's best. This is being discussed so 146.94 would remain open for Tulsa Area Emergency Management Agency should they need it for damage reports during a wx event. I think with all spotters familiarity with the coverage of 94 that TAEMA would come nearer moving to a more local machine. We'll see.
73's All
2m to 70cm Link
Just an FYI (this is very preliminary at this point) but a suggestion had been made through the NWS to link the 2m and 70cm sides together.
Of course, TARC fully supports the NWS and Skywarn (it's why we built the super-system), and any of our 2m repeaters are available whenever necessary for emergency support.
With that said, the suggestion would allow linking the linked system to a 2m repeater, so a single net control could put the warnings out on both bands at once, saving manpower and time.
The drawback to this is that if the weather is out of the immediate area, it can get aggravating to the locals listening to the 2m side. Conversely, if the weather is really bad, and right here, it may be better to NOT link the sides, as in that case there'd most likely be multiple net control ops, and working independently doubles the throughput on the reports coming in.
With all that said, TARC is in discussions with the NWS to set up a code to allow the Skywarn NCOs at the NWS to remotely link the 147.045 machine to the 443.850 master link. That's the ATV repeater, but the ATVers stay off of it during weather, so the spotters (and interested 3rd parties) can make the best use of the 24x7 Doppler 8000 broadcasts. It doesn't have the coverage of a fully operational 88 machine (since it has no remote receivers) but it does have good coverage of the Tulsa area.
Whether this ever happens remains to be seen - obviously, a fully functional 146.88 with multiple remote receivers has better coverage, and the NCOs won't want to have to use 2 different 2m freqs if they can help it. I haven't fully investigated the possibility of linking 443.85 to 146.88 (for 147.045 or 145.11 it's a matter of adding one code to the controller - the link repeater is already there) but we can discuss that as well.
Keep watching this space for additional news (when there is any).
And TRO guys - good work and thanks for getting the main side of 88 working again. I know what a hassle that can be - we just went through it with Ketchum, Okmulgee and Tahlequah all having problems at once. It's not fun when you're fielding all the phone calls about "why can't I hear the weather net!"
Jay
AD5PE
President - TARC
Just an FYI (this is very preliminary at this point) but a suggestion had been made through the NWS to link the 2m and 70cm sides together.
Of course, TARC fully supports the NWS and Skywarn (it's why we built the super-system), and any of our 2m repeaters are available whenever necessary for emergency support.
With that said, the suggestion would allow linking the linked system to a 2m repeater, so a single net control could put the warnings out on both bands at once, saving manpower and time.
The drawback to this is that if the weather is out of the immediate area, it can get aggravating to the locals listening to the 2m side. Conversely, if the weather is really bad, and right here, it may be better to NOT link the sides, as in that case there'd most likely be multiple net control ops, and working independently doubles the throughput on the reports coming in.
With all that said, TARC is in discussions with the NWS to set up a code to allow the Skywarn NCOs at the NWS to remotely link the 147.045 machine to the 443.850 master link. That's the ATV repeater, but the ATVers stay off of it during weather, so the spotters (and interested 3rd parties) can make the best use of the 24x7 Doppler 8000 broadcasts. It doesn't have the coverage of a fully operational 88 machine (since it has no remote receivers) but it does have good coverage of the Tulsa area.
Whether this ever happens remains to be seen - obviously, a fully functional 146.88 with multiple remote receivers has better coverage, and the NCOs won't want to have to use 2 different 2m freqs if they can help it. I haven't fully investigated the possibility of linking 443.85 to 146.88 (for 147.045 or 145.11 it's a matter of adding one code to the controller - the link repeater is already there) but we can discuss that as well.
Keep watching this space for additional news (when there is any).
And TRO guys - good work and thanks for getting the main side of 88 working again. I know what a hassle that can be - we just went through it with Ketchum, Okmulgee and Tahlequah all having problems at once. It's not fun when you're fielding all the phone calls about "why can't I hear the weather net!"
Jay
AD5PE
President - TARC
peterjmag
Member
Thanks for the update Fast2 and Jay.
P.J. Maguire
P.J. Maguire
peterjmag
Member
Sorry and Steve as well... 
steveaa5v
Member
146.94
146.94 is back on the air. It had went down Wednesday. The transmitter power supply overvoltage protection works, in that it shut the power supply down.
The sad news is I had to bring the 146.28 receive and downlink package to the ground for repairs, so 88 is still in the same shape.
Steve - AA5V
146.94 is back on the air. It had went down Wednesday. The transmitter power supply overvoltage protection works, in that it shut the power supply down.
The sad news is I had to bring the 146.28 receive and downlink package to the ground for repairs, so 88 is still in the same shape.
Steve - AA5V
megriffin
Member
The 146.88 machine in Tulsa WA5LVT/R
I am the trustee for the the TRO repeater systems. I hope to clear up some misunderstandings about the system. The primary receiver location for the 146.88 is an FM Broadcast tower in the Sand Springs area. The transmitter location is the former City of Faith Clinic tower (60-story). We lost audio coming off the tower. We are having some acces problems wit the site. All of our equipment is located 500 feet off the ground. The elevator on the tower is around 50 years old. When it breaks there are no longer off the shelf parts available, and the tower's owner has to actually have the parts custom built. Also safety has became a major issue, since a technician was killed, a couple of years ago on another area tower. We can only access the tower when a tower certified employee is on site. Since their equipment at that site is highly automated, there is no one on site, and we have to make prior arrangements to meet someone out there. Finally our oldest adversary, mother nature, tries to keep us off the tower. When the elevator is working, and we've got a tech from the station scheduled, then it's raining, too cold, or too windy to go up.
Steve AA5V was finally able to get everything together, he had the time, the station's tech had the time, the weather was good, and the elevator was working. He pulled the equipment down so we can go over it on the work bench. We are making significant progress with the tower's owner getting some of our access problems worked out.
We also had access problems at the transmitter site, as they were modifying some security systems, and procedures, who isn't these days. These have been worked out in the meantime.
What we have currently down at Liberty is just a dual band transceiver set up as a crossband repeater. Since the receiver doesnot support PL decoding we have it listening on the +600 side of 146.88. For some reason the audio output from this unit has dropped very low or possibly off frequency. Since that is down near Okmulgee county, and I live in Owasso, I have asked for someone to retrieve the unit so that I could possibly check it out on the work bench, that hasn't happend. We recently made contact with another person who has a key to fire station where the equipment is located, so the site access problem is resolved. Also I am building up another Motorola based link package that is targeted to go down there to replace that unit. This one will receive on 146.28. If a better site comes along, we may move this package to it, and get a new dualband transceiver to use at Liberty, hopefully one with PL decode capability.
We now have a VHF receiver on line at City-Plex, but it suffers from a significant amount of desensitization from the transmitter. We are exploring ways to resolve this problem. The most likely way will be to put in another VHF-UHF link, but somewhere within the City limits of Tulsa. We are negotiating with some folks about a couple of additional sites.
Things are moving, but they are moving very slowly, because of changing relationships with site providers. Then right now, there are only two of us working on these systems, AA5V and me. When we need some Motorola radios programmed, or a duplexer tweaked we have another guy that helps us obtain these services.
Hopefully this will clear up confusion.
Sincerely
Merlin Griffin WB5OSM
Trustee, Tulsa Repeater Organization inc.
I am the trustee for the the TRO repeater systems. I hope to clear up some misunderstandings about the system. The primary receiver location for the 146.88 is an FM Broadcast tower in the Sand Springs area. The transmitter location is the former City of Faith Clinic tower (60-story). We lost audio coming off the tower. We are having some acces problems wit the site. All of our equipment is located 500 feet off the ground. The elevator on the tower is around 50 years old. When it breaks there are no longer off the shelf parts available, and the tower's owner has to actually have the parts custom built. Also safety has became a major issue, since a technician was killed, a couple of years ago on another area tower. We can only access the tower when a tower certified employee is on site. Since their equipment at that site is highly automated, there is no one on site, and we have to make prior arrangements to meet someone out there. Finally our oldest adversary, mother nature, tries to keep us off the tower. When the elevator is working, and we've got a tech from the station scheduled, then it's raining, too cold, or too windy to go up.
Steve AA5V was finally able to get everything together, he had the time, the station's tech had the time, the weather was good, and the elevator was working. He pulled the equipment down so we can go over it on the work bench. We are making significant progress with the tower's owner getting some of our access problems worked out.
We also had access problems at the transmitter site, as they were modifying some security systems, and procedures, who isn't these days. These have been worked out in the meantime.
What we have currently down at Liberty is just a dual band transceiver set up as a crossband repeater. Since the receiver doesnot support PL decoding we have it listening on the +600 side of 146.88. For some reason the audio output from this unit has dropped very low or possibly off frequency. Since that is down near Okmulgee county, and I live in Owasso, I have asked for someone to retrieve the unit so that I could possibly check it out on the work bench, that hasn't happend. We recently made contact with another person who has a key to fire station where the equipment is located, so the site access problem is resolved. Also I am building up another Motorola based link package that is targeted to go down there to replace that unit. This one will receive on 146.28. If a better site comes along, we may move this package to it, and get a new dualband transceiver to use at Liberty, hopefully one with PL decode capability.
We now have a VHF receiver on line at City-Plex, but it suffers from a significant amount of desensitization from the transmitter. We are exploring ways to resolve this problem. The most likely way will be to put in another VHF-UHF link, but somewhere within the City limits of Tulsa. We are negotiating with some folks about a couple of additional sites.
Things are moving, but they are moving very slowly, because of changing relationships with site providers. Then right now, there are only two of us working on these systems, AA5V and me. When we need some Motorola radios programmed, or a duplexer tweaked we have another guy that helps us obtain these services.
Hopefully this will clear up confusion.
Sincerely
Merlin Griffin WB5OSM
Trustee, Tulsa Repeater Organization inc.
Twobravo said:
OkRob
Member
- Joined
- Apr 13, 2004
- Messages
- 185
Hi Merlin, and welcome to the RR forum.
Thanks for dropping in with the update.
I didn't know you were needing the transceiver from the Liberty site until reading your post here. If you don't have something worked out, I can get it to you or someone. I do not currently have my own access to that site, but can easily get access. I'll need help fetching it anyway as I only have one hand that works for awhile and don't know if I can remove it myself, but I can get it easily if you need me to get it for you. I still work at the same place occassionally (you know where that is), so I can leave it there for someone to pick up or could deliver it elsewhere if it will help. I'm in town most every weekday if I'm not working for hand rehab so most anytime should not be a problem for me.
Take care,
- Rob
Thanks for dropping in with the update.
I didn't know you were needing the transceiver from the Liberty site until reading your post here. If you don't have something worked out, I can get it to you or someone. I do not currently have my own access to that site, but can easily get access. I'll need help fetching it anyway as I only have one hand that works for awhile and don't know if I can remove it myself, but I can get it easily if you need me to get it for you. I still work at the same place occassionally (you know where that is), so I can leave it there for someone to pick up or could deliver it elsewhere if it will help. I'm in town most every weekday if I'm not working for hand rehab so most anytime should not be a problem for me.
Take care,
- Rob
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