If you need to keep in contact with AZ you better plan on using HF or the phone.
As far as I know nobody here is using D-STAR, Fusion or any other digital RoIP systems either.
None of the local repeaters have EchoLink and the IRLP repeater no longer works even though the IRLP web site shows the node online. I have an EchoLink simplex node but I don't turn it on very often and it runs low power on an indoor antenna so it doesn't get out far.
The repeaters are pretty much dead here. Recently the most activity is on 146.52 simplex in the evenings but that can be sporadic.