On Oct 2, 2009, at 5:01 PM, <k7...@skybeam.com> <k7...@skybeam.com> wrote:
> I know this if going to piss off some but all we have done all > summer long > is replace Master 2 25+ year old repeater. Not having any issues > with the > Kenwood TKR-750 & 850 or Motorola XPR and MTR2000 repeater we are > swapping > them with. Things do wear out and there is a time to UPGRADE and > digital > would be the next step. This is a bit disingenuous Mike. You need to clarify that most of those MASTR II's you pulled still work and the reasons for pulling them aren't because they're not working. I think. I suspect with the current levels of usage in Amateur repeaters around here, and a few groups STILL putting up MORE repeaters when the plethora of them that are already on the air, work fine and are lightly or un-used... means the MASTR II's in Amateur service will continue to operate for 10 more years... barring lightning or power line damage. There were catalysts in the commercial and public safety worlds that didn't exist on the ham bands to move through the progression of adding voters, switching to trunking, etc... that maybe someday will exist in the Amateur bands, but that day isn't here yet. The main impetus for conversion to digital is "because it's neat" right now. Which in and of itself, isn't bad. But it's hard to convince people to buy new tech in a soft economy just for that reason alone. There's a small core of active Hams experimenting around here, but no mass exodus off of analog FM... -- Nate Duehr, WY0X n...@natetech.com facebook.com/denverpilot twitter.com/denverpilot
