>> Are there any current or former repeater owners/ >> operators out there who have recently taken a >> repeater off the air on a permanent basis? >> If so, what were your reasons?
Yeah, it happens all the time... > I have taken at least 3 amateur radio repeaters > off the air in the last two years. These repeaters > where all located in a large Metropolitan area (3 > million residents). Size doesn't always matter.... (I'm told) > 2 meters - This was a repeater used for user access > to a Multi-State repeater linking system. Reason, > No support from the local amateur community and I > lost the main repeater site due to a sale of the > property where the tower was located. If you're expecting people to donate money... don't expect a lot and hope for maybe a little. It's sometimes hard to make it through a tower site sale but I've seen examples where both sides were able to work out an agreement in trade and or a very small amount of rent is charged. > I ran this repeater system for 4 years. Its frequency > was re-issued for other uses within a few months after > I shut it down. Sure, it's the way things are supposed to change. > 6 meters - No users on 6 meters in the area. I operated > this repeater on and off for about 10 years. Lots to 6 > meter repeater pairs available in the area. That's what 6 meters is about... lots of space to experiment and try new things... no one to bump into and chances are not a lot of local traffic unless you help generate it. Tell your friends about how easy it is to get on six meters using a reprogrammed Midland Syntech 1 radio... often for less than $40 total for a nice radio. > 10 meters - Repeater was not serving the local radio > community. 10 meter FM ground wave coverage was poor, so > no local support. This repeater was mainly used by > amateur radio operators located in an area in about > 1200 mile radius around the repeater transmitter. > It gave good coverage to the US east coast (from the > center of the US). You can't expect what most people know as traditional 2-Meter Repeater Operation from many of the other bands. Each frequency range has it's own parameters and some of the bands won't often be even close to how things work on 2 Meters. Many a seasoned 10 & 6 Meter Repeater type can tell you a number of train-wreck war stories about their specific operation on "the band". > The only 10 meter repeater that gave good coverage > here was located in the Virgin Islands. I operated > this repeater for about 15 years (through multiple > sun-spot cycles). Another repeater is now being just > established on the vacated frequency pair in the area. The question is... do you set up a 10 Meter Repeater to work the local area or the mostly the sun spot propagation.... or both? I've heard and know of local guys having to run a nearly 500 watt 10 meter machine output to crush the same frequency pair carrier- squelch machine barking away with IRLP/Echo-Link poop from across the country. There is often no clear winner in ether example... s.
