Thank those of you who have replied to the idea of rebuilding our repeater network sing equipment like the Hamtronics REP-200.
The point was made that we would be best to perhaps buy one or two and see just ow well they work.
Hamtronics have been making amateur repeaters and many other amateur products or at least two decades. The REP-200 is a proven and very reliable repeater. Do a search on the web and you will find endless information about the REP-200 along with user comments. I see little point in using the argument of only buy one or two to see how they work. However for the total skeptics this may be required.
What we do need to be sure of is the functionality of the repeater in terms of linking and the way we use repeaters in VK6, such as WIA news broadcasts. Remember these repeaters are set up for the American amateur, but they are
used all round the World.
What we should understand is what does warg see as its future? Is it just doing the same building repeaters over and over hoping to come up with the repeater of all repeaters? Is it so in the process of building replacement repeaters, amateurs
become involved and learn? This was one of the reasons touted a couple of decades ago and it did not work.
Now stop rolling your eyes and saying that was then (at least two Iraqi wars ago) and now is now. Getting a significant number of amateurs involved in building replacement repeaters can happen but the odds are against you. This is due
to logistics of getting people together on a regular basis over a long period of time. It can be done but it requires a very dedicated one or two people with the time to organise this to happen. Busselton, Tic Hill & Cataby are examples of
where it did happen but you need that special person of persons to drive the project.
The projects mentioned were largely due to Jill Weaver VK6YL being that special person who did much of this organisation.
However the Hamtronics repeaters built from the kit form is a much easier group project that could happen. Building 10 repeaters from X commercial equipment very unlikely.
The point;
The reason for my renewed interest in what warg is moving towards doing, replacing the existing 2M repeaters with modified X commercial equipment, I firmly believe will not work to the extent we all would hope.
Money seems to be the main argument against the REP-200 concept. Warg has been a very successful club for over 3 decades and it is only of recent with the donation from the VK6WIA that it has become well off. For most of wargs existence the club only had a few dollars at best. What better way to spend the windfall from the WIA than spend it on an investment in the future and then move on to doing more than just re-building repeaters.
I will find out the exact total cost from Hamtronics for the cost of 10 completly built and tested and the cost of the 10 kits.
Links to sites on the Hamtronics Repeaters
