W1IDX Repeater Group announce Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1108 in Richmond Indiana is sponsoring there entirely four amateur radio repeaters in the W1IDX Repeater Group. The post is footing the total bill for the $9000 project.

  Thank to all of the amateur operators who helped with this project but especially the Advisory Board who not only has worked hard putting the project together and keeping it going but who spent also a lot of time meeting with the VFW in securing their sponsorship.  I'd like to give special thanks to Ron Stier (W9ICZ) who audited the expenses recently.   

  W1IDX Repeater Group as open repeaters with no dues or membership required.  If you would like to run any nets or special interest group activities, please do so.

The 440 Repeater

  The W1IDX Group 444.350 MHz repeater uses a CTCSS tone of 127.3 is a Motorola GR1225 antenna is an Antenex FG4405 5 dB gain on a side arm.  It is a 45 watt repeater turned down to about 20 watts after the enclosed duplexer ERP is approximately 125 watts.  It uses LMR600 cable to run to just about the top of a 150' tower at the Richmond Fire Department headquarters at 101 South 5th Steet. The range is not known at present but A mobile on US 36 at the Ohio/Indiana line at times was full quieting but with UHF would disappear when going down into dips.  Ground elevation is 990".

   The duplexer was incorrectly installed prior to shipping and not only was backwards but not tuned.  A great big thanks to Gary Green, (Tech Electronics), for rushing this in and out of his shop and getting us up and running!. Thanks to all that have donated their time to getting this running and a special thanks to the Advisory Board for the repeater group.

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The 220 Repeater

   The 224.740 MHz 1.25 meter repeater tone is 127.3.  The antenna is Comet Super22 at 6.6 dbi and is mounted at the very top (the bus system is side-mounted below the top). Located at South 4 & Q Street at Roseview Transit System (bus garage) on a 125' self-supporting tower. It is fed with LMR600 cable to a Celwave four-cavity duplexer and then to a 35 watt Motorola Micor transceiver using a NHRC-4 repeater controller with a .ERP is approximately 175 watts  The system uses a CTCSS tone of 127.3. at Roseview Transmit System at S. 4th & Q Street. 

There is a crossband repeater 147.585 MHz with a CTCSS tone of 131.8 at about the 80 foot level is a side arm with a Diamond CP22E 6.5 dB gain antenna that is fed with RG/8 (9913) to a Motorola MaxTrac transceiver using 25watts.  This crossband repeater is on simplex and what is transmitted on the VHF link is repeated to the 224 and the same thing occurs when the 224 machine is used.  Elevation is 980.The crossband l bring up the 220 machine at that Roseview Transmit System. You will NOT here anything back except if someone on the 220 responds.  Therefore, keying the VHF input will not give you any indication but if you make a call it will go out on 220.  Any respose will come back on the same simplex frequency and it has been working great! 

  A note, if you are using the 220 remember you are driving two repeaters so please don't keep them running for any extended time as with all repeaters. The crossband at times may be used to link the other repeaters on VHF, Echo Link, etc.  No plans are to do so now but in an emergency it may be in a different configuration and an e-mail will be sent out.

  W1IDX  reports that he was able to use a 5 watt portable in downtown Cambridge and make it back full quieting but the signal probably is not a great as when it was on the police radio tower the past 25 years.  That system was discarded except for the repeater cabinet that was sandblasted and repainted and the system is using the same duplexer.  Everything else was recently replaced.

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