I'm happy to announce that the Colorado D-STAR group has completed our site move to Mt. Thorodin, Colorado.
A full D-STAR stack of repeaters consisting of VHF, UHF, 1.2 DV and 1.2 DD are now operating from approximately 10,482 feet above sea level. <http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Mt.+Thorodin&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=49.176833,83.320312&ie=UTF8&ll=39.888665,-105.424805&spn=3.000878,5.20752&t=p&z=8&iwloc=addr> As of about 10:00 Mountain Time today, our Gateway is back online, and the stack is operating very well. VHF is still slightly deaf due to some site noise, but a new antenna installed today is helping significantly. Most activity is on Port B (UHF 446.9625-) and you can say hello via our Gateway callsign "W0CDS". Whiskey Zero Colorado D-Star! The repeater system covers the entire Front-Range area of Colorado, including the Denver Metro area, Boulder, Greeley, Ft. Collins, Castle Rock, Aurora, etc. A quickly calculated estimate was that the stack will have a coverage area of something close to the size of the entire state of Connecticut. Reports already indicate that coverage extends into downtown Cheyenne, Wyoming for mobile users with good antennas, and the surrounding plains out I-76 toward Nebraska, and I-70 to approximately Limon, CO, almost to Western Kansas. We also have reports that HT users are using the system well as into the southeastern and southern suburbs and further south. Coverage generally ends due to the natural RF barrier at the Palmer Divide between Denver, CO and Colorado Springs, CO. Mountain-West coverage has not yet been determined. We will know more as we get signal reports from far-flung hams using D-STAR. We welcome signal reports, see our contact page: http://www.coloradodstar.org/contact.htm A coverage map from another group's VHF repeater is here: http://www.colcon.org/fig/thorodin_coverage.gif A 3D map of the mountain is here from the same group: http://www.colcon.org/fig/mt_thorodin_3d.jpg Here's a photo of the mountain from northwest of Boulder, CO: http://www.colcon.org/fig/mt_thorodin_big.jpg (Thank you to the Colorado Connection for use of their graphics.) Thanks to all of our RF "crew" who have assisted with the site move over the last couple of weeks, including the guys from Rocky Mountain Ham Radio (http://www.rmham.org) and all of our great volunteers! For more information on the group: http://www.coloradodstar.org (We know the website needs updating... hang on! We're too busy playing with D-STAR! GRIN...) 73, Nate Duehr, WY0X W0CDS Gateway Admin & General D-STAR Geek -- Having Fun w/ D-STAR!
