In our area, monitor 5-6 repeaters and with an area ham population of an estimated 700, the repeaters are used much less than 10% during a 24 hour period. This includes linked systems and IRLP/Echolink nodes. 20 years ago the chatter was higher. These days the primary use are by a few 'channel masters', otherwise it would be pretty quiet. Suspect cell phones, internet, and 24 hour movie channels contribute to the reduced usage.
73 de Jack - N7OO ----- Original Message ----- From: John Barrett To: [email protected] Sent: Wednesday, November 21, 2007 9:21 AM Subject: RE: [Repeater-Builder] Usage of Linked Repeater Systems vs. Stand Alone Repeaters I think the main problem is TOO MANY REPEATERS J I've got a good antenna where I'm at and can hit every repeater in a 75-100 mile radius. as part of my hunting for a pair, I checked EVERY VHF repeater that I found in the K1IW database in a 100 mile radius.. About 30% were dead (not responding to key up with a courtesy tone.. but they may not have had courtesy tones turned on), and maybe 2-3 dozen of the rest actually with traffic on them.. Call it about 1 repeater per city/club in the area that was actually getting used. The sample was taken between 4pm and 7pm (drive time) over a couple of weeks, though I didn't spend more than 30 minutes (less if I heard traffic) on any given repeater so I could have missed something. I've got 4 repeaters listed In my county. only one gets any serious use, the other is dead except as a C3 channel for ARES and Weather Nets, and one other has a small group that uses it pretty exclusively.. the 4th is on the air, but inactive. People just don't have much to talk about with people too far away from them, pointing up the fact that repeaters are mostly social gathering places, and its not interesting to socialize with people you don't really know J I guess I'm as bad as anyone though. I stick to one repeater, monitor one other but rarely talk on it (just a couple of people there that I talk to, and they aren't on much), and ignore the rest of the repeaters around J ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ From: [email protected] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Tony L. Sent: Wednesday, November 21, 2007 9:59 AM To: [email protected] Subject: [Repeater-Builder] Usage of Linked Repeater Systems vs. Stand Alone Repeaters Our club operates a RF full-time linked repeater system in metro New York City, currently comprised of four (4) repeaters. We've observed that the addition of a new repeater into the system doesn't always equate to added usage. In fact, we've noticed that many of the linked systems in metro NYC typically aren't as busy as local area stand alone systems. We're puzzled as to why people seem to shy away from most, but not all, of the very wide coverage area systems. The busiest repeaters in our area seem to be the "no frills" stand alones. Are voice IDs, courtesy tones, and coverage footprints beyond a 25-mile radius just more than people can handle nowadays? Comments anyone?
