[email protected] wrote: > Yet there is no end to requests for repeater pairs, especially on > 2-Meters. And now, future D-STAR repeater owners seem to have their eye > on existing analog repeater pairs, and are making battle plans to get > their requests moved up ahead of people already on the waiting list in > the local coordination councils - even displacing existing repeaters. > Some are already ordering the equipment, sure that they will be moved to > the front of the waiting list. At least that seems to be the talk around > here in the NW....
So you told us all about coordination activity, but not on-air activity, which was his question, Larry. :-) Are people USING all of those repeaters up there? Who cares what they're coordinating (or have had coordinated for 20 years)? (I heard from a good friend who was in the Seattle area that he was commonly able to use some large repeater system -- where he and his wife chatted on it regularly for as long as they wanted, because no one else was around or seemed to reply to his requests for anyone to jump in, after leaving breaks, etc. Sounds dead.) Around here, we have some "anchor" systems that have regular Nets and users on them, and some that have no Nets and are the hang-outs of the "non-organization" type hams. Activity does seem to be down a bit this summer, even during drive-time, but late evening at least a couple of our club's machines keep talking. We've always been known as the "ragchew" club, so that probably helps our overall activity levels at all times. I actively tell people to FEEL FREE to stay on the repeater, when they say they can work each other SSB or FM simplex... even though I'm a VHF SSB nut too. Linked systems are more active than non-linked in general -- doesn't seem to matter the linking technology in use... RF, IRLP, EchoLink, a combination. Hams are more "scattered" throughout our large Metro area than ever, and easy coverage and access for HT's looks like it'll be the challenge for the next few years. But as we linked many of the VHF systems, the "standalone" UHF systems gained in popularity as a "more private" (I guess?) place for regular chats between friends. So we kinda have stuck a balance, whether on purpose or by accident, I don't know. Maybe it's time to start playing with voters and simulcast, even though the repeaters here often have a line of sight of 70 miles... the issue is wimpy HT signals, not the coverage area for anyone with a reasonable antenna/signal, nowadays. Newer users want repeaters with coverage that makes the repeater as "convenient" to use as a cell phone, basically. They don't realize they're making the comparison in their heads, but they are. They don't want to buy mobile rigs, nor mount them in modern vehicles. They want a pico-watt HT in a pocket that works "everywhere". Next, they want it to cover a bejillion miles with linked repeaters... that ALSO have great receivers and or multiple receivers... so they have plenty of people to talk to. That's all strategic "stuff" for us all to think about as we plan your repeater projects for 2009... Also when "times are hard", just like the banking industry -- hams might think about merging some of the clubs/organizations in an area, taking down "duplicated effort" repeaters, and using the spare parts to accomplish the above voting/simulcast goals. Interesting, wouldn't it be? Nate WY0X
