Williamstown Repeater Link

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The Williamstown repeater is currently experiencing an issue with its RF link into the CVARC linked repeater system.

Based on some initial diagnostics, there appears to be a issue with the antenna system of the link radio which carries radio traffic from Cabot and Lincoln Peak into Williamstown. The issue is likely being caused by antenna icing, or damage from falling ice.

Because of steeply decreased antenna performance, there isn’t enough RF signal strength at the link receiver to overcome interference from adjacent in-band high power transmitters at the tower site. Because of this, signals from the link may seem strong one moment and completely unreadable the next.

The Williamstown repeater itself is functioning properly as a standalone repeater. Cabot and Lincoln Peak are still linked by RF. There is no evidence to suggest problems with basic repeater functionality at this point.

Unfortunately, I am out of town for a week starting early tomorrow morning. I will promptly investigate the issue further on my return and will work towards implementing a solution. In the mean time, I may make the decision to disable the Williamstown link altogether until it is repaired. I will notify the club if this decision is made.

I appreciate your understanding with this issue, and I will post updates as they become available. I apologize for any inconvenience this system failure has caused.

Best,
Chris Craig
K1MHZ

Williamstown Repeater Site Cleanup

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The Williamstown Repeater site work detail was a success. We had a nice group of hams who helped provide cleanup and maintenance around the site. Overall, it was a pleasant day and we got quite a bit accomplished. Special thanks to the following folks who attended:
Parker K1UAV
Jon KA1HQR
Lori KC1JXV
Jon K1IWZ
Mike W1PTT
Chris KI1P
Chris K1MHZ
While we were at the site, we also dialed in some audio levels on the link system so things should be sounding more symmetrical audio-wise. I also added a dual courtesy tone to Williamstown. A single “boop” indicates that the last transmission was from the local Williamstown receiver, and a double “boop boop” indicates the last transmission was from our link system. Please wait for the beep before transmitting. If you don’t wan’t to hear any tones, morse code IDs or repeater tail, enable CTCSS DECODE on your radio, the tone is 100hz.

Williamstown Repeater

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The Williamstown repeater saw some improvement today with the addition of a new preamp, preselector and a small bump in transmitter power. Although some final adjustments still need to be made, the repeater is now “keyable” with a 5 watt radio in Plattsburgh, NY, and should play well throughout central Vermont. Please give it a try and I welcome your feedback.