win sysyem- 53 repeaters linked

[g3zhi]

win system - 53 repeaters linked

there are presently 53 repeaters linked on the 'win system' in the usa and it continues to grow

also more repeaters can join the network at anytime from anywhere in the world using irlp

the 'win system' is probably the largest linked repeater system in the world #

how long before it reaches over 100?

http://www.winsystem.org/

[wz9o]

Whoopee – do!!! http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif

[KC9JIQ]

*why* would ANYONE want that many linked repeaters?

It's like Joe Blow cannot relay drive time messages on the local repeater because some doofus on the other side of the state is having a QSO about %^&%$#$%^.

...and this makes nets more boring, a 5 minute introduction about all the links and echolink/IRLP/etc... http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif

[N5USR]

Yeah, not like there aren't PLENTY of other non-linked repeaters around that could be used for local traffic... http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/rock.gif

I'd rather like to have a repeater in my area linked somewhere. We have an insane number of repeaters up (there isn't a spare 2M repeater pair to be had here) and *maybe* 5 or 6 of them are used for more than "kerchunking". Even those are dead most of the time.

There are a couple of machines here that can be connected via IRLP, but they aren't permanent links. Someone has to go in and turn the link on. And they don't leave it on. What's the point? Most of the time, when I hear someone on them, they make a connection, call for someone who doesn't respond, then disconnect. Yippee. I'd rather have a permanent link to one system that has a little more traffic on it.

Yeah, I suppose I could put my own repeater up and link it. Maybe one day I will - but I have other things I'm doing so far. (And, again, it couldn't be a 2M machine where the bulk of other people could access it as there are no free pairs!)

Oh, I lie. I just realized, someone DOES have a permanent link in the area. Not that it does me any good - it's a link to some South American repeater, and I don't speak Spanish or Portuguese or whatever-it-is wherever-it-is... http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif

[kb2vxa]

With so many on the system we can have a new contest and call it Survivor, Ham Radio. The one who hasn't gone SK by the time the round robin comes around is the winner, sort of.

Repeaters UNITE! http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif

[W5HTW]

I think all repeaters should be linked, everywhere. Then only one person in the whole country at a time could talk.

Linked systems use every available repeater pair. One system here I can hear on six different frequencies from my house. Three VHF and three UHF. That's asinine. And it's part of a much larger system of repeaters I can not hear directly.

It is one of the reasons I don't use or even listen to repeaters. Some guy 250 miles away is kerchunking his local repeater, and 48 repeaters across the state are relaying this significant bit of information.

Ed

[K0RGR]

That should provide pretty good coverage of California - if anybody is listening, it should be useful.

[W5HTW]

We probably should cover California. Unfortunately, someone didn't dig the hole deep enough.

[KC9JIQ]

Quote[/b] (W5HTW @ Sep. 30 2007,13:23)]I think all repeaters should be linked, everywhere. #Then only one person in the whole country at a time could talk. #

Linked systems use every available repeater pair. #One system here I can hear on six different frequencies from my house. #Three VHF and three UHF. # That's asinine. # And it's part of a much larger system of repeaters I can not hear directly. #

It is one of the reasons I don't use or even listen to repeaters. #Some guy 250 miles away is kerchunking his local repeater, and 48 repeaters across the state are relaying this significant bit of information. #

Ed
Amen! http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

[N5USR]

Quote[/b] (W5HTW @ Sep. 30 2007,15:23)]I think all repeaters should be linked, everywhere. Then only one person in the whole country at a time could talk.

Linked systems use every available repeater pair. One system here I can hear on six different frequencies from my house. Three VHF and three UHF. That's asinine. And it's part of a much larger system of repeaters I can not hear directly.

It is one of the reasons I don't use or even listen to repeaters. Some guy 250 miles away is kerchunking his local repeater, and 48 repeaters across the state are relaying this significant bit of information.

Ed
So are you really trying to say that EVERY repeater in your area is linked for 250 miles in every direction? I've never seen an area that bad.

Yes, anything can be taken too far. While I don't mind multiband links in a given area, having multiple repeaters on the same band in the same area is too far - and pointless. I haven't seen this happen in the areas I've used linked systems, though. Most of the time it's hard to get from one coverage area to the next without a dead spot in between. And the the nicest linked system I have used is the FARA system in Ohio / Kentucky / Indiana. Most of the repeaters in that system are on a single frequency. If the drop tone hadn't kept changing as I drove through Indiana into Columbus, OH I'd never have known I'd switched systems.

This doesn't have to be an all-or-nothing deal here. As I said before, it would be nice to have *A* linked system in my area. That would be *A* repeater pair. And if someone didn't like what they heard, they could choose from one of the dozens of other repeaters across several bands that sit quiet all day.

[KS4VT]

Instead of linking repeaters, which I have never been an advocate of, wide area repeaters should have satellite receiver networks so to increase the talk-back of such systems. #This would increase the talk-back coverage and keep the communications reliable for low power users.

Listening to a QSO that is 100 or so miles away that is occuring on a different repeater doesn't impress me and IMO is keeping me from having a QSO to someone local to me because there is another QSO going on that may not interest me but is tying up the local repeater.

I'm the trustee for 7 repeaters that are geographicially seperated in a 2500 square mile county and have decent coverage in the ajacent counties. None of them are linked and typicially have different topics of conversations going on at any one time.

[K0RGR]

If you have enough local activity, there's no real reason to link repeaters. But places with that kind of activity level are non-existent for most of the country.

I like the Wisconsin Interstate Network, myself. There seem to be lots of folks listening all the time, so it's easy to scrape up a QSO, even in the middle of the night. WINS covers most of the areas served by Interstate Highways in Wisconsin, and parts of Minnesota.

There are some folks who work in the Twin Cities but live down in west-central Wisconsin, and I've chatted with them on their very long commute home in the wee hours of the morning.

When I was in California, CONDOR was up and running, and I think at times it was bigger than it is today - I believe they had a link from Seattle to Las Vegas and all points in between at one time. It looks like it's mostly a California endeavor now - but still impressive. With mountaintop repeaters, it doesn't take many to blanket a huge state. Our local part of CONDOR was on 220, so it was a good excuse to have gear for that band.

South Dakota has an impressive linked network. Iowa has at least two of them I know about - one covers central and part of western Iowa, the other covers 'the east coast' of Iowa and part of Missouri - I think I read where this had been extended down to Kansas City now.

Minnesota and North Dakota have one, but I hardly ever hear anybody on it.

I guess your acceptance of linked repeaters depends on how comfortable you are talking to strangers. If you don't like linked repeaters you either won't like HF at all, or you've somehow convinced yourself that working people outside the immediate area is bad on VHF. Having grown up with mountaintop repeaters with coverage of hundreds of miles, I have never had that problem.

Looking back at the original post, I see that one of the repeaters in WIN is WR6ABD on Loma Prieta - I helped install the original 2 meter repeater there and made many, many trips up that mountain to visit it over the years. I see that it's the VHF machine that's in use now for WIN - great!
That's a fabulous repeater site, with coverage of both San Francisco and Monterey Bay areas, as well as parts of the High Sierra and Central Valley.

[ky5u]

53 repeaters, wow! Now a kerchunk is a super-kerchunk! Still no traffic but alot more of it.

[kg4kww]

ATTACK OF THE REPEATER PEOPLE!!!!! http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif

[KD6NIG]

From what I understand, this system is membership only, isn't it?

Probably ensures less traffic and random kerchunking ;)

[K3UD]

Membership?

You have got to be kidding. How do you get a membership for an input frequency? http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/rock.gif Sounds like a lot of infrastructure tied up in what seemingly amounts to an essentially closed system if it really is membership only.

73
George
K3UD

[K0RGR]

Quote[/b] (KD6NIG @ Oct. 01 2007,13:50)]From what I understand, this system is membership only, isn't it?

Probably ensures less traffic and random kerchunking ;)
The website says it is neither private nor closed, and they encourage non-members to use it. But, it's fairly clear that if you are using if for more than a few weeks, you will be asked to join. Dues are $120 per year per family, which isn't bad at all for the facilities it provides, I think. I believe they used to be a lot higher.

[kl7aj]

Repeater. Def> Compound word. From: peter, "to diminish, to fade to nothing" and re- literally, "to do it again."

http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

[KC9JIQ]

Quote[/b] (K3UD @ Oct. 01 2007,14:43)]Membership?

You have got to be kidding. How do you get a membership for an input frequency? #http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/rock.gif #Sounds like a lot of infrastructure tied up in what seemingly amounts to an essentially closed system if it really is membership only.

73
George
K3UD
So is a cordinated closed repeater frequency a private frequency? http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/rock.gif

[WH6QB]

The WIN System is free and open to all licensed amateur operators. As to the comment above about being "asked to join" I have never heard that mentioned and I see nothing that hints at that on the website. If you want to become a member, fine. If not, enjoy the system. It really is all about having fun. I can guarantee that nobody will ever even ask if you are a member or not as a condition of using the system.

If you are in an area that is already covered by a WIN System repeater why not listen in for a while. If you have access to a repeater with IRLP you can connect to the WIN System through the Dallas reflector on channel 3 (9453).

Most of the 53 WIN System repeaters on the system are on 70 cm. There are a couple of 2 meter machines and one 220 box.

There is a lot of traffic, but not so much that you cannot talk pretty much whenever you want to. People regularly connect from Australia, Canada, the UK, Japan, Mexico, and South Africa.

The best comment I have heard on the radio lately came from a guy in North Carolina who found a local machine connected to the WIN System. He had a 1 by 2 call and the voice of an "experienced" operator (OK, an older fellow!!). His comment was that this was the most exciting thing he had found in over 50 years in ham radio. You just have to love that a guy with that much time in the hobby was still able to get excited about something new.

We just had the 17th annual end of summer camp out at Mission Bay in San Diego. A little over 100 people, some members, some not, showed up and had an absolute blast. The annual pool party is always a big hit and the Christmas Party is coming up. Just a bunch of hams having fun on the radio and getting together when we can.

Edited to add:

Here is the most current repeater list:

http://www.thedeanfamily.com/winreptr.htm

Really, don't knock it until you try it.

Bill in SOCAL
WH6QB
Happy WIN System Member

[K0RGR]

Sounds like a good operation - I'd certainly join if we had a repeater linked in around here!

I do see a couple reminders on the website that the system is paid for by MEMBERS, and there is a statement that implies that if you've been using it for a period of time, you might be expected to join. But it's great to hear that it's wide open for everybody to enjoy!

[WH6QB]

I will say that at no time will anyone DIScourage you from joining, but I have NEVER heard anyone get asked, or even hinted at, to join.

[n6hcm]

Quote[/b] (WH6QB @ Oct. 03 2007,14:01)]I will say that at no time will anyone DIScourage you from joining, but I have NEVER heard anyone get asked, or even hinted at, to join.
i've been using it since i got my tech ticket and nobody has once bugged me about joining ... and it's easily busier than the club-operated repeater here in san francisco.

[g3zhi]

its great that the win system exists
thanks to shorty k6jsi
i call in everyday from the uk
while out on my morning 90min walk
or while out riding my bicycle
if you are around why not call in and say hello
0900- 1030z
on irlp dial node 9453
and meet up with some nice friendly people

[KI4PEQ]

Quote[/b] (W5HTW @ Sep. 30 2007,16:41)]We probably should cover California. #Unfortunately, someone didn't dig the hole deep enough.
Just wait for the big one, and the Golden State will slip into the Pacific. Then all of those people in Nevada and Arizona will finally have oceanfront property.

As for linking that many repeaters, this instance is a case of even though it CAN be done, is there any good reason as to why it SHOULD be done, other than to give those who built the system an intellectual woodie?