v SARnet: Statewide Amateur Radio Networking in Florida http://www.sarnetfl.com/ Those green ones are connected through the Florida DOT microwave backbone. AG4UU, who works for FDOT, acquired most of the repeaters for free. ...DOUG KD4MOJ
It could work that way, and maybe it should. There's no reason two or more lightly-used repeaters can't share a channel in the same general geographic area. They'd use different CTCSS tones, and probably a lockout receiver to prevent one repeater from keying up when the other is using the channel. That works technically, and it fits well with the notion that hams don't own a frequency – it's first-come. While that concept needed to be adjusted to accommodate fixed-frequency beasts like repeaters, it didn't need to be thrown out entirely. It doesn't work if a repeater owner or user takes the position that they must be able to use their repeater on demand, and their frequency must remain clear for them to do so, even if that means hours of dead air. It also doesn't work from a practical viewpoint if one repeater is much busier than another. And while two repeaters may start as fairly quiet machines sharing a channel, one of them may pick up more users and traffic over time. This pie-in-the-sky view would require hams (especially repeater owners) to be far more cooperative about spectrum than they've shown themselves to be so far. Or a heavier hand of regulation. Or repeater councils with guts (but since they're run by repeater owners... see the first half of this paragraph).
This begs the question than if you have a repeater that covers a specific service area and it's used very little why not use that repeater in the first place? Is this just a case of one ham wants to use a frequency regardless of it already being coordinated? As it is many repeaters are club repeaters meaning you have a group of hams who are in that club paying dues to have a repeater on the air. As we know repeater usage is down yes but regardless the club owned repeaters that represent a larger number of hams in your scenario would have to acquies to an individual who because he wants to put up his own repeater and if he decides that frequency that the club owned repeater is on is the one he wants to use boom now you have pitted a club owned repeater with any one individual who wants to put up a repeater. Be careful what you ask for you might just get it.
Just one more point. Do you really think that with all the currently available repeaters that get little to no usage one ham who "wants to experiment" is going to put up a repeater and all of a sudden it's going to get all kinds of traffic? I highly doubt it. This is nothing but personal politics and personalities clashing. Changing coordination rules because of petty personalities is a bad idea. Don't get me wrong I'm not siding with the Florida repeater council. If there are pairs available by all means they should be allocated to those who are willing to put forth both the financial resources and effort to put a repeater on the air. But just putting up more repeaters isn't magically going to bring hams out of the woodwork and they all become active on UHF and VHF. If that were the case why are all the repeaters already up not being used?
sad part is they keep pairs in the data base and no repeater there have not been on air for years we tried to get a blank pair years ago so they would be atleast 2 in this county one for primary and a back up nope we found 10 pairs in a 100 mile range and acaully went to the published site and nothing there and had not but the pair was active we finally threw up our hands cant beat the '' good ole boys'' they control the game
And that is wrong. You should have been given a pair. My comments were to repeaters that are obviously on the air and for those who think it's ok to just coordinate two repeaters in the same area on the same freq. Their is obviously problems with the Florida repeater council for sure even to those who are on the outside looking in. There is no reason to pair up repeaters on the same freq when you have open pairs not being utilized.
Well, the Old English teacher in me has a thing about grammar and spelling. Counsel is an act of giving advise (lawyers use that a lot and even address each other in court using such titles as Counsel for the Accused). Council is a noun and refers to such things as a group of individuals who make decisions. I have experienced Computer Councils which were so poor they need to be counselled- they tend to become autocratic and feel very important. I'm in favor of putting term limits on membership. I do think they have the potential to help reduce chaos on vhf repeaters, but were definitely not appointed forever by an act of God! I John Alexander, W8GZF Licensed and operating since 1950
The English Language was invented by an insane man with a twisted sense of humor. Francis Bacon is laughing in his grave.
If the Director I know is a good example, it doesn't seem like there is much "Good Ole Boy" stuff going on.
Maybe, just maybe.... you should attend some of their meetings. You might be surprised. by what you learn about some of the applicants.
Again... Attend some meetings. Or maybe you could get a Director or two to let you see how some applicants fill out their applications.
