Mt. Mitchell Repeater Reprieve

Ken, WA4BVW announced that the Mt. Mitchell ham radio repeaters have been given a one year extension....with the removal date moved up to July 31, 2010. We should all be grateful for the opportunity to continue using them, and A debt of gratitude is owed to the repeater owners , and to the powers that be who gave us the extension. Chris K2FO Taylors, S.C.

 

145.190

145.190 IS A ICON THAT SHOULD BE LEFT THARE APROX. 27 YEARS OF SERVICE TO THE HAMS IN THE FOUR.STATE AREA.

WELL THAT IS MY $0.02 CENTS WORTH N4JEM

 

You guys need to use the time wisely. Get together a plan of action to establish your own site, or improve the existing contract.

Joe

 

145.19 Repeater on Mt. Mitchell

Sure hope 145.19 can stay on Mt. Mitchell for many more years to come. Thanks Ken W4BVW, for what you do for ham radio. Jack W4JWO

 

I'm glad to here that the repeater will be left there for another year, and hope that things can be worked out to leave it there for many years to come. It has such a large footprint in the NC, VA, TN, & SC regions that it would be hard to find another location this good. 73, W4WBP

 

Insanity with Homophones

While I sit here in my easy chair, I'm intrigued by what I hear about this repeater system. Is there a back story here? Would you care to share it with the rest of us so we can hear about it?

 

Full Story

The Mt. Mitchell 145.190 repeater is not a "system" repeater. It is not tied into any other repeater. It is a standalone repeater that sits atop of the highest mountain east of the Mississppi river at 6600 ft up in western NC thus making it the highest repeater east of the Mississippi. It coverage area is portions of 5 states making it a very usefull repeater in a mountainous area as it can reach into holes no other repeater can.
Well the owner was notified a while back that his repeater and the others up there (about 5 others) have to be down by some date in July 2009. Thee was no reason given other than the folks who house the repeater figured ham radio wasn't needed and out of date.
There is a net every friday evening and it usually gets about 70-80 checkins. I have heard as many as 125 people checkin during one net session. It is almost always active and if it isn't I know someone wil coome back to you if you throw your call out. Very often is the owner Ken Wa4BVW. TO Give an idea of the range I have hit this MT Mitchell repeater 40 miles west of Knoxville TN which is 125 miles from it. And during band openings I have heard people checkin from Illinois about 600 miles! west of it. To lose this repeater would be a shame. I hope something can be worked out. Thanks for posting this update Chris. Hope your tv is working again. (I chopped Chris's tv coax digging a tower hole in May. opps. )
Steve, KB0KBJ, South Dakota

 

FRS, GMRS, and CB radio spectrum and email doesn't rely on repeaters ... so why is amateur radio?

AA1MN

 

Because some folks like to work with technology. And there's nothing wrong with that.

I like HF, too. But let's not live in the past.

73,


Fred, WB4AEJ

 

Then why would all of public safety radio communications rely on repeaters? I'll leave you to your own devices to figure that one out.

 

Mt Mitchell Repeaters Leaving

ki4sky
Let me set things straight ! The Mt Mitchell Repeaters are leaving on or before the 31 st of July 2009 . The lady has given Jimmy Johnson and Randy Johnston an alternative that is totally ridiculous ! She is getting what she wanted to begin with with a ridiculous contract !
Anyone that donates to WMIT or Blueridge Broadcast should reconsider your support.Do you support a Bible Network that is more for money than or free donations in emergencies?
Contact Mr Franklin Graham and see if it is his way to allow a woman to run the church (WMIT - BRB ) or does he run it ?!
Maybe it is his atdidedge " Send your money to the LORD ,but send it to my address ".
Stand up AMERICA Amatuer Radio Operators for our rights !!!!
73's
ki4sky
wqcg596

 

Details Please!

I have watched and followed both threads of this story. This one like the previous seems to be very short on detail and very large on opinion and emotion.

Some solid datailed facts if allowed by legal constraints would help greatly both in the formation of informed opinions and in reasonable solutions to the problems.

The Mt. Mitchell actions seem somewhat at odds with the actions of the Southern Baptist Convention with which the Graham organization was associated for years. Southern Baptist Amateur Radio Operators with the much appreciated assistance on non-Baptist radio operators maintain South BEARS to provide emergency and otherwist communications for releif efforts.
South BEARS = Southern Baptist Emergency Amateur Radio Service, it is a relative of SATERN.

Maybe the powers that be do not realize that for local emergencies VHF and UHF repeaters are vital to relief work. South BEARS tends to be HF. Then again there are respondents on this thread that seem to think this is an HF problem.

Please, some details! Then this won't just be an emotional vent and a generator of hard feelings.

KF7CG

 

A slight difference in prepositions...

K2RWO referred to the role hams played AT the 9/11 attacks, not the role they played IN those attacks!