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New Ham Radio Product

Discussion in 'Contests, DXpeditions, QSO Parties, Special Events' started by W8LEV, Feb 6, 2007.

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  1. W8LEV

    W8LEV Ham Member QRZ Page

    Please check out www.schoolhousemultimedia.com/ARF for details and photos of an upcoming kit for Hams that allows you to find repeaters anywhere you travel! Lots of nice features like auto-programming of your radio, repeater band filters, CW ID of located repeaters and more...ARF Home
     
  2. KG4RUL

    KG4RUL Ham Member QRZ Page

    One MAJOR flaw with this concept - the ARRL repeater directory is often wrong and is out-of-date by the time it is published! Unless this has a SIMPLE update facility, it will rapidly become non-functional. What is described oln the site is labor-intensive at best.

    Then, you find out that the positions calculations are only guesstimates and, terrain is not factored in. Also, it DOES NOT hold the entire directory.

    The pricing scheme seems to be that you order one and get delivery at some unknown, future date.

    This is a not ready for prime-time concept.
     
  3. W8LEV

    W8LEV Ham Member QRZ Page

    In reverse order:

    1. The "pricing scheme" is very common for such products. Take HamHud as an example or some of the software-defined radio projects. This can be avoided, but then one has to deal with potentially higher costs. The idea is to keep costs as low as possible by allowing the purchase of higher quantities.

    2. The entire directory *can* be held. The issue has been one of demand and common use. It's not a technical one. If that's what folks want, it can easily be added.

    3. How can anyone factor in terrain? Even if the exact lat/lon were known for all repeaters, how can one say a'priori whether your radio can reach it? Since you can select the location range, this can be dealt with. Trust me, the list of repeaters that you CAN reach will in most cases be more than you'd actually use.

    4. The database accuracy will increase more rapidly over time *if* folks participate. It will progress more slowly if I do it myself, but it will happen. The project is intended to be community-driven. And, you're correct, the ARRL repeater database is quite often wrong. That's why it *is* easy to make changes! Plus, when you travel with your mobile, would you expect to be able to reach every repeater? And, the accuracy problem is there regardless of this product. If you travel and you rely on the ARRL database for repeaters along your way, they'll still be wrong... I'm also wondering why it would "...rapidly become non-functional". You're suggesting that over a short period of time, the repeaters in the database would become unavailable? That's certainly not been my experience.

    5. The database will be available for download regularly, so if you choose to keep up with the changes you can do that at your leisure.

    If you have specific questions, send me (constructive) feedback by way of the contact page on the site. I'll answer them in any way I can.

    Thanks for taking a look.
     
  4. KB2VXA

    KB2VXA Ham Member QRZ Page

    Oh SPEW! Cummon, the best way has always been by pushing the scan button. If there's an active repeater the radio will find it, if it's not active there's no one to talk to. Duh?

    Add this to the long list of useless inventions.
     
  5. KG4RUL

    KG4RUL Ham Member QRZ Page

    Bingo! [​IMG]
     
  6. KA7FOX

    KA7FOX Ham Member QRZ Page

    I think this would be a usefull device for some people, and theres prolly people who would buy it just for the sake of having one.

    But I could see something like this device used in a slightly different way... by adding and removing repeaters from a scan list or changing the current/default channel based on location with geographically defined areas or zones.

    I should have a look at the GE Orions info to see if they would support something like that.

    As a separate aside, I think its about time that repeater coordinators both post their lists online, or better yet, make them an online database like http://www.narcc.org/ get the repeaters location in lat/long coordinates and get the power output/antenna configuration (or just use some gauge of coverage). We *are* in the 21st century and repeater coordination lists have no reason to be secret.
     
  7. KG4RUL

    KG4RUL Ham Member QRZ Page

    I agree 100% with KA7FOX. Repeater data is NOT a state secret.
     
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