Amateur Radio Clubs
Edge of Space Sciences activities can only work with the assistance of
several different Amateur Radio Clubs. If these clubs' repeater systems were
unavailable then planning and executing high altitude balloon missions would
become extremely problematic.
This repeater is located in the south west area of the Denver Metropolitan
area. EOSS members are frequently heard on this system planning upcoming flight.
This is a wide area DRL machine which is occasionally used for planning
purposes.
- 147.225 MHz Denver
- 145.460 MHz Boulder
- 145.160 MHz Colorado Springs
These repeaters are linked and provide EOSS with a system for conducting on
the air nets to announce our activities and coordinate plans with large groups
of people spread out across the front range. We use this system for two primary
nets:
- Weekly Tuesday night net at 8 PM local time
- Tracking and Recovery net the evening preceding every flight
- 449.450 MHz
- Cross Band Repeater
- 445.975 MHz input
- 147.555 MHz output
The tracking and recovery operations for our balloon flights rely heavily on
the 449.450 MHz machine. It covers a great deal of the north eastern part of
Colorado. Without it we would have great difficulty coordinating a recovery
effort.
The Cross Band Repeater EOSS flies is
owned by the RMRL.
When flying balloons over the eastern and southern plains of Colorado we rely
on the 448.450 MHz Pikes Peak repeater. This repeater and its 2 meter cousin the
146.970 MHz repeater cover a phenomenal amount of territory due to the fact that
the tower they are housed upon is 14,000+ above sea level or around 9,000+ feet
above the average terrain of eastern Colorado.
Not a club, but a group of individuals involved in making great repeaters
happen.
EOSS has relied on their phone patch system in the past to keep connected
with the FAA. WE have also used their system as a backup communications repeater
during balloon flights
Consider then Join
EOSS urges you to think seriously about how you might benefit from each of
these groups and their repeater systems. If you find yourself indebted to them
for the services they provide seriously consider joining them to assist them in
a tangible financial way so that they may continue to maintain the excellent
repeater systems they provide.
In the old days of amateur radio it was common for folks to only join a
repeater group if they used the extra services (most notably phone patches) that
group provided. That was OK then when membership rolls were flush and growing.
However, in recent years some groups have seen a roll off in membership.
Individuals with cell phones just don't see why they should pay for a repeater
that requires no special codes to use.
If all the members of a repeater system stopped renewing their memberships
then that system would soon disappear. It costs money to operate a repeater
system from a good location. In the olden days amateurs were given a break on
the lease prices for space at radio sites. This just isn't the case anymore.
Owners of excellent radio repeater sites are being deluged with requests for
space and so, amateur radio usually has to compete financially with all the
other users of such a site.
So, if you use a system regularly,
think about how life would be without that repeater!
Become an active supporter by joining the group!
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