DCARA  W3UER/R  Darby, PA

FM Repeaters

The Association VHF and UHF repeaters are back on the air!  After several attempts to repair the commercial E.F. Johnson Model 1100 VHF repeater at the site it is again functional and reports of performance are excellent!   However, the Arcom RC210 repeater controller is still off-line and an SCOM 7K controller is standing-in.  You can help the on-going repairs by sending in your membership for 2010.

The Association operates and maintains a VHF and UHF analog frequency modulated (FM) repeater system at the Fitzgerald Mercy Hospital in Darby, PA (FM29) map.  The repeaters are located on the 10th floor equipment area of the administrative building of the Hospital and with a 50 foot fold-over tower as shown below.  The repeaters are coordinated by the Area Repeater Coordinating Council (ARCC) and operate on the output-input frequencies of 147.36-147.96 MHz, 224.50-222.90 MHz and 444.05-449.05 MHz.

The repeaters are PL'd (tone access) with a subaudible tone frequency of 131.8 Hz.  

The antennas for each of the repeaters are Super StationMaster antennas, with the 2M antenna at the top of the tower, then the 1 1/4M antenna sidearm mounted and facing northwest and the 3/4M antenna sidearm mounted and facing northeast.  The repeaters are powered on the stand-by electrical power grid of the Hospital from its motor-generator set and would be on-the-air in nearly any emergency.

The Association repeater located at the Fitzgerald Mercy Hospital is shown in the pictures here:




(Left) looking NNW toward Bishop Avenue and (right) looking NNE toward City Line Avenue.

The repeater equipment is reached by a very cramped spiral stairwell to the 10th floor machinery room of the Hospital.

The 224.5 MHz and 444.05 MHz repeaters are housed in one of three cabinets with the repeater controller, link hardware and power supplies.  The 224.5 MHz repeater uses the original 10 W VHF Engineering transmitter from 1979 but the receiver was replaced in 1986 with a Maggiore unit.  The 444.05 repeater is a Maggiore HiPro Mark I augmented with a GAsFET preamplifier.  The 444.05 duplexer is also in the cabinet.

The prior repeater controller was a Micro Control Specialties Mark 5000 with home-brew link hardware by Steve WA3RVT (SK).  Both have been replaced by the Arcom RC210 controller shown below.  

The rear view shows the wiring in the cabinet and the complexity of the system with the now replaced MCS Mark 5000 controller and home-brew link hardware.  The new repeater controller is an Arcom RC210 which is a three-port controller directly servicing the 147.36, 224.5 and 444.05 MHz repeaters with much less wiring!  The RC210 has audio delay boards which mute Touch Tone inputs, PL tone access and an autopatch for emergency communications.  

 

 

 

 

 

   

The middle of the three cabinets houses the 147.36 MHz Wacom 6 cavity duplexer and the 224.5 MHz Wacom 4 cavity duplexer.  Shown wrapped in protective plastic for standby service are the original 147.36 VHF Engineering repeater and the original Micro Control Specialties Mark 3C controller which did not have the capability of speech.

The 147.36 MHz repeater is a commercial E.F. Johnson Model 1100 augmented with a surface wave monolithic RF bandpass filter and GAsFET preamplifier.

The DCARA holds the callsign W3UER in trust as a memorial to Robert Lawson, who was a Charter Member and firm supporter of the Association. 

Operational Codes describing Repeater's Features

 

 

    

o 

Open (usually carrier-operated)

  

c 

Closed repeater

  

t 

Access requires CTCSS tone (PL)

  

(t=xx)

Access requires CTCSS tone indicated by xx 

  

L 

Repeater is linked to other repeaters

  

RB

Repeater is equipped with a Remote Base

  

WX 

Emergency Weather Nets held on this repeater

  

a 

Open Autopatch is available (* up, # down)

  

(ca) 

Closed Autopatch (members only; requires access codes)

  

e 

Connected to Emergency Power Source

  

R 

RACES affiliated

  

A 

ARES affiliated

  

O 

OEM affiliated

  

LiTZ 

Long-Tone-Zero supported for emergency assistance

  

bi 

Bi-Lingual (non-English conversations acceptable)

   
XZ	67.0		1B	107.2		6A	173.8
WZ	69.3		2Z	110.9		6B	179.9
XA	71.9		2A	114.8		7Z	186.2
WA	74.4		2B	118.8		7A	192.8
XB	77.0		3Z	123.0		M1	203.5
WB	79.7		3A	127.3		8Z	206.5
YZ	82.5		3B	131.8		M2	210.7
YA	85.4		4Z	136.5		M3	218.1
YB	88.5		4A	141.3		M4	225.7
ZZ	91.5		4B	146.2		9Z	229.1
ZA	94.8		5Z	151.4		M5	233.6
ZB	97.4		5A	156.7		M6	241.8
1Z	100.0		5B	162.2		M7	250.3
1A	103.5		6Z	167.9		0Z	254.1