In Development, Scheduled On Air Q1-Q2 2023
The
W4NCH 220 machine is currently in development and testing, and is
planned to be on air some time between early and mid 2023. It will
be serving the New Hanover and Pender county areas of coastal North
Carolina. The repeater will transmit on 224.980 MHz with a -1.6 MHz
offset, and an 88.5 Hz tone.
Here is some of the major components of the repeater:
- 2X TYT TH-9000D Radios for Tx and RX
- Arcom RC210 Repeater Controller
- Comet Super 22 Antenna
- Duplexer (Once one is found)
Some may ask why would I want to do a 220 MHz repeater when it would be much easier to do something like a UHF repeater, since they are much easier to find parts for, and have a wider standard offset? Well, I am a big fan of the 220, or 1.25 Meter band. It has great propagation, it is less populated, and is generally a band with less interference. The question of why the 220 band does not get the same level of use as the more popular 2 meter and 70 centimeter bands is a bit of a chicken or the egg problem. Does it not get used because there aren't as many radios for sale that cover the 220 band, or do manufacturers not make radios for the band because there is not as much demand for for them? Either way, I want to help promote the use of 220. We are lucky enough to have a decent number of 220 repeaters compared other areas, but I think the more activity there is around the 220 band, the more likely manufacturers are to see that and start putting out radios that are capable of transmitting on the band. This is just a part of helping to promote the use of the 220 band. As Vanilla Ice once said, "If there was a problem, yo, I'll solve it".