Today (Sunday 1/10), we were able to finish the repeater linking project. Now both our two repeaters are linked and each one will automatically broadcast traffic received from other repeater. For example, if there is traffic on the Hollister repeater, the signal is also sent via a UHF link frequency our repeater in Bear Valley. This repeater will then rebroadcast this traffic over the south county area. The result is that we now have seamless coverage from Morgan Hill all the way down to Bitterwater Valley. This is very useful to those traveling along Hwy 25 in the Pinnacles area as cell phone service is either weak or non-existent.
Traffic coming from a linked repeater can be identified by two shorts beeps at the end of the transmission. There is a short delay when traffic is coming from a linked repeater, so be sure to pause after keying the mic before talking. The autopatch that was on the south county repeater is not currently operational. The phone system did not seem to work properly with the new equipment, so further work is needed.
For additional information and coverage maps on the south county repeater, check out our website at: http://www.sbcares.org/portal/?q=node/72.
For pictures and construction information, click on : http://www.sbcares.org/portal/?q=node/65.
-Ron Ross
KD6ZXG
