Ham radio repeaters
I have an old Yaesu I haven't touched for 10 years. Wondering whether it is worth the effort to dust it off. Have any ham operators out there had any success at all raising up contacts off repeaters...
Forum Discussion
When in the Billings, MT area, there are two repeaters that are the primary ones.
145.410 (negative offset, 100 Hz tone) and 147.360 (positive offset, 100 Hz tone).
These two repeaters are linked together. The total coverage area extends from Greybull, WY to Stanford, MT and from Big Timber, MT to Custer MT and beyond.
Monday through Friday there is a morning 2 meter net at 0800 lcl. on these repeaters. In fact, I will be net control for the net this morning. There is also a Tuesday Evening net at 1900 every Tuesday, and a YL net on Thursday evening at 1900 for the ladies (but everyone is welcome to join in).
There is a 10 meter "Gum Beaters Net" Fridays at 1900 on 28.4mHz
For more information on other HF nets around the area, go to the Yellowstone Radio Club website.
If you are going to be in Montana in July, look up the Glacier Waterton Hamfest online. It will be the third weekend in July at the Glacier Meadows RV park 16 miles West of East Glacier on Hwy 2. You won't get a hookup site (they are reserved 3 to 5 years out), so it will be dry camping in a hayfield. I usually try to get there on Thursday afternoon, so I can get my favorite spot along the tree line.
There are active clubs in Great Falls and the Flathead Valley(Kalispell) as well.
As for getting licensed, our club (Yellowstone Radio Club) has a class the second Saturday of every odd-numbered month in the computer lab at the Billings library. Testing is the following Saturday. The last I heard, they were running a 90% pass rate!
All of our older operators are great guys, always helpful. I had never heard the term "appliance operator" until I read this thread.
Oh, well...
73, KJ7POE (vanity call)
145.410 (negative offset, 100 Hz tone) and 147.360 (positive offset, 100 Hz tone).
These two repeaters are linked together. The total coverage area extends from Greybull, WY to Stanford, MT and from Big Timber, MT to Custer MT and beyond.
Monday through Friday there is a morning 2 meter net at 0800 lcl. on these repeaters. In fact, I will be net control for the net this morning. There is also a Tuesday Evening net at 1900 every Tuesday, and a YL net on Thursday evening at 1900 for the ladies (but everyone is welcome to join in).
There is a 10 meter "Gum Beaters Net" Fridays at 1900 on 28.4mHz
For more information on other HF nets around the area, go to the Yellowstone Radio Club website.
If you are going to be in Montana in July, look up the Glacier Waterton Hamfest online. It will be the third weekend in July at the Glacier Meadows RV park 16 miles West of East Glacier on Hwy 2. You won't get a hookup site (they are reserved 3 to 5 years out), so it will be dry camping in a hayfield. I usually try to get there on Thursday afternoon, so I can get my favorite spot along the tree line.
There are active clubs in Great Falls and the Flathead Valley(Kalispell) as well.
As for getting licensed, our club (Yellowstone Radio Club) has a class the second Saturday of every odd-numbered month in the computer lab at the Billings library. Testing is the following Saturday. The last I heard, they were running a 90% pass rate!
All of our older operators are great guys, always helpful. I had never heard the term "appliance operator" until I read this thread.
Oh, well...
73, KJ7POE (vanity call)
