THE 145.33 REPEATER NEWSLETTER

NORFOLK , VIRGINIA          APRIL 1994

WELCOME TO THE 33 REPEATER

The Downtown Norfolk NS3F repeater has now been in operation for over a year and we thought it might be useful to issue a newsletter once in a while.  This is the first of those newsletters designed to let you know what is going on with the repeater and whatever other ham radio news can be put together at publication time.  The mailing list was developed the best we could by trying to identify the regular users and supporters of the repeater.  In the future, information about the repeater and other news may be available by land line BBS in addition to or in lieu of a newsletter mailing.

REPEATER IMPROVEMENTS

Over the past year the repeater’s antenna has been raised to 200 feet and the output raised to 50 watts.  Our effective radiated power (ERP) is 300 watts.  Also, a remote base system was added with band units on 2 meters, 220 MHz, and 440 MHz.  Other repeater work in progress includes adding 10 meters to the remote base system and installing a remote receiver in Virginia Beach .  The repeater is controlled by an Advanced Computer Controls (ACC) RC-96 which will become the premiere ACC controller.  They have discontinued normal production of the famous RC-850 controller (heard on great repeaters in the area such as 146.73, 146.61, 145.17, and 146.97) and plan to incorporate many of the RC-850 features and even more capabilities into the RC-96 over a period of time.  Many thanks to the users for making it worthwhile!

AUTOPATCH

The 33 repeater maintains an emergency autodial capability with access codes that conform to the standard list in use on South Tidewater repeaters.  Regular autopatch and autodial capabilities are also available.  Contact Paul KC4UQY for more details.  Also, if you have an autodial number programmed in and move, or otherwise want to change the number that is programmed, please don’t forget to contact Paul.  We can also provide you with additional autodials should you wish more.  If you desire to make long distance calls on the repeater contact Paul for special instructions.  The controller is programmed to inhibit most long distance calls.

PUBLIC SERVICE

The Norfolk Amateur Radio Emergency Service utilizes 145.33 as their back-up repeater.  The primary is 147.075.  Current plans are to use the 33 repeater for HarborFest 3-5 June.  The Norfolk ARES Net meets on the 2^nd and 4^th Tuesday of each month on 147.075.  They also hold monthly meetings in Norfolk on the 1^st Tuesday of each month.  Contact the Norfolk Emergency Coordinator (EC), Dan KA4HBU, for additional info.

SOME LOCAL 2 METER REPEATERS

CITY                      FREQ     OFFSET  CALL         SPONSOR

Chesapeake    145.290  (-600)      K4NDH       Naval Security Group Northwest

Chesapeake    146.610  (-600)      N4GSP       Chesapeake Amateur Radio Svc

Chesapeake    146.790  (-600)      N4SD         Hampton Roads Radio Association

Hampton           146.730  (-600)      K4DHO      South Peninsula Amat Radio Klub

Newport News  147.165  (+600)     WB4CTF    Newport News Amateur Radio Club

Norfolk               145.170  (-600)      WA4ZUA    Atlantic Fleet HQ Support Act

Norfolk               145.330  (-600)       NS3F          NS3F

Norfolk               146.700  (-600)       NE4D        Old Dominion University

Norfolk               147.075  (+600)      KA4HBU     KA4HBU

Portsmouth        146.850  (-600)       W4POX    Portsmouth Amateur Radio Club

 VA Beach             146.895  (-600)      WA4KXV   VA Beach Emerg Am Rptr Society

 VA Beach             146.970  (-600)      WA4KXV   VA Beach Emerg Am Rptr Society

 VA Beach             147.045  (+600)     WA4SBC   WA4SBC

 VA Beach             147.375  (+600)     W4NV         Tidewater Amateur Radio Club

NEWSLINE RADIO  

Amateur Radio Newsline, Inc. (formerly WESTLINK RADIO) produces a weekly news broadcast.  It does not appear to currently be available on any of the local repeaters.  Many repeaters around the country transmit Newsline after recording it over the telephone.  New versions are generally released each Friday.  Below is a list of telephone numbers where it can be received from.  In addition, electronic script versions are posted on America Online and Prodigy twice each month.

Los Angeles :  213-462-0008

Seattle :  206-368-3969 and 206-281-8455

Tacoma :  206-927-7373

Louisville :  502-894-8559

Dayton :  513-275-9991

New York City :  718-353-2801

Melbourne , FL :  407-259-4479

The instant update line is 805-296-2407  

FIRE COMMISSIONER PRAISES HAMS IN QUAKE COMMUNICATIONS

            Ham radio has been praised by the City of Los Angeles for jumping in when hospital communications failed after the January 14^th Northridge earthquake.  According to Fire Department Chief Alan Cowan, the hams were called on to take the place of the regular hospital dispatch services when the hospital to fire department interconnect failed following the quake.

            According to Chief Cowan, communications breakdowns following the quake left ambulance drivers confused about where to take the injured.  Speaking at a recent Seismic Safety Conference in Burbank , California , Cowan noted that the breakdown was so severe that fire captains had to be dispatched to area hospitals to assess their status and determine where ambulance drivers could take victims.  Cowan said the fire department finally reestablished communications when ham radio stations were set up at each hospital.  But he added that he felt the existing hospital radio dispatch systems were inadequate for communications between field paramedics and base hospitals.

            A hospital association spokesman acknowledged that 12 hospitals declared internal disasters requiring paramedic ambulances to pass them by.  The spokesman declined comment on the charges of inadequate communications following the 6.8 tremor.  But Seismic Safety Commission members said they were gravely concerned by the performance of hospitals in the hard-hit San Fernando Valley .  They say that they were glad that radio amateurs were available to step in when needed.