Kamiak Butte Amateur Repeater Association, Spokane WA




© 2017, Kamiak Butte Amateur Repeater Association

KBARA News

December 30, 2013
There has been some confusion amounst the Kamiak Butte repeater owners. The Kamiak Butte Repeaters have been off-line since 24Dec13, but are now restored.


July, 2013
The new IRLP node 3636 is now installed and working great.  This IRLP node can be used by any repeater connected to the Evergreen Intertie and is located on East Tiger Mountain, near Issaquah, WA.  Normally, the node is connected to reflector 9075 at all times. Stations in the Seattle area can invite other IRLP nodes to connect to reflector 9075 and they will be heard on the K7NWS-145.33 repeater.

The primary purpose of this IRLP node is to provide a high quality audio link between the East side, and the West side of the Evergreen Intertie.  The RF links are still in place and can be used if the IRLP link goes down.  

A big thanks to Jack-W7HNH and Bob-WA7HJR for helping with this project and providing a suitable site and Internet connection.

Here is a photo of the rack mouted case that houses the IRLP interface and computer:
IRLP Node 3636 hardware
This case encloses the IRLP board and Raspberry Pi computer.  These items were purchased by KBARA, configured by Glen-KF7QLH, installed in the case by Randy-W4LKS. The site and Internet connection is hosted by Jack-W7HNH.  The cords are for Monitor and Keyboard if needed for troubleshooting.

July, 2013

August, 2012

The campout was a blast, and we would like to thank Roger, KF7JJC for providing some excellent ribs, and other goodies at the campout! The annual meeting was good, and a copy of the meeting minutes can be requested from Glen, KF7QLH.

Hamfest is coming up soon! You can see KBARA's flyer regarding the hamfest by clicking on the "Events/Hamfests" link on the website. From what I know, raffle ticket sales are going great, and table reservations seem to be going good too. We are in need of door prizes! If you know anyone who would like to donate door prizes, you can contact Betsy, N7WRQ. Hope to see a lot of people at the hamfest!



From the Listening Post
Posted September 29th, 2011

Yesterday, during the official KBARA net, we were talking about the need to replace the 147.380 machine (W7OE, SPOKANE) antenna. A big ice ball took out our aluminum antenna over the last winter. The estimated cost of the replacement would be $1,000.00 - $2,000.00. Instead of investing that kind of money into another aluminum antenna, it was Jay's (N7ZUF) idea to just build a antenna out of stainless steel. Jay has built his own antennas for our 6 meter repeater on Kamiak Butte. Jay suggested and offered his time and labor to build another antenna to replace the broken antenna on Mica Peak. He estimated the cost to be around $350.00 instead of $1000 - $2000. It was agreed over the net, that we would proceed with Jay's stainless steel antenna. Today, the KBARA club got word that one of our members, KF7JJC, Roger in Snake River, has decided to pay for the antenna. WOW! KBARA would like to say a BIG THANK YOU to ROGER! Talk about a member going above and beyond to help support the repeater fund! THANKS AGAIN ROGER! This means a lot to the club, as well as the people that rely on that particular repeater. Jay has also agreed to take pictures of the building process, and we will have them displayed here on the website!
Thanks again, Roger for everything!

From the Listening Post
Posted September 20th, 2011

KBARA would like to thank Mike Maxson, N1NG for the years of being the co-owner of the 147.360 (Spokane) repeater. He recently decided to liquidate his interest in the repeater, and it has been sold to Glen, KF7QLH. Thanks for everything you have done over the years, Mike. It is appreciated. It takes a lot of good people just like Mike to keep a club of this size functioning well. Mike is going to keep ownership/operation of the IRLP node, as well as his projects on Mica Peak. Thanks again for everything Mike!

From John (W7OE) via Facebook
Posted September 6th, 2011

Saturday, Sept. 3, Karl (AK2O) and Josh (KE7TUN) climbed the 80' pole on Mica Peak to reposition the 147.38 repeater antenna. It was removed from the pole after it was discovered to be broken. We will continue to use the "Diamond" antenna until we purchase another Sinclair or Stationmaster repeater antenna. We did move the 430Mhz link antenna (to the west) farther up the pole and used the hardline (origionally on the Stationmaster antenna). The link to Seattle seems to sound better due to this change. By the way, Karl (AK2O) DONATED his time, gasoline expense, and a connector to KBARA. He should be thanked for his help and his donation. Also, his and Josh's climbing skills are impressive since others (myself included) refuse to even attempt to climb the runged telephone pole with many attached obstructions.

From the Air Waves
Posted August 29th, 2011

At about 3:00pm Saturday, August 27th, 2011 KD7AAT (John) took a emergency call from K7PKT (Todd). A group of guys were camping and hiking in the Emerald Lake Washington area, when someone took a spill over the side of a ledge or cliff. The guy suffered a major compound fracture of his femur. From what was described over the air, the bone had pierced the skin, leaving the guy with some major bleeding. K7PKT had his 2 meter hand held radio, and summoned help over the KBARA repeaters. John (KD7AAT) was right in the middle of a QSO when he heard the BREAK BREAK EMERGENCY come over the air. He jumped right in, trying to calm Todd down. Once Todd calmed down, John asked for the details of the injury, and asked for the location. Todd had a hand help GPS device on him, and got the exact coordinates. Todd also explained that there was absolutely NO WAY of getting a stretcher in the area; as they had to clear their own paths on the way in. John relayed all the information via cell phone to 911. It took some time being transfered between emergency services in different counties, and kept in constant contact with Todd about what was happening.

The rescue service decided that they would send a ambulance to the area, to see how close they could get to the injured party. Once the medics got close to the scene, they soon realized that Todd was not joking about the distance from the nearest roads, and it would be about a two and a half mile hike through some seriously dangerous conditions. At about this time, a Air Force medic who happened to be in the same area came upon the group, and helped in securing the injured party, while they were still waiting for help. A short time later, first responders also arrived on scene on foot. They wanted to make sure the patient was stabilized, and also find an area, and clear it for the helicopter landing.
After some more questions from 911 regarding what the patient would need, a helicopter was launched from Spokane, Washington for the 175 (approx) nautical mile flight.
The patient was transported to the hospital, and is recovering from his injuries. We are supposed to get a detailed letter today from Todd K7PKT on how the flight went, and how the injured party is doing today. We will update you when that information becomes available.

Previous Coverage:
Right Now! KD7AAT is coordinating with K7PKT a helicopter rescue mission for someone in desperate need of medical assistance in a very remote location off of Deadman Creek Rd (FSRD 9565) at the South East of Emerald Lake, Washington. Coordinates are as follows: N - 48.63726 W - 118.25478. Stand by for for information. . . . (Update 4:15pm) WW7DD is now coordinating with the Colville 911 and assisting the operation to Emerald Lake, Wa. I believe that they finally realize the remote location, and they are sending in a helicopter. They were asked to set flares or strobe on or near the landing area. Stand by for more information. . .

Posted August 16th, 2011

Hello,
I am contacting all the radio groups in the area to spread the word that the Bonner County Amateur Radio Club (BCARC) is looking for a few volunteers to help be the eyes and ears for the 2011 Bonner County Fair in Sandpoint, ID. We would greatly appreciate spreading the invitation to your members and also mention on the nets in your area.

Where: Bonner County Fairgrounds in Sandpoint, ID
When: August 23rd to 27th
Times: 8am to 8pm each day (gates close 11pm)
Talk in frequency: 145.230 minus offset 100.0 tone
Fair net frequency: 145.600 simplex
Anyone wishing more information or to schedule a time to volunteer can contact Dave or Josh. We will also be sponsoring Technician License classes in September. We will be needing VEs to come to Sandpoint to administer the test after the classes are done.
Thank you,
Dave Holten
N7UTG
Vise President
Bonner County Amateur Radio Club
www.k7jep.org


Swap Shop
Posted August 12th, 2011

Hey y'all!
I am happy to announce that John (KD7AAT) has decided to run a Swap Shop area of the kbara.org website. If you are looking to buy, sell, trade, donate, or mooch radio equipment then you can click on the link titled Swap Shop! John is the one that came up with the idea, and we thought that it was a good one. To view items wanted, for sale, etc., just click on the link, and it will take you directly to the list. If you have any questions, there is a email address on the page for you to send email directly to John. Hope everyone likes it!

Glen - KF7QLH

Posted August 11th, 2011
************FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE***********
Special Event Station K5B Plano Balloon Festival

September 16, 2011 through September 18, 2011. Celebrating the 31st annual Plano Balloon Festival, members of the Plano Amateur Radio Klub (PARK) and area amateur radio operators will be QRV as K5B during the festival. Frequencies plus or minus QRM: 7.255, 14.255, 21.355 and on the club repeater, WD5ERD on 147.180 + PL 107.2 and via Echolink at K5PRK. QSL with SASE to K5PRK .

More information formation will be available on our website at www.k5prk.net/k5b.

Website Changes
Posted August 9th, 2011

Hey y'all!
First off I would like to thank you for stopping by KBARA.org and checking out the new website. It was mentioned that a "make over" for the KBARA site might be due; and since I have just a little bit of website experience I threw a proposal together for it. So far, everyone seems to like the new look, and we're going to see how it pans out! I hope you like it too. If there is anything you feel could be added, changed, deleted, or whatever please don't hesitate to get a hold of me and let me know any ideas you have. I am almost always on the air from 6am - 8am in the mornings, and 5pm - 10pm, or you can email me through this website.

Thanks so much & 73's!

Glen (KF7QLH)

IRLP Upgrade Successful
Posted May 11, 2010

Hi crew!

IRLP is back online, again.
So, what happened to IRLP?

Here is the low down: Just prior to my going to Florida, the IRLP went down and stayed that way until I returned a couple weeks ago. It turned out to be a fault in the wiring between the radio and the Linux server. I repaired it and IRLP was back for about a week and a half. At that point, the server started losing sectors on the Linux server’s hard drive. I would repair 2 or 3 sectors and IRLP would work for about a day, then crash again.

After a few days of this, I decided it was time to migrate to the new IRLP server and board. Good thing I just happened to have a new IRLP board and computer waiting!

The old IRLP Linux server was a Pentium II running Red Hat Linux release 9 (Shrike). The new IRLP Linux server is a Pentium 4 running CentOS 4.8 (Final) and it has the new IRLP board installed. I built a new cable from scratch that goes between the server and the 1.25M link radio. The new board had the COS jumper set incorrectly and the onboard “sound card� had some issues. But after a couple tweaks it slowly came back this morning (11 May 2010).

With any luck KBARA should once again have a solid IRLP system. Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you notice any system-related anomalies.

73,
Mike
N1NG

Generous Donation
Posted March 28, 2010

On December 15, 2009, an extremely generous donation was made to KBARA. Dan Ransom, K7MM, donated to the club his repeater equipment located on Kamiak Butte.
KB7ARA now shares in the ownership of the 146.74 repeater, along with Bob, W7HFI, and John, W7OE. KB7ARA is now sole owner of the 6 meter repeater there, 53.750 MHZ.

The club wishes to thank Dan for his generosity & kindness, and for all he's done for the club. He has agreed to still be an "Advisor" to the group.
73,
Betsy, N7WRQ

Elections
Posted March 28, 2010

Elections for club officers will be at the July general meeting. Positions open are: President, Vice-President, Secretary, and Treasurer. If you would like to run for one of these positions, please contact Mark, K7HPT at markvanwinkle@comcast.net
73,
Betsy, N7WRQ

From the Listening Post
Posted August 25, 2008

The new KBARA application form and the new listing of KBARA officials is now available for downloading from this website (home page).
73,
Mike Maxson
N1NG

From the Listening Post
Posted August 19, 2008

Hi All,

On August 16, round the Frankie Doodle Restaurant table, a gentlemen's agreement was struck between Neil, N7LVO, & Mark, KE7HPT.
Mark will become the new co-owner of the Look Out Pass repeater, along with John, W7OE.
And Neil will donate the proceeds from the sale, $900, to KBARA. Mighty fine, mighty fine!!

Thanks very much, Neil, from all of us, and we wish Mark the best now as a KBARA owner.


This from Dan, K7MM, on the activities also on the 16th......unbelievable! It just can't get any better.
Thanks
Dan & Jim.


Betsy,
11 hours at the site today, and well worth it. Jim, KE6DWM and I did the following
Installed the CommSpec TS-64 tone decoder on the 223-MHz link receiver
Upgraded the S-Com S7 controller to v2.03b from v1.15
Reprogrammed the Kamiak controller with parameters for the 146.74-MHz repeater and for the 223-MHz link
Inserted an antenna surge arrestor on the 223-MHz feedline and grounded to the building entrance ground

The benefits of our work today are that '74 repeater users no longer hear the 223-MHz repeater tail (listening is easier and there is less transmitter run time), the '74 repeater has separate courtesy indicators for local and link traffic, local DTMF 9* for the time of day in Morse code, and other operational enhancements. We now have surge protection on the 223-MHz feedline.

Plans include a 223-MHz circulator/isolator (contractually required by the site owner) and a new controller. The new S-Com 7330 controller should arrive in a few weeks, so we can make further upgrades in local-area performance, including voice announcements.

73,

Dan at K7MM, VU3MMW


And, Karl, AK2O, & John, W7OE, headed up the hill on August 17th to Stensgar to make repairs to the hub repeater power supply. After all this, not only will we be looking good, we'll be sounding good too.

Thanks all, and stay cool.

73,
Betsy, N7WRQ

From the Listening Post
Posted August 10, 2008

Hi All,

Hope you don't mind, Dan, if I relay your info to the group so the right hand knows what the left hand is doing. Thanks a million to you & Jim for adopting the Kamiak repeater. It's sounding magnificent now.

Too, Ken & John made their mission to Pikes Peak. As I hear it, which isn't always right, the old RLC controller did not have a tone board, so they could not swap Mitreks. The current repeater was re-re-tuned, now with 30 watts out, so we'll keep our fingers crossed.

As I understand it, Mike, N1NG, will be posting these notes to the KBARA web site, (https://kbara.org) , so the members can keep track of the happenings, if they wish.

Thanks again for all the help & 73,
Betsy, N7WRQ
KBARA Treasurer & Control Op

Jim, KE6DWM, Bob, W7HFI and I discovered that the mangling, wandering antenna was the 146.740 MHz repeater antenna. Only one bay of the four-bay dipoles was vertical, the rest were horizontal and blowing in the breeze!

Because of the kindness of the Whitman County government, they allowed us to use the abandoned Whitman Fire District 12 hardline and Super StationMaster antenna. As of 8/8/08 the Kamiak FM voice repeater on 146.740 MHz is much improved.

We attempted to install the old CommSpec TS-32 subaudible tone decoder, but we found that the decoder portion is broken. I will be getting another one soon. The goal for this hardware is to eliminate the 223 MHz hub repeater tail on the 146.740 MHz output.

Also, today the Postal Service delivered the upgrade for the Kamiak controller from SCom S7 v1.15 to v2.30. Better beeps, IDs, and messages to follow. p.s. Ruth, W1MOM, is EC for Whitman County.

73,
Dan at K7MM, VU3MMW

From the Listening Post
Posted August 10, 2008

Karl (AK2O) found a problem with the link system. The power output is down from what it should be. It turns out his power supply is not working well.
John (W7OE) and Mike (N1NG) will be "lending" another power supply to him.
He also reported that work at the Stensgar site is progressing.

From the Listening Post
Posted July 25, 2008

Hi All,
These are my latest gatherings regarding the health of the KBARA repeater system. Too, I've added a few names to our e-mail list. Along with all the repeater owners & officers, I've added Dan, K7MM, a life member who started the whole thing (KBARA); Royal, KB7WTO, past co-owner/officer & life member who now lives in Hemet, CA; one of our newest repeater technicians, Jim, KE6DWM, living in Pullman; and Barney, KL7HNY, who has offered to help with repeater work as well.
From what I could hear, Dan, K7MM, Jim, KE6DWM, & Bob, W7HFI, spent most of last Sunday on Kamiak Butte installing the "new" Mitrek. It sound fabulous!! More work is to be done with installing the hard line & repointing the link antenna to Stensgar when the new lease with WSU has been negotiated. Thanks a million guys!
The Lookout Pass repeater has been taken off the mountain by John , W7OE, who says the squelch circuit in the radio is bad. This is his umteenth trip to the site. His plan is to take that repeater to Pikes Peak in two weeks with Ken, KD7DDQ, & switch that repeater for the one there, which is pooping out.
The 3 Mitreks will be shipped by John to Royal for reconfiguring in "one Amateur time unit", according to John. The new 430 MHz ice-shield covered link antenna (antenna donated by Art, WB7AUK, & ice cover made by Ken) will be installed at Mica, once the Lookout Pass repeater is back up & running.
And the hub repeater amplifier, located on Stensgar, suddenly does not seem to be working, which means the signal is now suddenly "qrp". Does this mean buying a new amplifier??
"So many things, and so little time". Thanks all for your efforts, and hope this helps in keeping you up-do-date with tidbits from the "Listening Post"
73,
Betsy, N7WRQ
KBARA Treasurer & Control Op

Moe Award Winner Comments
Posted July 23, 2008

Hi Betsy;
Thanks so much and thanks to all owners/ops and KBARA Et 'All for the nomination and award of MOE.. I've enjoyed doing the nets... and even have my XYL Judi involved looking up names and calls etc...
Thanks again..
MOE is prominently displayed at the QTH... and BTW.. our cat Flea... hates the noise.. she comes running and meows at Moe... poor Moe... ...

73 88 Duff, WA7BFN

70cm Repeater Now Located at Mica Peak
Posted May 2, 2008

The 70cm repeater used to be located on the South Hill of Spokane. That location was good for Echolink, poor for propagation. Once we get our hands on two 1.25m radios, we plan to "beam" Echolink up to Mica Peak much the same way we currently do with IRLP. What all this means is the repeater is working, but is not tied to Echolink.
There is still fine tuning being done, but the system is available for your use. The freq and tone are the same: 444.35 +, 192.8

73,
Mike, N1NG

KBARA Newsletter Electronic Delivery Option
Posted Mar 6, 2008

In our on-going efforts to be conservative in our spending and save postage, KBARA members now have an option to receive their newsletter via email, web site, or USPS. The membership form now has an area where you can specify how you want your newsletter sent.

73,
Mike, N1NG

147.36 ownership changed
Posted Sep 10, 2007

Hi All,

To keep all the KBARA owners & officers "in the loop", last night Royal & Barbara Moore, KB7WTO & KB7WTN, sold their half ownership of the 147.36 repeater to Mike Maxson, N1NG. Needless to say, we are greatly indebted to Royal & Barb for their great service over the years, and congratulate Mike on taking on this tremendous responsibility.

In going over my sketchy records, I wrote on February 8, 1997, "Stensgar repeater 147.36 sold to John Dempster, W7OE, & Royal Moore, KB7WTO, by Art Gemmrig, WB7AUK, with the call sign being changed from WB7AUK to KB7WTO". The call sign "N1NG" now will follow.

73,
Betsy, N7WRQ
Secretary, KBARA

Evergreen Intertie Information
Posted Mar 5, 2006

W7ZVD just shared with me a great source of info on the status of the Evergreen Intertie. There is a Yahoo group called evergreenintertie. All you need to do is join that group and you will be in the know. I will post an example above.

N1NG

ARRL Eastern Washington Section
Web Site
October 31, 2003

Be sure to check out the latest updates on the ARRL EWA web site!


Evergreen Intertie Contributions Sought
June 7, 2003

Please alert users of the KBARA system that contributions are needed to maintain our link to the west side of the state through the Evergreen Intertie. Contributions may be sent to:

John Williams, WA7HNH
P.O. Box 603
South Cle Elum, WA 98943-0603.

Please make checks payable to John Williams, not the Evergreen Intertie, as the Intertie has no federal ID number from the IRS, which the banks require.
Thanks,
Betsy, N7WRQ


KBARA Pin


The official KBARA pin is available for purchase. Also, at the September 27 Spokane Hamfest, TopHat Novelties/Engraving will be making the official KBARA pin available. Please get the word out as folks have been wanting these for quite some time.

73,
Betsy, N7WRQ
.........
The KBARA badges are 90% ready to start accepting prepaid orders. The yellow hangers only are $6.50 and the full badge is $8.50. We can mail up to 3 badges to the same address for just a $1.00 extra for shipping.... Be sure to send us a list of names and calls, with a single check, and which they want (hanger or full badge). We never cash a check until the order is on its way.

Dan & Dawn, n7QHC & KC7YYB, TopHat Novelties/Engraving, 232 So. 107th St., Seattle, WA 98168, 206-243-0163, fax 206-444-9973