Kamiak Butte Amateur Repeater Association

The Kamiak Butte Amateur Repeater Association (KBARA) is a regional amateur radio club serving the inland Pacific Northwest region of the United States. Our mission is to assist all amateur radio operators in understanding and utilizing the linked repeater system to benefit everyone in the community.  

The primary function of the KBARA repeaters is to facilitate emergency communications throughout the Pacific Northwest, while also supporting routine amateur radio communication. Most KBARA repeaters are audio linked, which means that when you transmit on your local repeater, your message is broadcasted across all linked repeaters. This creates a cohesive system of amateur communications that expands the limited range of any individual repeater. Most KBARA FM repeaters operate within the VHF bands and are interconnected using UHF radios and IRLP, covering an area from northeastern Washington to northeastern Oregon, and from western Montana to central Washington.  

As of July 2013, we have installed a full-time IRLP link that enhances audio quality and reduces reliance on RF links that required frequent repairs, especially during winter. A significant benefit of this system is that any IRLP linked repeater globally can join our network by simply connecting to IRLP reflector 9075. We encourage you to invite your ham friends from around the world to connect to IRLP reflector 9075 at any time.  

We would like to extend our gratitude to:  

• Dave, KL7M, for allowing us to use the IRLP Alaska Reflector 9075.  

• Fred, W5MGM, for providing the EchoLink and Allstar 53587 connections.  

• The Boeing Employees Amateur Radio Society and the Snoqualmie Valley Amateur Radio Club for their connections to the West Side of Washington.  

• Lyndel N7LT and Neal NE7AL for linking us to the Flathead Valley of Montana.  

Stay tuned for updates in the KBARA Gazette, where you can find more information about amateur radio testing and our ongoing activities.