Oh, yeah

Trevor had us drive a few miles further for better views of all the great mountains

Almost 30 miles round trip ..?Really great weather. Big Fun

BR Trail Road makes it easy to navigate to the site.
After trailhead and up is 50" limit
but 4x4 truck is fine up to T/H

Lots of great parks and terrain
up there for snowmobiles
TNX

On Mon, Sep 16, 2024, 18:04 Larry kf7l via <kf7l=[email protected]> wrote:

Dan, I was trying to find the repeater site on Google Earth but have only been by there a few dozen times on snowmobile many years ago. Zooming in and following the trail, as I remember it, did not work. I did see the trail head which did not exist then and your aprs beacon. You were way over west by that time and coming back.
Cheers

Dan KK7FDP via wrote on 9/16/2024 5:30 PM:

Thanks, Larry.
That is good to know
I will go look at the track
It was not our usual trail
Cheers

On Mon, Sep 16, 2024, 13:25 Larry kf7l via <kf7l=[email protected]> wrote:

Dan your? 878 aprs was working fine on Buck Ridge.
Larry KF7L

Trevor kg7kcv via wrote on 9/15/2024 6:07 PM:

Thanks Stacy! Hopefully our roofing subject matter expert can weigh in on needed materials. Not sure who that is yet :)

We took a trip up to the 82 site with new AGM batteries and a programmable MPPT controller. Existing batteries were all at 0.0 volts.?

With new batteries installed and controller installed, I missed a crucial change in the wiring color standard on the load side of the solar controller. Long story short, I let the magic smoke out of several?components of the repeater. I did everything I could to follow the wiring and check polarity at each junction but missed at one spot. We have hauled all the equipment back down to be looked over.?

I will work on cleaning up and standardizing the wiring, making it very easy for anyone to decipher and diagnose with fuse blocks, connectorized disconnects and coherent colors.

Hopefully our electronics guru Harley can find something easy to repair and we can get the system back to the top of the mountain before the road is impassable?on wheels.

Thanks to Dan for transportation services and to Norm for his company and extra set of hands.

I am very sorry to have created additional issues at this site, but I do believe that when we are finished, the 82 will be better and more?reliable than ever.

-Trevor KG7KCV

On Sun, Sep 15, 2024 at 12:30?PM Stacy KK7CJV via <stroscoe2001=[email protected]> wrote:

Trevor,?

I have a roll of tar paper I would like to donate to the roof project. Still cleaning shop so I may find a couple bundles of shingles-I would like to donate them as well. Please let us know after the site survey what would be needed for repairs.

Thanks?

Stacy KK7CJV?

On Sep 14, 2024, at 11:26?AM, Trevor kg7kcv <trevlanes@...> wrote:

?

I am working on getting batteries and MPPT controller today. Dan and Trevor will be meeting at 4corners 9am tomorrow (sunday) to head up to the site to get things started. Harley is not available?this weekend, but if anyone would like to tag along and has means to get to the top of the ridge, all are welcome. Again, the road is restricted?50" vehicles. Its a great ride on a motorcylce too! If you want to continue to the top, there is a great view at the end of the road another 8 or ten miles up.

I can be reached at 570-5672

On Fri, Sep 13, 2024 at 6:48?PM Trevor kg7kcv via <trevlanes=[email protected]> wrote:

I think we had a meaningful and constructive conversation regarding repeater work and maintenance last night. Harley is burdened by the number of repeaters under him, needs help,?and will be letting?the?club/community know how we can all be involved and of use. We have plenty of folks that want to volunteer and have offered help in the past. We would all like to be in the loop regarding what needs to be done, where it needs to be done, and what's currently being worked on so?we can be of service and learn the systems.??

Hopefully Harley can help put together a list of other repeaters in despair and work that needs to take place. He mentioned there are 13 repeaters he takes responsibility for. I'm not sure how we organize and prioritize these.?

Any documentation?on site access and repeater configuration?would?be greatly appreciated and very useful to organize help.

Long Term Plan for the .82 / Buck Ridge Repeater:

-Building needs a roof. We had volunteers?ready to do the work, but never got the work scheduled. I will bump that?email chain. This will need to happen in June when the road opens back up to wheeled traffic. Road is restricted to 50" vehicles.

-Separate?non-profit and for-profit power systems, while maintaining good relations with commercial site users. We will still provide our services and collaborate.

-New batteries. Not recycled batteries. ERA has room in the budget for this. I recommend?AGM. QTY to be determined. I would like to start with around 200ah.

-Determine power requirements for both systems by measuring idle and transmit current.

-Reconfigure existing solar panels in series to minimize current loss on the lengthy?12 gauge?wiring.

-Add MPPT Solar controller?to utilize high voltage from new panel arrangement?and provide low volt disconnect to protect battery investment.?

? ? ?I had previously offered a modern controller, but the PWM got used instead. I have already ordered another. Hopefully 20a will carry our system. New controller can provide historical data for solar and load.

-Determine if higher gauge?wire can be pulled through existing underground conduit.

-Consider Bi-facial solar panels to make better use of vertically oriented panels at this site if funds become available.

Weather and time depending, this weekend I may try to make a quick motorcycle or ATV trip up to get some preliminary notes and data.

There will be more to this thread as information becomes available. This could also be a useful thread to organize and track progress and volunteers for the 82.

Here is the controller I will provide:

I can get these batteries for 50$ off retail:

These can get for 98$:

?

My corporate rate unfortunately cuts the warranty in half, so that will need to be considered.

Thanks for everyone's time and input.

-Trevor KG7KCV

On Thu, Sep 12, 2024 at 9:50?AM Ronnie ai7dk via <rlw.flyfish=[email protected]> wrote:

73 to everyone

Please find the zoom meeting invitation for this evening at 1830 MDT to discuss a plan to go forward on the 82 repeater work.? If you have any questions on the invitation please feel free to give me a call at (704) 806 - 8609.? Look forward to seeing you later.

Ronnie AI7DK

Topic: 82 Repeater Work
Time: Sep 12, 2024 06:30 PM Mountain Time (US and Canada)

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Hi Sue,

I think gaining that knowledge for the repeater network will go hand in hand with your first point there, and hopefully Harley and/or some other folks can help us out in that regard.

The $1,200 fee comes from the passage of the Farm Bill, which seems to be getting kicked down the road. Each year it comes up, but no traction has been made in actually enforcing? that fee. However, I think that applying for some grants would be an amazing thing, even if it is to hedge our bets against the possibility of those fees going live.

Pulling together a maintenance schedule and setting aside funding should?be a core goal of this project, but I can not speak to any sort of numbers until we get more information.

Let me know if you have any other questions!

Spencer

On Mon, Oct 7, 2024 at 2:28?PM Sue KK7RYG via <Gghopper62=[email protected]> wrote:

Thank you Spencer. In addition to the maintenance aspect, it would be helpful to understand the repeater network in general - who owns or leases and from whom etc. How & who to go to for access ?& how the nationwide network ties together.?

Being less than a year into the ham world, personally, I don’t understand how the repeater networks operate.?

Before I stepped in as treasurer, a comment was made by an officer that the club needed to pay$1200 annually for one of the repeaters. Some quick math @$25 pp for club members, the club would be well shy for that one item alone - which is how the topic of grants came into focus. I would have been happy to pursue a grant for rent, repairs, new equipment etc.?

?So, in addition to current maintenance, are there other long term considerations? Who holds the leases? How long do they run through?? As you mentioned the repeaters have been operational for decades, finding funding if necessary is not a short process and it would be great if people understood and could help.?

I’ve seen at the bottom of posted meeting minutes that donations can be made to the repeater networks but it’s never been mentioned at a meeting. Perhaps some of the other newer members would benefit from a repeater overview as well.?

At the last meeting it was announced that Harley was going to give an overview of the repeater systems but instead we got tied up with the logistics of use of the SAR building for meetings. It would be great if we could have the repeater network be a topic at one of the meetings!?

Thank you!

Enjoy the day!

Sue

On Oct 7, 2024, at 12:27?PM, Spencer KJ7SSS via <spencershuman=[email protected]> wrote:

?

Good afternoon all,

?

The recent 82 repeater maintenance threads got me thinking about to manage the amazing network of repeaters that we have in this area, and how delicate our network really is. As such, I would like to propose a potential method to disperse the workload, and more importantly, the knowledge about each of these repeaters.

?

As we all know, Harley Leach has been spearheading the repeater maintenance for the past several years (decades...), and has reached out to the club numerous times asking for help. Personally, I feel a little overwhelmed offering up my assistance, because I really don't know what each repeater looks like, what it is made of, and how they work. What I would first like to work on is writing down and organizing all of the repeaters' data into one, secure, accessible location, of which my first thought would be on the Groups.io page.

?

Groups.io has a way to incorporate a wiki into our page (I don't have write access, but it is at the bottom of the page), and I think that would be a great way to store the information for each one of these repeaters. It can be locked down so only members can see the information, and we can continually add to the wiki as things are fixed.

?

I am willing to spearhead this data collection and organization, as well as help as much as possible in the actual repeater maintenance, but I will need significant help and guidance in gathering the information, as well as some updated permissions in the Groups.io so I can make edits to the wiki. Please feel free to reach out with any questions, comments, or concerns you might have with this project, and until then, 73's.

?

Spencer Shuman - KJ7SSS

--
Enjoy the day!

Sue D.
KK7RYG

Thank you Spencer. In addition to the maintenance aspect, it would be helpful to understand the repeater network in general - who owns or leases and from whom etc. How & who to go to for access ?& how the nationwide network ties together.?

Being less than a year into the ham world, personally, I don’t understand how the repeater networks operate.?

Before I stepped in as treasurer, a comment was made by an officer that the club needed to pay$1200 annually for one of the repeaters. Some quick math @$25 pp for club members, the club would be well shy for that one item alone - which is how the topic of grants came into focus. I would have been happy to pursue a grant for rent, repairs, new equipment etc.?

?So, in addition to current maintenance, are there other long term considerations? Who holds the leases? How long do they run through?? As you mentioned the repeaters have been operational for decades, finding funding if necessary is not a short process and it would be great if people understood and could help.?

I’ve seen at the bottom of posted meeting minutes that donations can be made to the repeater networks but it’s never been mentioned at a meeting. Perhaps some of the other newer members would benefit from a repeater overview as well.?

At the last meeting it was announced that Harley was going to give an overview of the repeater systems but instead we got tied up with the logistics of use of the SAR building for meetings. It would be great if we could have the repeater network be a topic at one of the meetings!?

Thank you!

Enjoy the day!

Sue

On Oct 7, 2024, at 12:27?PM, Spencer KJ7SSS via <spencershuman=[email protected]> wrote:

?

Good afternoon all,

?

The recent 82 repeater maintenance threads got me thinking about to manage the amazing network of repeaters that we have in this area, and how delicate our network really is. As such, I would like to propose a potential method to disperse the workload, and more importantly, the knowledge about each of these repeaters.

?

As we all know, Harley Leach has been spearheading the repeater maintenance for the past several years (decades...), and has reached out to the club numerous times asking for help. Personally, I feel a little overwhelmed offering up my assistance, because I really don't know what each repeater looks like, what it is made of, and how they work. What I would first like to work on is writing down and organizing all of the repeaters' data into one, secure, accessible location, of which my first thought would be on the Groups.io page.

?

Groups.io has a way to incorporate a wiki into our page (I don't have write access, but it is at the bottom of the page), and I think that would be a great way to store the information for each one of these repeaters. It can be locked down so only members can see the information, and we can continually add to the wiki as things are fixed.

?

I am willing to spearhead this data collection and organization, as well as help as much as possible in the actual repeater maintenance, but I will need significant help and guidance in gathering the information, as well as some updated permissions in the Groups.io so I can make edits to the wiki. Please feel free to reach out with any questions, comments, or concerns you might have with this project, and until then, 73's.

?

Spencer Shuman - KJ7SSS

--
Enjoy the day!

Sue D.
KK7RYG

On Mon, Sep 30, 2024 at 8:30?AM Sam k7cog via <samh=[email protected]> wrote:

Nice meeting everyone this weekend.? Thank you to those who brought out equipment.? I appreciated the power of the beam antenna and was particularly impressed witnessing the sixty mile simplex contact!? I would join for a future mobile event of this type again.? Thanks for organizing, Stacy.??

Cheers,

Sam, K7COG

--
Carol B Flaherty KA7ROL