INTRODUCTION

We take a cellular approach to repeater networking. All or our repeaters are on low level repeater sites. But with repeater networking (via the Brandmeister Network), and implementation of roaming in client radios, we are able to achieve a seamless composite coverage foot print that equals or exceeds the coverage foot print of a high level repeater site.

Our repeaters are OPEN. However, we are serious about our operating rules and have implemented an FCC part 97.205(e) exclusion when necessary. Abide by the rules and you should have no issues.

If you want to participate in a regularly scheduled NET, please contact one of the repeater trustees and make a request. We can set up a timed static talk-group subscription on time-slot 1 to support a NET so that participants do not need to key their radio periodically to maintain the talk-group lease. The same can be done if you have a regularly scheduled contact on a talk-group that does not have a static talk-group lease (for a 30-minute to 1-hour window).

SITE-TO-SITE ROAMING

All of the UHF Motorola repeaters beacon at a 60 second interval to support site-to-site roaming. The VHF repeaters do not beacon and do not support site-to-site roaming in order to not overload other in-band equipment at the VHF low level repeater sites.

A client radio can be programmed with a roaming group that is a collection of the COMMSWG UHF repeater channels, and when roaming is enabled, should result in automatic channel switching in the event of lost coverage to a specific repeater, provided that the client radio is within range of one of the COMMSWG UHF repeaters.

If programming of roaming is not implemented in the client radio, the operator will need to manually select channels when moving from the coverage foot-print of an individual repeater to another repeater.

DENIAL TONE

When a client radio emits a low frequency audio tone shortly after keying, this is a denial tone. A denial tone occurs when the client radio is out of range of the repeater, or when the repeater is transmitting identification via analog FM morse code. If you believe you are in range of the repeater and hear a denial tone, please wait a few seconds for any pending morse identification to complete and then try again.

MONITORING COMMSWG REPEATER ACTIVITY

Activity on the COMMSWG repeater network can be observed by clicking here .

ABOUT ON-LINE REPEATER DIRECTORIES

We do not maintain information about the COMMSWG Repeaters on other sites that provide repeater data. We have, in the past, gone to great lengths to maintain data on other repeater listing sites, including technical data, drive testing of repeater coverage, etc. We have experienced repeated destruction of the data that we have submitted on our repeaters, either through neglegent site update practices that are data destructive, or by modifications submitted by persons not affiliated with our repeaters. Further, some data submissions, such as ARTSCI (who we do not recommend because any effort to make their publication more accurate actually becomes punitive to the person sumbitting data), have resulted in incurring years of unwanted email solicitations (to which there is no functional unsubscription method.

We are sorry, but because of experiencing at least a subset of these issues with every repeater directory service we have attempted to participate in, we will not attempt to maintain information about these repeaters on other sites. It just is not worth our time or effort to do so.

Please don't ask us to update on-line repeater directories.