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W7ELE VHF/2m DMR Repeater

This repeater is available to support ARES Emergency Communications.


This page last updated 19 September 2019 to disclose changes to local channel programming. NOTE: The Time-Slot 1 / Talk-Group 8 and Time-Slot 2 / Talk-Group 2 channels have migrated to Time-Slot 1 / Talk-Group 311603 and Time-Slot 2 / Talk-Group 311602 respectfully.


Table Of Contents
Introduction

The W7ELE VHF/2m repeater is a low level open repeater, located at McCall, Idaho (e.g. 100 miles due north of Boise). The W7ELE repeater provides coverage along the highway 55 cooridor, from Little Donner to north of McCall, and into portions of Adams County.


TIP: If you are unfamiliar with DMR, please see the DMR PRIMER page for an introduction to DMR and references to additional DMR introductory information.


It is absolutely essential that all operators become familiar with the DMR operating guidelines. These can be found on the Idaho ARES web-site by clicking here. These guidelines provide a context regarding the shared resource nature of DMR and wide-area networked repeater operation, and are structured to make the operating experience more enjoyable for all operators.

Operators who do not comply with the above mentioned guidelines may find themselves subject to FCC part 97.205(e) restrictions.


Operators hearing stations that do not adhere to the DMR operating guidelines are encouraged to not respond to operators that operate in violation of the guidelines in an effort to discourage poor operating practices.


W7CIA VHF/2-Meter Repeater Access Parameters
CALL
SIGN
DMR
MARC
ID
COLOR
CODE
TX
ADMITTANCE
DYNAMIC
TALK
GROUP
SLOT
STATIC
TALK
GROUP
SLOT
QTH Input
MHz
Output
MHz
MODE Timeout
Timer
Minutes
W7ELE 311607 1 Color Code Free 1 2 McCall 146.040 146.640 DMR 10

Any operator using any Transmit Admittance other than Color Code Free will be requested to change their code plug to Color Code Free before conducting further operation on the repeater. Any station operator refusing to use Color Code Free will result in the exercise of 97.205(e) to exclude that station from operation on the repeater, and any susbequent operation, in violation of 97.205(e), will be documented and reported to the FCC. It's simple: Be courteous to other operators by using Color Code Free and you won't have a problem. But if you use a mode that allows you to override other operator's use of the repeater then you will permanently loose all operating privileges on the repeater.


The W7ELE Repeater has migrated from analog FM to Digital Mobile Radio (DMR) on 20 February 2017. This was accomplished with the purchase and installation of a Hytera RD-982 136-174 MHz VHF/2m repeater from White Cloud Communications. Users with a standard analog FM transceiver will no longer be able to access the W7ELE repeater. The primary reasons for this change are to increase the usable coverage foot-print through improved signal quality, attain seamless wide area networking capability (i.e. global, national, regional, and local coverage through the BrandMeister network), with a focus on statewide ARES communications capabilities.


[Hytera RD-982 Front]


Why Hytera Was Chosen: A number of people have asked why Hytera was chosen over Motorola. Since Motorola customer programming software is a subscription service, there would be an on-going charge simply to be able to maintain programming of the repeater. No such subscription charge exists with Hytera. Pirating software is not an option, legally or ethically. Motorola may very well be a viable choice for other repeater owners / operators if the subscription fee is not objectionable to them, or if they have a business relationship with Motorola that negates the cost of the subscription. Given a very balanced comparison of Motorola and Hytera repeater specifications, and Hytera's more favorable retail pricing when compared to Motorola, Hytera simply made the most economic sense.



DMR Code Plug Parameters

TIME SLOT 2 IS RESERVED FOR LOCAL TRAFFIC USING TALK-GROUP 311602 ONLY. USE OF ALL OTHER TALK GROUPS, OR THE USE OF PRIVATE CALL FEATURES, ARE RESTRICTED TO TIME-SLOT 1. ANY USER THAT OPERATES WITH ANY TALK GROUP OTHER THAN TALK GROUP 311602 ON TIME SLOT 2 MAY FIND THEMSELVES SUBJECT TO A CFR TITLE 47 PART 97.205(e) EXCLUSION.


For those wishing to add the W7ELE VHF/2m DMR Repeater to their DMR code-plug, the following programming parameters should be employed:


DMR Code-Plug Parameters
CHANNEL CHANNEL NAME TALK GROUP TYPE TIME-SLOT TALK-GROUP COLOR CODE TIME OUT
1 VC PRI
PRIMARY LOCAL
STATIC
(W7CIA, N7IBC, W7ELE, K1BMW)
2 311602 1 180
2 VC SEC
SECONDARY LOCAL
STATIC
(W7CIA, N7IBC, W7ELE, K1BMW)
1 311603 1 180
3 BM ID 3116 DYNAMIC 1 3116 1 180
4 BM MT 3130 DYNAMIC 1 3130 1 180
5 BM NV 3132 DYNAMIC 1 3132 1 180
6 BM OR 3141 DYNAMIC 1 3141 1 180
7 BM TX 3148 DYNAMIC 1 3148 1 180
8 BM UT 3149 DYNAMIC 1 3149 1 180
9 BM WA 3153 DYNAMIC 1 3153 1 180
10 BM ZONE 7 DYNAMIC 1 31097 1 180
11 BM TAC 5 DYNAMIC 1 8955 1 180
12 BM SNARS 31328 DYNAMIC 1 31328 1 180
13 BM SOCAL 31066 DYNAMIC 1 31066 1 180
14 BM NORCAL 31068 DYNAMIC 1 31068 1 180
15 BM ARES-ID 31160 STATIC 1 31160 1 180
16 BM EMCOM 9911 STATIC 1 9911 1 180

NOTE: When this page differs from the Brandmeister W7ELE / 311607 page with respect to static time groups, the Brandmeister W7ELE / 311607 page will take precedence.


Dynamic talk-groups (i.e. push-to-talk talk-groups), residing on time-slot 1, are available to stations directly using the W7ELE DMR repeater with DMR Tier II equipment.

Note that the BM prefix in the channel naming indicates that the channel is routed to the BrandMeister network.

NOTE: Dynamic talk-groups are advisory. Technically, it is possible to program any talk-group into your radio's code-plug file and use it. There are no technical restrictions applied by the repeater or the BrandMeister network with respect to dynamic talk-groups. However, the repeater trustee recommends that operators adhere to using the talk-group listing above in as much as is practicable.

Information on the W7ELE repeater that is published on BrandMeister can be viewed by clicking here.

Station operators are requested to limit their use of high-volume traffic talk-groups, such as California statewide 3106 or USA Nationwide 3100. If you need to use a high-volume talk-group, please limit that usage to making a call and then move to a talk-group with lower traffic volume.


Private Calls

Stations making Private Calls are asked to restrict private calls to time-slot 1. Private Calls, whether initiated while on a talk-group, or programmed by setting the TX Contact to a private call contact, can be carried out on time-slot 1. If you do not use a pre-programmed channel for a private call, please make sure that you are on a channel that specfies time-slot 1 prior to initiating a private call. If you are on a time-slot 2 channel when you receive a private call, please, at your earliest convenience, coordinate a pause and switch to a time-slot 1 channel prior to resuming a private call.


W7ELE Repeater Block Diagram

W7ELE DMR REPEATER BLOCK DIAGRAM
W7ELE Repeater Coverage Footprint

W7ELE DMR REPEATER COVERAGE FOOT PRINT

Roaming Support

Roaming provides for the automatic channel selection between two repeaters when driving out of coverage from one repeater and into coverage of another repeater. The W7ELE repeater and W7CIA repeater are configured to cooperatively support roaming, using static talk-groups, to support automatic selection of the most favorable repeater. If the operator's radio supports roaming, this means that the operator will not have to manually select the best repeater as they move in and out of coverage while mobile or portable.

This repeater has been reconfigured to support ROAMING. The repeater will transmit a beacon of a duration of 4320 milliseconds every 60-seconds. Radios that have roaming support, such as Hytera and Motorola, can be programmed to support roaming on static talk-group channels. Static talk-groups available for roaming include:

For the purpose of explaining roaming, the following discusses how roaming works with Hytera radios:

Hytera radios creates roaming lists, which are analogous to a scan list, but differ from a scan list in that the roam list contains channels on different repeaters that contain the exact same content (i.e. the same talk-group). When creating a code plug, the roam list are constructed first, and then the channels that are to be used with roaming are then subscribed to the appropriate roam list.

The following roaming lists would be created:

Then the individual channels that use the talk-groups and time-slots as appropriate for static-talk group operation on the repeater, are then configured to subscribe to the appropriate roaming list:

Lastly, the code plug is modified to assign a programmable button to be used to place the radio into or out of roaming mode.

Once the radio is properly programmed to support roaming, the appropriate channel that is included in roaming support is then selected on the operator's radio and the radio is then placed into roaming mode.

With the radio in roaming mode, the radio monitors the beaconing of the repeater. If the repeater signal strength falls below a specified Relative Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) threshold, the radio will try to find a new master repeater site by scanning the channels contained within the active roaming list. If a new master site is found that has better performance, the radio will automatically switch to that channel. If no better master site is found, the radio will remain on the current channel (which is what will happen the station moves out of range of a master site and coverage from another master site is not available). In essence, the operator's radio is voting on which repeater has the best coverage and always maintains a channel selection on the best repeater.

Roaming relieves the operator of having to manually monitor the repeater signal strength (or the station geopgraphical position) and switch channels, and this helps to maintain communications in a linked repeater network.


NOTE: Not all radio manufacturers support the roaming feature. Motorola and Hytera radios are know to support roaming. Your mileage may vary.


NOTE: Because the repeaters are periodically beaconing so that the Relative Signal Strength Indication (RSSI) of the operator's radio can perfrom the voting process, the beaconing will cause all radio receivers operating on a repeater that supports voting to exit power savings mode at a repitition rate equal to the beaconing rate (i.e. once every 60-seconds). Beaconing may result in faster discharge of a portable radio battery than might be experienced on an inactive non-beaconing repeater. Beaconing occurs at a 5% duty cycle, with the W7CIA repeater beaconing for 3000 milliseconds every 60-seconds and the W7ELE repeater beaconing for 3000 milliseconds every 70-seconds. The offset intervals are intended to skew the beacons on the respective repeaters so that overlapped beaconing is less unlikely. A 5% duty cycle, per beaconing repeater, represent 42 minutes over a 14-hour period that a receiver will not operate in battery savings mode.


GPS / APRS Support

IMPORTANT

Because GPS / APRS data requires the use of a time-slot, and have the potential to cause interference to other users (including the potential to subscribe to a different dynamic talk-group), users should disable automatic GPS data beaconing (i.e. beaconing based on time intervals or distance intervals). Transmission of GPS data associated with either Push-To-Talk (PTT) activity or manually transmitting GPS data are allowed as this occurs under the control of the operator and will not present a risk of interference to other operators.


Additional Hytera RD-982 Technical Information

If you are researching the Hytera RD-982 repeater and are looking for additional technical information, including guidance on configuring the RD-982 to participate on the BrandMeister network, please see the W7CIA VHF DMR Repeater page.