W3AHS Repeater

From the W3AHS site Looking @ the WRAK Tower on West Fourth St and the Old High School on Penn College Campus and the bridge you see is the Market St Bridge. Also as you can see on the lower left part of the picture where the cars are is where Little League Baseball was originated at the Original Carl E. Stotz Field on West Fourth Street. Also note this is the location of the First World Series game in 1939 as it was here for a number of years before moving to the current location at the South Williamsport complex which is also line of sight but slightly hidden due to trees in the same direction.

Q and A... Question: You May Ask Why We Chose W3AHS For A Club Callsign... Answer: Since the repeater is located at the Williamsport Area High School we thought that would be neat! (Williamsport Three Area High School). The club was named Millionaire Amateur Radio Club (Millionaire being the schools nickname as well as in past history the city had the most Millionaires per capita in the World in the Lumbering days as Williamsport was known as the Lumber Capital of the World. The Little League World Series is also held here each year in August and Little League itself was originated in Williamsport near Bowman Field/Memorial Park on West Fourth Street by the late Carl E. Stotz who was a city native. Another neat fact is the 147.300 repeater is the only Amateur Repeater to date as November 12, 2012 that is physically located in the City of Williamsport (for those who may not be familiar with its location we are located in Williamsport's West End AKA Newberry). Most other repeaters including commercial listed for Williamsport are located on the Bald Eagle Mountain/Skyline Drive which is South of Williamsport and they are in multiple townships depending on their boundaries.

W3AHS membership: Someday if there becomes interest at the high school with students becoming Amateur Radio Operators then that would be reason to have more of a club with having students and employees, like how it works at some schools and colleges, there would be similar bylaws for operation and the current bylaws would need to be modified. Other than that membership is pretty much anyone who has helped or who is or has been a student or faculty who has interest in Amateur Radio.

This repeater was put on the air to get some different coverage and just to have a good time with and experiment. With a good deal of the equipment was received by donation which is what made this repeater system happen. Special Thanks to The Williamsport Area School District, Bill's Electronics and the several hams who have helped make this happen.

Click Here to go to W3AHS Yahoo Group Website

Click here to join w3ahs Yahoo Group
CLICK TO JOIN W3AHS YAHOO GROUP

Click Here to go to the W3AHS Repeater Forum Proboard

You can Test your Key Pad and have it read back to you by keying up, identifying your Technician class or higher amateur radio callsign followed by "testing keypad" and entering 375 followed by whatever DTMF's you wish to test on your radio and it will read it back to you in voice (ex. 375123 it will read back "keypad test 123"). Of course you have to have a good enough signal into the repeater in order for any DTMF commands to work.

W3AHS WorldWide via Echolink (Node # 277377). The KB3AWQ Repeater 444.900 + PL 173.8 repeater is linked full-time to the W3AHS Repeater 147.300 using a /\/\ GM-300 UHF Link radio at the 147.300 site. Echolink is produced by coming through the 444.900 Repeater from KB3AWQ's home using a Alinco DR 605T from the UHF side that is hooked to a Windows XP machine and out over the internet on Echolink. So Echolink goes from the Alinco radio to the 444.9 repeater to the link radio that is hooked to 147.300 which then allows both repeaters to have full access to Echolink. You can also access the 147.300 repeater (if your in UHF range to the 147.300 site) one of a couple ways which would be the same as crossbanding. The first way you would transmit and receive on 444.9 PL 173.8 which would put you on 147.300 only or program your radio so it is an upside down pair with 449.9 being receive and 444.900 being transmit and you should hear both sides coming from 147.300 or you can just use the regular split of 444.9 receive 449.9 transmit and go through the UHF repeater like normal and come out on both the VHF and UHF repeater.

National Weather Service Radar

Aerial Colored Picture of WAHS

Another Picture of the WAHS Campus from the Air

Coverage maps of the W3AHS Repeater

Even though there are no dues if something would happen to break down donations are welcome and depending on what the issue is may depend on the future of this system. Donations do not in any way give any special privledges or ownership or control of the repeater unless notified prior to the donation by KB3AWQ or his designee and approved by Millionaire Amateur Radio Club. Donations are donations (no giving and then taking back) and this would be at ones discretion knowing the terms that have just been stated. Also don't forget to support the local clubs (not a requirement of course) but free use of this system is not an excuse not to join/support the other local ham clubs. There is the West Branch Amateur Radio Association, and the Bald Eagle Repeater Assocation

News and Old News

On November 30th 2006 LMR-400 was installed on the Transmit antenna as the old coax had some water in the line and wasn't transmitting too well and ended up with a high SWR.