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Latest update September 18, 2025
As of today, it appears all internet services have been restored to all MRA repeaters. 224.420 AllStar connection to KG4HOT 220 network restored, including Boredom Breakers at 1 PM daily.
KG4MRA-10 Digipeater Internet Gateway service restored.
KG4MRA 145.430 MHz repeater has a new time out timer (TOT) setting of 1 minute. This is required by the 200 Watt setting of the 145.430 downlink power amplifier. Reset of the TOT requires the downlink carrier (145.430) to drop. If another station "slides in" on the squelch tail (2.5 seconds) of a prior transmission on the uplink (144.830), the TOT does not reset, and the aggregate time continues to accumulate until the carrier drops, from either exceeding the TOT, or until ALL uplink stations stop transmitting, and the TOT resets itself. If TOT triggers, the "time out" continues until all uplink stations stop transmitting. So if some station goes on for several minutes transmitting on the uplink, the TOT automatic reset waits until they stop transmitting. Including, but not limited to, a station "sitting on the mic", or other cases of long/continuous transmissions, thus saving the amplifier from a self protection thermal limiting event, which is yet another "time out" until the amplifier cools significantly, back to acceptable temperature limits. A thermal event protection "time out" could take several minutes to "reset".
We will likely extend TOT to 1.5 minutes, after the user community gets accustomed to the 1 minute TOT, but not immediately, and no further extentions to 2/3/4/5/10 minutes. Prior setting was 10 minutes, for other reasons (a continuous duty cycle amplifier was in service), but the amplifiers in use now are NOT continuous duty, and may well thermal out, or worse, suffer damage.
A good practice to help with this new limitation, is to set a TOT on the your station, a typical feature, which many turn off, or set to maxium. That way, your rig will alert you to release the PTT, and may well interrupt your transmission for you automatically at your TOT setting.
Latest update September 12, 2025
KG4MRA-10 Digipeater Internet Gateway service restored.
Other internet services, specifically 224.420 AllStar connection, is not restored, we are working on it. No Boredom Breakers, or networking with KG4HOT repeaters, until AllStar connection is restored.
224.420 remains in service for local (RF) repeater uses.
Latest update September 3, 2025
KG4MRA-10 Digipeater Internet Gateway down again!
This failure is not the same flavor as the last, VPN failure most likely, which takes out several services (AllStar on 224.420, gateway to WWW, etc etc.)
But! We are working on it!
145.430 and 224.420 remain full service (local OTA only),
and the digipeater standalone.
Please standby, and thanks.
//
Latest update August 23, 2025
KG4MRA-10 Digipeater Internet Gateway restored!
At some point, late July, the internet gateway of KG4MRA-10 went out of service. Dave White W4IIA, was on vacation in UK, and not able to diagnose or repair the issue remotely. As of this last week (August 17+) the gateway issue has been fixed, internet gateway restored. 73's
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MRA "Digi-peaters" now online!
For several months now, and updated since the 145.430 feed line replacement on June 27, 2025, the MRA is now operating several digipeaters from the WTVR TV tower (downtown Richmond) at the 700 foot AGL level. This preliminary information is provided for those stations wanting to access/use the digipeater services, for Winlink etc. MRA BoD member, Dave White, W4IIA is the coordinator of the entire MRA digipeater services, and directly contacting him for further information is encouraged. General information is as follows:
Update on the MRA V/UHF Packet / VARA-FM digipeater and RMS Gateway for the Richmond area.
The MRA digipeater is co-located with the MRA 145.430 and 224.420 MHz repeaters on the WTVR TV tower, on Broad Street, in Richmond VA.
The MRA digipeater provides two services on 440.450 MHz:
1. Packet (1200 baud) and VARA-FM digipeater
2. Winlink RMS Packet & VARA-FM Gateway
KG4MRA - is the Packet & VARA-FM Digipeater
KG4MRA-10 - is the Winlink RMS Packet & VARA-FM Gateway for sending Winlink messages.
The MRA is also currently testing a digipeater service on 145.730 MHz
1. Packet (1200 baud) digipeater, call KG4MRA
We are working through some digipeater receiver de-sensitivity issues. It currently goes deaf (blocked) when the 145.430 MHz repeater is transmitting.
As always, thanks for your support of EMCOMM for Central Virginia.
73,
W4IIA, Dave, Glen Allen, Henrico, VA EMAIL: w4iia@arrl.net
Thanks to all!
Friday June 27, 4 PM, the 145.430 KG4MRA repeater returned to service, full power, sensitivity, and range.
The long saga that was the last ~3 months, will be captured with pictures and narrative at a later date.
Of note, MRA spent the entire Treasury down to $0, $13K to the tower crew, that worked 6 days, 6 man crew, in blazing heat and humidity at 700 feet up the tower. Several BoD are also "out of pocket" even more, to the level of about $2000. So anyone out there using "MRA writ large" please at least renew your memberships, or donate more.
"MRA writ large" means, 145.430, 224.420, and now adding UHF and soon VHF digipeaters (including VARA FM), at the 700 foot AGL tower level, on fresh new feed lines and antennas. So "MRA" is more than the original 145.430 that it was since 1982, and more recently, in 2016 with the move to the WTVR Tower.
Big thanks to all the members and patrons, and to WTVR CBS6, and to Radio Communications of Virginia (Joe Buttner AD4DJ) without whom the MRA would be in a very decimated status.
73's and thanks again to all!
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