REPEATER OPERATIONAL GUIDELINES

The WARA Board of Directors do not believe that it is necessary to establish a rigid set of rules, regulations, and policies for the use of the repeater since this would tend to minimize the enjoyment derived from amateur radio in general.  As licensed operators you are already aware of the required FCC Rules and Regulations. 
 

If you desire to have a general conversation with other amateurs through the repeater and the repeater is not being used, the following suggested calling techniques have stood the test of time.  Please recognize that these are not rigid procedures.  The most important thing to remember is to give your callsign followed by the reason you are accessing the repeater.   Key-down your microphone and state, "This is (your call), listening 76".  You may want to repeat this one more time if there is no response.  Please do not be discouraged if there is no response since the repeater is not always being monitored by others, except Control Stations. 
 

If you hear someone on the repeater and you both know each other, you could call him/her and give your callsign 10 minutes later, assuming the station you are calling recognizes your voice characteristics and acknowledges who you are.  While the FCC regulations state that the callsign can be given within a 10 minute period, in reality, under most operating situations it is totally unrealistic, 

(Sec 97.119). 
 If you want to join a conversation already in progress wait for the period immediately following the completion of one of the transmissions.  Usually, when an amateur unkeys the microphone and turns it over to another amateur, the other amateur should wait for the repeater's reset tone, (about 1-2 seconds).  During this interval, quickly key your microphone and announce "This is (your callsign) joining in".  An invitation to join the conversation should normally follow. 
 

If you have an emergency situation warranting immediate use of the repeater, announce that you have an emergency giving your callsign.  If a conversation is in progress, it would be prudent to have the other stations acknowledge that they hear you, so there is no interference to your communications.  You may be in a marginal area and not heard or only partially understood. 
 

Although the repeater is owned, operated and maintained by WARA and its' membership, by FCC regulation, the repeater must have a designated Trustee (K2IMO).  The Trustee's callsign is assigned to the repeater and he is responsible for the proper operation.  To assist the Trustee in the performance of his responsibilities, Control Stations have been selected to monitor the repeater and advise users of prohibited transmissions or illegal operating procedures.  The primary purpose of a Control Station is to assist; not criticize nor censor exchanges.  If necessary, and only under extreme circumstances, Control Stations have the authority to shut down the repeater.  This is usually reserved for the rebroadcasting of music or talk radio from commercial radio stations or a serious situation deemed necessary by the Control Station.  Should it become necessary to shut down the repeater, an announcement will be made by the Control Station prior to the action.  The action will be completely documented by the Control Station reflecting the date, time, and reason for the action, and forwarded to the Trustee within 48 hours or in the Trustee's absence, a member of the Board of Directors. 

REPEATER ID'S:
There are 2 Repeater ID's,  1.  A short one while the repeater is being used, (This is the WA4WAR Repeater).  2.  A long one while the repeater is not being used, (This is the WA4WAR Repeater, with the Time of Day and salutation).  If the ID's are keyed-up-on, the the CW will be, (WA4WAR/R). 
 

TOUCH-TONE TESTING:
To test your equipment's touch tones, key your microphone.  Identify your station, e.g.; (This is KX4XXX testing touch tones), enter the test tone code, (375) followed by the numbers you want to test.  This must be done on a string, e.g.; (3751234567890*#).  Un-key your microphone and the controller will voice read back the numbers and punctuation you entered. 
 

INSTANT TIME OF DAY RETRIEVAL: 
To instantly hear the time of day, key your microphone, hold, idenify, and enter (400), Un-key, the Controller will respond. 
 

WEATHER REPORT:
To turn ON the weather report key your microphone, hold, idenify, and enter (300), Un-Key, the Controller will respond.  To turn OFF the weather report enter, (301).  The receiver will give alerts for the local counties automatically.
 

TIME OUT:
The Repeater has a timer that deactivates the repeater following 3 minutes of continuous input signal. To reset the timer for another 3 minutes, it is only necessary to un-key your microphone, wait for the reset tone and continue your transmission.  Most amateurs limit their transmissions to under the 3 minute time limit.  However, from time to time, the limit is exceeded and you will hear an announcement that the repeater has "timed-out".  When you finish your transmission, and release the microphone, another announcement will state that the time-out timer is canceled.  During the time-out period, the repeater is off-the-air. 
 

KEYING YOUR MICROPHONE:
After you Key the Microphone, wait a second before speaking.  All radios have a slight delay, some more than others, you may have the first few syllables cut from your transmission. 
 

FUTURE CONTROLLER FEATURES: 
As additional features of the Controller are made available by the manufacturer, and dependent upon costs and WARA user requirements, they will be made available to the membership.  Please be assured that we will keep abreast of the latest technological advances, and sharing them with the membership. 

Repeater Callsign  -  WA4WAR

Trustee - K2IMO

Output Frequency = 146.760 MHz

Input Frequency = 146.160 MHz

P.L. = 131.8 xmit / none rcv

Autopatch  - none

Location  -  35.44.52 Lat. , 77.57.39 Long., near Elm City, NC

Manufacturer / Model  -  Johnson 1100

Controller - CAT-300

Weather Receiver - CAT WX200

Control Operators  -  Howard Klino K2IMO, Lee Hunt K4WLH, and George Diering W3GJD

Repeater Info