Top of the Hillsborough Tower
The TV Hill Tower
Images courtesy of NC4CD
DFMA Repeaters - WR4AGC
The DFMA maintains and operates a number of repeaters.
They are shown below with their frequency, offset direction, and PL tone if
required.
Hillsborough
Open autopatch (ID before use!), IRLP Node 8658
147.225+ PL:82.5
224.260- no PL (AllStarLink Node)
DMR, PRN Network
443.1375+
Durham, TV Hill
Open autopatch (ID before use!), IRLP Node 4441
145.450- PL:82.5 (accessible by Echoink)
444.100+ PL:82.5
53.610- PL:88.5 (no autopatch or IRLP)
Durham, VA Hospital
444.450+ PL:100.0
Other Area Repeaters of Interest
443.275+ PL:100.0 Rougemont (NC4CD)
442.150+ PL:131.8 UNC-TV Tower (OCRA)
442.150+ PL:131.8 UNC-TV Tower (K4ITL)
145.230- PL:107.2 Moncure (OCRA)
443.475+ PL:131.8 Siler City (OCRA)
146.880- no PL Raleigh, Skywarn repeater
AllStarLink System
Talk to the World On 224.26
(de NC4CD)
DFMA has a repeater on the 220 MHz. ham band. It is on our Hillsborough tower, and it's on
224.260MHz, negative offset, and no PL tone. Over the last few months, Adriano, KV7D, and I have
been working to link this repeater through the AllStarLink system, which is “a network of Amateur
Radio repeaters, remote base stations and hot spots accessible to each other via Voice over Internet
Protocol. AllStarLink runs on a dedicated computer including the Raspberry Pi. It is based on the open
source Asterisk PBX software. Asterisk is a powerful system capable of controlling one or more radios.
It provides linking of these radio 'nodes' to other systems of similar construction anywhere in the world
via VoIP,” according to the AllStarLink website. The audio quality of AllStar is excellent, and it
provides the capability to cross-connect with many other modes.
At the present time, we have configured our local machine to automatically connect through the
AllStarLink network to the remote locations on the chart below. If you have 220MHz capability, feel
free to make friends with other hams across the nation and beyond.
If you don't have a radio for this band, some of the newer Baofang models will provide access at a very
reasonable cost. Older radios by Alinco, Yaesu, and others can be found from time to time, and are still
useable through our repeater even if they do not have PL tone boards installed.
DFMA-Hillsborough 224.260 MHz. AllstarLink Schedule
DAY | START | END | NODE | NET NAME AND CONNECTION |
Mon-Fri | 0200 | 0400 | 41223 | “M0HOY” Manchester UK |
Mon-Sat | 0700 | 0900 | 27339 | “Morning Brew” Wilmington NC |
Mon-Fri | 0910 | 1255 | 47046 | “KG4HOT 220MHz” Charlottesville VA |
Mon-Sat | 1259 | 1515 | 48496 | “Boredom Breakers” Rogers County OK |
Mon-Fri | 1515 | 1959 | 47046 | “KG4HOT 220MHz” Charlottesville VA |
Tue only | 2000 | 2300 | 27339 | “East Coast Tech” Wilmington NC |
Wed and Sun | 2300 | 2400 | 48496 | “Borealis Late Night Birds” Doylestown OH |
Fri only | 1900 | 2100 | 531091 | “Upstate NY 220MHz” Syracuse NY |
Sat only | 2100 | 2300 | 458800 | “WM9W 220MHz Good Guys” Chicago IL |
Times are Eastern Time Zone.
Using Autopatch on DFMA Repeaters
Autopatch allows access to the phone network through repeaters that
include the necessary hardware. It allows for emergency or short personal
conversations. (Non-personal use is not allowed by your amateur license.)
This service may be useful if cell phone access is not possible. (Forgotten
cell phone, dead battery, no service, etc.)
Use of autopatch requires the use of a numeric pad on your radio including
the "*" and the "#" keys. DFMA policy requires you to ID with your
callsign before use. Lack of ID subjects you to summary disconnection by
a control operator. ID after completing your use is the standard FCC
requirement.
Personal Autopatch
To connect: ID, then
Press PTT and dial * + 919 + 7 digits
or * + 984 + 7 digits.
Do not release your PTT in the middle of this sequence;
any interruption will cause it to fail.
Interruptions in fringe areas due to
dropouts or interference can also cause failure.
When the connection is made, inform your party that whatever they say
is public. This is half duplex. You cannot both talk at once. Your
signal has precedence. You are limited to 3 minutes!
To disconnect: press "#" then ID.
Emergency Autopatch
Use 911 for Durham County emergencies or 910 for Orange County
emergencies. (Consult your DFMA Repeater Guide for other options.)
To connect: ID, then
Press PTT and dial * + 911
or * + 910
When the connection is made, you may need to explain that you are using
a ham radio relay and the dispatcher's location
indication will be that of the repeater site,
not the location of the emergency.
This is half duplex. You cannot both talk at once. Your
signal has precedence,
To disconnect: press "#", then ID.
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