WWRA – West Gold Mt Repeaters

WWRA – Gold Mt Repeaters – The repeaters are off the air until further notice

For those that were not aware, the Western Washington Repeater Association  (WWRA) not to be confused with WWARA, the Western Washington Amateur Relay Association, went defunct back in February of 2022 as according to the state. This past July, Mr. Carr (N7GME)the technical point of contact went silent.

This prompted the Kitsap County Amateur Radio Club to act quickly to ensure this site and the resources remain for the amateur community of Puget Sound.

During our first site visit, we found a somewhat typical amateur radio “system,” deployment. The equipment had not been cared for in years, the state of the equipment was ok however it needs some TLC. Here is our current plan and please note there are no dates set yet for logistical reasons. See the attached pictures for a few examples of what we found.

The repeaters are off the air until further notice. I know this isn’t ideal and we look to restore them as soon as possible.

The plan!

1. Return the site to service
   1. Update callsign
   2. Clean out unneeded equipment
   3. Address coax and cable management
2. Look at upgrading the equipment at the site.
   1. The repeaters are no longer manufactured nor supported. This is likely a hefty cost. The rough estimate is about $7000.00 for new commercial equipment including odds and ends. To note, this does not include replacing the filters.
   2. Relocate the equipment at the site per the site owner’s request.
3. Evaluate restoring or adding services to the site.
   1. APRS node
   2. Packet
   3. HAMWAN
   4. 220

The controller is offering some resistance as its very capable, but is password protected. If we reset it, it will require reconfiguration. We have weekly access windows to the site, and we will attempt to get it back up as soon as possible. I want to be respectful of those assisting with this effort ,so they are under no time pressure. I know this isn’t ideal, but likely the best in the long run.

Our current long-term goal for the repeaters is to make the available to the greater amateur community. No post cards, maybe some pleas for funding support, but you can do that via our website, and those pleas will be via our own groups.io. If you want to get out in front and donate to show you support this effort, please visit our website, (https://kcarc.org/) and scroll to the bottom and select the donate button, from there you can pick Gold Mt Repeaters.

Thank you in advance for your support

Please reach out to me directly if you have any questions,

73 (Ham radio way of saying Best Regards), 

Jamie Hughes 

WA7JH