Ashland Area Amateur Radio Club
The Ashland Area Amateur Radio Club news and events page.
The AAARC is the local ham club for Ashland County. We hold our meetings the 2nd Tuesday of every month at 7:30pm at the Ashland chapter of the American Red Cross on Center St. in Ashland, OH. Below you will find information on club events, news, and repeaters.
Club Repeaters
The AAARC operates two, 2 Meter repeaters in Ashland County. We also work hand in hand with local authorities during emergencies to provide emergency communications or whatever type of services they may need.
The N8IHI repeater located in Hayesville, OH operates on a frequency of 147.105 (+ 600) with a PL of 71.9hz. It offers great mobile coverage of the entire county. It has a battery back-up, Autopatch, and a T-Pad tester. This repeater is used for all local nets, including Skywarn, ARES, and the 1st Saturday Siren Test Net.
The W3YXS repeater at the Red Cross building in Ashland provides portable coverage for the Ashland area and is largely used for events in the city. It operates on a frequency of 146.745 (- 600) with no PL required. For back-up power it utilizes the Red Cross's automatic standby generator. This repeater is used as a emergency back-up to the N8IHI repeater for nets, should it fail.
OTHER LOCAL REPEATERS:
The N8SIW repeater is located on a 350 foot tower on County Road 700 outside of Polk. It sits at an elevation of almost 1200 ft ASL. The tower is home to many different repeaters, including Ashland County Sheriff's Office, and Ashland County Fire Dispatch. The 2 meter repeater is on a frequency of 145.130 with a -600 offset and a PL of 110.9 is required. This repeater has a large coverage area, offering mobile coverage into the Cleveland Area. The 440 repeater showed in the book is no longer located at this site.
The W8IVG repeater in Ashland is housed at Joe Brubakers QTH. It operates on 442.8000 with a +5 mhz offset and no PL is required. This repeater has autopatch capabilities and has a battery back-up.
The KG8FV repeater is also located in Ashland near the hospital. It operates on 442.1500 with a +5mhz offset and a PL of 88.5 to access. This repeater is operated by Charlie Cooke (KG8FV) who is thinking of relocating the repeater to a higher elevation.
Upcoming Events...
the AAARC is taking dues for the 2007 year. Club membership is way down, PLEASE see me, the new treasurer, at the next club meeting for your dues and membership card.
The AAARC Thursday Evening Net is held every Thursday evening at 8:00 pm. The net is open to all licensed amateurs and all are invited to check in. Net attendance has been less than desireable, but none the less, we plan to keep it going. We are now looking for stations interested in doing net control duties. It is a rather easy net to do, and is good practice for the bigger nets. Anyone interested in NCS duties should e-mail Steve at SDenny61@yahoo.com Please check in and give us your ideas and comments. Thanks!
Thursday Evening Net NEWS
This is the N8IHI repeater located in Hayesville, OH on the villages water tower. On the left is the Duplexers, the center is the GE Master II repeater with CAT controller, and on the right is the power supply and the control/ charger for the battery back-up system. The phone hook on top of the repeater is part of the autopatch system. The repeater has been at it's current location for about 5 years. The club is currently working on getting grant money to replace the aging system.
Above is the W3YXS repeater at the Red Cross building in Ashland, OH. It is housed upstairs in the club's radio room. On the top is the Duplexers, below that is the repeater, a Hamtronics REP-200, and below that is the power supply. Back-up power is provided by a stand-by generator that is set to automatically come on in the event of a power failure and powers the enitre building. The room is in the process of getting a "make-over" to make things a little more user friendly. Check back for "before" and "after" pictures of the make-over.
I would like to remind everyone that severe weather season is upon us. Remember that the AAARC hosts the Ashland County Skywarn Net on the Hayesville repeater (147.105 + 71.9) These nets are directed by net control at all times. Also, we are in need of volunteers to assist with net control duties and trained amateur's to do the 6 meter backbone. Currently their is only one person who has been doing the 6meter backbone and only a few to do net control duties. Also, I would like to see more participation on all nets held by the club. Checkins have been WAY down, I would like to see an improvement in this area. You don't need to be a member of the club to participate in any nets, all you need is a amateur license, and a 2 meter radio tuned to 147.105. Thanks to everyone who has been there to help, and I hope to hear more of you on the radio someday soon!
