The Monongalia Wireless Association operates the VHF W8MWA repeater
on 145.430 (-600kHz @ PL 103.5) and the UHF K8LG repeater on 444.700 (+5MHz).

APRS related web site, www.findu.com . If you know someone that runs APRS, you can go there and plug in their call to find where they are! It is also neat if you know someone that has an APRS tracking unit in their car or truck. Findu.com is neat to use if you are away from your home APRS set up and you want to see what is going on in your area. Keeping an eye on APRS is as simple as a computer and a connection to the net!

WHAT IS A REPEATER?
Let's get basic for a few paragraphs... and if you're an old-timer, you might want to read through this section just to see if we got it right.
First, what exactly is a "repeater"? And why do we use them?

Without repeaters, the communication range between Amateur VHF-FM mobile and handheld radios at ground level is limited -- five to fifteen miles for mobiles, and just a couple of miles for handhelds. The distance you can communicate is usually referred to as "line-of-sight" -- you can talk about as far as you can see (if you cut down the trees).
To extend our range, we use repeaters. A repeater is a specially designed receiver/transmitter combination. When you operate through a repeater, its receiver picks up your signal on the inputfrequency, and the transmitter re-transmits -- or "repeats" -- you on the outputfrequency. For example, one of the W8MWA repeaters hears you as you transmit on 144.830 MHz, and repeats you onto 145.430 MHz. You'll hear this repeater referred to as "Four-Three Repeater."

Repeater antennas are located on tall towers, buildings, or mountains, giving them much greater range than radios with antennas near the ground. And when you're in range of a repeater, you can talk to everyone else in range of that repeater.
W8MWA 145.43 repeater is located East of Morgantown, near Coopers Rock. Its antenna is on the side of a tower that puts it about 350 feet above average terrain. A mobile station running 50 watts can reliably communicate through the repeater out to about 35 miles. So if you were 35 miles north of the repeater, you could talk to someone 35 miles south of the repeater. That's 70 miles between you -- a whole lot better than the 10 or so miles you could cover without the repeater!

Repeaters can have many features beyond just extending the range of mobile or handheld radios. One especially useful feature is called Autopatch. A telephone line and special control equipment at the repeater allow you to make local phone calls from your radio. Now, this is not exactly a replacement for a cellular phone. You can't use Amateur Radio for your business, including autopatch. You can't receive calls, you can make only local calls, and your conversation is not private! Everybody else listening to the repeater hears your call. Still, autopatch is handy, within its limitations. The W8MWA repeater has an autopatch facilities -- keep reading and we'll tell you how to use them.

UHF vs. VHF - Which is Right for me?
Ok, so your have determined that you need a two way radio system for communicating with others. The first hurdle that most
come to is determining if you need UHF or VHF. These two frequencies make up most of the two way radio market so let's talk
for a minute about what these are and which one is right for you.
UHF is Ultra High Frequency and VHF is Very High Frequency. Neither is better then the other but one maybe better for your
specific use.
The main difference between UHF and VHF is the wavelength. UHF has a shorter wavelength which makes it better for more dense
terrain. When I say more dense terrain you could be dealing with more hills, more trees, or more buildings. UHF has better
penetrating capabilites. UHF will deal better with going thru walls or other obsticals then VHF.
VHF has a longer wavelength which means that it will transmit futher for the same amount of wattage vs UHF. VHF will not
penetrate, ie. go thru walls or other obstacles, as well as UHF. VHF performs better for distance(i.e. goes further when you
have a clear line of site), but UHF has better penetrating power (i.e. goes thru walls or orbstacles.)
Well that is the long (VHF) and short (UHF) of it, pun intended. It's not as confusing as it may seem however we do have
knowledgeable people to help you with this or any other two way radio communications questions you may have.

HOW DO YOU USE REPEATERS?
There are literally thousands of repeaters across the US (and the world). Each one can have it's own peculiarities and unique operating procedures, but there are some basics that apply to almost all of them. Really complete instructions would fill a book, bore you to tears, and start some fights about what's correct and what's not (operating procedure is a matter of strong opinion in Ham Radio!). We'll risk all of that now, but try not to fill a book.

PLAIN OLD TALKING. Mostly, you're here to get on the air and chat, right? OK, first you set your radio for the repeater you want to use. Don't know how to find a local repeater frequency? The W8MWA web site has a list of theMorgantown area VHF/UHF repeaters.. If you're outside the Morgantown area, you'll need a repeater directory. They're available from the ARRL and the SouthEastern Repeater Association. At the very least, you can just scan across the band for activity.

Once you've selected a repeater and dialed it up on your radio, the first thing you should do is... LISTEN for a minute. Repeaters are party lines. Lots of people use them on and off throughout the day, and the one you've selected may be busy with another conversation right now. So listen for a minute. (Does anyone remember what "party lines" are? Kids, ask your grandparents!)
If the repeater isn't busy, key your transmitter and say something like "N8PDQ listening. Anybody want to chat?" (Use your own call, not mine, please). You could call CQ, but that time-honored method of seeking a contact never caught on with FM operators. Somebody may even tell you your not "supposed" to call CQ on FM, but you can.
When you release your transmit button, most repeaters will stay on the air for a few seconds, and many will send some kind of "beep." Then, the repeater transmitter drops off the air. The beep is there to remind everyone to leave a pause between transmissions in case someone wants to break in. Even if there's no beep, leave a pause. Somebody may have just come across a traffic accident and needs the repeater to report it. If nobody leaves a pause between transmissions, they can't break in.
If somebody answers you, then have a good time! You can talk about anything you want -- there are not many rules about the content of Amateur conversation. You can't use Ham Radio to conduct your business, but you can talk about where you work and what you do. Prime time TV language has been peppered with some "hells" and "damns," and so has language on some repeaters. W8MWA discourages that. You're not having a private conversation -- you may have lots of listeners, some of them children. Keep that in mind as you choose language and subject matter.

How long do you talk? I see you're catching on to the party-line concept. Maybe somebody else wants to use the repeater when you're done. There's no hard rule. It depends on the time of day (rush hours are prime time for mobiles, evening is also a busy time, while 2 a.m. is pretty empty), and who else might want to use the repeater. If you've been interrupted several times by others needing the repeater to call someone, maybe you've been on a bit too long.

THREE-WAY RADIO. Not all conversations are strictly two-way. Three, four or five or more Hams can be part of a "roundtable" conversation (five or more will be pretty unwieldy). A free-wheeling roundtable is a lot of fun... and it poses a problem: when the person transmitting now is done, who transmits next? Too often, the answer is everybody transmits next, and the result is a mess. The solution is simple -- when you finish your transmission in the roundtable, specify who is to transmit next. "... Over to you, Rick. N8PDQ."


WE PAUSE FOR STATION IDENTIFICATION.The Rules say you must ID once every 10 minutes. W8MWA is big on clear identification when you use our repeaters, but you don't have to overdo it. Give your callsign when you first get on (this isn't specifically required by the rules, but W8MWA encourages it on our repeaters), then once every 10 minutes, and again when you sign off.
You don't have to give anyone else's callsign at any time, although sometimes its a nice acknowledgment of the person you're talking to, like a handshake.

BREAKING IN. Repeaters are shared resources -- the party-line. There are many times and reasons that a conversation in progress might be interrupted. You might break in to join the group and add your comments on the subject at hand. Someone might break in on you to reach someone else who is listening to the repeater. You might have to report an emergency. How to break in is the subject of debate and disagreement. Here are some suggestions:

Pick a good time. If you have an emergency, a good time is NOW. That's why there's a pause between transmissions. Otherwise, listen a bit. Read the ebb and flow of the conversation. One of the fastest ways to establish a reputation as a jerk is to frequently butt your way onto the air without regard for the people already talking.
Give your call, and say what you want. When you've listened and decided it's OK to break in now, transmit quickly when the other station stops, before the beep, and say something like this: "N8PDQ, I have an emergency," "N8PDQ, can I make a call?" or "N8PDQ, can I add my 2¢?"
What about "Break?" The problem with just plain "break" is that nobody knows exactly what it means, and everybody has to stop and find out. Some Hams will tell you that "break" means "I just want to join in or make a call," "break-break" means "I have very important traffic," and "break-break-break" means "I have a dire emergency." That's fine, but not everybody knows that. Plain English works better.
Maybe somebody's breaking in on you. What do you do? Easy -- let them transmit, right now, unless you know absolutely and for sure that they do not have an emergency. Maybe somebody hasn't read this guide and isn't the expert operator you are now, and they just say "break" or drop in their call, when what they really mean is "HELP!" So let them talk. Say "go ahead," and give your callsign. And if they're one of those boneheads who's interrupting your perfectly good conversation for no reason but to hear themselves talk, well, bite your lip and be glad you know better.
The exception is when someone actually announces an emergency. Then CLEAR THE DECKS! DO NOT TRANSMIT! The station who declared the emergency has the frequency, and unless they ask for your help, don't give it. Unless... always an unless... they obviously don't know how to handle the situation... and you DO. (You do, don't you?)

Repeater Site Map