Hill Country REACT Team is the sponsor of a new Ham Radio Repeater in the Canyon Lake area.
The repeater is located about a mile southwest of Startzville and the antenna is up at about 1670 feet above sea level. The antenna was measured as being about 390 feet up in the air on the tower, and the base of the tower is at 1280 feet above sea level.
The repeater frequency is 444.450 mHz, positive offset, and with a 114.8 PL tone. The repeater is intended to be for open use by all hams.
Testing has shown excellent coverage from north San Antonio up to south Austin, and all points between, using mobile radios. The Trustee is Wade W5ERX, currently the president of Hill Country REACT. He had the assistance of a couple other hams, including the newly appointed Comal County EC, Don Kirchner W5DK, and Gene Rowell WA5PAX, to build /prepare the repeater and finally install it at its new home. The repeater is a coordinated frequency with the Texas VHF-FM Society and tower hosting is being provided by BKT Towers.
The repeater site was formerly a GMRS repeater on 462.600, but with the trend within the REACT community to migrate toward Ham Radio, and not renewing their $85 GMRS licenses, it only made sense to change out that repeater for one that would be better utilized by our Team and provide a better service to the community in general. We obtained permission from the tower owner to change out the repeater since it did not require climbing the tower to change out the antenna, nearly 390 feet up in the air.
Wade plans to add IRLP capabilities in the near future, and then link it to the 444.150 repeater up in Wimberly, and perhaps others in the area between San Antonio and Austin, to create solid coverage for use during events like the Tour de Cure bicycle ride, or the BikeMS Ride to the River event. Current coverage (without IRLP help) appears to be similar to that of the 147.14 repeater prior to it having heliax feedline problems.
Hill Country REACT continues to budget for support to SARO for the 147.14 repeater, by making a donation to SARO to pay for the annual rent as we have done for the past 4-5 years. But now Ham Radio Operartors have a 2nd choice for repeater operations in that area, in addition to the very well respected GVARC repeater on 147.oo0.
For more info about Hill Country REACT, visit www.hillcountryreact.org.
