For the past few years OVARC’s repeaters have focused on digital modes such as C4FM and D-STAR. While digital modes may be the future, their adoption by our membership has not been quick. One of OVARC’s purposes is to “advance the general interest and welfare of Amateur Radio in the community”. To better support our members and our community, we will be making some changes.
OVARC owns and operates 4 repeaters at these locations:
- Keystone Peak in Green Valley (Keystone)
- Golder Ranch Fire Department in Catalina (Golder)
- Marana Parks & Recreation Department in Marana (Marana)
- Oro Valley Police Department in Oro Valley (OVPD)
Effective April 2nd, the Keystone repeater will be switched to analog FM. It will be analog full-time with no other modes supported. The other 3 repeaters will support analog as their primary mode and digital as their secondary mode of operation.
Initially the repeaters will not be linked for analog communications as the product we used several years ago for analog linking is no longer available. The OVARC board is currently researching newer technologies that do not rely on the Internet however we do not have a timeline yet for implementation.
In addition to the club’s repeaters, there are 5 others that are privately owned but affiliated with OVARC. The owners have indicated that those repeaters will continue to operate as before with no changes to their modes of operation.
On April 3rd, the Sunday Evening OVARC Net will switch to analog FM on the Keystone Repeater.
Moving forward, OVARC is actively looking for additional repeater sites to expand both its analog and digital coverage. Our objective is to better support public service and emergency communications for the community while also providing coverage for everyday operations.
If you have any questions regarding this announcement, please contact one of the OVARC Directors.
73,
The OVARC Board of Directors
