Welcome the Mt Macedon D-STAR repeater

Amateur Radio Victoria announces that the first phase of its Icom D-STAR repeater project at Mt Macedon began operating today on the 70cm band, as a low power test.

The VK3RMM D-STAR repeater 438.050MHz is being tested on low power as part of the initial installation and will provide only limited coverage area for a few days.

When lifted to full power VK3RMM D-STAR 70cm is expected to provide a widefoot-print for both base and mobile stations.

The repeater installation was carried out by Peter Mill VK3APO and Ross Pittard VK3FCE today (6 February), after Amateur Radio Victoria was this week handed the new repeater kindly donated by Icom (Australia).

The repeater is a relatively short distance from the Kyneton Racecourse, the venue of the Centre Victoria RadioFest on Sunday 10 February.

A feature of the event will be presentations by Peter Willmott VK3TQ and Richard Hoskins VK3JFK who are well versed in D-STAR and promise to give an informative insight into this digital revolution in amateur radio.

The second phase of the VK3RMM D-STAR system is its 2m band repeater which requires an antenna diplexer, and a further stage the 23m digital repeaterwill complete the RF side of the project.

Once the repeater system installation passes its operational tests, the aim is to have it join the international D-STAR gateway network after internetADSL connection issues are resolved.

The VK3RMM 70cm analogue FM repeater has been temporarily de-commissioned but will be restored when a new filter needed for the D-STAR repeater is fitted.

The VK3RMM 2m repeater is unaffected.
- Amateur Radio Victoria.
6/2/08