This site is rather unique among our repeater sites. While similar in ASL with Naneum, we envision a different primary purpose for this site. As this site is not truly a user’s site, more a relay site, as it was once an AT&T Long Lines microwave relay point.
This is PNWDigital’s “Cascadia Rising” repeater site, so-to-speak. We have both UHF and VHF DMR repeaters at the Roost. While it will operate as a typical repeater site, we envision this site to be a major EmComm site during emergencies or disasters in that it has both East side Washington and West side Washington coverage. So even if the Internet is lost or if electrical power is lost, this site will continue to operate independently as a standalone set of repeaters, each with 2 talk paths. We feel that the East side Washington stations out at the fringes of coverage with need to have high gain directional antennas, possibly on the order of 12 dB gain and 50 watts of RF out. Your standard mobile will likely not work out well.
While not perfect for both sides of the state, it is better than nothing and there are no other repeaters known to be able to operate, without power and Internet on both sides of the Cascades mountain range.
As no VHF repeater pair was suitable to all interested parties as of the install date, we selected the Naneum Ridge pair but operating on color code 2. It is possible that after testing, we may switch to CC1 for the Roost and change the frequency pair for Naneum. All the information is on the Repeater List page as well as the Repeater Map page.
This co-share test is to aid in the deployment as well as lessening the likelihood of returning to make a pair change. That is a significant issue if we need to return as it involves 9-11 hours round trip dive, returning of the duplexer and isolators and a lot of time.
We are using the old Capital Peak pair for the UHF repeater as it is open on the east side and coordinated on the West side.
More will follow as the repeaters are installed with internet. That should happen Saturday August 3, 2024. For now, this is a placeholder page.
WE really would appreciate signal reports, both on UHF and VHF…if you have a beam antenna at home, then especially give it a try out towards Spokane and Tri-Cities. West side coverage is much better so likely good reports from Olympia north toward Everett.
First Published: August 2, 2024 Last Updated: 3 months ago by Mike – NO7RF
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