[aprssig] Maryland, NoVa Voice Alert

[Bob Bruninga]

QRM-FREE testing of the Crossband Regional Voice Alert:

A polite way to test this Crossband Voice Alert without bringing up every Voice Alert mobile in the state, is to do your "can-you-hear-me-now" testing from your mobile by TXing on 146.52 T100 and listening to the UHF output on 445.925 MHz.

It is full duplex, so you can hear yourself for verification of the links.  If the 146.52 T100 return path works, then you know the opposite direction 445.925 T100 to Voice Alert 144.39 T100 will work when needed.

Remember, add T100 to your 146.52 and put that in your CALL channel for quick reply access.  OR, for each such Regional APRS Voice Alert Call-up, just everyone agree that the reply-back channel is a local repeater with the same coverage area as the cross-band Voice Alert repeater location.  Each such APRS Regional Voice Alert system will be geographic-specific, fixed on the location of the crossband repeater, so local use should dictate.

The only reason we put the call-back on 146.52 T100 was because the RX side of the VHF radio and the TX side of the 445.925 radio was there and otherwise unused.  May as well use it for something.  Though it is not required as part of the functionality of the system.

Bob, WB4APR


---- Original message ----
>Date: Sat,  8 Aug 2009
>For Central Maryland and Northern Virginia: 
>
> The WN3R crossband Regional APRS Voice 
> Alert repeater is on the air from 
> Catoctin Mountain (Fredrick) for testing.   
>
> The CALLER uses 445.925 T100 TX/RX and 
> his call must contain something like 
> "Crossband Regional Voice Alert, WB4APR 
> listening on 146.52 TONE 100". 
>
> This comes out on 144.39 T100 Voice 
> alert to ALL APRS voice alert mobiles 
> in the region.  For the mobile to get 
> back to the caller, the mobile must 
> respond on 146.52 with tone 100 which 
> then comes back to the caller on 445.925. 
>
> So once everyone understands how this 
> works, then it will be ideal if all 
> Voice Alert mobiles program T100 into 
> their 146.52 channel for ease of use. 
>
> As with all use of Voice Alert, the 
> only objective is to make the call and 
> then immediately QSY to a chosen repeater.  
> In this case, the caller COULD also 
> make a one-way call such as: "Crossband 
> Regional Voice Alert, Wb4APR Listening 
> on the 147.300 repeater".  In this case, 
> no 146.52 call back is expected. 
>
> I'm out of the footprint from my haunts, 
> so I am announcing it here so that those 
> over closer to the Fredrick Mountain can 
> give it a try. 
>
> Use it sparingly, but be thinking of how 
> we can use this new asset. 
>
> Bob, WB4APR