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The VHF module module has been returned to the air as of 17:00 07/29/08. ICOM reports that the VCO voltage on the RX module was operating at near the limits and this was the reason the module would stop working.

Of course my immediate and still unanswered question, is why did it suddenly change. Well, we are all aware by now that the AC went out at the Moline site, but the temperature there never got outside of the claimed specifications for the repeater. This leads me to believe that inspector 109 was not doing a very good job on the day that our VHF module was built. Hopefully we will not have any additional problems with it. If you think that for some reason the module is not hearing you, keep in mind that sometimes it is caused by something trying to come through from one of the gateways or other users, especially with the new connections that just started from the Japanese. Be patient with them. They are working somewhat in the blind, and a few of them do not understand that we are trying to hold a conversation on the repeater. Unlike the US gateways, for them to hear you, you must use what we call gateway push.

Gateway pushing is done by placing the callsign of the foreign repeater with the module behind a slash "/". You can NOT one touch the Japenese stations, and you can not callsign route them. You can only do a push to their gateway using something like "/JP1YIQA" in the yourcall field. This is the only way that you can talk to them. If you hear them coming through from one of the reflectors do not try to talk back to them as they will never hear you. If you hear them through a reflector they are "pushing" their transmission to a gateway that is connected to the reflector.

The Japanese are still trying to learn about all the things that we have going over hear in the US and so far only a few countries have been able to join in with us completely, like Canada, Australia, Italy and Germany. Part of the problem is that the Japanese have their own trust server and their own entire network setup just like we do here in the US. Trying to join these two networks together is a nightmare to say the least, but finally the Japanses people who are producing DSTAR are seeing why a whole lot of networking professionals have been complaining about the way some things are being done. Just like anything else, this technology is still new and will take some time to become the every day normal.

For now the UHF module is working normally. I will at times link it to the reflector. For those of you that have UHF capability now is a good time to use that band. For those of you that only have 2m capability we are sorry for the inconveniance, we will have it operational as soon as possible.

Four of the WMPORN repeaters have been threatened by fire within a 5 day span at two different locations. Get the whole story here.

With the upgrade of the gateway software to G2 (gateway 2) many things have changed. As always, one must be registered with one of the gateways in order to use the gateway features such as call routing over the internet. Getting yourself registered however has changed drastically. What was a cryptic nightmare for the gateway operators has not become a cryptic nightmare for the users!! Yipee, now it's your problem!! Ok, well that is not quite true, the software is not all that impressive and leaves much to be desired, but it does make life a little easier.

To register for DStar gateway use please first visit the G2 Registration Information webpage and read it completely. Let me say that once more, READ IT completely. If I do not know who you are I will do a callbook lookup to see where you live (your license information is up to date, right?). If you are not in a reasonable coverage area of the repeater you will get an email from me asking some questions. Why? Just because WMPORN is not a paid membership group (though we do accept donations) does not mean that we intend to destroy local clubs by helping people use features of expensive equipment without paying the club dues that pay for that equipment. On the other hand, we want everyone to be able to enjoy amateur radio and will help where we can. And, thanks to G2 the local club can still ban you from using those features through their repeater.

Looking for something that was located on this page? As news becomes old or past tense I frequently move those paragraphs to the BLOG section that can be selected using the green links to the left. The blog contains the latest things removed from this page and are simply pasted at the top of the blog page starting with the second paragraph. Keeping this information around is good for historical purposes as well as allowing people to catch up and maybe even move ahead faster with their DStar project.

We have another DStar repeater in town that was purchased through grant money given to the local emergency services group. The repeater in the downtown Grand Rapids area and is currently UHF only. The repeater is operating on a full coordination on 444.250 + with the callsign KD8HLF

Hats and patches for shirts and jackets are here! While I have not had the time to take pictures of these items a reasonable idea of what they are can be found by using the apparel link to the left. This is not a profit making situation for us, just a way for people to show support. The hats are 5 panel Khaki with the 2008 WMPORN logo embroidered on them. The hats are $16 each. The patches are circular approximately 3 &quote; in diameter indicated as #5 on the apparel page and cost $11.00. These are very well made and will last a very long time. Unfortunately it is too late at this time to get the callsigns placed on the back of the hat without doing another order. We are also looking into some other items using silkscreen methods to offer an alternative.

For callsign and routing information please see the WMPORN routing information page. Please remember to check back here frequently as this routing information will be changing once we install the gateway.

What we need now is some help with funding. Though we were able to obtain the D-Star repeater at a reasonable price, we have also had to purchase D-Star radios to use with the repeater. This has been no cheap adventure for the repeater owners. If you would like to help accelerate this project donations are being accepted. But wait, we really don't want your money. It seems that too often donations are mishandled these days and to avoid such issues we would prefer that donations come in a form the actual needed items. You can look this link to see some of the items that we could use some help purchasing.

Several of the WMPORN people meet every Thursday evening. More information is available here.