About GB3IW
The repeater is licensed for both analogue and C4FM but only analogue FM is currently live and we will be creating a C4FM repeater in the future and the plan is for connection to the Southern Fusion Network. The antenna is a 4 stack so that we have some directivity to prevent interference with both Vectis Radio and the SAR who are also sharing the mast.
The repeater also has Echolink connected to it so that people outside of its range are able to join the weekly nets that take place on GB3IW. This allows for the amateurs in other countries to join in along with many fellow amateurs that are all over the UK.
The repeater is 2 x TAIT 8200 radios connected with a Raspberry Pi running Allstarlink which will also give it a connection to the Hubnet. I would like to thank Peter G7RPG for all his assistance in setting this up. I would also like to thank Andy G4MYS for the loan of some equipment which has helped to get the repeater working to its best. Once the analogue side is sorted we will activate the digital side so that the island then has a C4FM repeater on it which we will connect to the southern fusion network but it will be in a different location with more signal up the coast towards Brighton.
This is the anticipated coverage with the current antenna which is the 4 stack. This is only an estimation as we have had a 59 report from as far away as Caversham, just outside Reading which was over 90K away
We now also have M0RQD which is a small personal repeater in Sandown Airport which is connected to GB3IW through Allstar and is a permanent connection and covers a part of the island which GB3IW is unable to get to.
The repeater also has the ability to connect to other Allstar nodes and I have made a few available for you to use. Send the following DTMF codes to connect;
*51# – Hubnet
*53# – Freestar
You should get 2 high pitch beeps which will confirm the connection.
Once you have finished, please send DTMF code *59#
If you have an Allstar node then its 60510 for you to connect to it.
A big thanks to these lovely people, without whom we couldn’t have put the repeater in.