Folks:
After fire, flood, and even a earthquake Matt Lechliter finally got back to Santa Ynez Peak thru the "mud zone" today from Oxnard. I teamed up with Matt and Chris Arnoult and was sure glad that I did not try this run during the rain storm. There was ample evidence of wash out's with heavy mud debris that could easily force a vehicle off the road. First stop would be a shear 1000 ft drop in an area we call the Bolivian Mile.
Matt installed the repaired final amplifier in the 146.18 repeater which previously was motor-boating. Few people realized the 145.18 repeater was operating for many weeks with only the Exciter running 150 milliwatts which was still heard by most people. The repeater is now back to 25 watts along with its partner repeater on 145.16 which is also running 25 watts. There is much to compare here with two co-located systems but with _different an__te__nna patterns._ In addition Matt went through the controller programming sequence to see if it helps get rid of the annoying M-A-C-R-O 9 voice response. Will watch this for a while and see if this fix works.
I believe it is safe to say that the 145.16 system is now 100% fully operational between Santa Ynez Peak and the WD6EBY repeater (145.20/144.60 127.3 PL) at Sulphur Mountain in Ventura County. This is intended to be a full time linked system with no buttons to push. Our goal is a Tri-County VHF repeater system covering the most populated areas. We are working on securing the final leg to SLO County.
Meanwhile, Have Fun and let OBB know how both systems are working with your associates in tough RF areas.
Bill Talanian