Click on N8EOD for More D-Star info

Recently there was a problem with the air conditioning system at site where the DStar repeater resides. During the time when the temperatures inside the building reached over 100F a problem was revealed with the VHF receiver. The transmitter is still working fine, but the receiver stops working after a short time. Unfortunately the DStar system with it's digital control is not easy to troubleshoot. The problem may be with the RP2C controller rather than the module, but we are going to have to change out some hardware to find out where the problem is and get it corrected.

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.