145.030 Packet

145.030 Packet KA-Node

W9SM-7

last update 04/16/2008

The W9SM-7 Packet node is located at the Fox 55 tower located in the town of Hewitt, northeast of Wausau.  The radio is a GE Delta SX rewired to work without the control head.  The TNC is a Kantronics KPC3+ running firmware version 9.0.  This Packet system is run into a Wacom WP-639-SP duplexer that is shared with the 144.390 W9SM-10 APRS digipeater.  Then the duplexer is fed into a Comet triband triplexer (2M/220/440) and combined with the 220 repeater and the voting receiver links on 440, onto one 1 1/4″ hardline coax to run up the tower.  The hardline runs up the tower to approx 600 feet and is connected to another triband triplexer to split the signals out to their respective antennas.  A 1/2″ hardline jumper comes from the triband triplexer to the Telewave antenna which is mounted standing up on the antenna mount at this level.  The 220 repeater antenna is on the same mount, however is hangs down from the mount.  The radio is set to 80 watts out, however after running through the duplexer and a reject cavity and the triband triplexer, there is only about 35 watts out to the antenna.

The TNC is also set up to provide back-up operation for APRS.  If there would be a need, the APRS users can switch to the Packet frequency (145.030) and run APRS through this setup.  They will only get local coverage seeing that this radio is not connected to the APRS network on 144.390.  The call and SSID for this mode would be W9SM-10.

10/15/07 – Set the TNC to the correct time and date.

12/7/07 – Got the node running on UPS power.

 

Packet and APRS Equipment at the Hewitt (Fox55) tower

 

Packet Radio Maps

This map includes WI packet stations that are on either HF, VHF, or both. Black markers indicate stations that have been inactive for an extended period of time. If you know any of the inactive packeteers, please encourage them to get back on.

This is a work in progress. Stations shown have been heard on the 14.105 NET105 Packet Network.