You may have just gotten your license, and you feel like having a friendly chat with another ham. Where do the local hams hang out? That is a great question, and you will always find some hams on the local repeaters.
What is an amateur radio repeater? Why use repeaters?
An amateur radio repeater is a system that listens to a frequency and repeats that signal, generally with a better antenna and more power. This turns your small handheld radio into a device that can communicate with other operators many miles away.
How far can a repeater be if I want to use it?
That depends on a few things, but generally, if the repeater is within line of sight, you can hit that repeater. This range is about 20 miles around a repeater.
If you are having trouble hitting a certain repeater, try increasing power, using a better antenna, or getting your antenna higher.
What is repeater offset?
It is generally a bad idea to transmit on the same frequency that you are listening to. It can cause loops and other interference. To prevent this, repeaters use an offset; they listen and transmit on different frequencies.
What is PL tone/CTCSS?
A PL tone is a sub-audible tone that is transmitted when you key your radio. It tells the repeater that you are trying to use that repeater.
The PL tone is to keep unintended traffic out. If there are lots of repeaters in an area, it may be possible to have a repeater on the same input frequency; just use a PL tone to differentiate the traffic between the 2 inputs of the repeaters.
How can I find info on a repeater?
The best way to find info on a repeater is repeaterbook.com. There are also repeater directories, but these can be out of date and may also reference Repeaterbook.
Local clubs usually publish this information. You can find information on our repeaters here: https://otvarc.org/services/repeaters/
How do I find local nets?
The easiest way to find a net is to listen. Most modern radios have a scan feature that will scan all the repeaters that you have programmed into your radio. This is a great way to find those having friendly chats and also nets. Sometimes repeaterbook.com lists nets on different repeaters.
You can also check local clubs; many advertise the nets on their repeaters.
OTVARC has a weekly casual net on Wednesdays at 8 pm on the W7OTV repeater (146.96 -.6MHz offset, 127.3 PL tone). More info can be found here: https://otvarc.org/events/nets/
What is a linked Repeater?
This is the benefit of being a radio operator in the modern age. There are some repeaters that are linked to other repeaters. Either by physical links or internet links. You may even find systems of repeaters connected together.
With Echolink, Allstarlink, and IRLP, many systems, repeaters, and individual repeaters can be connected together.
The 2-meter OTVARC repeater is connected to Echolink (via WC7L-R) and Allstar (Node # 59538). More info on that can be found here: