Linked Repeater in SoCal and AZ.

[crawler#976]

After using the CalZona Link this weekend for several hours over two days, I was very curious to find some info on the San Diego end of the link. Fortunately I got some unexpected and welcome help from KG6WFV, Tim in San Diego. He heard me on Sunday trying to contact folks from the weekend trip on my way home. Tim had been a frequent participant in the old Expo Portal Ham net. Anyway, he was playing at Anza-Borrego, and heard my call on the CalZona link via Smith Peak in AZ.

My end of the link is maintained by the Arizona Repeater Assoc. It reaches over a huge area of southern AZ via Smith Peak near Aguilla, AZ., and into metro Phx via the White Tanks repeater west of Luke AFB. I was making good contact via Smith Peak as far south as King Road and Hwy 95.

http://www.w7ara.org/Web/

Tha California end of the link is maintained by the East County Repeater Assoc. Tim mentioned that their repeaters cover everything from well north of San Diego to Yuma via it's system of linked repeaters. He was using the 2M repeater on Monument Peak.

http://www.ecra.org/

Looking at the ECRA and ARA repeater info, it looks like we should have very solid comms from Phx to San Diego at almost any location. Unfortunately, I live far enough north to be out of the covered area, but any members in the Phx area should be able to make contact with our SD counterparts easily!

Mark

 

[taugust]

This linked system is a great resource when traveling in the desert. It's best to have all repeaters programmed into the radio with a cheat sheet to tell where each one is. I was able to make a relayed 911 call on a motorcycle accident on Montezuma Grade west of Borrego Springs with a 5 watt HT when cell service was nonexistent. Monument peak is about 12 miles from my home.

 

[Ed KG6UTS]

ECRA_CalZona

Hello! I can hit the Monument Peak repeater from the beach in San Diego with an HT and have solid contact with the whole system. When we are in Borrego Springs I have a two meter Icom 2100H set up to monitor CalZona as well as local valley repeaters. From the Salton Sea you can use the W6DRA repeater on the Palm Springs Tram, 145.48-PL107.2. That one has an IRLP node also. I have not used it from the Desert but I did talk to a Ham in Salton City when I was working in Seattle.

EdZ KG6UTS

 

[taugust]

Just a correction: ECRA has repeaters all over SD county, however, only the Monument Peak Repeater is part of the CalZona Linked system. Monument Peak should have coverage from much of SD County and well out into the Imperial County desert.

 

[crawler#976]

Thanks for the info Tim, and it was nice to chat with you on Friday!

I was just west of Crown King, AZ. on the Senator Hyw (FR-52) at 6600' elevation while driving in light snow and got thru to Tim via the Smith Peak repeater on the CalZona link.

Mark