The Perry County VHF repeater project is currently in the planning stage.
We have one of the most important pieces already:
A coordinated VHF repeater frequency pair is available for Perry County.
What we don’t have yet is the repeater itself or the infrastructure needed to put it on the air.
That’s where this project begins.
The Plan
Our current plan is to build the 2-meter system around a Yaesu System Fusion repeater.
That would give us conventional analog FM capability while also providing an opportunity to support Yaesu’s digital voice system.
For a new club trying to build useful local infrastructure, that combination makes sense.
Analog FM remains widely useful and accessible.
Operators with compatible equipment can also explore System Fusion digital voice.
The goal isn’t to install digital capability simply because another button lights up.
The goal is to build a repeater local operators can actually use.
Why 2 Meters?
The 2-meter amateur band is one of the first places many newly licensed operators get on the air.
VHF equipment is widely available.
Handheld and mobile radios are common.
Antennas can be relatively manageable.
And repeaters can extend the useful communications range of stations that might otherwise be limited by terrain, antenna height, or transmit power.
That makes a local 2-meter repeater especially useful for an organization interested in helping new amateur radio operators get on the air.
It also provides another communications option for local nets, public-service activities, experimentation, and emergency communications.
Analog FM Still Matters
Digital voice gets plenty of attention, but a local repeater shouldn’t require someone to purchase a particular digital radio simply to participate.
The planned system should remain useful to operators with ordinary analog FM equipment.
That’s especially important for new operators.
A first radio doesn’t need every feature available in amateur radio.
Someone with a basic 2-meter or dual-band analog radio should still be able to make use of the local repeater.
Digital capability can expand the options.
It shouldn’t unnecessarily narrow participation.
Why System Fusion?
System Fusion gives us an opportunity to combine traditional analog FM operation with digital voice capability in the same general repeater project.
That fits one of the broader goals of PCARS:
Make the common things accessible while still leaving room to experiment with the interesting things.
Some operators may never care about digital voice.
Others may find it fascinating.
Both should be able to participate.
As the project develops, we’ll determine exactly how the repeater will be configured and which features make sense for the way local operators actually use it.
There is no prize for enabling every feature in the manual on the first afternoon.
The Repeater Still Needs a Home
Just as with the UHF repeater project, the radio itself is only one piece of the system.
A useful VHF repeater needs an appropriate site.
That means looking for a location that provides useful elevation and coverage while also giving us practical access to:
- A suitable tower or antenna-support structure
- Electrical power
- Equipment space
- Grounding and lightning protection
- Reasonable access for maintenance
- A long-term arrangement that makes the installation sustainable
The highest possible tower isn’t automatically the best possible site.
Coverage matters.
Access matters.
Cost matters.
Reliability matters.
And being allowed to keep the equipment there next year matters quite a bit.
The Antenna System Matters
The repeater may be the interesting box with the lights on it, but the antenna system will determine a great deal about how useful the finished installation actually becomes.
The final design will need an antenna appropriate for the site and the coverage we’re trying to achieve.
It will also require suitable feed line, connectors, mounting hardware, weatherproofing, grounding, and professional or otherwise properly qualified tower installation.
A repeater sitting in a rack can be impressive.
A repeater connected to a good antenna at a good site is useful.
We’re aiming for useful.
Feed Line Isn’t an Afterthought
Feed line will be selected as part of the station design rather than as something we buy after spending the rest of the budget.
Loss between the repeater and antenna affects both sides of the communications path.
Transmit signal lost in the feed line never reaches the antenna.
Received signal lost in the feed line never reaches the receiver.
The correct choice will depend on the site, tower height, total feed-line length, installation requirements, and budget.
Until we know the site, we don’t know enough to make that decision intelligently.
That’s okay.
Planning first is considerably cheaper than buying twice.
Backup Power
We’d like the completed repeater to be as useful as reasonably practical when commercial power is interrupted.
Exactly what that means will depend on the eventual site and system design.
Backup power could become an important part of the installation, particularly if emergency communications becomes one of the ways the repeater is used.
But we aren’t going to design a hypothetical backup-power system around a site we don’t have yet.
Once the location and equipment requirements are known, we can make that decision based on the actual installation.
What About Internet Linking?
System Fusion opens possibilities beyond basic local repeater operation.
That doesn’t mean every possible network feature needs to be part of the initial installation.
Our first priority is straightforward:
Build a reliable local VHF repeater.
Additional capabilities can be evaluated later based on technical practicality, available connectivity, cost, reliability, and whether local operators actually want to use them.
We’re building a repeater first.
Everything after that is an option.
What We Already Have
The VHF project currently has:
- A coordinated VHF repeater frequency pair
- A basic plan for a 2-meter repeater
- Yaesu System Fusion as the planned repeater platform
- A reason to build it
That last item may not fit in a rack, but it matters.
What We Still Need
The project still requires most of the physical system, including:
- Yaesu System Fusion repeater
- Suitable site
- Tower or appropriate antenna-support structure
- VHF antenna system
- Feed line
- Connectors and installation hardware
- Equipment mounting and site infrastructure
- Grounding and lightning protection
- Qualified tower installation
- Final configuration
- System testing and commissioning
Depending on the site and final design, additional equipment may be required.
We’ll add those pieces to the project as the design becomes real rather than trying to predict every connector and bracket before we know where the repeater is going.
Why Build Both VHF and UHF?
The VHF and UHF projects aren’t competing with one another.
They give Perry County amateur radio operators different options.
Local conditions, terrain, antenna systems, individual equipment, operating interests, and the eventual repeater sites will all affect how useful each system becomes from a particular location.
Having both systems also gives PCARS room to experiment with different equipment and operating capabilities.
Most importantly, it gives local operators more than one tool.
No single repeater needs to be everything for everybody.
This Repeater Is Not on the Air Yet
This project is still in the planning stage.
We have the coordinated VHF frequency pair.
We have a direction for the system.
We do not yet have an operating PCARS VHF repeater.
We won’t publish an imaginary coverage map.
We won’t announce a launch date before we have one.
And we won’t describe planned capabilities as though they’re already sitting on a tower.
We’ll update this page as real milestones are reached.
Current Status
Project status: Planning
Already available
- Coordinated VHF repeater frequency pair
Planned
- 2-meter repeater
- Yaesu System Fusion platform
- Analog FM capability
- Digital voice capability
Still needed
- Repeater equipment
- Suitable site
- Tower or suitable antenna structure
- VHF antenna
- Feed line
- Installation hardware
- Qualified tower installation
- Grounding and lightning protection
- Final system design and configuration
- Testing and commissioning
To be determined
- Final repeater model and configuration
- Antenna system
- Backup-power configuration
- Site-specific infrastructure
- Internet connectivity or linking
- Additional capabilities based on local interest
Want to Help?
A project at this stage can benefit from many kinds of help.
Maybe you know of a potential site.
Maybe you have experience with VHF repeater systems.
Maybe you understand towers, antennas, feed line, grounding, backup power, or commercial communications equipment.
Maybe you have experience with Yaesu System Fusion.
Maybe you simply want Perry County to have a local 2-meter repeater.
We’d like to hear from you.
The project will move forward as the right combination of equipment, site, funding, time, and people comes together.
That’s how most worthwhile amateur radio projects seem to happen.
One piece at a time.
Contact us at info@pcars.club.