MCARA BANNER

     * * * Please check our Club Calendar out for future events * * *

 

 

This is a list of confirmed frequencies for our local area.

If you happen to know of any changes please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Updated: 21 May 2022

 

MISSISSIPPI

Repeater book list for the state

Location Frequency Offset Tone Callsign Information
Poplarville 145.150 - 600 kHz 136.5 K5PRC  
Poplarville 145.410 - 600 kHz 136.5 W5NRU  
Stennis SSC 147.210 - 600 kHz 136.5 N5GJB Stennis Space Center
McHenry 147.375 +600 kHz CSQ KA5VFU  
Wiggins 145.270 - 600 kHz 136.5 N5UDK  
Gulfport 146.835 - 600 kHz 136.5 N9OKV Harrison County EOC Repeater
Vancleave 145.110 - 600 kHz 123.0 W5WA Yaesu System Fusion (with Wires-X)
Vancleave 146.970 - 600 kHz 136.5 K9EYZ Yaesu System Fusion (with Wires-X)
Lucedale 147.120 - 600 kHz 136.5 KD4VVZ Yaesu System Fusion (with Wires-X)
Biloxi 146.730 - 600 kHz 136.5 W5SGL Yaesu System Fusion 
Hattiesburg 147.315 +600 kHz 136.5 KD5MIS Yaesu System Fusion (with Wires-X)
National 146.520  N/A CSQ   National Calling Simplex
National 146.550  N/A CSQ   National Tactical Simplex
State Wide 146.540  N/A 88.5   ARES Simplex Ch #1
State Wide 146.570  N/A 88.5   ARES Simplex Ch #2
State Wide 446.000  N/A 100.0   ARES Simplex Ch #3
Vancleave 145.010  N/A CSQ   National Packet Frequency BBS W5WA-1 
National 144.390 N/A CSQ   National APRS Frequency
Diamond Head 444.450 +5 mHz 136.5 KA5EPR Diamond Head community Repeater
McHenry 444.150 +5 mHz 77.0 WB5BJT Used to be in Gulfport, now in McHenry

 

 

ALABAMA

Repeater Book listing for the state

Location Frequency Offset Tone Callsign Information
Mobile 53.0300 52.0300 203.5 W4IAX MARC Providence Hospital
Mobile 145.470 Minus 123.0 WX4MOB University Hospital
Mobile 146.745 Minus 123.0 K4DSR DSARC Club Repeater
Mobile 146.820 Minus 203.5 W4IAX MARC Club Repeater
Mobile 146.940 Minus CSQ WB4QEV Mobile County EMA
Mobile 146.985 Minus 123.0 N4RGJ Mobile South (Linked)
Mobile 147.015 Positive 123.0 N4RGJ Mobile North (Linked)
Mobile 147.150 Positive 103.5 WB4BMX Mobile County EMA
Mobile 147.300 Positive 203.5 W4IAX MARC Club Repeater
Mobile 444.500 Positive 123.0 WB4QEV  
Mobile 444.525 Positive 123.0 WX4MOB University Hospital
Mobile 444.9875 Positive CC1 N4TEA DMR Repeater
           

 

 

Louisiana

coming soon

Repeater Book listing for the state

 
 

 

A Brief History of our Repeater

 

The local repeater was first licensed in 1974 as WR5AFB and was located in Gulfport, MS.  Its founders were John Belham WA5PDG, Trustee, and Fred Taylor K5QBU.  The justification for a repeater became evident with the growing use of the 2 meter band along the Gulf Coast and the need for extending the range of 2 meter operations in this area. 

 

The repeater’s first location was on the cable TV tower in Gulfport.  However conditions forced the location to change in 1986 and the repeater went silent until 1987. At that time club president Joe Butler, then K5JB (later K5OS), arranged for the present site at the cable TV tower in North Biloxi.

 

When the repeater returned to the air in 1987 it was still K5OS but with a new control operator, Pete Heuser KC5IF.  Also, autopatch was introduced that year in memory of Tom Braidwood W5BW, who was un questionably the dean of amateur radio operators on the Gulf Coast.  Tom was first licensed in about 1914.

 

The repeater call sign remained unchanged until 1991 when it became KC5IF.  Pete has had the responsibility for keeping the repeater on the air for the past 16 years and we all owe him a debt of gratitude for his hard work and dedication.  

 

In 2004 the repeater’s call sign changed to it’s present call of W5SGL to honor Walter Daniels, a Silent Key, for his dedication to the club.

 

In 2021 the club voted to replace the old repeater which had a failing controller, with a donated brand new Yaesu System Fusion DR-2X repeater which is currently not connected to Wires-X, or any other form of internet linking. However, the repeater is monitorable by listening to it via broadcastify.com in both FM and C4FM Digital.

 

 
 

Where do we go from here?
Written by Tom, W4WLF in 2021

 

First, I am older than dirt according to one of my former students. I have seen a lot in my 83 years on this planet. (Some say that I came from another planet. If that’s so, I don’t remember it.)


Our club is on the brink of breaking up. I have seen it before and it is not pretty. I hope that this presentation has a chance of reversing our path.


I don't claim to be as wise as "The Old Man" of the ARRL, but I hope that I can emulate some of his teachings. (The Old Man, was Hiram Percy Maxim, the co-founder of the ARRL.) I have lifted material from several web pages that have suggestions for repeater users. Repeater Etiquette is something that has been sorely lacking by a few on our repeaters lately. There are no “laws” for repeater use other than the FCC regulations. There are some "rules of etiquette". Below I will try to list a few. Remember the repeaters are there for legal users.


1. We should not Kerchunk a repeater without giving our call sign. Many of us, without thinking, are breaking the law by keying a repeater to see if we have a signal into it. If you transmit you are required to identify. Making any transmission without identifying is not only breaking FCC rules, it is rude. FCC rules require that when you transmit, you must identify with your complete call sign. This must be done at least every 10 minutes. Also, your final transmission must include your complete call sign. Any time you key up the repeater, you should identify, even if you are just testing to see if you have a signal into the repeater. “W4WLF test” is sufficient for this. (Please insert your call sign in place of mine.)


2. Avoid starting or encouraging conflicts on the air. If a topic of conversation starts to draw strong debate or is disparaging of someone, change the subject.


3. Any time you want to get or give a signal report, remember that FM is different from SSB. If you are mobile, you may “picket fence” indicating that the signal is in and out of the repeater. A valid report might be, “You are full quieting” or “some white noise” (the hissing sound).


4. The Citizens Band has a bad reputation with many hams because of the illegal activities and bad language. Therefore, it is probably better that we don’t use phrases learned on 11 meters such as "handle", "making the trip", "got a good copy on me?", "the personal here is...", "what's your 20?", "you're giving me 20-pounds", and other phrases which should stay on CB. Speak plain English. In my opinion, the less said about 11 meters on the air the better.


5. Do not talk about politics or religion on the air. This includes conspiracy theories around politics, health and religion.


6. Do not disparage a person or their name on the air. If you have done so, an apology to that person would be in order.


7. Use the minimum power necessary to complete a QSO.


8. Repeater Hogging.... occasionally invite others by asking if there is anyone that would like join in. We want to welcome everyone (operating legally) onto the repeater. We should not have the repeater being “hogged”. Do not monopolize the repeater. If 90% of the conversation ...... for long periods of time include you and one or two others, something is probably wrong. If other hams turn off their radios for periods of time because they have difficulty being able to talk to someone other than you, something is wrong. You do not own, nor single handedly finance the repeater. It is supposed to be a shared resource. Don't drive other people off the air. You know who you are! If you are someone who is the subject of frequent interference, that may be a sign that you are aggravating people with your operating habits.

 

9. After the courtesy tone or carrier drops (if there is no courtesy tone), you should wait a few seconds before keying up. This provides time for others to break in.


10. On a repeater you can simply give your callsign. You can add something like “listening”. This says that you are listening for anyone. By the way we don't CQ on repeaters. People looking for a contact will transmit their call sign or maybe their callsign with something like ... monitoring, listening, mobile etc. (Your call, monitoring.)


11. To join a QSO in progress, simply announce your call sign. Do not say "break" unless it is an emergency. A break-break would be for a super urgent problem.

 

12. Admit to Your Mistakes! Accidents are bound to happen. As an example, you may inadvertently transmit on top of an ongoing conversation. Be a responsible adult – admit that it was you and apologize. You will gain more respectability by expressing your regret for the error.


13. Do not participate in any activity that is in violation of FCC rules and/or any other federal, state or local laws or ordinances (This includes, but is not limited to: jamming, “stepping on” [talking over someone...dual transmissions], broadcasting of music, unidentified carrier, etc.). Intentionally transmitting simultaneously with another station (“stepping on”) is prohibited by FCC regulation... even if the intent is good natured kidding among friends... it is still illegal.

 

Below are links to some of the web pages that I used in compiling this presentation. A search of the web will find many more.


qsl.net/riafmrs/Repeater_Etiquette.html | mawcg.org/repeateretiquette/  

www.vvara.org/pdf/Repeater_Etiquette.pdf