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Author Topic: Programming repeaters along a new route  (Read 637 times)

KB1YXD

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Programming repeaters along a new route
« on: September 06, 2019, 07:23:17 AM »

Hello all,

Does anybody know of a website or software that superimposes 2m/70cm repeaters over a Google Maps driving directions route to make programming easier?

Thanks and 73,

-Mike
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K5LXP

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RE: Programming repeaters along a new route
« Reply #1 on: September 07, 2019, 09:45:47 AM »

TravelPlus used to do it but the data in that is getting kind of stale.  RFinder does routes and if you can define your coverage area as a route that might work.  Sometimes I'll plug lat and long into RFinder and see what's "around" and generate a list manually based on more than just their proximity.  Maybe others have a better way.

Mark K5LXP
Albuquerque, NM
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KX4QP

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RE: Programming repeaters along a new route
« Reply #2 on: September 07, 2019, 01:36:55 PM »

I'd sure have welcomed something like this a couple hours ago.

After having my new quad-band mobile for a week, I reprogrammed it to put the channels I use most in the bottom section of the memories for quick, easy access (1 through 4 are simplex calling frequencies for the four bands, 5-9 are the receivers I use on a daily basis, then the 10m, 6m, 2m, and 70cm locals each have a segment of memories).  I also took the time to load up (some of) the repeaters I might want to use along the route I take on my vacations to the Outer Banks -- so beyond the Piedmont area where I live and work, I programmed a stack of repeaters for Raleigh, Rocky Mount, and a couple smaller towns, then the ones actually on Hatteras and Nag's Head.

Using Chirp and RepeaterBook (plus Google Maps on my phone to verify what towns were where), it took me less than an hour to set up for continuous repeater coverage on 2m and 70cm, plus near-continuous on 6m/10m FM (some places don't have either one, most don't have both).

Only has to be done once unless something wipes the radio, and I have a backup in my laptop's hard disk, so I don't have to look up the repeaters again even then.  Later, I'll dig up the cable and do the same for my HT, except I won't bother with the in-betweens, just add the ones on Hatteras and Nag's Head.
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KB1YXD

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RE: Programming repeaters along a new route
« Reply #3 on: September 10, 2019, 10:36:38 AM »

Thanks for the responses!

Lucky for me, I've discovered http://www.nerepeaters.com/ which is an excellent listing of repeaters in New England (my AO). They have plotted all of their listed repeaters on google maps which is very helpful. They have a sister site for New York http://www.nyrepeaters.com/. It would be good to see this kind of website established for repeaters in other states.

73,

-Mike
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K5LXP

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RE: Programming repeaters along a new route
« Reply #4 on: September 10, 2019, 04:10:46 PM »

And for all the trouble I still end up just doing a bandscan to catch whatever might be around.  For places I frequent I have zones preprogrammed so at least on those routes/destinations I know what's in there.  Back in the day I'd sit down with an ARRL Repeater Directory and a road atlas and mark up my route on paper, then get bummed when I didn't have crystals for a lot of them.  Icom's auto repeater function is the closest I've seen towards making all this preprogramming necessary.  Maybe someday all radios will have some form of this function that would also include self updates to a common database like repeaterbook or RFinder.

Mark K5LXP
Albuquerque, NM
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