Welcome to the Bullitt Amateur Radio Society. With your membership, you are entitled to the rights and privileges of the special functions of the B.A.R.S. repeater, callsign KY4KY. With these rights and privileges comes a responsibility just as with your Amateur Radio License. We ask that you follow good Amateur Radio practice and use these guidelines as an aid to your enjoyment of this repeater.

We hope these guidelines are helpful to you and you enjoy your membership with B.A.R.S. You do need to be aware that any serious misuse of repeater privileges could jeopardize your membership. We are here to assist you in any way we can, just give one of us a call.

Repeater Information

The B.A.R.S. 2 meter repeater uses a Motorola MITREK receiver with Smart Squelch & Audio and a Kenwood TK-730 45 Watt VHF transmitter. The 146.700 repeater is coordinated for 200 watts ERP and in the past, to fill in the low spots, we have used a 200 Watt Henry RF amplifier. The repeater controller is a Computer Automation Technology CAT-300.

Our antenna is located in Grid Square EM78db at Latitude 38.0636° (38° 3' 49" N); Longitude -85.7311° (85° 43' 52" W).

There is also a 70 cm band repeater which transmits at 443.700 MHz. It has a positive receive offset of 5 MHz at 447.700. No PL tone is used on this repeater.

Radio Setup

Set your radio to 146.700 MHz with a negative offset of 600 kHz. Therefore, the input frequency is 146.100 and the output frequency is 146.700. Set your squelch to just above the hissing sound. Set your tranceiver for an input and output PL tone of 79.7 Hz. Always operate on the lowest power setting possible to make a good contact. For the best audio quality, talk across your microphone, not directly into it. You must have an Amateur Radio license to operate on the 2 meter band.

Note: An input and output subtone (PL tone, CTCSS or Encode/Decode) of 79.7 Hz is required to alleviate interference from stations contacting Indianapolis (also on 146.700 MHz). This was incorporated Septehmber 11, 2005. Without the Encode tone, you will not be able to access the repeater.

Making a Contact

Before initiating a contact, always listen to see if the frequency is in use. If you need to make a contact quickly simply ask, "Is the frequency in use?" and give your call sign. If no one responds, continue on. If you are calling a particular station, give their call sign once or twice and then your call sign. You may repeat again if no response. If still no response, end your transmission by giving your call sign and saying "Clear".

According to FCC Regulations, you must always identify yourself when transmitting on any frequency, otherwise you made an illegal transmission. Simply keying the microphone to see if you can hit the repeater with no identification is an illegal transmission. You are not required to identify the call sign of any other station during a conversation, only your own. When you are testing, you also must identify. Simply give your call and say "Testing". When you have finished testing, give your call and say "Clear".

If you have no one in particular to contact and would just like to announce you are available for conversation, simply give your call sign (of course, after first checking to make sure the frequency is not already in use as in the instructions above).

If there is a conversation already in progress and you want to join, simply give your call between transmissions. Courteous operators will acknowledge you right away and turn the frequency over to you for you to join. It is preferred not to use the word break to join a conversation, because it is confusing with the words break break, which indicates an emergency. All stations should relinquish the frequency immediately for any station with emergency traffic.

If there is a conversation already in progress and you want to make a short call, follow the instructions as above then ask politely to make a quick call. If you make contact, ask your party if they can move to another frequency. Make your call, then thank everyone for the interruption. Courtesy is always the key to good Amateur Radio practice.

Courtesy Tone

The B.A.R.S. repeater has a courtesy tone, which transmits after you have unkeyed the microphone. This lets you know you have "hit the repeater" (though not necessarily that you are understandable). It is also there as a reminder to pause between transmissions to allow someone else to call either to join your conversation or to make an emergency call. That's one reason why it is called a courtesy tone - to be courteous to others who may need to use the repeater.

Timeout

The B.A.R.S. repeater is set with a timeout function at approximately three minutes. If you make a transmission beyond this time limit, the repeater will timeout and temporarily shut down. Keep each transmission as short as possible to avoid timing out the repeater. This is another function of the courtesy tone; if you hear the tone, the timer has reset.

Doubling

When two operators are trying to talk at once on the repeater, the resulting noise is known as a double. If you're in a conversation including several people, you can avoid this by passing to another ham by giving their name or call at the end of your transmission. This type of group conversation is called a round table.

When Not to Use the Repeater

It is good practice not to use the repeater for conversations that can take place simplex. Simplex simply means talking directly with someone on a single frequency. Repeaters use two frequencies. There are many simplex frequencies from which to choose. This frees the repeater for those portable, mobile or too far away to communicate otherwise. A complete list of these frequencies can be found in the ARRL Repeater Directory.

Talking on the Repeater

Use plain English when on the repeater. The amateur phone bands are not the frequencies for using QTH, QSY or 10-4. Stay familiar with the International Telecommunication Union Phonetics as suggested by the FCC, especially when checking into nets or during emergency traffic situations. In all situations, give your call slowly and clearly for easy identification.

As with FCC Regulations, inappropriate language is not permitted. On the B.A.R.S. repeater, we expect everyone to carry on wholesome, friendly conversations. We have a good reputation that we wish to maintain.

If you hear someone not following these guidelines or violating an FCC Regulation, don't assume they are intentionally doing so. Everyone can make mistakes. You may offer them the benefit of your knowledge at that time in a helpful, friendly manner. It is neither helpful nor courteous to berate anyone over the air. If there is further concern, advise a board member and/or fill out an official observer report (available from any control op).

Demonstrating the Repeater

If you feel the need to demonstrate amateur radio to a non-ham or just show off some of the repeater capabilities, preface your transmission with demonstration. This will let others know what you are doing and may even generate a contact or two to assist in your demonstration.

Access Codes

The repeater has many other access codes and functions such as a signal strength read out, repeat dialing for the autopatch and an extend time for emergency autopatch calls. There is a separate document for these codes. No discussion of these codes should take place on the air nor should they be given to anyone who is not a B.A.R.S. member. This separate document also lists the names, calls signs and phone numbers for the Repeater Control Operators, B.A.R.S. Board Members and Club Officers. Should you have any problems, questions, etc. regarding repeater use or abuse, contact one of those listed.

When the Repeater is Down

Should the repeater ever go down, do not use the input frequency. 146.700 MHz is the recommended simplex frequency for B.A.R.S. club members to use at this time.

1. Emergency autopatch takes priority over other uses of the repeater.
2. Always identify (complete call sign) before using any of the repeater functions and at the end of any series of transmissions. Failure to do so could result in loss of privileges.
3. Business rules have been relaxed by the FCC, but you still cannot conduct activities on amateur radio that are a normal part of your job, or any activity in which you have a pecuniary interest. This means that you can call your doctor to cancel an appointment, but you cannot call your office to get messages. If in doubt DON'T DO IT.
4. Music is NOT tolerated on amateur radio, except retransmission of NASA audio during shuttle flights. If you call a company and they have Muzak or other music on their phones while you are on hold, you must end the call immediately. Remember, as an amateur radio operator, you are responsible for the repeater, not the company you called.
5. No discussions of repeater codes should take place on the air. If you have a question about how things work, call a control operator on the phone.
6. The repeater is never turned off except for maintenance and deliberate interference. If it seems dead, it may be in TouchTone access mode. This mode is used when noise or deliberate interference occurs.

The B.A.R.S. repeater is equipped with an autopatch. An autopatch is a device that allows hams to make telephone calls through the repeater. You must have a touch-tone keypad on your FM transceiver to access the autopatch. You also must have a signal strength of at least S3 to be able to use the autopatch. As of March 2001, the club voted to open the autopatch to all amateur radio operators.

You can have a phone number assigned as an autodial number. Contact one of the board members to do this. There are also autodial numbers assigned for certain emergency numbers, such as the Jefferson County Police, Bullitt County Dispatch, etc. As part of your membership, you will receive a listing of these numbers. You will also receive a Roster listing all members, their addresses, phone numbers and autodial numbers. If you not received this information, please let us know.

Before making an autopatch call, make sure the frequency is not in use. Then give your call sign and say "accessing the autopatch."

With the microphone keyed, press * (star) to bring up the autopatch and then the phone number or autodial number of the person you want to call. This has to be a continuous dialing sequence. Then unkey the microphone and wait for the caller to answer. Inform the caller that you are on the radio. In this instance, the caller must also adhere to FCC regulations. You may want to forewarn individuals of these regulations prior to calling them. Once the phone call is over, with your microphone keyed, press # (pound) to take the autopatch down. The repeater will ask you to identify. Give your call sign to clear.

The autopatch also has a time limit on the length of the call. Keep it brief. There are some special guidelines for autopatch calls:

1. Autopatching involving the business affairs of any party must not be conducted at any time. (The FCC considers nonprofit and noncommercial organizations businesses and forbids the use of Amateur Radio to facilitate their day-to-day operation in any way.) The content of a patch call should be such that it's clear to any listener that business communications are not involved. Particular caution must be observed in calling any business telephone. Calls to place an order for a commercial product must not be made, nor may any calls be made to one's office to receive or to leave business messages. Calls made in the interests of highway safety, however, such as for the removal of injured persons from the scene of an accident or for the removal of a disabled vehicle from a hazardous location, are permitted.
2. Autopatches should not be made solely to avoid telephone toll charges. Autopatches should never be made when normal telephone service could be just as easily used.
3. Autopatches must be terminated immediately in the event of any illegality or impropriety. Remember, your ultimate concern is for the proper use of the repeater not the person or business you have called.
4. If you have any doubt as to the legality or advisability of a patch, don't make it.
5. FCC regulations forbid the transmission of music on any frequency. Do not make any phone calls in which an answering machine or call while on hold would play music. Be aware of this fact during any transmission. Remember to turn down any device playing music before transmitting. This rule is superseded by an emergency situation.
6. When using the autopatch to report an emergency, be prepared to provide details with an exact location. The agency does not need to know your name or call sign. Begin by telling them you are a ham radio operator, give your location and then the details of the emergency. They especially need to know what type of emergency vehicles need to be dispatched to the scene.
7. If, while using the autopatch, you are placed on hold, identify every 10 to 15 seconds and advise you are on hold. This will prevent someone who just tuned to this frequency from transmitting inadvertently.

The B.A.R.S. repeater is equipped with EchoLink, operated and maintained by Buddy Sohl, KC4WQ.

The use of EchoLink adds some additional requirements to using the system when EchoLink is connected to other stations.

1. There is an additional delay after you release your microphone button before the remote station is able to reply. EchoLink records your transmission then sends it to the remote station. While your transmisson is constantly being sent, there is a delay before the remote station starts to hear the first and last few words. This can be up to 10 seconds. BE PATIENT. You will hear an additional double courtesy tone when it is okay to transmit again. Make sure you have also heard the repeater courtesy tone. If you don't wait, you will time out the system.
2. Talking louder or close to your mike will reduce the quality of your signal to the remote station. Back off your mike and DON'T SHOUT.
3. Additional common courtesy is required to make this feature useable for everyone. Unless it is an emergency, don't be in a big hurry to break into a conversation. Listen first and make sure the conversation has ended before transmitting.
4. If you connect to a remote station from your radio using the touch tone pad, be sure that you send the disconnect command when finished unless another local station wants to continue with the remote ham. Before you send the disconnect, ask if there is anyone else who would like to continue. The last one making the contact should issue a disconnect command.
5. All EchoLink commands on the B.A.R.S. system start with ## (pound - pound) with no space between the next key. ##D is the valid command to disconnect. ##C is used to connect. List of commands.

General information about EchoLink is available in our August 2003 Topic.

The B.A.R.S. repeater is identified with the Automatic Position Reporting System (A.P.R.S.). Among other things, this system is used to report the location of amateur radio stations. This position is reported through A.P.R.S. Digipeaters using amateur radio.

The location of KY4KY can be seen on the Internet at www.findu.com/cgi-bin/find.cgi?call=KY4KY-3.