Next Meeting:
Thursday
Jan. 16, 2024
Meeting: 7:00 PM
Place: Marcus Communications
Food at 6:00 meeting starts
at 7:00
Donation $7.00
Directions to
Marcus Communications
Note: Meeting is on Thursday!
PVRA Elections June 2024
Results:
President: Bruce Marcus, N1XG
Vice President Mark Shekleton, N1SAT
Exec Vice President: Dana Underhill, KB1AEV
Treasurer: Dave Plis, WA1OUH
Membership Director: Don Paolucci AC1V
Director at Large: RJ Siska, KB1RJS
PVRA Membership 2024
PVRA has kept the dues stable for approximately the last 10 years. Due to the current inflation pressure our income is not keeping up with our expenses. Therefore, at the last meeting a vote was taken to reluctantly increase the dues going forward.
The membership dues will be: $60.00 for a regular membership, $50.00 for retirees, and $20.00 for under 18.
Your dues support over 15 reliable repeaters including IRLP & Echolink.
The linked repeaters provide continuous coverage on I-84 from the New York border to the Massachusetts border.
PVRA is at the leading edge of Digital Voice with D-STAR and DMR repeaters with more DMR repeaters planned.
Memberships renew April 1st. You will receive a bill in late February.You can renew on-line or by Mail.
As a reminder, the repeaters and networks provided by the PVRA are made available to all ham radio operators free of charge, but the cost of upkeep and maintenance is significant. We encourage anyone who enjoys using our systems to consider joining the PVRA. Your membership dues directly support the continued operation and improvement of our repeaters, ensuring we can maintain the highest quality service for the ham community across southern New England.
To join, or for more information, please visit our website Join PVRA.net or contact a club representative. Your support is greatly appreciated!
NOTE: DMR Change!
Due to circumstances beyond our control the PVRA talk group has been changed from 310991 to 31093 on the brandmeister connected DMR repeaters. You will need to update your code plugs.View from Box Mountain
Camera mounted on tower at 100' level.Solar panels coming soon!
PVRA Brandmeister DMR Repeater Added in Avon
W1HDN 442.050+ DMR code CC1
EchoIRLP added to 146.79
Now 145.41 & 146.79 both have EchoIRLP nodes
| Freq | IRLP Node # | EchoLink Node # |
| 146.79 | 4159 | 146790 W1HDN-R |
| 145.41 | 4198 | 832940 W1HDN-L |
New: PVRA DMR Repeaters!!
Torrington
441.550+ DMR code CC1
Vernon
443.950+ DMR code CC1
Important Bill for Radio Amateurs - PASSED!
State Senator Tony Guglielmo introduced a bill about Hams having the legal right to use our mobile HAM radios while driving in CT. As it was, there was no clear ruling and police departments could more or less enforce as they see fit based on the cell phone regulations - hams could be included in these regulations and be cited.
The bill was signed into law by the governor on May 31, 2012 and now excludes amateur radio licensees.
Senate Bill 61: AN ACT EXEMPTING AMATEUR RADIO OPERATORS USING HAND-HELD RADIOS FROM THE PROHIBITION ON USING HAND-HELD MOBILE TELEPHONES AND MOBILE ELECTRONIC DEVICES WHILE DRIVING.
Connecticut General Assembly Bill Info
Just a suggestion, we should always carry a license or copy with us in the vehicle. A lot of hard work went into this by a lot of people. Many thanks to Senator Guglielmo, his staff, Bruce Marcus N1XG and his staff, Steve Dube KA1RLA and all other folks we don't know about who were involved.
UPDATE:
Due to pressure from the Fed's the law was subsequently
revised to read "only in case of emergencies".
More info click here.
Bit of PVRA History:
Halloween Snow Storm Alfred
Notice that during the recent storm, when power was
out for much of the state and cell phone coverage was
spotty or non-existent, the PVRA repeater system worked
as expected.
PVRA is fortunate to have our repeaters located at top
quality sites with battery and generator backup. Box
Mountain is the home of 146.79 &145.41 repeaters
and it is the hub for the linked repeaters and the DSTAR
system. The cost for propane just for Box Mountain was
about $3000 both for storm Alfred and storm Irene. While
our landlord (Marcus Communcations), does not charge
PVRA for these costs, we must still maintain our equipment.
Help ensure that PVRA repeaters will be continue to be top quality. Join PVRA and ask your friends to join. Donations are gratefully accepted.
Repeater News:
The Warwick, RI PVRA Repeater at 147.045 has been updated
to a D-STAR Repeater using the call W1HDN
PVRA Gets YOU on the Air!!!
Program for new Hams
PVRA will Loan a VHF or UHF mobile transceiver to members that are new Hams. If you are a new Ham that has not been on the air yet due to lack of equipment, PVRA will have some surplus mobile radios available to be loaned out. All that will be needed is an antenna.
Digital Amateur Radio available at PVRA Vernon Site
The D-STAR Digital Voice Radio system is now supported at the PVRA Box Mountain site in Vernon.
- What is D-STAR?
- Who manufactures D-STAR equipment?
- Connecticut D-STAR Forum
- 2 Meters - 145.26 Mhz -.600 (AA1HD)
- 440 - 442.150 +5.00 MHz
The NEW Naugatuck Valley Repeater is up and running.
Due to problems with the former Naugatuck repeater site, the repeater was shut down and removed last month. The repeater has found a new home in Prospect with a similar coverage pattern. Unlike the old site, the new site is easily accessible for maintenance. So once again 147.18 is back on the Western Connecticut link with Torrington, Danbury, and Vernon.
The Vernon & Torrington Sites now have Packet Digipeaters on 144.39 MHz that will relay APRS information to the internet:
Northern Connecticut Weather Net
Spring/Summer Schedule: Will meet weekly Thursdays on the Vernon 146.79 repeater - offset PL 82.5 , except for Second Thursday when Net will be on the alternate repeater: Soapstone 147.00 + offset, PL 127.3
New Repeater UP! PVRA has installed a new repeater in West Warwick, RI on 147.045, PL 141.3
Torrington Link is UP!
Naugatuck, Torrington and Vernon 145.41 are Linked!!!
New Linking Capabilities Coming!
The Club will be using 900 Mhz equipment to provide the capability to link all of the repeater sites in various configurations. A temporary 440Mhz link has been added to the Naugatuck 147.18, Vernon 145.41 repeaters and the Torrington site will be available for the nightly net and at various times during the day.
New Club Call!
W1HDN
The new call will be used on all PVRA repeaters.
W1HDN stands for: Homeland Defense Network
PVRA is the Amateur Auxiliary of the Homeland Defense Network
The Club is using IRLP (Internet
Radio Linking Project) to link our repeaters with
other repeaters throughout the world.
Status: PVRA IRLP node 4159 is up and running on 146.79 and is available to all members.
Mailing List
If you would like to be
added to our mailing list
Click Here
. You will be
notified about club meetings and activities. You do
not have to be a member, you just need an interest in
ham radio.
A 501(c)3 Non-Profit Organization