[W5SFA] Club Repeaters, Downtown Houston and Future Direction

[Roger Klein]

Club Members,

 

As you probably know, our club maintains three repeater locations:
Bellville, Columbus and downtown Houston.  We have had problems over the
past few months with the downtown Houston location, requiring "house calls"
to replace and reset the equipment.  We also have a new repeater location
that will be available to us near Wallis.  Therefore, I suggest that the
club needs to consider the future of the downtown Houston location.  The
following pros and cons concerning downtown Houston come to mind:

 

Pros:

.         The downtown Houston location is an established site with a long
(30 year?) history 

.         We have an excellent repeater location on top of a skyscraper with
a wide coverage area

.         If we vacate the downtown repeater site at 1221 McKinney, it is
not clear if we will be able to return in the future

 

Cons: 

.         I can't respond quickly to repeater issues (at least 24 hours or
more is needed to arrange for building access plus planning to travel down
there)

.         As the responsible control operator, my home is out of range of
the Houston repeater so I can't verify its proper operation without
involving others

.         We have no internet service available to us at the site, so remote
maintenance like we have at Columbus and Bellville is not possible

.         I perceive a low activity level with the downtown Houston repeater
- not many club members utilise it

.         Downtown Houston is a long way away. From my home in New Ulm, it
is a 180 mile round trip.  The club approved reimbursement of travel
expenses to downtown Houston at the January meeting.  That is appreciated,
but at the current $.56/mile rate plus parking, one visit to downtown
Houston costs the club more than $100.  Also, it takes 4 or more hours to
make the round trip, including time spent onsite.  That time and expense
could be put to better use.

 

The new Wallis location can take the place of downtown Houston and resolve
these issues.  This location with its 400' tower will be able to cover much
of west and southwest Houston, it will have internet access, it is much
closer and will therefore be less costly and easier to maintain.

To summarize, I'd like the club discuss the above issues and decide on a
future direction.  In my opinion, the cons far outweigh the pros for
continuing to maintain the downtown Houston location.  Instead, we should
take advantage of the benefits and flexibility the new Wallis location will
give us.   I don't expect everyone to agree with my opinion, so please let
your thoughts be known and respond to the reflector so everyone can
participate and comment. Specifically, have I missed any pros or cons, or
are there other options we should look at? 

Thanks,

Roger N5RWK

 

 

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