[W5SFA] Club Repeaters, Downtown Houston and Future Direction

[Sean Jost]

It seems like a really valuable repeater, just not to us. Could we sell it to a Houston club and use the proceeds for repeaters in our area?

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From: w5sfa <w5sfa-bounces at w5sfa.org> on behalf of Roger Klein <rwklein at katyweb.net>
Sent: Saturday, March 6, 2021 9:33:12 AM
To: w5sfa at w5sfa.org <w5sfa at w5sfa.org>
Subject: [W5SFA] Club Repeaters, Downtown Houston and Future Direction


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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