BARC operates both 2m and 70cm repeaters under the callsign W8DGN.

147.045 (+) (118.8 Hz tone) Analog FM only repeater supports AllStar and EchoLink
443.675 (+) (118.8 Hz tone) Auto-switch repeater between Analog FM and System Fusion supports Wires-X
442.675 (+) (118.8 Hz tone) BARC BAR repeater at the clubhouse (mostly local communication)

Remember to join your friends for the BARC weekly Net on Sunday evenings at 8:00 PM on the BARC 2m repeater, 147.045 (+) (118.8 Hz tone). The Net provides an opportunity between Club meetings to share news and information about Club and personal projects and activities. The monthly BARC Net Control Stations are:

First SundaySecond SundayThird SundayFourth SundayFifth Sunday
Larry Darner, KD8RERTink Siwecki, KD8NUAJoe Menchaca, KE8UUQPaul Sharp, WS8RJohn Westerkamp, W8LRJ

Alternate: James Dean, W8UD

If you would like to be a Net Control Station for the BARC Net, send an email to Paul Sharp, WS8R. You can download a copy of the Net Script by clicking here.

For other repeaters and nets in the Miami Valley, click here.

Tone Operation Notes

The BARC repeater did not use a tone until recently. Without a tone, the repeater responds as soon as it receives a carrier (Carrier Squelch). With a tone, the repeater needs to sample a few cycles to determine if the tone is correct before it opens the squelch so there is some delay. Proper operation on a repeater with a tone is to pause a second or two after pressing PTT before speaking to allow the repeater to open the squelch; otherwise, the first portion of your transmission may be cutoff.

Also, sometimes you may hear an operator call just as another person is signing off and then they get cutoff. This generally indicates that the operator does not have a tone in their radio and is speaking while the squelch is still open from the original caller. Once the squelch tail drops, the operator is no longer heard since they are not using the correct tone to keep the squelch open.

AllStar and EchoLink

AllStar Node: 53017
EchoLink Node: 353955

The W8DGN repeater has an active AllStar/EchoLink node available on the 147.045 repeater. Currently, outgoing connects and disconnects will not be audibly announced. Check here for the current status.

To use AllStar on the W8DGN repeater, simply listen to be sure the repeater is not in use, then identify your station and state that you are connecting to AllStar. Every command must begin with a “Star” character ( * ). If a * is issued as part of a command string, it causes a reset of the decoder and the decode begins from the last entered * character. This is useful if you make a mistake; you just start again. Decoding is abandoned if the gap between digits is too long.

Available Functions:
*1 nnnn Disconnect from node nnnn
*3 nnnn Connect to node nnnn
*73 Shortcut to disconnect from any node
A list of active Allstar nodes can be found at this location.

To use EchoLink on the W8DGN repeater, simply listen to be sure the repeater is not in use, then identify your station and state that you are connecting to EchoLink. Allstar treats ALL EchoLink node numbers as 6-digits long. Nodes with shorter numbers need to have leading zeroes added, e.g., EchoLink node 1234 = AllStar Node 001234. Also, in order to distinguish EchoLink node numbers from AllStar numbers, the 6-digit number has to he prepended with a “3”. So the example above becomes 3001234; a total of 7 digits.

Having constructed the number of the desired node, we need to issue the command to make the link. To call EchoLink node 1234, you would dial

*33001234

Note that when operating on an Internet repeater, it is very important to pause longer than usual to allow repeaters around the country (or world) to drop the carrier. This gives stations a chance to disconnect during the net if needed. Finally, please remember to disconnect from any call using *1nnnn or *73. If you are unable to disconnect, use the Contact page to send a message so we can disconnect the node.

Wires-X

W8DGN-ND Wires-X Node ID: 70262
W8DGN-Room Room ID: 80262

The W8DGN repeater has an active Wires-X node available on the 443.675 repeater. Check here for the current status. Like IRLP, AllStar, and EchoLink, Wires-X is a way for digital radios to connect over the Internet and reach remote repeaters or “Rooms” where many hams can meet and talk about specific topics. One popular room is the AmericaLink Node 21080.

To use Wires-X on the W8DGN repeater, simply listen to be sure the repeater is not in use, then identify your station and state that you are connecting to Wires-X. You must have a Yaesu radio that supports C4FM digital voice. Every radio has a different method for connecting to and disconnecting from Wires-X, but generally there is a DX or X button that connects you to Wires-X and allows you to get a list of nodes to which you can connect. You must remember to disconnect from WIres-X so as not to leave the repeater in an unknown state for FM users.

For more information, please check the Yaesu website or search the web for a tutorial that is specific to your radio.