146.12/146.72  223.18/224.78  449.55/444.55  447.825/442.825

145.76 -- N8KUF / RRRA

RRRA members participate with many local clubs and organizations to provide our organization's resources to local and visiting radio amateurs, as well as to our communities. The generosity of our members and friends continues to contribute to the service the RRRA can offer. RRRA encourages the participation of its members in local general interest amateur radio clubs.

The River Raisin Repeater Association Inc. is an ARRL affiliated club, allowing our membership to take advantage of the many services offered by the League. . The specialized nature of the Association and the intent to provide a service to all amateurs, call for only one general meeting yearly, so as not to conflict with the activity of local amateur clubs having a broader interest to the amateur community.

There are now five RRRA systems in operation to serve the amateur radio operators of the Monroe County region. Our first repeater, 146.72 (previously 146.73) went on the air in 1971, from downtown Monroe. Today, we operate from our transmitter site four miles south of Monroe, at LaSalle, for 146.72, and our 145.76 BBS/ Digipeater. The 224.78 MHz system is located at Ann Arbor, the 444.55 Repeater is located in Luna Pier, and the 442.825 system is in Dundee.

Amateur operators throughout the area are welcomed and encouraged to use the repeaters. System coverage of 72- MONROE extends approximately 45 miles from its 320 foot main antenna site at LaSalle for 25 watt mobiles. Receive sites at La Salle, Monroe, Newport, Ottawa Lake, and Dundee offer improved coverage for hand-held units operating in those areas.

MEMORANDA OF UNDERSTANDING

The RRRA has agreements with the Monroe, Lenawee and Washtenaw County ARPSC Organizations to allow priority use of the repeaters in case of an emergency. Users are to respect these agreements in the true spirit of Amateur Radio public service, and allow unobstructed operation of the repeaters by these groups in an emergency or drill.

Non-emergency amateur activities such as nets and drills are regular users of the systems, and other activities and special events are welcome. The Association board will be pleased to assist in scheduling such operations.

72-MONROE SYSTEM

The 72 Monroe System (146.72) operates with its main antenna at 320 feet, in LaSalle, and has a transmitter ERP of 200 watts. Receivers are located at LaSalle, Monroe, Dundee, Newport and Ottawa Lake. Stations that transmit 100Hz PL will access the system at maximum sensitivity.

224.78 MHz REPEATER

Our 220 system is located at Ann Arbor, and has its antenna at the 350-foot level on the tower. The repeater ERP is 128 watts. The 224.78 can be crosslinked with 442.150 in Milford for operation with the MICON Skywarn Network. Crosslinking is indicated by a "triple beep".

When the system is crosslinked to Milford, users should be alert to the fact that there may be a weather emergency and the MICON Skywarn Net may be active. MICON is a closed net, reserved for selected county key stations. Users are asked to respect the need to have the MICON Net reserved for those key stations.

444.55 MHz REPEATER

The 444.55 MHz repeater is located at the Consumers Power Whiting Plant at Luna Pier, and transmits from a 196-foot antenna height. Transmitter power is 50 watts. PL code is 100.0 Hz.

442.825 MHz REPEATER

The 442.825 MHz repeater is located on a water tower in Dundee, and transmits from a 125-foot antenna height. The repeater power is 220 watts ERP. PL code is 100.0 Hz.

145.76 MHz DIGIPEATER and M-sys Bulletin Board

The 145.76 digipeater operates from the 200-foot level at the LaSalle transmitter site. The power level is 100 watts ERP. The digipeater alias is RRRA. This site serves as a wide area "hub" for regional digipeating. It also includes M-Sys bulletin board capabilities, and can be accessed as N8KUF for traffic / mail and other bulletin board services.

EMERGENCY 911

The 72-Monroe Repeater maintains Emergency 911 accessibility for all users. In an emergency, simply key up, identify yourself, and dial 911. To terminate the call, enter #, and identify yourself upon completion of the call. This has proven to be a valuable asset in reporting highway breakdowns as well as other emergency conditions.

AUTOPATCH SYSTEMS

The 72-MONROE repeater is equipped with an autopatch which includes the local calling area of Monroe, plus Carleton, Ida, Maybee, Newport, the 313, 517, 248 and 734 areas of southeast Michigan and the 419 area of NW Ohio. The autopatch is available for use by paid members only.

The patch and site liability insurance are the most expensive continuing costs of operating the repeaters. The continued financial support of all association members makes these systems available.

SPEED DIAL CALLING

Members with an assigned speed dial slot may use this feature to dial a pre-programmed number. These numbers can be dialed by a three-digit code similar to dialing 911. This feature offers members the significant convenience of dialing 3 digits vs. up to 11 digits.

BATTERY POWER OPERATION

146.72, 444.55, 442.825, 224.78, and 145.05 all operate with emergency backup power. The 72-Monroe repeater will indicate emergency power operation via voice, and Dundee with a "lo-hi-lo-hi" courtesy beep. In the emergency power mode, the repeaters may reduce transmitter power and shed some of their normal features to conserve battery. As battery capacity is of course limited, the repeaters should be used conservatively when they are operating on battery power.

DIGITAL VOICE RECORDER

The 72-Monroe system incorporates a digital voice recorder to allow special news and announcements to be scheduled on the repeater. The DVR will store up to eight messages each programmable to play on command or at a preset time interval. Special bulletins and important announcements can be prerecorded for severe weather or other emergencies.

MEMBERSHIP

All of the RRRA systems are open to use by all amateur radio operators. If you are more than a "once in a blue moon" user of the RRRA repeaters, we ask you to consider joining the association. Your participation will help to insure the ability to operate, maintain and improve these systems while ensuring readiness to support any emergency communications needs that may arise.

The Association is an independent radio club and is supported solely by member dues and contributions. Dues are $15.00 per year. Speed Dial assignments may be obtained for a cost of $5.00 each. Additional Family Members (same address) are $5.00 each. Membership runs from May 1 to May 1 of each calendar year. The Association holds it's annual business meeting on the first Saturday in May.

All members will receive a renewal notice in April. Dues for the upcoming year will be prorated (monthly basis), if applicable, to align all expiration dates with the May 1st date. Example: if you joined as a new member in December 2000, you receive a renewal notice in April 2001 requesting dues of $7.50 to extend your membership through May 2002.

You may join the River Raisin Repeater Association by clicking here and printing out the following application form, entering the requested data, and sending it along with appropriate payment via the U.S. Postal Service

(Checks may be made payable to RRRA)

Officers:

Meetings:
The Annual meeting of the RRRA is held on the First Saturday in May, at the Monroe Chapter of the American Red Cross, 1645 N. Dixie Hwy.

RRRA Constitution

RRRA Members List