The sPARC gap
Newsletter of the
Portland (Oregon)
Amateur Radio Club
(c) PARC, 2004
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| Volume 22 | March, 2004 | Number 3 |
| Past Issues Index |
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ore than 25 years ago Wes Allen, K7WWG, happened to over-hear a discussion on a repeater. The topic was the progress some hams were making in trying to build a new repeater for use at a remote site in Central Oregon-- a proposed site that had no commercial power or existing building. Having had little success with the project, the members of the group were ready to give up their dream.
Wes stepped up and volunteered to help them with the repeater, never having built one before, but full of enthusiasm and willing to try. With the guidance of the members, including Cliff Moulton, W7MFW, the design of the components evolved, as did the ultimate responsibility for the whole project. Wes found himself elected to be the group leader, and under his leadership, they succeeded.
That is how the 146.90 machine near Sunriver, Oregon came to be on the air, back in the 70's. According to Wes, this was the very first solar-powered amateur repeater on the air in the state of Oregon. It ran just 10 watts, and it didn't have a wide range, but it was a success nonetheless for those involved. For him, it was the beginning of a passion for building, siting and maintaining amateur radio repeater systems that continues to this day.
Keeping busy maintaining 11 repeaters, K7WWG is a local resource for many owners and users, and he shares a video presentation about it at club meetings. He covers some of the terms used in the building of repeaters by the owners, as well as proper etiquette for users. Negotiating an agreement for the use of a site is another area of Wes's expertise, and while it isn't his favorite activity, he shares some of the details of how critical and painstaking a step it is.
Given a choice, Wes' favorite activity is the maintenance of these machines, which are often located at very remote and not-easily-accessed sites, especially in winter, when even tracked vehicles may not be able to deal with deep snow or heavy ice. A portion of his program gives us some photos and stories of his visits to such sites, sometimes in the dead of winter, and using some unusual methods to get there. Wes has the support of the amateur groups he serves, and the respect of the communities these repeaters are in place to serve in case of need. That is his driving motivation to keep them maintained and operational.
Licensed in 1963 as K7WWG, Wes grew up in St. Johns and went to work at Tektronix in 1966. He is currently the senior engineer at a custom electronics engineering and manufacturing firm in Vancouver, Washington.
-W7PR
Above: Getting there in the Winter time: To access the repeater site on Goat Mountain Wes needed to charter this helicopter, at ca. $700 per trip.
Above: The 2-meter, 220 and 440 repeaters at Goat Mountain.
Below: The old propane tank at the top of Goat Mountain, about 10 feet from Wes' point of debarkation from the helicopter.
