On Sunday February 20, 2011, Node 27296 – N5NWC – 146.715+ PL 173.8 Punxsutawney PA was rebuilt and put on the WAN Repeater System full time. The weekend prior, I stopped at the site and loaded the repeater into my truck and transported it to Warren. During the week, I upgraded the zipper install to work with the new (old?) CM108 fobs, and did the interfacing to the existing wiring. The repeater is a GE MASTR II station with a PLL (true FM) exciter. The repeater also has a NHRC-5 controller as a back-up. I wired the repeater so the fob can be disconnected and the plug put back into the NHRC controller if necessary. The Internet connection is temporary and might not be extremely stable. Jim and I are working on a more permanent connectivity solution. The repeater seems to be working okay, but coverage seems down a bit from what I would have expected. The antenna system is exhibiting high SWR and will likely have to be worked on when better weather arrives. Please give it a try if you are in or traveling through the Punxy area. Thanks!Kevin Custer – WJ8G
