Summary:
Technical team members went to the VE7EGO site to do the following:
- reboot the UHF DR-2X repeater
While on site it was observed that the internet connection had been lost, the IRLP 1050 node antenna was broken and the roof was coming off the shack. There must have been some very high winds at the site recently to do the antenna and roof damage.
Attendees:
VE7WWJ Jane
VE7KPZ Mike
VE7WBM Brad (remote)
VE7WEA Jake (remote)
Access:
The usual route was taken to access the VE7EGO Commonage site. Jane and Mike travelled up and down from the site in the Unimog.
Just before heading in to the VE7EGO site, Mike telephoned Kevin at 250-744-0732. Kevin is in charge of exploding/disposing of WW2 munitions still in the hillsides. Upon departure from the site, Mike texted Kevin to notify him of our departure. Kevin likes to know both the ins and outs of our visits.
Events Leading Up To The Visit
It was reported that the UHF DR-2X repeater was not working. Specifically, a transmit to the repeater would key the repeater but the output would be indiscernible, and continue on until the repeater's time-out timer stopped it. Brad had disabled the repeater remotely.
Actions Taken:
Mike opened up the VE7EGO shack and went straight to the DR-2X UHF repeater. With a quick power cycle, the issue was fixed.
Mike observed that the internet connection was again down.
Jane observed that the IRLP antenna had broken.
Mike observed that a corner of the roof appeared to be missing a couple of screws and was a bit deformed.
Mike re-enabled the UHF DR-2X repeater and tested a WIRES-X QSO with Jake (who was coming into the WIRES-X network via his own node).
Next Steps:
While we wait for the 5.9 GHz WiFi CPE order (so that we can setup our own P2P internet connection via Brad's QTH), we will move the IRLP node to Brad's house. Thanks Brad for offering to host it again for a bit.
Mike will work on implementing a new antenna for IRLP at the site.
Mike will bring up a piece of fresh roofing tin and the roofing screws that Brad donated so many years ago... and install it instead of the manky piece.
After leaving the site, it was observed that the VHF DR-2X repeater was doing the exact same thing as the UHF DR-2X repeater had been. This repeater has since been remotely disabled by Mike. We'll power cycle it to fix it when we revisit the site (soon) to bring the new roofing tin up and the IRLP node down.
FYI,
Mike VE7KPZ
NORAC Vice-President 2017-2020, Technical Committee Lead 2020