Essex Ham Chat Forum

Dear fellow Essex Hams,

I have some good news to report if anyone heard of/know of/heard in past during Tropo conditions.

The PI2NOS 70cm repeater in the Netherlands on 430.125MHZ has been heard many times in Essex and elsewhere during Tropo lift conditions....
Unfortunately, until before yesterday we were not allowed to transmit on it's input frequency 431.725MHz because we are within the 100km radius of Charing Cross exclusion zone which no amateurs are not allowed to transmit anywhere from 431.000MHz to 431.999MHz...

Now that has changed....

I have been in contact with Stichting HobbyFonds Scoop https://www.hobbyscoop.nl/ who run the PI2NOS, PI3UTR (2m) and other national repeaters who have built a very sophisticated, technical and efficient repeater systems.

I have requested that after years on the air, many Radio Amateurs in the 100km exclusion zone for 431MHz - See link for map: http://www.brats-qth.org/training/graphics/100kms_map.jpg have not been able to work through the PI2NOS repeater in the past.

From my home QTH in Chigwell, I can hear the PI2NOS just about everyday on 430.125MHz. Amateurs who live close to the Essex coast should be able to hear it nearly all the time. When there is a small to medium Tropo conditions, it comes in very strong here!

Here is a link to the page about PI2NOS:

https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=nl&tl=en&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.hobbyscoop.nl%2Fstatus%2Fpi2nos%2F

and here is the news article about my encouragement for them to install the special UK receiver in Breskens, NL:

https://www.hobbyscoop.nl/2016/pi2nos-adds-a-special-uk-receiver/

You can listen to the repeater online via this webpage:

https://pc7x.net/repeaters/#/map/google/pi2nos

You can also access and listen/talk to the repeater via Echolink: node number 430125 (But as for me I'd rather use it via RF, that's the excitement about it!)

In the Netherlands, there are 3 separate transmitters on the same frequency that covers the whole of the country. It works very cleverly when it comes down to co-channel between the transmitters. there are many receivers in the Netherlands, also 1 receiver in Belgium and 1 in Germany.

The special receiver for us is installed at the current Breskens receiver site and the nearest transmitter is in the town of Goes (pronounced as "khooes") That is the nearest transmitter site for the repeater close to Essex and as I mentioned earlier, can nearly hear it all the time here at home.

The special receiver in Breskens has a directional antenna pointing straight at us down the Thames estuary, so it should be pretty easy to access the repeater when heard:

Info:
Output 430.125MHz
Input: 438.625MHz
(Original input is 431.725MHZ which we can't use! Unless you are portable on Walton on the naze which is the only place in Essex to use it)

So, what do you guys think? :) I suggested the idea, I gave them a small donation to support them.

If you hear the repeater one day during Tropo conditions via your vertical co-linear or any of you reading this manage to have a vertical 70cm beam up to use the repeater all the time.....please do call in!

The Dutch and nice people, they all speak English and they will make you feel welcome when you are on the repeater. So please don't be shy to call into the repeater!

Selim M0XTA

P.S. Please spread the word to all your fellow amateurs within Essex and elsewhere within the 100km exclusion zone.