I've been digging back through history a bit, to document the local repeater stuff I was involved with over the years. This was the 2nd 147.39+ repeater in Clayton. It was put on the air in February of 1995. Photos and info on the previous 147.39 #1 have been lost, though I know it was a RCA series 1000 repeater. Parts of it were used to build the 147.39 #3 repeater. From the historical data on the old website:
'Welcome to the WB4IUY repeater in
Clayton, NC. PL 88.5. Part of the TEARA link system' is the feminine voice
of AC4QD heard on this
repeater every 10 minutes. This repeater is sponsored by the Triangle East Amateur
Radio Association (TEARA). The repeater is located on private property, just
south of Clayton near hwy 42 west.
This picture on the right is the
repeater (in the gray enclosure), sitting atop a _LARGE_ set of DB Products
6 cavity duplexers. The repeater is a Motorola MastrPro, with many
modifications. The controller is a MCC RC-1000 with the newest firmware
and a homebrew voice ID'r. An ARR GaAsFet receiver preamplifier is also
installed internally to improve weak signal performance. This is an open
repeater, although it does require a sub-audible tone of 88.5 hz for access.
This is necessary to control unintentional interference generated by
commercial sources and that which occurs during band openings. Additionally,
several cavity filters are required to maintain control of the repeater and
minimize interference from local hi-powered paging systems and commercial
repeaters, as well as reduce the receiver desense caused by the high levels
of RF from local co-located systems on a broadcast tower. Some of these
cavity filters are shown in the picture to the left.
This repeater also shares it's feedline
and antenna system with the W4RAL-6 BBS digi-peater. The next photo on the
right shows parts of the mixing network that was designed to allow the voice
repeater on 147.39/99 and a digital node on 145.01 to cohabitate the
same system successfully.
This repeater replaces the previous
RCA series 1000 repeater, similar to the one described on the 147.300 repeater page. Being in a high spot, this
tower is a regular attraction for lightning strikes. The previous repeater
was destroyed by lightning, and this machine has been rebuilt (nearly from
the ground up!) twice since it's installation in Clayton during the spring of
1997.
The tower structure is about 200
feet tall, and the repeater antenna occupies the top perch. The repeater's
primary antenna is a Sinclair 4 bay dipole array fed through about 300' of
1 5/8"
Andrews heliax. The Clayton site is about 335 feet above sea level,
and the antenna is about 535 feet above sea level!
The photo below shows the tower
structure. At the very top is the repeater's Sinclair 4-bay dipole array.
Dave WB4IUY
