Repeaters

The Waltham ARA maintains four repeaters, all located on Prospect Hill in Waltham, MA.  Our repeaters are open for use by all radio amateurs.  All use the callsign W1MHL/R.  On certain dates, one or more of our repeaters may be reserved exclusively for use by a public service event.

Repeaters
Output (MHz) Input (MHz) Tone In (Hz) Tone Out (Hz) P25 NAC Comments
146.640 146.040 136.5 136.5 293 Echolink capable
224.94 223.34 103.5 103.5 N/A
449.075 444.075 88.5 88.5 075
927.1375 902.1375 131.8 100.0 293 NEAR-900 linked; also note split PLs
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P25 Repeaters

Three of our repeaters (all but 220 MHz) support both traditional analog FM and the digital voice mode APCO P25.

Users of analog FM should be sure to configure Tone Squelch on receive so that the digital “noise” is muted. Please do make sure the repeater isn’t already in use in P25 (by briefly listening carrier squelch mode, or looking at the S-meter) before starting a new QSO.

P25 users, please program your radios to receive in mixed mode to listen for digital users.

EchoLink on 146.64

Note 1:  The 146.64 MHz repeater has some special features:

EchoLink® is available on our 146.64 MHz repeater. Connect to us via W1MHL-R, Node 490278.

The process for making outgoing connections over the air has changed as of 12/10/2024 when new EchoLink equipment was installed directly at the repeater site.

  • To connect:  Touch-tone *33 and the Node number (6 digits, with leading zeros as needed).
  • To disconnect:  Touch-tone *13 and the Node number (6 digits, with leading zeros as needed).  Shortcut: *10 disconnects last node connected.
  • Example:  To use the EchoLink Test Server, Node 9999:  *33009999 to connect, then *13009999 to disconnect.
  • For more information about EchoLink, and to download the free software to use EchoLink on a PC or mobile device: http://www.echolink.org.
  • The repeater can also be accessed via Allstar, Node 61790
  • Check Echolink connection status

900 MHz and NEAR-900

The 927.1375 MHz repeater has two special features:


NEVER ACKNOWLEDGE UNIDENTIFIED TRANSMISSIONS

Simple? Yes, but it’s often harder than you might think. It means that you do not say anything over the air that acknowledges unidentified or malicious transmissions.

  • Do not say “Did you hear that?”
  • Do not say “I couldn’t hear you because someone was throwing a carrier”
  • Do not complain about it.
  • Do not say ANYTHING that would tell the person that they is making it into the repeater.
Repeater Nets
Nets on the Waltham ARA Repeaters
Net Name Day Time & Freq Description Net Manager
Waltham Wranglers Swap Net Wednesday 9:00 PM 449.075 Buy Sell and trade amateur radio equipment. Wants and offerings MUST be clearly amateur radio related. Can't get enough Swap Net? We can be found on Groups.io "WalthamSwapnet" John Flood, N1JAF
SkywarnAs Needed As Needed 146.640 Meets as needed during severe weather. The Skywarn program helps the National Weather Service protect life and property by using weather spotters and amateur radio operator reports to make precise predictions. Those interested in participating should be properly trained. Several training sessions are coming up. Rob Macedo, KD1CY
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WARA repeater site view toward Boston