ATTENTION ALL K-LINK REPEATER USERS: Please review the new RULES section. It now includes information regarding cross-band repeating.
Latest News:
Here are (now outdated) (Summer 2010) K-Link Repeater Information Cards in business card format. Print these on business card paper, and be sure to select "Paper Scaling = None" in the print options in Acrobat or else they won't line up on the cards properly. (.pdf file opens in Acrobat)
Repeater Update: Hillsboro 442.500+ (110.9) N0SGK/R
October 1, 2011 - The Hillsboro repeater has ben re-tuned to the new/permanent frequency of 442.500. Please update your radios and frequency lists!
Repair: McPherson 444.600+ (110.9) N0SGK/R
September 17, 2011 - The battery backup relay and charger have been repaired. 'Mac 1' now has a working battery backup!
Repeater Update: Hays Repeaters have been reconfigured, K-Link now available on 900MHz!
August 20, 2011 - The owners of the Hays repeaters have made some changes. The 147.045 repeater is no longer on K-Link, however, the 927.975 repeater is now accessible from K-Link! This is the first 900MHz repeater available to users of the K-Link system. For more information about the Hays 900MHz repeater, contact KD0EZQ.
Repair completed: Salina 442.200+ (118.8) N0KSC/R
August 20, 2011 - The Salina 442.200 repeater has been repaired and is back on K-Link! Thanks for your patience!
Repair completed: Osborne 147.375+ (131.8) NZ0M/R
July 24, 2011 - Repair of the Osborne link transceiver was completed, as well as a complete freq & mod adjustment of the repeater and link. This site is up and working 100% once again.
Repair completed: Sterling 444.450+ (100.0) WB0LUN/R
July 20, 2011 - Repair of the Sterling link transceiver was completed, as well as a complete freq & mod adjustment of the repeater and link. This site is up and working 100% again.
Repeater Update: Newton 146.610- (103.5) W0BZN/R
July 18, 2011 - The Newton Amateur Radio Club and K-Link have joined forces and added the 146.610- repeater to the network! This gives K-Link expanded coverage into South Central Kansas, including Wichita. Thanks to the folks at NARC for making this possible! To reduce interference during tropo enchancements, the 61 repeater will be switching to PL access soon. The PL tone will be 103.5, so program your radios accordingly. Stay tuned for updates...
Repeater Update: Hillsboro (Temporary Freq: 444.525+ (110.9))
March 10, 2011 - K-Link has added a new repeater in Hillsboro, linked full time to McPherson. The temporary frequency (444.525) will remain in use until the crystals arrive and the re-tune to 442.500 is completed around September 1. Stay tuned for updates...
Internet Streaming Audio Feed: Minneapolis 444.850+ (162.2)
January 28, 2011 - K-Link can now be heard by the general public via our Radio Reference audio stream, and also using various iPhone/iPod/iPad or Andriod apps.
Repeater Update: McPherson 444.600+ (110.9) N0SGK/R
August 22, 2010 - Justin N0UJQ and Chance N5NIQ replaced the long time Mastr II mobile with a 100% duty Mastr II Repeater. The backup battery system is still a work in progress. Stay tuned!
New Link: Pawnee Rock 444.325+ (88.5) K0HAM/R
August 21, 2010 - The existing 444.325 repeater near Pawnee Rock has been added to K-Link! This repeater serves Pawnee, Barton, Stafford and Rush counties, and will serve as a hub for future linked repeaters in Southwest Kansas. All stations must use PL 88.5 to access K-Link when using this repeater. Pawnee Rock is the third K0HAM repeater to join the K-Link network!
New Link: Hoisington 147.135+ (88.5) K0HAM/R
August 18, 2010 - The existing 147.135 repeater near Hoisington has been added to K-Link! This repeater now links to Ellsworth, a K0HAM repeater, which is linked to the K-Link hub repeater at Minneapolis. This partnership between K-Link and K0HAM provides much needed coverage in Barton county and surrounding areas.
Information Update: Russell 444.950+ (131.8)
March 11, 2010 - The Russell 444.950 repeater now requires PL tone 131.8 to access the repeater and link. Be sure to add the tone to all of your radios so that you'll be ready to use the repeater. You should also add 131.8 to your radio memory for the Russell 147.285 repeater in the event we need to switch the repeater to PL mode.
News:
announces exclusive use of
Repeater Controllers
March 1, 2010 - K-Link continues to make significant upgrades of the existing 440 MHz backbone network, including upgrading our repeaters to 100% duty cycle, and using S-Com's 7330 3-port Repeater Controller. The S-Com 7330 controller has proven to be the most reliable, flexible, and robust repeater controller ever sold to consumers, at the same time being the most affordable controller offering all of the features we come to expect on a large linked repeater network. K-Link will continue to upgrade the existing backbone repeaters throughout 2010 so that by the end of the year we will have one of the most flexible and dependable repeater networks available anywhere.
New Link: Ellsworth 444.775+ (88.5) K0HAM/R
February 28, 2010 - The controller and K-Link transceiver has been installed at the Ellsworth site, give K-Link additional coverage in areas of I-70 between Salina and Russell, as well as between Ellsworth and Lyons. This 80 watt repeater is now part of the UHF backbone of K-Link, and also serves as the gateway to the K0HAM hub repeater at Pawnee Rock. This groundbreaking moment marks the beginning of a working partnership between K-Link and the folks that operate the K0HAM link system.
Repeater Update: Clay Center 442.750+ (118.8) and 147.165+ (118.8)
February 6, 2010 - Justin (N0UJQ) and Mike (N0XRM) installed a new 442.750 repeater and it's new S-Com controller. The following night, we connected the 147.165 repeater to the controller and added a remote receiver for easier access to handheld radios in the city of Clay Center. To use the remote, set your radio to encode only on 100.0hz. Mobile and fixed stations should use the main site receiver on tone 118.8. Update: February 17, 2010 - The Clay Center 147.165+ Repeater is now up to full power at 80 watts.
Repeater Update: Salina 443.900+ (118.8)
January 26, 2010 - Justin (N0UJQ) and Karen made a midnight run to install the 443.900+ repeater in downtown Salina. This repeater, as well as 147.03, is operated by the Central Kansas Amateur Radio Club. The transmitter output is 40 watts, serving all of Saline County.
Repeater Update: Newton 146.610-
January 22, 2010 - Mike Harvey AB0TX and Justin Reed N0UJQ cleaned up the receiver front-end and did a complete retune of the Newton Amateur Radio Club repeater. Sensitivity is back to factory specification and the transmitter output is 30 watts. There is still something loose or broken on the antenna, causing duplex noise on most signals, however the performance overall is dramatically improved. Antenna work will be completed later. Give this repeater a try!
Repeater Update: Norway/Concordia 146.925- (118.8)
January 7, 2010 - After a failure of the old Micor link transceiver, we completely overhauled the repeater setup starting with removing the mouse nest/mess and stripping the old stuff out of the cabinet. The controller was replaced with an S-Com 7330 and the new link radio is a GE Phoenix-SX. This repeater runs 25 watts and is now 100% K-Link Certified.
Repeater Update: Russell 147.285+ (131.8) and 444.950+ (131.8)
December 30, 2009 - The two Mastr II repeaters sharing an S-Com 7330 have been installed at the Russell site. This will allow 147.285 traffic to be heard over K-Link and vice-versa. Make sure to use PL tone 131.8 in your radios so that when we program the repeaters for PL decode you will still be able to access them. The 444.950 is linked full-time to K-Link and the 1478.285 is available to be linked on demand. Dialing 302 will attach 147.285 to the K-Link network, and dialing 301 will un-attach it and return the repeaters to normal mode (with 444.950 still linked). The 444.950 output is 60 watts, and the 147.285 output is 90 watts and both of them have very good receiver sensitivity.
Echolink Update: Minneapolis site
November 2009 - The Echolink hardware is now hard-wired to port 3 of the Minneapolis repeaters. Outbound calls to another node will require 0+ dialing. For example, to dial node 123456 you will need to dial 0123456. The leading zero is required! Since Echolink is direct-connected, repeater users have priority over Echolink and may talk at any time without causing interference on the repeater input.
Repeater Decommissioned: Manhattan 147.225+ (114.8) - KSØLNK-R
Saturday October 3, 2009 - K-Link has officially decommissioned the Manhattan 147.225+ repeater due to the lack of a suitable location.
New Repeater: Hays 442.450+ (131.8) - N7JYS-R
Thursday September 17, 2009 - Eric N7JYS installed the Hays 442.450+ Repeater. It is a Mastr II station running 100 watts on a Decibel Products DB420 at 185 feet. This repeater is linked to K-Link full-time and extends our west I-70 mobile coverage to the Collyer/Quinter area. Also at this site are the 147.045+ repeater that can be linked into K-Link if needed, and a 6 meter repeater. The 147.045 repeater also features an IRLP node #3917 and Echolink node #8479. Be sure to send Eric your thanks and support!
Repair: Ellsworth 444.775+ (88.5) - KØHAM NEKSUN
Saturday May 2, 2009 - Made repairs to feedline and repeater that was causing high SWR and poor receive coverage. The repeater now has much improved range. Give it a try.
Repair: McPherson 147.330+ - McPherson Amateur Radio Club
Tuesday April 28, 2009 - Justin NØUJQ, Chance N5NIQ, and Gerald WDØFYF were on site to replace the repeater antenna, and previous work was done to fix problems on the feedline. This has cured the duplex noise problems that have been going on for quite some time. Although this repeater isn't linked to K-Link, it still gets our K-Link seal of approval!
New Repeater: Clay Center 147.165+ (118.8) - Republican Valley Amateur Radio Club
Saturday April 11, 2009 - Justin NØUJQ, Mike Scott NØXRM and "Tower Man Tim" Installed the antenna, feedline, and a temporary repeater. The antenna is at 240 feet and the power output is 18 watts until we get the 100 watt unit running.
New Link: Salina 442.200+ (118.8) NØKSC-R (Underlay site)
Saturday February 28, 2009 - Justin NØUJQ connected the Salina 442.200+ repeater to the K-Link system. This repeater offers portable coverage in the city of Salina and mobile coverage in Saline County. The power output is 20 watts and the antenna height is about 150 feet above downtown Salina. See Status and Frequencies for more information.
Equipment Upgrade: Concordia/Norway 146.925- WBØSVM-R
Saturday October 18, 2008 - Justin NØUJQ, George NØGJ, and Doyle WBØSRP installed 7/8" feedline from the repeater cabinet to the antenna to replace noisy coax. The repeater and link audio levels were properly adjusted and the duplexer tuned for peak performance. We achieved 2.5dB insertion loss and notch depth of 75dB on each side of the duplexer. The repeater output is 16 watts at the duplex port.
New Link: Sterling 444.450+ (100.0) WBØLUN-R
Monday October 6, 2008 - Justin NØUJQ and Fred Gilmore WBØLUN put the Sterling repeater back into service after a 3 week absence, and it returned with linking capability. This repeater now links into K-Link via the McPherson 444.600 repeater. It is using a DB-420 at about 140 feet running 35 watts. Initial testing looks really promising - two portable users in McPherson were able to access it directly. Mobile users in Hutchinson, Lyons, Great Bend, and other surrounding areas should be able to use this great repeater!
New Link: Minneapolis 147.225+ (118.8) KSØLNK-R
Saturday August 23, 2008 - The Minneapolis 225 repeater has been interfaced to the 444.850 controller and is usually linked into the system. This repeater is at 300 feet with 75 watts output.
K-Link Repeater System 10th anniversary
Saturday August 16, 2008 marks the anniversary of ten years of K-Link, which was named by repeater owners and users that attended a special meeting at the Salina Hamfest in 1998. Our Saturday evening ARES net had 54 checkins, which was a record number for our nets. Thanks!
Repair: Minneapolis 147.225+ (118.8) KSØLNK-R
Saturday August 16, 2008 - The repeater is back on the air. The antenna was moved to the top of the tower to eliminate the blind spot to the southeast, and new heliax jumpers installed top and bottom. Give this repeater a try. Feel free to make a donation if you can to help offset the cost of hiring the tower climber. (He did a good job!) The following people were present to assist: NØUJQ, WBØSRP, NØWSZ, KDØDRU, KDØDRS, KDØDRT
New Link: McPherson 444.600+ (110.9) NØSGK-R
Friday August 8, 2008 - Chance Cooper N5NIQ, Shawn White NØSGK, Justin Reed NØUJQ, and Gerald Pelnar WDØFYF were on site to install the 440 link antenna and re-install the 444.600 repeater. It's great to have this repeater linked in once again to provide coverage from Salina to Hutchinson and Newton.
Repeater Upgrade: Minneapolis 444.850+ (162.2) KSØLNK-R
May, 2008 - We have installed our first S-Com 7330 controller. Being the easiest to interface of any controller we've ever seen, this appears to be the first of many 7330 controllers we utilize in the system.
New Echolink Node: #382015 - KS0LNK-R Minneapolis 444.850+ (162.2)
Saturday April 26, 2008 - Echolink got a good trial run on the night of Thursday April 24 when a supercell moved east across Mitchell and Cloud counties producing a tornado. The Echolink remote base antenna has been mounted and the server/link radio has been put onto a UPS backup system that will keep Echolink running through minor power line blips and outages lasting 15 minutes or so.
New Repeater (old frequency): Minneapolis 147.225+ (118.8) KSØLNK-R
Saturday April 12, 2008 - The "new" GE Mastr II repeater has been installed and is operational at it's site 8 miles west of Minneapolis. It's is open for all amateurs to use but requires PL tone 118.8 to access.
New Repeater (temporary): Manhattan 147.225+ (114.8) KSØLNK-R (Underlay site)
Sunday March 16, 2008 - This new repeater is linked to K-Link via the Clay Center 442.750 repeater. The primary coverage area is within the city limits of Manhattan. It's secondary (mobile) coverage will reach out toward Junction City. It is generally not usable on I-70 except for a small segment. This repeater is open for all amateurs to use but requires PL tone 114.8 to access. Mobiles and base stations using this repeater should take precautions to avoid interference to the Minneapolis 147.225+ repeater, such as using low power when possible and avoiding attempts to access the Manhattan 225 repeater from west of K-15 highway. This repeater fills in our coverage gap in Manhattan until we get a permanent 440 repeater installed in this area. This repeater was permanently decommissioned on October 3, 2009.
New Repeater: Clay Center 442.750+ (118.8) NØXRM-R
November 24, 2007 - This repeater offers about 30 mile radius mobile coverage centered in Clay county. It is linked to K-Link via the Minneapolis 444.850 repeater.
Repeater Upgrade: Minneapolis 444.850+ (162.2) KSØLNK-R
March 15, 2000 - The old GE Mastr II mobile that served faithfully since late 1993 was retired today, replaced by a 100 watt GE Mastr II Repeater/Station. The repeater PA was donated by Rob Nall WVØS, and the new TX-RX duplexer was donated by Ka-Comm. This new repeater utilizes the CAT 1000 controller, an Advanced Receiver Research receiver pre-amplifier which gives us a sensitivity of .12uV for 12db SINAD and the transmitter is running 100 watts.
Established: August 16, 1998
Last Update: July 24, 2011