KARS Repeaters, EchoLink,
APRS and DX Cluster

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Pictured at left is the KARS (146.94 mHz) repeater system tower.
This system has a tremendous coverage footprint.
The repeater is now a new Motorola Quantar.

100 watt transmitter.

S-COM Industries Controller
Commercial audio mixer.

Phone patch for member use.
911 feature direct to Kankakee County Police.
Commercial generator power back-up system.

The receive antennas at the top are 4-bay ASP folded dipoles at 430 feet.

Transmit antennas are two 4-bay ASP folded dipoles at 325 feet fed in phase on opposing sides of the tower to ensure an omni pattern.

W9AZ (146.94 mHz) Motorola 2m Quantar Repeater pictured below

The 440 machine is an ICOM repeater
but changes are in the works with a Micor UHF system.

100 watt Mirage amplifier.

S-COM Industries Controller

Phone patch for member use.
911 feature direct to Kankakee County Police.

The antennas are 16-bay ASP folded dipoles at 300 feet.

Feedline is Heliax.
 

W9AZ-2 has been ON THE AIR since (Jan 11, 2001) from the big tower at Governors State University, operated by AK9F.
Transmitting from an antenna at the 440 foot level of the tower, the signal can be heard over a very large area of Northeast Illinois and Northwest Indiana.  It is about full-scale on my handheld here in Kankakee, about 26 airline miles from the tower.
W9AZ-2 is running the Kantronics KPC3+ Ver 8.3 tnc and Yaesu 2m radio and 11" bandpass cavity.

Our appreciation goes out to Gary, KA9MNX (AI4JA) for really spear-heading the original effort in 2001 to provide this service under the KARS banner.  Gary's vision has blossomed into a well organized APRS network for the region.

W9RWX-1
Mention needs to be made to the Super-digi sponsored by our sister club to our south in Iroquois county at Watseka, IL the Iroquois County Amateur Radio Club ICARC.  W9RWX-1 is running the Kantronics KPC3+ Ver 8.2 tnc.
Between these three super digi's our two clubs have provided solid APRS digipeater messaging and GPS positioning coverage down the I-57 corridor from Southern Cook and Will county to northern Vermilion and Ford counties.  The three also provide digi coverage down I-65 in Indiana from Lake to Newton counties. W9AZ-1 is also covering down the I-55 corridor in SW Will, Eastern Grundy and Northeastern Livingston counties.

I-Gating (Internet Gate) for messaging (in to) and (out of) this RF service area is accomplished through a couple of home based 24/7 Internet connected WIDE1-1 home fill-in digi stations with different ISP's for redundancy and spaced far enough apart to avoid packet collisions that would add to local RF traffic congestion during message delivery.

Clay, N9IO is currently coordinating this network of digis with the help of APRS Gurus Art, N9ZZK and Eddie, K9EEW of the Grundy County ARC. All of the digis are current with the New-N Paradigm settings set forth by APRS inventor Bob, WB4APR.  Check out the APRS.org web site.
Most everything you need to know about the New-N Paradigm is on this page at www.aprs.org/fix14439.html
The site is maintained and information kept current by WB4APR.

Try these APRS Software Links:
Download the best APRS software available for Windows systems G4IDE's "UI-VIEW 32".
Download SV2AGW's Packet Engine to run through your sound card instead of a TNC.
The SOUND CARD PACKET Web Site by KC2RLM is by far the best informational site for the latest downloads and how to install APRS Software for use with a Sound Card. Use of AGW software is spelled out VERY WELL by KC2RLM.
For the sake of simplicity and reliability KARS highly recommends UI-VIEW 32 and a TNC to your 2m radio.

KARS RF DX Packet Cluster pictured below
145.53 mHz
Running the very latest version of Windows© based AR CLUSTER©.

Use this AR Cluster© On-Line Users Manual
The AR Cluster© Users Manual is local here at w9az.com - "Click Here"

W9YNI, W9ZRX and K9NR.
Pictured above are Ken W9YNI, Dave Zeph W9ZRX and Don K9NR.
(W9ZRX drove all the way up from Indianapolis to set up the W9AZ AR Cluster)
Thanks so much Dave.  We realize you have saved us weeks of experimentation to "get it right!"
This state of the art system at 300 feet features a direct T-1 connection via high speed spread spectrum link.

ClusterMaster
  Written by Tony I0JX
ClusterMaster operates in MS Windows© 3.1 / 95 and 98
((( Download no longer available but Tony does support with updates listed below ))).

ClusterMaster connects from your TNC
and/or via Telnet On-Line!

Keeping ClusterMaster updated
the most recent PREFIXES.TBL file dated 01 January 2008
the most recent DXCC.TBL file dated 01 January 2008

Click Here for I0JX Web Site at QSL.NET
 

XMLog, now at version 6.33
  Written by Michael McAmis W1ECT
XMLog is an amateur radio logbook system for Windows systems through Windows 7. 
There is no charge for using XMLog and no limitation on its non-commercial distribution.
Permission to distribute XMLog for profit is prohibited. 

XMLog Features:
- Flexible log searching
- Awards tracking
- Callbook lookups
- Label printing
- Log importing
- Packet Window
- PacketCluster Spots
- CW keyboard
- CW messages
- Internet

Download XMLog here
Click Here for W1ECT's XMLog
 

Writelog for Windows
 WriteLog for Windows combines the convenience and ease of use of Windows with the performance and features required by the top contest operators. No other package matches WriteLog’s support for CW, Phone and RTTY contesting.
Whether you are a casual contester who only makes a handful of QSOs, or one of the big gun multi-ops that demands full networking and spotting support, WriteLog has the score improving features you need.
Order Writelog for Windows at the http://writelog.com/ web site, click Ordering.
(Writelog for Windows is the preferred contest software of the majority of KARS seasoned contesters)
 

N1MM Free Contest Logger
 The N1MM Logger is a freeware program designed to do contest logging and some general logging.
It is not a general logging program with award tracking etc. but is mainly a contest logging program.
Check the Features listing.
Check out N1MM's features at the http://www.n1mm.com/ web site.