BEECN SW Portland Repeater
BEECN UHF radios operate on line-of-sight. That can make comms in SW Portland's hilly neighborhoods challenging. To work around this issue, PBEM has fielded a UHF repeater in SW Portland for BEECN. The repeater is stored near Markham Elementary School, with the intention that it would be deployed in the field behind Markham ES if a crew of volunteers can access it and stand it up. The purpose of this article is to describe equipment specifications, and the deployment, set up, and demobilization of the BEECN repeater.
In the BEECN system, the repeater is called the SWR1 SW Repeater. BEECN volunteers in Southwest Portland can use it by setting their BEECN radios to channel 7.
| Relevant Documents | Updated |
|---|---|
| BlueSky BEECN Repeater Mast System Manual | 2016.06.01 |
There are three essential parts to the BEECN repeater kit: the repeater, the antenna and mast, and a power source.
Repeater Kit Specifications
Repeater: Model IR3UG UHF Portable Repeater
The repeater is a Model IR3UG UHF portable UHF repeater, ruggedized for military use. PBEM purchased it from Tactical Electronics Corporation.
- Radio frequency (RF) output of 35 watts;
- Frequency range of 450 - 470 MHz.
- Site requirements: 7 m minimum antenna distance with 5 MHz frequency separation.
Comprises the following integrated as a system mounted in a Pelican enclosure:
- Repeater/base station ICOM R6000TEC. Programmed on 452.2375Mhz TX & 461.4750Mhz RX. Compliant with FCC and NTIS technical standards.
- DC power subsystem. Provides operating voltage from 100-250V AC, 12V DC, or solar source. Front panel metering of DC volts level.
- RF monitor subsystem. Front panel metering of RF output power.
- Duplexer. Allows the repeater to work with a single antenna. Tuned as per above frequency pair.
Physical parameters
- 20" width x 8" height x 8" depth. Weighs 42 lbs.
- Operating temperature range is 14°F to 130°F.
- MIL-STD-810F for shock, rain, vibration.
- .5 m drop.
Mast: BlueSky Mast AL2 Standard Series
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Program/Policy Background
PBEM Ops Chief purchased the repeater kit in the Spring of 2014 and it arrived at PBEM in July that year. It was tested twice, and then stored long term at the Jerome Sears Center. Over that period, institutional knowledge on how to use the repeater was significantly diminished. A family of squirrels also took up living in the mast bag and they ate one of the instruction manuals. The repeater was moved to volunteer care in 2024 after PBEM was booted from Sears and the repeater was finally tested again in April 2025.
