Community Supported Radio Resources.
Operators Somewhere beyond the last bar of cell service, a runner moves through the dark. The trail disappears into the desert. Headlamp beams catch dust and rock and nothing else. There’s no traffic, no glow from a distant town, no… Read More »Across 300 Miles of Desert: The Voices Behind the Arizona Monster 300
Hello, everyone! I wanted to share a fun experiment that’s been growing here in Tucson over the last few months. It all started one night on the air when someone posed a challenge: could we actually reach each other without… Read More »The Tucson Simplex Experiment: Keeping it Local in the Old Pueblo
After more than a year of planning and coordination, the Sierra Vista 550 GMRS repeater has been successfully relocated to Mule Mountain in Cochise County. The new site, at an elevation of 7,280 feet, represents an increase of more than… Read More »SWCRS Southeast Hub Update: Cochise County GMRS Repeater – Sierra Vista, Arizona
A new repeater has been successfully added to the SWCRS system in the community of Portal, located in Cochise County. This installation was made possible through the support and partnership of Portal Fire and EMS, which is hosting the repeater… Read More »SWCRS Southeast Hub Update: Cochise County GMRS Repeater – Portal, Arizona
A message from the admin team: SWCRS Members: We’re excited to share that several of our mountaintop systems will be placed into service in support of the Arizona Monster 300 ultramarathon, hosted by Destination Trail. The following repeaters will be… Read More »SWCRS Repeaters Supporting Arizona Monster 300 – Limited Operations (March 27 – April 3)
Recently, there’s been a surge of online discussion suggesting that the FCC is “adding low-band VHF to GMRS.” Before anyone starts clearing space in the shack, it’s worth slowing down and looking at what has actually happened, as there is… Read More »Op-Ed: Low-Band VHF and GMRS – What’s Actually Happening?
We recently held our first SWCRS Winlink Net. SWCRS may be based in the Southwest, but participation wasn’t limited to our region. We had six stations check in from Arizona and New Mexico, along with operators in Iowa, Florida, and… Read More »SWCRS Winlink Net Kickoff
The 5151 repeater received a squelch adjustment this week following a site visit and on-air testing. The settings were fine-tuned to better accommodate stations that aren’t full-quieting into the machine, improving responsiveness to weaker and mobile signals. With the squelch… Read More »5151 550 (Yes, All the Numbers) Repeater Squelch Adjustment Improves Weak-Signal Performance
Overview In the world of emergency communications, redundancy is king. While we often rely on the robust Southwest Community Radio System (SWCRS) repeater network for voice communication, there is a powerful tool in our “comms toolbox” that often goes overlooked:… Read More »Digital Resilience in the Desert: The SWCRS Winlink Net
Our Mission: To develop the capabilities of the General Mobile and Amateur Radio Services, and encourage a natural interest in radio communications with the communities we serve by providing infrastructure, educational opportunities, and community events.
Public Records: Public records for the Tucson GMRS Association (dba. “Southwest Community Radio System”) can be found here: Public Records & Documents