Dear Readers,
As we get closer to putting a bow on 2023; we wanted to take the opportunity to say thank you to all of those who have supported us throughout the year. This year started with a number of unexpected challenges, including heavy winter weather that brought down towers on Jacks Peak and Mt. Lemmon. Many of you stepped up and supported us through donations and volunteer activities that helped us contribute to cleaning up the sites and making them operational again in very short order, dealing with tough winter conditions along the way.
This summer and fall brought improvements to the GMRS infrastructure as well; starting with a repeater that was installed on Porter Mountain (Porter 725), and the start and completion of the Sandia Simulcast project, with transmit sites on Sedillo Hill and Sandia Crest, and additional receive sites on 505 Marquette and West Mesa. The Sandia 675 is the second voting/simulcast system for the SWCRS, with the Lemmon 650 converted last year. We continue to be the first and only GMRS group maintaining single-frequency simulcast systems in the country, an important step we felt necessary to be better stewards of the radio spectrum we have available.
This year also let us expand from GMRS into the Amateur Radio Service; starting with the grant of an official amateur radio club station call sign: N7GMR. We now operate a DMR repeater in northwest Tucson, and have started projects to bring Winlink VARA based data connectivity to the area, the first of such stations is now online on Pinal Peak. We also operated our first ARRL Field Day station over the summer at Camp Kerchunk, making many contacts and having a great time doing so.
Camp Kerchunk this year was again a big success; we reserved all three group sites at Luna Lake Campground in Alpine, AZ – and we were fully booked. The weather was excellent this past year, and we’re excited to be able to host this event again next year from July 4 to July 8 – mark your calendars!
Last (but certainly not least!), the SWCRS would not be what it is today without the generous site accommodations from the following individuals and companies that make this group a possibility:
Joe Montierth, K7JEM / WRQI799
Larry Griggs, N5BG / WRJM993
Henry Zappia, N7HND / WQII718
Paul Choc, WA5IHL / WQZI371
Matt Lunati, N7OEI / WRMD291
Bob Foster, K5CQH / WRAJ743
Larry Moniz, K5LME / WRJS314
Smith “Smitty” Blaine, K5UOT / WRNB414
Don Davis, K5RKE
Will Graham, WRDN297
Scott Szczepkowski, K7SRS / WRXD591
Alpine Fire Department
The Carmax Foundation
Combined Wireless
Logan Fire Department
Southern Arizona Video Productions
Specialty Communications
Summit Communications
Vanguard Media
Thanks for all you do for us, and letting us play in your backyards!!!
If You’d Like to Contribute…
The SWCRS is maintained entirely by donations and volunteer activities; we do not collect dues or assess other fees, it’s entirely at the discretion of our user base. If you’d like to contribute, please consider making a donation or signing up to help out with volunteer activities.
We are a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit charitable organization, and contributions are likely tax deductible.
In Closing…
On behalf of the SWCRS; we wish you all the best holiday season and time with your families. We look forward to hearing all the chatter on the air, and are looking forward to seeing what 2024 will bring.
Thanks again for making the community we have on the air so great.
73,
The SWCRS Volunteer Staff:
David Adriaanse WQVS960 / K6DSA
President/Secretary, Arizona Repeater Guru
Darren Carlow WRCU527 / K7VLL
Vice President/Treasurer, Ham Grease Applicator
Russ Herring WQJI810 / KG5PWG
Board Member, New Mexico Repeater Guru
Bill Schlenker WQXE928 / KG7HHG
Board Member, Ground Operations Specialist
Lance Anderson WRKC705 / W5LGA
Admin Support, Radio Net Coordinator
Brian Barnes WRJR618 / KI5QCE
Admin Support, Ground Support, Bird Call Specialist