Popular New England Repeaters

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Looking to get a little more involved in HAM radio. Have a couple UV-82's to play with and a DMR radio is on the way. I am working to build the codeplug for the DMR radio but in that process I noticed that some analog repeaters I programmed several years ago have changed callsigns or just disappeared. So I started the process of reprogramming the analog HTs.

I am in Central MA ( FN42ci ) so Paxton (W1BIM) and all the locals are an obvious choice.

What other repeaters in New England are the most popular in there area so I can find the most popular ones when I travel around. I have heard that Wilbraham/Monson is good. What others are best for their area?

Once I get the recommendations, I'll be happy to post a chirp CSV for others to use.
 
To specify, Looking for 2M and 70cm. I do have the full list from New England Repeater Directory but space is limited so looking for coverage of most of New England through 1 popular repeater for each area.

So I’m on 2M and 70cm, and use the NER link posted above, while waiting for another antenna to come in for higher bands. All of the local repeaters peak at different points throughout the day/week, but it can be some of the same old crap everyday wit’s 80 year olds talking about life, people getting into the hobby and looking for guidance, and people into guns, woodworking, etc. Just play with the stations during the day/evening until you find something that works for you.

I was a fan of 146.640 (Waltham) and 146.670 (Quincy) but those seems to have had much less traffic recently. Some of that may be people going back to work after the pandemic and some of that may have to do with the holidays, but I still listen to their daytime traffic with some success.

640 is the local SkyWarn station, so I’m sure that’ll be lit up tomorrow night through Thursday.
 
W1SRA in Deerfield NH gets a lot of traffic, good pretty much from Manch/Concord to the beach and everywhere in between.
 
All of the local repeaters peak at different points throughout the day/week, but it can be some of the same old crap everyday wit’s 80 year olds talking about life, ...
Don't knock it.
"Keep laughing and scratching".​
-- Si/W2QZJ/SK​

(Although, the 20m Rheumatism Net I heard
in the northern Catskills was pushing it...).

I was a fan of 146.640 (Waltham) and 146.670 (Quincy) but those seems to have had much less traffic recently...
I haven't commuted near there in well over a decade,
but I can't imagine what Waltham must sound like without Jim/K1UGM. [shocked]
 
The Monson repeater in Wilbraham is great. A great group of guys monitor this repeater. The repeater is a QSO repeater there are no NETs or other activitities only conversation. The group also gets together once a month for brunch/lunch.
N1HM
 
Don't knock it.
"Keep laughing and scratching".​
-- Si/W2QZJ/SK​

(Although, the 20m Rheumatism Net I heard
in the northern Catskills was pushing it...).


I haven't commuted near there in well over a decade,
but I can't imagine what Waltham must sound like without Jim/K1UGM. [shocked]

There was a Jim on during the storm - is your friend a silent key? If so, I’m so sorry.

But has anyone else noticed the decreased activity on 640 recently? It’s like it’s rarely active. Even Jack in the Shack hasn’t been on. Were they upgrading their repeaters? I still get some traffic on 670 (Quincy), but I’m seeing more activity on some of the 145.xxx and 70cm bands.

The 640 SkyWarn was pretty quiet yesterday. I tried to send a couple of updates and got no response. Hope everything is good there.
 
But has anyone else noticed the decreased activity on 640 recently? It’s like it’s rarely active.
Even Jack in the Shack hasn’t been on.

Before he got a shack, he used to be "Jack on the Wall", sitting out on a wall near the library on Broadway in Everett with his HT.

[rofl] [rofl] [rofl]
 
K1SMH - Attleboro - 2m ... the Sturdy Memorial Hospital radio club repeater is very active but offline at the moment. The tower folded in the recent wind storms and awaiting repair. I have no doubt it will be restored to its former glory.
 

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K1SMH - Attleboro - 2m ... the Sturdy Memorial Hospital radio club repeater is very active but offline at the moment. The tower folded in the recent wind storms and awaiting repair. I have no doubt it will be restored to its former glory.

I guess it wasn't as Sturdy as they thought.
 
K1SMH - Attleboro - 2m ... the Sturdy Memorial Hospital radio club repeater is very active but offline at the moment. The tower folded in the recent wind storms and awaiting repair. I have no doubt it will be restored to its former glory.
Yow.

Q: Does the club own the tower,
or are they piggybacking on the hospital's tower?

(I know that Sturdy Memorial has perhaps the biggest ham support group
of any in the state, but the club might still be piggybacking).
 
Yow.

Q: Does the club own the tower,
or are they piggybacking on the hospital's tower?

(I know that Sturdy Memorial has perhaps the biggest ham support group
of any in the state, but the club might still be piggybacking).
The interesting story of how the club was started, the current issues with the tower and future repair can all be found here:

It looks like the tower is co-owned between the hospital and the club.

I wonder if CARE funds could be applied for here, as this club is an integral part of EMA in that area?

I was a member of this club until we mostly moved North. It's a good group of guys and gals save one . . . The RAT recently joined that club!
 
The interesting story of how the club was started, the current issues with the tower and future repair can all be found here:

It looks like the tower is co-owned between the hospital and the club.

I wonder if CARE funds could be applied for here, as this club is an integral part of EMA in that area?

I was a member of this club until we mostly moved North. It's a good group of guys and gals save one . . . The RAT recently joined that club!

Lol the RAT ... maybe I‘ll maintain my distance.

The last I heard they were going to apply for CARE funds or similar grant.
 
That scared you all the way to NH!
No but the bastard had the unmitigated gall to call me and tell me that he was joining and asking me not to block him. I wasn't able to attend meetings at that time (or now) so there was no way to block him.
 
No but the bastard had the unmitigated gall to call me and tell me that he was joining and asking me not to block him. I wasn't able to attend meetings at that time (or now) so there was no way to block him.
Ironically, the one human I can think of to blackball from our gun club,
is a ham. A ham who even might be an anti.
But a ham with toxic personality defects.

I pray he doesn't apply to our gun club...
 
The Monson repeater in Wilbraham is great. A great group of guys monitor this repeater. The repeater is a QSO repeater there are no NETs or other activitities only conversation. The group also gets together once a month for brunch/lunch.
N1HM
I have my Baofeng tuned to some repeaters around me. It seems to scan a lot, and then pick up a station that has some activity; until recently. Now, it seems to scan and then get stuck on Monson. I don't know if it is just out of reach, or if it is just a junk signal coming in. Is there any way I can determine this?
 
I have my Baofeng tuned to some repeaters around me. It seems to scan a lot, and then pick up a station that has some activity; until recently. Now, it seems to scan and then get stuck on Monson. I don't know if it is just out of reach, or if it is just a junk signal coming in. Is there any way I can determine this?
Tun to Monson, and press and hold the MON button next to the PTT. That opens the squelch and you can hear what the radio hears. If it's just noise, try turning up your squelch a notch and it should skip over it.
 
Tun to Monson, and press and hold the MON button next to the PTT. That opens the squelch and you can hear what the radio hears. If it's just noise, try turning up your squelch a notch and it should skip over it.
I actually knew (from you) to try that. Same thing. Not sure if I can adjust the squelch per station/channel, or if I have to do it for all.
 
Back when I got on 2 meters in the mid 80's I was living in Derry, NH and the happening repeater back then was the .85 machine located in Derry...I could easily copy sigs all the way from Manchester where I was working to Burlington, MA. Not sure what that machine's status is now. When I was living near Concord, NH, I monitored the 146.94 (W1ALE) machine, the 147.225 (KA1OKQ) or the Deerfield machine...147.000 (I think).
 
I have my Baofeng tuned to some repeaters around me. It seems to scan a lot, and then pick up a station that has some activity; until recently. Now, it seems to scan and then get stuck on Monson. I don't know if it is just out of reach, or if it is just a junk signal coming in. Is there any way I can determine this?
146.655 Mt Washington
146.91. Mt Greylock
147.00. Saddleback
147.12. Billerica
146.85 Derry
449.075. Waltham
147.27. Marlboro
145.41. Harvard and Vernon CT
 
Not that it's common but I just heard a guy on the Greylock repeater from N Framingham (>90 miles away) calling to see if anyone could hear him. A guy from Windham, ME (~170 miles away) responded. Both were full quieting, I would have thought they were in town. Unfortunately they switched to 146.520 simplex. Framingham had a yagi on a tower but Windham just had a vertical (also on a tower). Must be something going on with the atmosphere tonight.

FYI: Greylock 2m is...
Freq: 146.910
Offset: -600KHz
Tone/Squelch: 162.2
 
Last night there was another guy from NH looking for a signal report. He said he can usually hear the repeater but can't hit it. He had just put his antenna back up and gave it a try. He was a little scratchy, but perfectly copyable. Something is up with 2m these days.
 
That's awesome!

I wish Paxton repeater reached past the Quabbin, or ANY repeater could connect a signal between Amherst and Worcester area. It seems that ridge is a big barrier. Whoever puts up a repeater in one of the yellow areas to connect the two circled red areas (and everything in between and surrounding them) would get a LOT of traffic. Aside from Greylock, way in the corner of the state, there is nothing else connecting central Mass. to western Mass. Something at the Quabbin Observation Tower area would work really well, and has power already. That, or maybe one of the fire towers, such as Ragged Hill in West Brookfield or Soapstone Hill in Petersham (not sure if electricity or even a road) or Mount Lincoln in Pelham.

see:




1696095179655.png
 
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