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SITE LAST UPDATED ON: Saturday, 10/01/2015 @ 4:35 pm local time.

RV63 - Out 145.7875 MHz - In 145.1875 MHz - 103.5 Hz ctcss (G).


GB3JB is funded solely by donations from its' users and supporters. There is no club or group to join and no annual membership fee. We rely totally on your good will.

The system is located in South Wiltshire, in IO81vc, and provides coverage across South Wiltshire, South Somerset and North Dorset, with specific areas such as the City of Salisbury, Salisbury Plain, the Blackmore Vale and Cranborne Chase being well within its range. Coverage also extends, for fixed stations, across most of central and parts of North Wiltshire, Southern Dorset and West Hampshire, plus parts of North and West Somerset. See coverage map.

GB3JB is an analogue voice repeater, with no internet linking, simple intuitive logic and no bells or whistles. The beacon sends callsign and locator. The invitation to transmit is a single dit.

To access the repeater, users must continually transmit a 103.5 Hz ctcss tone. There is NO 1750 hz tone burst capability.

The system timeout has been reduced to 3 minutes, so please set your rigs' TOT accordingly.

The simple rules for using GB3JB ....

(1) GB3JB is available for ALL Licensed Radio Amateurs to use, be they 'newly licensed' or an 'old timer'.

(2) All users of GB3JB are expected to operate their station within the terms of their specific licence conditions and restrictions.

(3) When in QSO, please wait for the invitation to transmit (a single dit), and always leave a pause between overs' - always give others a chance to call-in.

(4) Please use good operating practices and procedures. Mobiles have priority. Remember, if a station calls in, during the gap between overs', always acknowledge them and please DON'T leave them sitting on the side, while everyone else has an over.

(5) Only use the minimum power necessary - remember there are other repeaters on the same channel. The repeater only transmits with 25 watts ERP, so if its' 5/9 with you, you don't need to use 50 watts to a high gain vertical, when 5 or 10 watts will do. If you use 25 watts ERP, then the signals strengths should be reasonably reciprocal.

(6) If, under lift conditions, you wish to use another repeater on RV63, please turn off the 103.5 Hz ctcss tone, otherwise you will still access GB3JB.

(7) Remember that you are Radio Amateurs, using an Amateur Radio facility, so please use the appropriate operating practices and procedures.

Since you have taken the trouble to get an Amateur Licence, surely it's not to much to expect of you, that you use Amateur Radio abbreviation and accepted terminology, such as the Q-codes. We do not have a '20', we have a 'location' or 'QTH'. We do not have a 'personal', we have a 'name', etc., etc., If you still use CB, that's fine, no problem, BUT please leave the CB lingo for CB, and not when you use GB3JB or any other Amateur Radio facility or the Amateur bands.

and finally .....

(8) Ignore any idots - If you don't hear a callsign, do NOT respond - EVER !

Monday, 3 January 2011

GB3JB - OFF-AIR - THEFT !

Hi All,

Well, in my communication of the 29th December, I stated.... "Unless anything unexpected happens, then GB3JB, will keep going until the end of October 2011, when the site fee is due and the insurance is also due for renewal."

I must have tempted fate ........

Since over the last day or so, we believe, the Solar Panel was stolen from the site.

Having arrived at the site for a general inspection and battery voltage check, it very quickly became obvious that the panel was missing.

The bolts securing the brackets that held the panel and its frame to the wall had been removed, and the panel and the entire mounting frame assembly have been stolen.

The battery voltage, nominally 24 volts, and typically floating between 25 and 27 volts, was down at 13.5 and despite the turbine rotating at a reasonable speed and gusting to quite high speeds, it could not be determined if charging was taking place or not.

GB3JB was switched off at approx., 10:30 am, this morning, 3rd January 2011.

Of primary concern are the batteries themselves, the turbine and the charge controller.

The latter, which is microprocessor controlled and contains significant quantities of IC's could well have been damaged by what must have been a significant transient spark / current surge that would have occurred when the cable to the solar panel, was cut.

As will be appreciated the batteries themselves could well have been damaged, having been discharged to that terminal voltage in the very cold ambient temperatures.

We are not sure, at this time if the turbine has been damaged in anyway, either, as the turbine assembly contains the a.c. generation to d.c. supply rectification.

I will return to the site tomorrow, with suitable equipment, and have a look at the battery condition.

If the terminal volts are still low, then we really could have a problem, as this would point to the turbine having been damaged.

So to the B*@&$#d's who stole the panel ....

(1) I hope that you blew-up the isolating diodes when you cut the cable, which would probably render the panel useless, and

(2) if not, I wish you a very early and very expensive disaster when you connect it to some kit, especially if you think it’s a 12v module.

The theft has been reported to the Police. However, the chances of them being able to track down the culprits, is somewhat slim, at best.

I'll send out a further e-mail after my visit to the site tomorrow.

Please let us know, if you hear of anyone trying to sell off what is a very expensive and physically large solar panel, cheaply.

Please feel free to forward this communication on to any individuals whom you feel would be interested in its contents.

Cheers & 73’s (Too all bar the culprits)

Dave, G3ZXX.

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