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145.490 Fairhaven Repeater
 SCMARG proudly sponsors the 145.490 Fairhaven Repeater. It carries the SCMARG club call sign of W1SMA. It is open to all radio amateurs without requiring SCMARG membership. This is a full service 100 watt repeater at close to 150 feet above average terrain (HAAT). The system features a wide-area coverage including all of South Coastal Massachusetts. Fixed and mobile station coverage includes Providence and most of eastern Rhode Island, most areas south of Boston, and the western half of Cape Cod and the Islands.
This repeater is affiliated with Eastern Massachusetts ARES, SKYWARN, and the Fairhaven and Acushnet Emergency Management Agencies (EMA). In times of emergencies, all normal communications will cease and priority will be given to members of these affiliates (see the Nets & Events page for more information). The repeater has auxiliary power, with the ability to stay on the air for days at a time without commercial power.
This repeater has the ability to link to the VoIP networks of IRLP and EchoLink. These two networks allow any amateur using the repeater to link to other amateurs across the country or around the world. All amateurs using the repeater are welcome to use these links without requiring SCMARG membership. For more information on the system and on how to use its links, simply click on one of the sections below:
More Information
System Overview
Technical Specifications
IRLP & EchoLink Access
System History
System Overview
| Location: |
Town of Fairhaven Water Tower
55 Boston Hill Road
Fairhaven, Massachusetts
(visible from MA Route 240 & I-195) |
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| Owner: |
Robert D. Macedo, KD1CY |
| Established: |
September 1985 |
| Call Sign: |
W1SMA |
| TX Frequency: |
145.490 MHz |
| RX Frequency: |
144.890 MHz (- 600 kHz) |
| CTCSS (PL): |
67.0 Hz |
| Output Power: |
100 Watts |
| IRLP Node: |
4617 |
| EchoLink Node: |
4611 (W1SMA-R) |
Technical Specifications
IRLP & EchoLink Access
| Before Use: |
Always listen for 30 seconds to make sure that the repeater is not in use. If clear, proceed by keying your microphone and announcing:
"(your call sign) CONTROL" |
Find out more about IRLP & EchoLink
by clicking on one of the links below:
IRLP Network Node List
EchoLink Network Node List
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| Connect to IRLP: |
Enter: [4 digit node number] |
| Connect to EchoLink: |
Enter: Star (*) + [node number] |
| Disconnect: |
Enter: 73 |
| After Use: |
When disconnecting from a node, never ID first. Enter the disconnect code and then wait for the disconnect message to complete, then key your microphone and announce:
"(your call sign) CLEAR" |
System History
Lawrence Lygren, W1DBX (then WB1DBX) was the original owner and founder of the 145.490 Fairhaven Repeater. In the early 1980s, the only 2 meter repeater on the air in South Coastal Massachusetts was the 147.000 Dartmouth Repeater. Larry made the decision to place a second independently owned repeater on the air to serve the area. By 1985, an agreement was made with the town of Fairhaven to place the repeater on the Fairhaven Water Tower. In September of that year, the repeater was first placed into service.
Above: Article announcing the proposed agreement between Larry and
the town
of Fairhaven
as it appeared in The Standard-Times in the summer of 1985
(thank you Larry, for providing this clip as part of the repeater's history).
The repeater had a support group named the New Bedford FM Repeater Group (NBFMRG). It was formed in 1985 by Larry, and dues were $20 per year. Members were given a handy command booklet which included the codes to operate the repeater's autopatch, time, bulletin board announcements and futuristic voice mail system.
In the early 1990s, Larry sold the repeater to Marc N. Jodoin, KA1WBF and Michael W. Enos, WM1S. Marc and Mike at the time operated another partnership together, which was a computer shop on Route 6 in Fairhaven called Comp-U-Teck. The repeater carried the WM1S call sign for a few years until Marc purchased the repeater in full from Mike around 1995, changing it to his call sign, KA1WBF.
 
Above: Front covers of the 1994 and 1995 editions
of the 145.490 Repeater Command Booklet.
In 2000, Marc put the repeater up for sale. The Southeastern Massachusetts Amateur Radio Association, Inc. (SEMARA) had the opportunity to purchase it, but the membership decided not to. Shortly after, Robert D. Macedo, KD1CY saw the repeater as a valuable asset for ARES and SKYWARN, and decided to purchase it. The NBFMRG support group became idle around this time.
In late 2006, Rob joined forces with Antone D. Duarte, Jr., N1XRS and Richard J. Cabral, W1RJC to reactivate the support group, re-branding it as the South Coastal Massachusetts Amateur Radio Group (SCMARG). In October 2006, the repeater call sign was changed to the new SCMARG club call sign, W1SMA. Rob remains the primary trustee of the repeater, while Rick and Tony serve as administrators for the system.
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