Winter is coming and along with that, we have had a bit more interference to our VE3KSR repeater due to possible band openings or interference noise. A few members have indicated to the Technical committee, that the repeater has been cycling or kerchunking occasionally. With all the various pieces of commercial equipment at "the hill" it is difficult to pin point the source, if in fact its coming from there. Tech member Frank Parsons VE3OFH reminded me that there is a repeater in the Buffalo area that has caused us ongoing problems in the past. Weather this is the source or our problems or something locally; the technical committee is investigating and will report to the clubs executive.

For years, this repeater has operated without the need for PL tone on the input, but if the interference persists or intensifies, PL option on the input would be one solution.

JOTA Jamboree on the Air was a great hit with the visitors this year and again, great support from many club members. The tech committee installed an 80/40/20 Meter Dipole that Gord VE3EOS provided between some trees, and although it was a poor performer on 80 meters, the 20-meter band was a big hit with the scouts.

W.N.Y.S.O.R.C.
This stands for Western New York Southern Ontario Repeater Council consisting of a group of amateur volunteers from both Ontario and New York State that meet twice a year. The purpose of this council is to over see the co-ordination of repeaters, maintain a accurate data base of repeater information and lastly, through this council, submit to ARRL a list of approved and co-ordinate repeaters for this area and WNY for publication in the ARRL yearly repeater handbook.

As Technical Chairman, for KWARC, along with tech member Tedd Doda VE3TJD we attend these meeting representing the interests of our club. The last one was held in Welland Ont. a few weeks ago. With the number of repeaters presently operational in this area, and the congestion of frequencies, a new application for a repeater frequency must be submitted to the council for approval. Through their process, the applicants choice of frequency is reviewed to assure that there will not be overlapping signals, or interference to adjacent repeaters. The information required includes the Lat and Long co-ordinates of the repeater location, antenna height, power output, PL tone if any, and repeater features which may include auto patch, standby power, linking or other features. The council then evaluates and approves or rejects the application based on strict guidelines

All of the clubs repeaters are listed in the repeater database and have been co-ordinate through this council, and the information appears in the ARRL yearly publication.

Being a member of the council assures the club that this governing body will assist KWARC should we experience interference from a repeater that is operating in close proximity to our sites and causing problems to our equipment. The WNYSORC also has the backing of I.C. should there be a need to get them involved.

The repeater council maintains a web site with detailed information on their bylaws and area of responsibility and can be found at www.kwcn.org/~ad757

All amateurs and clubs that operate repeaters are welcome to attend the meeting and add support to the council. Minutes of each meeting are available on the web site for viewing.

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