🚀 go-pugleaf

Here in Binghamton, NY we've developed a method for activating the
SKYWARN net.
 One problem that we've had over the years is making spotters aware of
an activation.
 Things ranging from phone out lists, to commercial pagers, to LTZ (Long
Tone Zero) have
 been discussed. Money seems to be a big issue. There wasn't much
interest in getting
 pagers, or buying an extra box to hang on a radio to do LTZ. Phone
lists didn't work out
 too well either. About a year ago, I retrofitted the K2TDV 146.730
repeater with a 
 Midian DTMF page decoder.
 
 It works like this:
 Under normal situations, the repeater transmits a 100 Hz tone. This
tone is changed 
 to 123 Hz during activation announcements by the net control station.
The NCS sends
 DTMF 759 (SKY). The decoder recognizes that, and causes the transmitter
to change the PL.
 Announcement is made, transmitter drops, and PL is reset to 100 Hz. The
advantage 
 of this is that most hams have at least one radio that can decode
either DTMF - the 759,
 or the 123 Hz PL. If you don't want to listen to the normal chatter on
the repeater, you
 don't shut your radio off. Just program it to only open if it hears the
DTMF code, 
 or the 123 Hz tone. We've not had many activations since it was
installed, but we do 
 remind people about it during the monday night net.

 I'm kind of interested in how other groups do an activation, how well
those methods
 work, and the success - failure ratio.

  Bob  N2QEW