🚀 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