The Compaq ATV repeater is on 421.25 out, with an input on 434.00. It is made up of an AEA VSB/70 transmitter with a 40 watt UHF amp. The receiver is a PC Electronics PC-70 and uses a Micro Computer Concepts VS-100 controller to make it all happen. It has a PC with the video output that can be sent from the repeater for bulletins, or announcements. Also an audio channel can be activated to allow others to talk via voice using the ATV repeater as a simplex voice repeater. This is helpfull if the person wants to aim their antenna at the repeater, and still communicate with someone else that is watching the repeater as well.
It is located in the Elevator Penthouse of Building 13 on the Compaq Computer Corp. complex in N.W. Houston, on State Highway 249 at Louetta. The antenna is a made up of a Diamond X-217l and a Diamond X-200 Dual band, for UHF ATV repeater and the VHF audio link. This puts it around 150 feet in the air.
This repeater puts out 40 watts and has about a 10 to 15 mile coverage area. It is backed up by the building UPS system, that is then backed up by the building natural gas generators.
The ATV repeater sends an audio tone, plus the video ID of K5WH every 9.5 minutes to allow others to try and see it. For testing purposes one of the control codes is the #9 on 144.34 to force the ID screens. This will give you the CW ID plus the video ID. Another is the *11 to bring up the Video ID for 1 minute.
The plan is to someday have all 3 ATV repeaters here in Houston linked together, so that we can all use a minimum scale antenna, and still get city wide coverage. This will be especially helpfull when the ATV repeater is active at NASA providing live coverage of the Shuttle Mission as well as other NASA Select programming.
Additions, Updates, Comments and Questions to k5wh@k5wh.net
Revised: July 28th, 2001