The NEW WB7FID ATV repeater

Dale, WB7FID, on the transmit antenna tower at the end of an overnight install session.  (Note the sunrise in the background.)  The 11 element "Provo" transmit antenna may be seen in the foreground.
Click on the picture for a larger version

Finally!

We have something on the air.  No, it doesn't have a 70cm receiver.  No, there's nothing to watch other than a test pattern (when the transmitter is active) but at least we have the transmitter online.

For the time being, the transmitter is turned on/off  via the control link with the program material being color bars.  There is also an 23cm link receiver for use during NASA Space shuttle missions and special events as necessary.  Anyway, work continues...

For some other details, see the main page.

About the new WB7FID repeater:

How about receiving the WB7FID ATV repeater at your QTH?  We strongly recommend that you use a 70cm amateur beam that will cover the 426 MHz range (a beam made for 432 MHz SSB use should be OK, but a 70cm beam intended for repeater use will work at reduced efficiency) and that it be horizontally polarized (very important.)  Furthermore, this antenna must have a clear line-of-sight view (no trees in the way, please!) of the Oquirrh range (where the TV stations are) and it is recommended that, as long as you are going through the trouble of putting up this antenna, you feed it with good coaxial cable.

If you live from Provo to Ogden, the signals are actually quite strong.  If you have, say, a 10 element yagi (or larger) then a reasonable length (less than 50 feet) of the larger (lower loss) coax.   If you wish to transmit with this system, then use no less than RG-8 (or, better yet, RG-213.)  Unfortunately, ordinary VHF/UHF TV receive antennas work very badly in the 70cm amateur band.  To find out how badly they work, read the Using VHF/UHF TV antennas on ATV page.

For a receive-only system, RG-6 cable (I said RG-6 and not RG-59!!!) is only very slightly lossier than the more-expensive RG-8 types.  What about the antenna being 50 ohms and the coax being 75?  Don't worry:  The mismatch won't cause very much signal to be lost.  How do you connect that "F"-type TV connector to the UHF or N connector on the antenna?  Well, this can be a problem - and you may have to be creative.  You will probably have to adapt the antenna to a BNC connector (with an adapter) and then use BNC-to-F adapter:  At this point you can attach the F-type connector on the coax to the antenna.  (Don't forget to waterproof the adapters and connectors with good-quality electrical tape!)  Some of the larger supply houses (such as RaElco in Salt Lake - look in the telephone book) have a wide assortment of interseries adapters and the may be able to get you directly from an F connector to whatever is on the antenna in one step.  Remember:  RG-6 uses an aluminum shield, so you cannot solder it into a normal UHF connector!

For more information about how strong the WB7FID repeater is in your area, go to the Receiving the WB7FID ATV repeater at your QTH page.
 
 

Transmit site equipment:

Transmit Antennas (The array of antennas radiating the signal)
Transmit Filters and Combiners (How the Visual and Aural signals are combined and filtered)
Aural Transmitter (How the sound is transmitted)
Vision Transmitter chain (The generation and amplification of the visual signal component)
Repeater Controller and Audio/Video Processing (Controlling the repeater and its program sources)

IFL (Inter-Facility Link) System (How the receive signals get to the transmit site)

Secondary Controller (How the receiver(s) are controlled)
Audio/Video Demodulators and Signal Processing (Demodulating and cleaning up the received signals)
Receive Preamplifiers and Filters (Pulling the weak ones out of the noise)
Receive Antennas (The array of antennas receiving user signals)

Return to the Utah ATV Home Page...