W4AQL Repeater
145.150- (PL 167.9)
The W4AQL repeater is located on West Campus, colocated with the WREK transmitter. It is an open repeater, so anyone that can reach it is free to use it (although some functions are only available to members). It is not very heavily used, but there is usually someone listening. Occasionally, the repeater is also used to support communications for various events, such as marathons and races. The repeater coverage is quite good, and covers a fair portion of the Atlanta Metro area.
The W4AQL Repeater uses a frequency of 145.15 MHz with a -600 kHz offset and requires a 167.9 Hz subaudible tone for access. The repeater always transmits a 167.9 Hz CTCSS tone on the output for those that wish to enable the decode feature on their radio.
To check how well the repeater can hear your transmissions,
you may use its Echo Test feature.
To do this, send DTMF #1.
When the repeater responds, “Ready,”
begin transmitting before it unkeys,
and it will play back your transmission once you are done.
Members can view a full list of available repeater commands at the Members Only page.
Hardware
The repeater controller is a Pacific Research RI-300. The radio is a Kenwood TKR-750, which is connected to a TE Systems 1412R(N) amplifier for a total of 125 watts of output power. The antenna is a DB products DB224-E on top of the tower at about 330 feet above average terrain.
Yellow Jacket Net
Join us on the W4AQL repeater every Thursday night at 9:00 PM for the Yellow Jacket Net! This is a directed net where we discuss various topics relating to amateur radio and Georgia Tech. You can also check the calendar at the bottom of our homepage for any updates regarding net operation.
Future Plans
Echolink
One of our goals for a while now has been to add Echolink capability to the repeater so that it can be accessed by remote users.
As of 2026, we are designing an RF shield to house the EchoLink components inside the repeater shack. Living next to 16 kW transmitter is not the quietest environment. Once shielding is created and can prevent WREK from creeping in to an DACs, we should have the link up and running!
70cm Repeater
W4AQL also has a second frequency allocation from SERA on the 70cm band. Previously, this was the home of our D-STAR repeater, but we took it off the air and sold the equipment in late 2019 because it was rarely used. Since then, we have been performing a few experiments on these frequencies to keep our allocation active while we are in the process of deciding what to do with it, and we hope to get something permanently on the air sometime soon.