FREETOWN,  INDIANA 
CENTRAL INDIANA
SKYWARN  LINK
JACKSON Co.

147.435 Simplex
(77.0Hz Tone Required)
W9ICE/L

~THE  EQUIPMENT~
(New picture from 12/15/06 w/new battery)

This equipment was installed on April 28th 2004 to improve the radio coverage area of the Central Indiana SKYWARN Radio Network during the operation of the Severe Weather Nets ONLY.  This system will allow for linking back to the Indianapolis SKYWARN Network via this 2 meter simplex frequency.  The equipment is installed on a local FM broadcast station tower outside Freetown, IN with the 2 meter antenna located over 300' on the tower & with the tower having a ground elevation of over 900' at it's base.  This should provide much easier  access to the SKYWARN Radio Network from Lawrence, Monroe, Brown, Bartholomew, Jennings, & Jackson counties. It my even improve communications from other counties in the southern Indiana coverage area.

Updates: (12/15/06)  After more then 2 years of flawless operation from this package, we had to
go down and replace the batteries, cooling fans & while we
were there we checked out the operation.  ALL OK !!

(7-5-08) After the link package went off the air around mid June we finally was able to find the time to make the trip south to check out the problem.  On arrival at the site we found that all 3 of the packages feed-lines had been unhooked and had been pulled out of the building.  The AC power had also been unhooked, so the package was Off The Air.  We were able to reconnect all the coax cables back to the original condition and the package came back to life !  After making several phone calls to find out how this happened, it sounds like a communication problem between a communication 2-way shop doing some work at the site and the new owners since the radio stations transmitter is no longer located there.

A note for those using this linking system, the 147.435Mhz frequency also transmits the 77.0Hz tone.  This means that if you put your radio into CTCSS decode of this tone, you should not hear anything until the SKYWARN net is activated.

~FINAL  INSTALLATION~

System Antenna Horizon Coverage Map
click on map to enlarge  

                                                        
Pictures from on the tower at about 100'

More Pictures
(click on to enlarge)
The site (WQKC - FM 93.7)
K9YDO starts up early in the morning (8AM)
WB9YCZ ground work
Both heading up the tower
Looking UP & Down from 100'
WB9YCZ at 100' (K9YDO feet in top of picture)
K9YDO coming down at about 90'
KB9YOJ
Handy work in cabinet
Equipment ready to go (K9YDO & WB9YCZ)
Cables added with lightning protection
All finished and in operation (KB9YOJ)
Ready to lock it up and call it a day (4PM)
(New picture from 12/15/07 w/new battery)