GB3NY – 70cm FM and Fusion

Coverage

Quick details

ChannelRU67
Output / Input frequencies430.8375MHz / 438.4375MHz
CTCSS ToneTone A 67Hz (not standard for this area)
Modes12.5kHz spacing FM and Fusion DV
LocationHigh Hunsley, East Yorkshire
LocatorIO93RT32
Power9W E.R.P.
AntennaFolded dipole @ 22m AGL, site 155m ASL
EquipmentYaesu DR-1Xe
StatusOn-air 24hrs

The use of 67Hz CTCSS (Tone A)

Unusually, the repeater does not follow the convention of CTCSS tones for this area. When first installed it used a CTCSS tone of 88.5Hz (Tone E), but tropo ducting across the North Sea inadvertently linked NY to a repeater in the Netherlands that just happened to use the same tone and the reverse frequency pair causing the repeaters to talk to one-another creating a most unholy racket. The ETCC promptly allowed a change of CTCSS tone to 67.0Hz (Tone A) for GB3NY to fix this issue.

GB3NY’s folded UHF dipole antenna as seen from a drone at 22m AGL looking towards Driffield

ATV and Raynet

The repeater is extensively used for tall-back by ATV stations using GB3EY as the service areas of both repeaters is similar. The repeater is also used and supported by Humber Raynet because of its county-wide service area. The Group had an analogue UHF voice repeater callsign GB3HU for many years, but it became very little used and was converted to D-Star, eventually becoming GB7HU. A decade later and analogue now gets more use than D-Star. As they say in clothes fashion, everything that has gone out of fashion will become fashionable again if you wait long enough!

History

Seamer Moor, Scarborough – June 1979

GB3NY’s mast at Seamer Moor, Scarborough in 1997

GB3NY first became operational from Seamer Moor, Scarborough, at 1500Z on the 17th June 1979 using the 1.6MHz spacing channel RB0. The initial equipment was soon updated to a Pye T460 / R461 and a purpose built control unit comprising a Z80 microprocessor (state of the art then). GB3NY operated from a single co-linear antenna at 50 feet fed with LDF450 coax. Coverage from GB3NY included the vale of Pickering and immediate Scarborough area.

Z80 powered logic for GB3NY

Oliver’s Mount, Scarborough

Due to the loss of the original site in July 1997, GB3NY was relocated to a commercial site on Oliver’s Mount, Scarborough, in January 1998. In order to promote more user activity an Echolink node was added in January 2005. Unfortunately due to the theft of the equipment in May 2007, GB3NY was off air until February 2008 when replacement equipment became available.

GB3NY equipment at Oliver’s Mount

Due to a dispute with the site owners, GB3NY was finally closed down from the Oliver’s Mount site on the 9th February 2008 after 29 years of successful service in the Scarborough area as no suitable alternative site could be found.

Carnaby near Bridlington

The NoV was taken on by Paul M0DPH a few years after closedown at Scarborough. The repeater was established at Carnaby Temple, west of Bridlington on a 70m ASL site, after a lot of discussion with Bob G3VVT the ETCC rep, now SK, Ofcom and the MOD. The issue was proximity to RAF Fylingdales, but it was shown that higher ground to the North offered sufficient screening to avoid any potential interference.

Carnaby service area

The equipment comprised a co-linear at 10m AGL, Kenwood TM431A transceiver for receive, Maxon transceiver for transmit linked to a Zetron Model 37 repeater controller. The repeater was changed to 7.6MHz spacing to avoid using the expensive cavity filters needed for 1.6MHz spacing.

Kenwood TM431A

As the site did not have a mains supply, solar power from a 1.2m panel was used, but the amount of charge put into the batteries was never enough to maintain operation more than a few hours on a sunny day. A run of overcast days resulted in no operation at all.

Maxon transceiver

Pinfold Lane, Bridlington

The remote location made the solar panel a target for vandals, so after 18 months it was necessary to find a new home for the repeater. For the next 18 months, the repeater was housed in a lock-up in Pinfold Lane, Bridlington that had the advantage of free electricity. Unfortunately, that came to end when the site was sold for redevelopment, so the repeater was off-air for a few years.

Bracey Bridge – May 2020

In late 2019 Paul was approached by the East Yorkshire Repeater Group to see if it could help with finding a new home for NY, and initially plans were made to locate it at Bracey Bridge between Driffield and Bridlington. An NoV was obtained in May 2020 and a tower located, but the site fell through before any installation work began during the COVID epidemic which had erupted, thwarting any progress. At this point, the Group decided to move the repeater yet again!  

High Hunsley – August 2022

The repeater was relocated to the High Hunsley PMR site, in the space previously used by GB3HS, taking advantage of a much better site, higher antenna and a permanent power supply. Thanks to Maxxwave Ltd., the location is made available to the Group at a ‘peppercorn’ rent. The equipment was changed for the move to a Yaesu DR-1Xe FM/Fusion repeater, financed by Humber Raynet and the Repeater Group.

GB3NY showing PSU, Procom Filter and Yaesu DR-1Xe

A Procom duplexer was used to provide the filtering for the 7.6MHz spaced frequencies. A single UHF folded dipole on the mast was patched to the duplexer via 45m of LDF4-50A Heliax. The Yaesu box runs 25W output, but the E.R.P. is only 8.9W because the feeder and duplexer losses add up to 4.5dB. Despite the feeder loss, which also affects the receiver, the performance of the repeater has exceeded expectations.