Idaho ATV

The Mount Harrison K6ZVA Repeater
GPS Location: 42 deg 19.36'N by 113 deg 39.20'W
ID screen of the K6ZVA repeater

The K6ZVA repeater operates from Mount Harrison in Southern Idaho. It is operated by Lee Kelly, who lives in Twin Falls, about 50 miles from the site.
 
From top to bottom:
Top:  The site of the K6ZVA ATV repeater - as well as a few other voice repeaters.
Center:  The remote camera on site.
Bottom:  The interior of the ATV repeater's cabinet.
Right-click and select "view image" for larger versions

This repeater is a crossband repeater receiving on 434.0 MHz and transmitting on 1253.25 MHz, both being vertically polarized and AM. The transmitted power is approximately 40 watts into a 12db gain vertical collinear.

This repeater includes a remote-controlled camera that can pan, tilt, and zoom. The picture near the top of the page shows an earlier incarnation of the camera and housing, while the images just above show a more current version.

News from Lee, K6ZVA:

5 August, 2003:

"Very long time no see.  I guess the main reason I have not sent any info for a while is - EVERYTHING KEEPS WORKING!.

"That site camera is a real winner.   Even though I did not evacuate, (pressurize), the housing, weather for 2 years has not affected the excellent performance.

"[I] Installed a Comet dual band ,70 cm - 23cm, a year ago and with a small base clamp mod for additional wind strength, has solved the antenna failure problems. Of course we use  just the 23 cm section. Still read your ATV coverage with great interest. You could probably emove some of that stuff I did which looks like junk!. Here are some pix I took this week. The site cam after two years. The interior of the 23cm repeater (sound transmitter is not shown). The wonderful wood shack and tower. The shack also houses a 147.00 (-), a 144.39 APRS digi , a 449.29 (-) and 147.22 (+) ATV com repeater."

Work still continues on the repeater. If you wish to contact Lee about his repeater, please click here and I will pass it on to him... Make sure you *do* tell me who the message is for...

An article and some pictures pertaining to this repeater appeared in the Winter 1996 issue of ATV quarterly.
 
 




From the K6ZVA archive:



 
 
 
 
 
 
View of camera and enclosureView of camera w/out enclosure
View of the Mark II camera with (left) and without enclosure (right)

One of the features of the K6ZVA repeater is the remotely-controlled video camera.  This camera has gone through several revisions.  The picture at the bottom of the page shows (I believe) the "Mark 1" version.  This camera worked but had the tendancy to suffer various ailments related to cold weather, including "fogging" of the optics.

The "Mark II" version had several improvements:  The moving parts of the camera were enclosed (so that ice buildup would not "freeze" the PTZ (Pan-Tilt-Zoom) actutator.  It also had a "hat" to reduce ice/moisture buildup on the transparent dome.  This camera, too, was replaced with a "surplused" harsh weather security camera (see above.)
 
 


Past K6ZVA News:









7 November, 2000:
 
The ATV station at K6ZVA's home QTH
The ATV station at K6ZVA's QTH

 
 
Selected views of the emergency communications trailer

"We finally got all the planned work on the hill finished. This included a new Vertex 2M ATV comm. repeater. Except for some path variations, it's P5 here most of the time. The new site camera works faultlessly. It really needs to use that internal heater. The outside temperature Bob II PIC overlay just indicated 14F up there!.

"One other project that has kept me from doing anything else is an amateur radio communications trailer. It covers all bands and all modes with heavy emphasis on ATV remote capability. I have a couple of pix included showing the unit during a recent Jerome emergency radiation exercise where RACES was involved."

"We transmitted video from a hat cam, (1277mHz) to the trailer and then to the courthouse via 434Mhz. The courthouse is the major EOC for the Valley. I have plans to use a 1253 down converter at the courthouse so they can monitor the repeater to watch any RACES activity that might take place in the Magic Valley area.




 
 
 

15 January, 2000:
New K6ZVA camera/housing
The newly-acquired outdoor camera/housing for the K6ZVA ATV repeater. This camera was, according to Lee, "currently in the 'test' mode" when this picture was taken.
(1/15/2000)



 
 
 
K6ZVA repeater site Another view of the repeater site
Two views of the repeater site, circa 1999

 
K6ZVA and others working on the repeater siteK6ZVA repeater rack
(Left to Right) Work on the older camera and the repeater equipment rack.

April, 1999:

View of camera and building at the repeater site
 View of older ("Mark 1") camera mounted on the repeater's building.

Return to the Utah ATV home page...

Thanks to Lee Kelly, K6ZVA, for the use of the above images...