last keyup no keyup data
Build Phases
2 of 7 complete- Board approval + funding2026-02-11
- Equipment procurement2026-04-09
- Pi5 controllers online
- Ground-level build + testing
- Integration testing on 445.800 MHz
- Mountain deployment + cutover
- 30-day monitoring
currently: Equipment procurement
gap: $4,349
total to-go: 11
Tech Committee
5 operators- CJChris JohnsonK6OZYVP/Tech Lead — AllStar, Tailscale, project coordination
- GDGary DuffieldWK7BHardware Lead — radio procurement, ground build, URI 160 audio calibration
- JWJosh WhyteW9JJWInfrastructure — power/solar assessment, installation
- MMattN0SNOLogistics — mountain access coordination
- BBrianAK7FNUC / Digital Modes — Wires-X, Proxmox
What we're building
The White Tanks repeater is TBARC's flagship mountain node — a dual-band VHF/UHF system on White Tank Mountain serving the west Phoenix metro. We're rebuilding it from the ground up with modern hardware and software.
At the heart of the rebuild are two Raspberry Pi 5 controllers running AllStar Link 3, one per band. They cross-link nodes 1500 (2m) and 1501 (70cm) so activity on either band is heard on both.
Connectivity comes via Starlinkwith a public IP, giving us reliable internet at an elevation where cell towers don't reach. The entire stack — radios, compute, network, power — lives in a club-owned 42U rack.
This site is the project's public nerve center: live repeater status, build progress, funding, the bill of materials, and eventually a full operator console for the tech committee.
Digital modes roadmap
AllStar Link
The backbone. ASL3 running natively on both Pi5s, cross-linked via startup macro. Gives us internet-linked repeater access from anywhere and the ability to connect to other AllStar nodes worldwide.
EchoLink
Piggybacking on AllStar's built-in EchoLink proxy. Operators who prefer EchoLink can connect without dedicated hardware.
Wires-X
Planned for a NUC VM with an HRI-200 interface. Bridges Yaesu System Fusion users into the W7TBC network.
DMR & D-Star
On the roadmap pending vocoder board procurement. Both would run on the NUC alongside Wires-X, giving the club full multi-mode coverage.
Tower & site
The White Tanks Mountain site is a club-maintained installation with existing tower infrastructure and antennas being reused from the previous repeater deployment. Solar power keeps the rack running off-grid, with Starlink providing the internet backhaul.
73, Wayne
Wayne was the tech committee's AllStar subject matter expert — the one who knew every node config, every cross-link macro, every quirk of the mountain site. He became a Silent Key in April 2026. This project carries his work forward. 73, old friend.