W3ACH · Clarks Knob
The club repeater is on Blue Mountain, about 9 miles northwest of Chambersburg. It is open to all licensed amateurs, 24 hours a day, and carries the club net on Sunday evenings.
Receive on
147.120
MHz · VHF / 2 m
Offset
+600 kHz
Tone
100.0 Hz
Transmit
147.720
Radio settings
The 100.0 Hz tone is used on both transmit and receive.
Site and coverage
Clarks Knob is the highest point on Blue Mountain at 2,316 ft AMSL, roughly 1,600 ft above Chambersburg. That height is what gives the repeater its range across the valley.
The site is about 9 miles northwest of Chambersburg, in Buchanan State Forest, Franklin County.
- Elevation
- 2,316 ft AMSL
- Coordinates
- 40.0478, -77.7506
- Land
- Buchanan State Forest, Franklin County
- Coordination
- Western Pennsylvania Repeater Council
Typical coverage
- Franklin County and the Chambersburg area
- Parts of Fulton County to the west
- The Hagerstown, Maryland area to the south
- Into the eastern panhandle of West Virginia
- I-81, the PA Turnpike (I-76) and US-30
- The Appalachian Trail where it crosses the ridge
Using the repeater
The repeater is open to all licensed amateurs, members and visitors.
Listen first
Wait a few seconds before transmitting. A conversation may be in a pause rather than finished.
Identify
Give your callsign when you join, at least every ten minutes during a conversation, and when you sign off.
Leave gaps
Pause between transmissions so others can break in and the repeater timer can reset.
Emergency traffic first
Stations with emergency or priority traffic take precedence. Stop transmitting and let them through.
Weekly net
The club net runs every Sunday at 7:30 PM on 147.120 MHz.
Visitors and non-members are welcome to check in.
If you cannot access it
Most access problems come down to one of the following, so they are worth checking first.
Report a problem with the repeaterThis is usually a transmit problem. Confirm the radio is set to transmit a 100.0 Hz CTCSS tone, not only to receive one, and that the offset is plus 600 kHz so you are transmitting on 147.720 MHz.
Check that tone squelch is off or set to 100.0 Hz, and that the radio is tuned to 147.120 MHz rather than the input frequency.
Report noise, dropouts or a failure to repeat. Contact the club with the time, your location and what you heard.
Questions about the repeater?
Contact the club if you are having trouble accessing the repeater, want more information about the site, or are new to the area and looking for a local repeater.