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The SSRA was created as a way of assuring operation of the two meter repeater 146.20/80 located at the 5400 ft. level(add
100 ft for the tower for 5500 ft.) in the Blue Mountains of Eastern Oregon at Spout Springs. This is about half way between
Weston and Elgin, Oregon on highway 204.
Because of the altitude and location the repeater covers a very large area,
Spokane to the North, Hood River to the West, Baker City to the Southwest, Joseph and Enterprise to the SE and high Idaho
points to the East.
This is a popular repeater for travelers on I-84 and other major highways in the area because
of the coverage. Repeater Association members are sensitive to weather related concerns and are often heard assisting travelers.
Truckers that are licensed Hams are great at passing on road and weather conditions on to others throughout the day and night.
Due to interference from the powerful Fox TV transmitter next to the SSRA site,it was necessary to tighten the squelch on
the repeater making it difficult for mobiles and low power stations to "hit" the repeater. In order to overcome
this, the Technical Director installed a squelch by-pass circuit using a 100 Hz tone. High power stations need not use the
100 Hz tone but low power stations should use tone operation.
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