GB3SP UHF Wireless Repeater, has been on the air since 1978; many changes have been made to the equipment, aerials and building since then. So much so and especially since the beginning of and during 2021. The HISTORY page has been updated and refreshed to bring the repeater 'story' up to date. 


GB3SP provides both analogue FM and digital C4FM voice communications. Enhanced receiver sensitivity, by state of the art PHEMT pre-amplification, filtering and optimised front end attenuation, ensures even the weakest signals can communicate effectively. Automatic Mode Selection (AMS) caters for BOTH analogue NBFM and digital voice C4FM users. 

It is appreciated that users, operate in a courteous and unselfish manner; in the 'true spirit of amateur radio' and that where stations can hear each other easily by direct communications, then a move to a simplex frequency is preferred, thus releasing the repeater for more distant and mobile stations.    

The repeater is primarily a wireless relay service, to extend geographical coverage for all Amateur Radio  stations. Priority must always be given to mobile and QRP portable stations. 

GB3SP was nicknamed the 'Gentleman's Repeater' by one of our old friends Gordon 2E1FZR (SK) from Ilfracombe. Thank you for your co-operation, which will ensure we can ALL enjoy the service GB3SP provides and for our hobby in general. 

Finally, and very importantly, please do not use the GM (Group Monitor) function when using the repeater. This is a feature appropriate for use on simplex channels only. GM causes continuous cycling of the repeater transmitter; is annoying, resulting in unnecessary wear and tear to relays. This increases the probability of faults, breakdowns, inconvenience, expenditure in time and money. Your full understanding and co-operation will be appreciated.

Please use GB3SP and enjoy - The repeater is operated, maintained and upgraded to promote the hobby of amateur radio, locally and further afield. If you enjoy using the repeater, then a comment to say so is always much appreciated. use the CONTACT page  


This website is a 'works in progress' and to provide useful information for anyone interested in GB3SP. Updates happen on a daily basis, so you need to check in regularly to know what is happening and what changes are being made. If you have any questions or comments about  the information here, or indeed have anything pertinent to add, then please use the CONTACT page  - Thank you.



WHAT IS A REPEATER?


“Once upon a time, in two far off valleys, there lived two tribes,  separated by the great mountain. On this mountain lived a great giant, who forbade any contact between the two peoples unless it was by his permission.

For a member of one tribe to speak with a member of the other, they had to call upon the giant to relay their message. Now the giant was a sleepy giant, and often did not hear members of the two tribes calling him. To overcome this difficulty, members of each tribe decided to blow upon a whistle to alert the giant, who would then wake up, and repeat their messages across the great mountain. 

Some tribesmen, being impatient to wait their turn from the giant, as he would only take one message at a time, tried to make contact directly. However, such was the distance between the two valleys, that only one tribesman with the loudest voices could make themselves heard, and then only by standing as high off the ground as possible. 

So the people of the two valleys found their giant of such great help that, as the days went by, other giants were asked to come to the great mountain and pass messages to and fro.”

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This story shows what a repeater can do. By drawing an analogy between giants and repeaters, tribesmen and amateur transmissions, you can get a fairly good idea of what they are.     


ack  RSGB "The Ins and Outs of Repeaters" 1987 Edition

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GB3SP a BRIEF TOUR !


Radio Structures Ltd., professional, 4 x folded dipole stacked arrays, ensures wide radio coverage, for even the weakest long distance stations. A good take off all round, including to the  south, across the Bristol channel to Cornwall and North Devon. On a nice day, a magnificent panorama of Pembrokeshire, across to the Gower and Lundy Island is the reward from the Orlit B observation platform. 


Coverage map - notice the radio shadow zone behind Lundy- see COVERAGE page for more information and FUSION map. North Devon stations work GB3SP regularly with ease



Showing the new for July 2022, two Radio Structures UHF stacked array's with 13mm Ultraflex coaxial feeder. Separate Tx and Rx aerial working is providing a significant improvement in overall performance. Signal and actual contact/QSO performance reports, especially from distant QRP stations are very much appreciated. Future maintenance will be easier with a return to the light tubular aerial support as of years past. No risks associated with climbing on the old three section lattice tower. "We should have returned to a light insulated and guyed tubular mast years ago for better radio coverage and the elimination of the safety hazard associated with a big lattice tower alongside a busy road " states GW3XJQ and MW0RLD.  



MFJ -269 checking VSWR of new aerial and feeder coaxial cable - 1:1 on the Tx frequency a 'pass' - Messi and Paoloni Hyperflex 13 mm, for ease of installation, low loss and flexibility.


     

Yaesu DR1XE in use for GB3SP, dual mode - System Fusion 
- carefully tuned pass/reject cavity filters to eliminate receiver de-sense, ( 107 dB's Rx/Tx isolation, & 2.7dB's through loss) and a modified low gain (4.5 dB's) Kuhne LNA 432A to optimise receiver sensitivity, ensures even the weakest signals are heard.  Twin aerial working provides an additional 22 dB's isolation and eliminates 'rusty bolt micro sparking effect' So now if you can hear 'The Gentleman's Repeater' you can work through it even with a low powered handheld radio. 
   

GB3SP - Striving for Perfection and Superior Performance by Strategy & Planning and Steady Progression in South Pembrokeshire & beyond