[d-star] D-STAR & Packet Data Network Site Development Article

[Mark Thompson]

Site Development 101
Erik Westgard, NY9D 
ny9d at arrl.net
December 29, 2007



Getting commercial space for your repeater’s QTH.




The LARA Inc tower in Little Falls, Minnesota is an example of a shared site that requires careful coordination between users of similar frequency bands, and even across different types of users.
Erik Westgard, NY9D, photo

Multiple users share the LARA Inc. Little Falls tower. An Amateur Radio Club is the main tenant with three packet nodes and three FM voice repeaters, but there is a TV station and other commercial users on the site. Careful coordination of frequencies and proper grounding and antenna installations help to reduce interference. In some cases, cavity filters are required.
Erik Westgard, NY9D, photo

Neat, professional installations and good ground systems lead to trouble-free operation. Shown here are three packet nodes and three voice repeaters. Paul Emeott, K0LAV, is the Site Manager at the LARA Inc tower in Little Falls, Minnesota.
Erik Westgard, NY9D, photo

Rooftop sites are ideal for D-Star L-band equipment due to shorter feed line lengths.
Paul Emeott, K0LAV, Photo
While the early role of Amateur Radio in emergency response was centered on message transmissions and relays from home stations, there is a strong requirement today for mobile, portable and data operations. Fixed infrastructure such as repeaters are key enablers here, allowing, for example, the use of inexpensive handheld transceivers. Repeaters in turn benefit from being on high elevation sites, such as towers, buildings, hilltops and water tanks. 
Arguably, the highest and best repeater/node antenna sites may be owned or leased by commercial or government interests. Getting Amateur Radio equipment on those sites has always been an interesting challenge. While most potential radio antenna sites can be rented, that choice is not always in the budget of individuals or even groups of Amateur Radio operators. A rough idea of a commercial antenna space rental rate is about a dollar per foot of height, per antenna, per month. 
Helping antenna site owners to understand the public service role of Amateur Radio is the key to getting your equipment onto sites at a reduced cost or even at no charge at all. In building the Minnesota Statewide Emergency Network, we installed Amateur Radio equipment on close to a dozen new commercial and government sites, and even bought a commercial tower facility to fill a key coverage gap. There are a few basic principles you need to follow to get your equipment on the air, no matter where you live:
Steps to success in approaching the commercial site owner.
You need a written mission statement, outlining the goals and objectives of the proposed equipment installation. “I’ve always wanted to own an FM repeater” is not a good one, but “Our group has provided volunteer severe weather spotting in cooperation with National Weather Service since 1972, and could provide improved early warning of potential tornados in our county with this new site” would be better. This document should be around five pages, and should include the history of your group, how it is structured, and the accomplishments you have had to date. 
You need to be very clear what you want to install and where. Think small. What is the minimum antenna and equipment package that will do the job? Site owners take pride in their facilities, and oversized antennas and truckloads of obsolete and unsightly equipment will not be popular, especially if you are not paying rent. Stealth antennas and tiny equipment cabinets are standard for us ─ one site owner said we could have space on a prestigious downtown building if “the antennas were not visible from the ground” ─ we found an MFJ antenna that was basically a car antenna whip that did the job. 
Be respectful of their wishes on rules and contracts and other clauses. I use their leases, and never try to “negotiate” ― if you are paying rent you can negotiate. I always insist on or agree to “we will leave at any time if asked” clauses. We are guests, not renters. That seems to reduce the stress on the other side of the table. 
You need insurance. Legal remedies are available to those who are injured by accidents. Site owners are understandably wary of their risks in letting you on their property. Low cost insurance is available, and you need to have your building owners as “named insured” parties on your policy. 
Leave the drill at home. We make every possible effort not to drill or saw at sites. Clamp on antenna mounts, and using existing holes for cable is our policy. In one recent case, we paid to have the building owner use their electrician to run the ground and drill the coax holes. 
Avoid the best sites. The people who own the best antenna sites know this, and are used to getting many calls and the highest rent. We try to talk to those who have “second tier” sites, who are not in such demand. Do you really want your equipment to be on the same site as the primary equipment you are trying to back up? 
Find a ham in the organization. This has been a "magic bullet" for us ― if you have someone known and trusted in the group that owns the site, things will be much easier. 
Use references. If you have had a good relationship with someone in a county, city or other served agency, ask if you can use their name. We have an impressive list, and this tends to work wonders. 
Use commercial standards for cabinets, installations and grounding. In 30 years, we have never had a well grounded installation damaged by lightning. 
Avoid constant pestering of your site owners. If you have temperamental equipment, having to bother them for access all the time gets tiring, and they get to ask themselves often why they let you on the site in the first place. We only use late model, type accepted gear, and try to visit no more than annually. 
Offer to pay for the power you use. 
Bring a broom ― always leave the site clean after every visit. 
Co-location on sites is normal. On commercial sites, the rule is “the last one on the site owns any new problems” so if you move onto a site, you need to ensure you don’t bother the current users. If you do, take prompt and decisive action to fix any problem ― assume you caused them. We have never had a problem with a non-amateur service radio user. Sadly, we have not had good luck co-locating with other amateur users, especially on the same bands, so we don’t. This applies to publicizing the names and numbers of friendly site owners. 
In short, you can get new sites, and add to our emergency services capabilities. You just have to approach the problem with the same skill, knowledge and professionalism you already apply to your communications activities. 

Erik Westgard, NY9D is President of 14567.org, which led the development of the Minnesota Statewide Packet and D-Star Data Networks. He also volunteers as Medical Communications Director for the Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon. He has a BA from Macalester College and an MBA from Metropolitan State University. He is employed as a consultant for a major telecommunications carrier, and is a regular contributor to QST and an ARRL Life Member.


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