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Latest News

Decreased Audio Delay

October 12, 2024

Today, a new wireless link was constructed to serve the Hot Springs site with an improved network connection with significantly higher stability and lower latency. Due to this, the CAS repeater system audio delay has been decreased from 750ms to only 210ms!

Networking / Benton Duplexer

September 28, 2024

The past few days have been spent rebuilding the N5LSN IP network to accommodate the many hosted services that have grown since I first put it together.

During this, I discovered that the duplexer at Benton was arcing on the TX side, and replaced it with a new one.

70cm Conversion Complete!

September 14, 2024

Today marks the completion of the conversion from GMRS to 70cm! Benton, Metro, and Hot Springs are back on the air and simulcasting!

Benton needs an antenna swap - the currently installed antenna is 460-470MHz and does not perform well at 442MHz.

Hot Springs still needs a link upgrade - right now it is running on a cellular modem and the latency is awful. This causes a significant audio delay on the entire system. I'm hoping to get a PtP link to the site established, but I have to find a site to use as a relay "hop" point to get LoS around the terrain between Hot Springs and Benton.

Want to expand coverage into Perry, Conway, Faulkner, White Co's... need more sites! Need more $$$$$!

The Rebirth of CAS 700 - 70cm Edition!

August 20, 2024

Welcome to the Central Arkansas Simulcast (CAS) 700 website.

If you’re new here, CAS 700 was originally set up as a GMRS repeater system, designed to provide top-tier communication across Central Arkansas.

Recently, though, changes and clarifications from the FCC regarding GMRS operations have made it clear that continuing to use CAS 700 in its original form would no longer comply with the rules. As a result, I’ve made the tough decision to transition the system to a 70cm Amateur Radio (ham) repeater system.

For those of you who were part of the GMRS community, I understand this might be disappointing. CAS 700 relied on linking multiple repeaters through external networks to create a wide-area coverage system. Unfortunately, the FCC has clarified that these types of connections aren’t allowed under GMRS, so to stay within the rules, the system can’t operate as it did before on GMRS frequencies.

But I’m not abandoning GMRS altogether. I’m working on setting up standalone GMRS repeaters at the current CAS 700 sites so that you’ll still have reliable communication options in Central Arkansas. It might take some time to get these replacements up and running, but I’m committed to making it happen.

To those of you coming to CAS 700 as Amateur Radio operators, welcome! The system you’re joining has a strong foundation, built with high-accuracy equipment and a focus on providing robust communication capabilities. By transitioning to the 70cm band, I’m able to keep the advanced features of CAS 700 intact, ensuring that it remains a valuable resource for the ham community.

Whether you’re here from the GMRS side or you’re a new ham user, I’m excited to continue this journey with you.

If you have any questions or want to support the setup of new GMRS repeaters, feel free to reach out.

Thanks for being here and for your continued support as we make this transition together.

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