Events

November 22-23: Repeater Roundabout

Mark Galbraith

• 3 min read

Whether you are a hard-core contester or just a casual user of repeaters, this event has something for everyone.  If nothing else, it's an excuse to get on the air.

The Repeater Roundabout is all about finding out which repeaters you can reach.  The goal is to meet new people and work repeaters you may not normally use.  And if you are primarily a repeater user and new to contesting, it's a great way to get started in a low-key, low-pressure way.

The Rules

Like any contest, there are Rules that must be followed, but they are really quite simple.

  1. You can only earn points if your contact is made on one of the participating repeaters.  We don't want to annoy anyone who did not want to bring the Roundabout to their repeater.
  2. The Repeater Roundabout is not the only scheduled activity on some repeaters. Please respect the other users and allow them to use the repeaters as well.  If there are scheduled Nets or other Emergency communications, please step aside and come back later.  We don't want to interfere, and we want to be invited back.

The Exchange

In Amateur Radio contesting, the way we can prove we actually made the contact is using a standard message with the other station.  This Exchange of information is then recorded in our log (more on that in a minute).  The organizers take all of the submitted logs and cross-check them to ensure the exchange was proper.

For the Repeater Roundabout the Exchange is pretty simple.  For each QSO you should exchange:

  • Your callsign
  • Your name
  • A mention of the "Repeater Roundabout"
  • A signal report using the CM system (1-5, 1 being unreadable, 5 being perfect)

That's it.  Simple and direct.  Once you've completed the contact, note the details in your log and get ready to make the next QSO.

Logging

The Repeater Roundabout uses a spreadsheet for submitting your logs.  You can log your contacts directly into the spreadsheet, or use another logging system, transcribing the information into the spreadsheet for submission.

The submitted log will contain the following information for each QSO:

  • The date and time (in PDT) of the contact
  • The callsign of the person you contacted
  • Their signal report for your signal
  • The Repeater Roundabout number (RR#) for the repeater YOU are on (see note)
  • A mark indicating if you are QRP for that contact (5 W or less)

A log is only required if you are planning to submit your entry.  It is perfectly OK to participate in the Roundabout without submitting a log.  You just provide the exchange shown above.  In this case you are, "Handing out points," which is perfectly valid.

Scoring

Scoring for the Repeater Roundabout is simple.  One point per contact.  Here's some useful tips:

  • You must be using RF to talk to a repeater on the approved repeater list.
  • Multiple contacts on the same repeater all count!
  • The person you contact does not need to be a participant for your point to count.
  • Duplicates don't count.  If you've already worked someone on a given repeater, you don't get to count it twice, but you can work the same person on many different repeaters and all those points DO COUNT!
  • Look for those multipliers.  These really boost your score.

Multipliers

Multipliers are used to boost the score of an individual QSO, band, or even your entire log.  Check these out:

  • It Pays to QRP. If you’re running 5W or less, the contact is worth double.
  • Band Hog. If you hit at least 30 FM repeaters on the 2m or 70cm bands, your score for that band is doubled.
  • Full House. If you make a contact on at least 80 repeaters, your full score is doubled.

These multipliers compound.  That is if you work 100 contacts total on at least 30 different FM repeaters on 2M, all QRP, then your 100 points becomes 200 (QRP bonus for each QSO), then the total for all contacts on that band (2M) is doubled (now 400 points).  If you go on to work at least 1 contact on each of over 80 repeaters, the score for your entire log is double again (800 points).  This was a simple example, but you can see how the multipliers can really impact your final point totals.

Wrapping it up

That's about it.  When your log is ready, you submit it to the organizers.  Directions for this are on the Repeater Roundabout page.  Submissions are due by December 1, 2025, so don't put it off too long.  Enjoy your turkey dinner but get that log submitted.

There's a lot more information on the Repeater Roundabout page, so be sure to check that out.  This is sure to be a fun contest, and LWHC hopes everyone has a great time.