VK6REE was built by WARG during the 1980s
as a portable repeater for testing new repeater sites. The repeater
used a modified VHF Group 2 metre FM transceiver and an early control
board. VK6REE in operation at Mount Saddleback Frequency Used VK6REE
was licensed for 147.000 transmit, 146.400 receive. At a later stage it
had the frequency added of 146.975 transmit and 146.375 receive, 25 KHz
lower. The repeater could be easily switch between the two frequencies
and the duplexer worked on both frequency pairs due to them being only
25 KHz apart, receive and transmit respectively.
The original reason for the choice of 147.000 - 146.400 was this was in the days of crystal mainly radios and many people had this repeater frequency pair. The lower 25 KHz frequency pair were added so the repeater could operate in the service areas of existing repeaters on the 147.000 - 146.400 repeater channel. Why VK6REE...?
The choice of callsign is an interesting bit of trivia. The Morse CW ID was a diode matrix. Each dot requires a diode and each dash 3 diodes. To reduce the work required, all be it not much, the letter E was chosen, as it only requires one diode to be soldered into the matrix. Some letters like Q for example require a total of 10 diodes. Always looking for the quick simple way...!  Diode Matrix....Callsign VK6RLM The
callsign is read from the top right. A dot is one diode, a dash is 3
diodes and space within letter no diode and space between letters is no
diodes times 3. The blank diode spaces at the top right is because the
CW generator would not always start correctly on the first few cross
points.
VK6REE has operated in an amazing number of places.... Carried to the top of Mount Toolbrunup. Testing Tic Hill Testing Mount Saddleback Testing Busselton Testing Cataby Testing Ocean Hill Testing Mount Lesueur The repeater was also used for many years by JOTA as a primary repeater for the JOTA weekend. The repeater was configured with duplexer in a variety of ways, as shown in the photograph below being used at Tic Hill during testing of the site.  VK6REE in back of 4WD  Testing Tic Hill using VK6REE The
photograph above was recently discovered and is of the original site
testing of Tic Hill. Read a more detailed article at.....
http://www.vk6uu.id.au/vk6rth-history.html Where
is VK6REE....?
I'm
not sure what happened to VK6REE. It may be in storage at the club
along with the duplexer. The callsign is no longer current.
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