history of kbara

 The Kamiak Butte Amateur Repeater Association, KBARA, can trace its origins to the early 1970’s when Gary Baker, K7EMF and others established a linked repeater system between Pullman and the Tri-cities. Art Gemmrig WB7AUK, a deputy sheriff, became involved and obtained emergency communication status and funding for the Kamiak Butte repeater. In 1981 Gary K7EMF and Dan Ransom K7MM established the KBARA financial support group to help maintain the repeaters. In the early 1980’s Art WB7AUK set up additional repeaters on Mica Peak 147.38, Lookout Pass 147.02, Stensgar Mt. 147.36 and Pikes Peak near Walla Walla 147.28. Karl Shoemaker AK2O assisted Art and did the hub linking system at Stensgar. During this time, linking was also done to connect KBARA to the Evergreen Intertie on the west side of Washington. The Boeing Employees Amateur Radio Society, BEARS, and Russ Kroeker N7HGE established radio links from KBARA’s Mica Peak repeater to Naneum Ridge and on to Mount Baldy in the Cascades and then to the BEARS East Tiger repeaters. It was an incredible system extending KBARA’s coverage throughout Western Washington and Oregon. Jack Williams W7HNH maintained that link for many years.

Art put the KBARA repeaters up for sale in 1996. John Demster W7OE purchased all of the repeaters except the Pikes Peak 147.28 repeater. John kept the Mica 147.38 repeater, but sold half interest in the other repeaters to various people. Around 2016 John sold his interest in the Kamiak Butte repeater, with the new owner pulling it out of the KBARA system. Scott Harvey KA7FVV, Jim Fielder WA7VFQ and other KBARA members established a repeater on West Twin east of Moscow to regain coverage of the Palouse region. In 2018, Scott, Jim and Betsy along with input from Art and other KBARA members updated the KBARA bylaws to enable the club to own repeaters rather than it being only a financial support group to private owners. In 2020 when the Stensgar 147.36 repeater went up for sale, Jim and Betsy Ashleman N7WRR and N7WRQ bought it from John and Glen K1RR, then went on to buy interest in the other repeaters as they became available in order to keep the KBARA linked system together. By 2023 they had purchased interest in all of the remaining KBARA repeaters and links. Currently, the KBARA club owns all of the 147.28 Pikes Peak repeater near Walla Walla, all of the 147.02 Lookout Pass repeater in MT and half of the 147.32 Moscow Mt repeater. In 2023 Karl, Jim and Betsy gave the hub linking system to KBARA, giving the club control of the system. Currently, Jim and Betsy own the 147.38 Mica and 147.36 Stensgar repeaters, Scott owns half of the 147.32 Moscow Mt repeater, and Glen owns the IRLP linking that enables connections to other systems such as the BEARS in western Washington. 

A More Detailed History of KBARA’s Early Years

The 2M FM amateur repeater on Kamiak Butte (North of Pullman, WA) began in the early 1970s on 146.13/73 MHz. The original builder and control operator was Gary Baker K7VED (now K7EMF) of Pullman. Gary's employer, Radio Television Services of Washington State University (KWSU Radio-TV) allowed him to place the repeater inside the KWSU-TV building and his home brew antennas (split antennas-no duplexer) on the KWSU TV tower. At that time, a repeater license was required by the FCC. Gary did the engineering work necessary and acquired the license (WR7AIP).
The original radio equipment was a GE Pre-Progress Line (all tube type). The entire repeater was replaced by a GE Master Exec (all solid state) and Gary designed and fabricated the controller, variable squelch tail and link electronics using a Clegg 220 transceiver to link to the Kennewick repeater 146.76/16.
 

Gary worked with Steve Sterling WA7DUH who had previously graduated from WSU also. Earnie WA7EAQ worked with Steve to add and implement the link electronics. Gary K7VED, Steve WA7DUH and Earnie WA7EAQ were successful in linking the two repeaters and allowed all to access using a DTMF code for linking. During the same period, Gary Barta WA7BIP provided a solid state ID'er which he fabricated using a diode matrix to develop the CW ID as microprocessors were not in common use then. Gary WA7BIP subsequently graduated from WSU with a Masters degree and went to work for Tektronix and then for a subsidiary of Tektronix heading up development of the GaAsFet technology. Partway into that project he was contacted by an entrepreneur and became the inventor of Magellan GPS! His original inventions are in the Smithsonian presently. 

Eric Shahan WA7LNH provided a Wacom 6 cavity duplexer and they converted to a single antenna on the TV tower. They did not realize the band reject duplexer provided very little isolation between the receiver and transmitter so Gary K7VED fabricated a hybrid ring duplexer and used four of the Wacom cavities which was much more effective.
 

Later, due to IMD issues Gary encountered early on, Phil Ricker WB7ARB helped Gary with maintenance of the repeater. Phil later graduated from WSU in Electrical Engineering and headed up a new Intel facility in New Mexico. Gary learned many years later that using a high sensitivity receiver on the same site as a high power broadcast transmitter is not a good idea as the high power transmitter as with all transmitters emit baseband noise. The noise level from high power transmitters is a much higher level than low power transmitters. Also, high power circulators are not feasible so little IMD protection can be offered to such transmitters.
 

Paul Albee W7ZEA also a student at WSU acquiring his PhD in Electrical Engineering provided Gary Baker with an abundance of technical knowledge (along with all the others mentioned) making this repeater a great success. Just prior to Gary moving to Spokane in Jan of 1981, Dan K7MM helped Gary by formulating an organization to keep the repeater in operation.
 

Very influential in KBARA development was Art Gemmrig WB7AUK. Art was a Deputy Sheriff in Whitman County, based out of Colfax, the county seat. He was dedicated to public service and to emergency preparedness. Art secured emergency-service status for the Kamiak Butte repeater, which got the repeater a permanent spot in the new radio building and on the radio tower on Kamiak Butte. Art became the repeater's main control operator and the callsign changed to WB7AUK/R. Art was instrumental in establishing the EOC (emergency operations center) in the basement of the Whitman County jail which included federal funding for a new GE Master II repeater and duplexer system as well as money to prepare a new space in the building to house the EOC. On the day the new repeater arrived, Dan took the brand new GE Master II home to get it ready for installation, Art recalls he was all smiles. Art and Jo Ann KA7SUZ, established the first link to Spokane in the early 1980s. They subsequently moved to Spokane and ran a very successful amateur radio retail store for many years. As the ‘80s and ‘90s progressed, Art established repeaters in Spokane and at Lookout Pass, MT. During this time, many local hams helped Art build and maintain the repeaters and RF links, some were Jack Babbit WA5ZAY(sk), and Karl Shoemaker AK2O. The Walla Walla area came on board with a repeater in the Blue Mountains. Art made more links, eventually connecting with the Evergreen Intertie to link the KBARA system of repeaters across to the west side of Washington. By that time, the majority of the system was built, owned and operated by Art WB7AUK and KBARA provided financial support for the system. During this period when Art and others built the linked repeater system, many government roadblocks and nay-sayers objections were overcome by the KBARA members to ensure the system was built and maintained for all to use.
 

In 1996 Art sold the repeaters to individual owners. John Dempster W7OE recalls the following about the transition:
 

"I had bought a lot of gear from Art's Ham Radio shop (Amateur Radio Team of Spokane) and got to know him very well. He told me in 1996 that he will be selling all the KBARA Repeater equipment to the highest offer and they may remove the equipment from the sites. I offered to purchase the 147.38 Repeater and all the associated link equipment. I also told him that I would purchase the 147.36 and 147.02 Repeaters but not the 147.28 because of its greater distance from Spokane. I did not want to have my hands full so I recruited a partner for the 147.36 (KB7WTO), and the 147.02 (N7LVO). I also found a buyer for the 147.28 repeater (KB7??? sorry I forgot his call) and it was soon sold to Rich AA7P. The partners have changed over the years for the '36, '02, and '74 repeaters but I have always been owner of some components of the '74."
 

John W7OE retained full ownership of the 147.38 repeater and its links. John's plan was to share ownership with others so they can enjoy ownership and help bear the financial burden.
 

Early Historical content from Gary Baker, Daniel Ransom, Bob Lemon, Art Gemmrig and John Dempster. Compiled and Edited by Anonymous