Big News for Licensed GMRS Operators!

[Joe Sammartino]

Four SWCRS repeaters in Arizona are now open to any licensed GMRS operator: Heliograph 700, Guthrie 600, Alpine 725, and Nutrioso 550. No SWCRS membership is required to use them. All four are now listed on myGMRS, where you can find frequencies, tones, and coverage details.

Posted here for your convenience:

Heliograph 700 - 462.700 Mhz - Encode PL 156.7Hz - Decode PL 156.7Hz

Guthrie 600 - 462.600 Mhz  - Encode PL 100.0Hz - Decode PL 131.8Hz

Alpine 725 - 462.725 Mhz  - Encode DPL 365N - Decode PL 131.8Hz

Nutrioso 550 - 462.550 Mhz  - Encode DPL 365N - Decode PL 131.8Hz

If you hold a valid GMRS license and you are within range, you are welcome to key up. Please identify with your callsign as required by FCC rules, keep transmissions courteous, and leave room for others to use the system. You are still expected to abide by the SWCRS repeater use rules at all times.

Why SWCRS opened these four

These repeaters serve some of the most rural and least populated parts of Arizona. In those areas, a members-only repeater can sit quiet for days simply because only a handful of nearby licensees have joined. Opening them up puts these sites to work for everyone who lives, works, travels, or recreates nearby.

Their goal is simple: more local traffic and more licensees with access to reliable coverage where it matters most. A repeater that people actually use is a repeater that is there when someone needs it, whether that is a ranch check-in, a backcountry trip, or an emergency.

What stays members-only

The following Arizona repeaters remain available to SWCRS members only:

    Pinal 675
    Lemmon 650
    5151 550
    Tucson 600

Nothing about how these systems operate is changing. If you want access to them, joining is quick and costs nothing.

Free to join, supported by you - https://members.swcrs.org/2023/11/28/swcrs-primer-a-guide-for-prospective-members/   (Even easier to join for licensed hams!)

SWCRS membership is free. We charge no dues and no fees, and we never will. The entire network, including site leases, equipment, power, and backhaul, is supported by donations from the people who use it.

If these repeaters help you stay connected, please consider making a donation. Every contribution, large or small, keeps existing sites on the air and helps us bring coverage to more of the state.

See you on the air, and welcome to the Heliograph, Guthrie, Alpine, and Nutrioso systems.

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