Turkey Ridge 147.000 (T146.2) W0OJY Prairie Dog ARC contact KC0AXR or W0SD
Humboldt 147.285 (T146.2) N0LCL Brian Kelly & Sioux Empire ARC contact KG0R
Wessington Springs 147.345 (T146.2) AA0F Don Schwemle
Garden City 146.670 (T146.2) WD0FKC Garden City Repeater Corp contact Lake Area Radio club, W0MJY or W0SD
Reliance 146.940 (T146.2) N0NPO Medicine Butte ARC & Pierre ARC contact W0RTD, KD0S, N0NPO
Pierre 146.730 (T146.2) KD0S Pierre ARC contact W0RTD, KD0S
Murdo 147.300 (T146.2) AA0CT Pierre ARC contact W0RTD, KD0S
Philip 147.375 (T146.2) N0OMP Northern Hills ARC Contact KG0GG
Terry Peak 147.030 (T146.2) WB0JEK Northern Hills ARC contact KG0GG
Rapid City 444.750 (T146.2) W0BLK Black Hills ARC contact WA1RJC, site courtesy WB0PWA
Link to Turkey Ridge Pictures
Link to Humboldt Pictures
Link to Wessington Springs Pictures
Link to Garden City Pictures
Link to Reliance Pictures
Link to Murdo Pictures
Link to Pierre Pictures
Link to Philip Pictures
Link to Terry Peak Pictures
Link to Rapid City Pictures
There is no question about it the founding fathers of the SD Link System are AA0F Don Schwemle and N0LCL Brian Kelly. The SDARC was incorporated as a non-profit corporation under South Dakota law on September 8, 1994. Officers were and are President AA0F-Don Schwemle, Vice President N0LCL-Brian Kelly and Secretary/Treasure W0SD-Ed Gray. The first sites were at Humboldt(N0LCL Brian Kelly and Wessington Springs(AA0F Don Schwemle.
Humboldt was on the air first, probably in 1990 (Darrel K0AWB secured agreement to get on the original site). Wessington Springs went on the air about 1 year later (either 1991 or 1992), and they were initially operated without linking. A short period later the two sites were linked using purchased controllers. We were not pleased with the performance or features of the linking features of the controllers, and by the time that we considered adding Turkey Ridge to the system which had been stand alone for quite some time. We realized that a better linking system would be needed. After reviewing commercially available linking controllers, we decided to design and construct our own. Dave Mattox, WB0JEK, provided extensive circuit design and printed circuit board layout for the Motorola (68HC05) microprocessor based system. Don, AA0F, wrote the majority of the firmware for the controllers, and Brian, N0LCL provided his expertise in integrating it into a working system. The first prototype SDLINK controller was initially installed at Turkey Ridge, and after some hardware and firmware revisions, controllers were constructed for the Humboldt and Wessington Springs sites. When the newly constructed Garden City repeater was added to the system, it was also configured with a similar controller, as was the Reliance repeater when it was adapted to the linked system (don't know what year this was done)..
When the expansion of the system was done to include Murdo, Pierre, Philip, and Terry Peak, the controllers were upgraded to use a new microprocessor (Motorola 68HC11 based), and the firmware was ported to the new hardware and a new C compiler.
Turkey Ridge was put on the air through ground work by Ed Gray W0SD in conjunction with the Mitchell ARC and Prairie Dog ARC. Permission for the site was given by WA0QLP on his land where a nearly 200 foot tower was installed. It was not long until the responsibility for this site was completely taken over by the PDARC which continues today. The PDARC with lots of building material donations from Del K0GDS (silent Key) built a repeater housing structure at the base of the tower The Garden City(Garden City Repeater Corporation) and Reliance(Medicine Butte ARC)which had been stand alone for a long time were soon added to the SD Link.
Work was then done by SDARC to secure a FEMA grant to expand the Link to Pierre, Murdo, Philip and Terry Peak. Don Herrick Davison County Civil Defense Director was the primary force in securing the $67,200 grant. The sponsor was the SD Division of Emergency Management in conjunction with the Division of Emergency Services. The goal of the proposal was to complete amateur repeater coverage along the interstate system and the major population centers in South Dakota.
A big thank you for countless help from many amateurs at the various sites who constructed and install repeater buildings, did site preparation, served as tower crews, did antenna mount fabrication and many other things.
Recently a group of interested amateur met at Chamberlain SD with the goal of getting the total SD Link working again. In recent years some of the link has been in disrepair. As a result of this meeting a good deal of work has occurred to restore the link. In April 2005 a meeting was held in Sioux Falls and the work continues to restore and develop plans for the long term continuation of the successful operation of the South Dakota Link. Links to the minutes of these meeting can be found immediately below.
Link toMinutes of Chamberlain 2004 SD Link Reorganization
Link toMinutes of Sioux Falls April 2005 SD Link Committee
Link toMinutes of Pierre October 2005 SD Link Committee
Link toMinutes of Pierre September 2007 SD Link Committee
Please send corrections needed on this site to w0sd@triotel.net
Please send SD Link news items to:
JERRY A HAWLEY KG0GG
11050 Bluebell Lane
BELLE FOURCHE SD 57717-7251
kg0gg@mato.com
Well it goes without saying that getting the SDLINK working again from end to end and updating equipment and paying for monthly electric bills, etc. costs money. As was discussed at the Sioux Falls Meeting while it is great that a number of SD ARC have committed to helping the project it is essential that individual amateurs INTERESTED in the project also lend financial support. Donations are tax deductible and should be made to the South Dakota Amateur Radio Council as they have IRS 501(C)(3) status and a tax ID number.