GMRS and Community Repeater Service
In addition to amateur radio station KE7ADD, Chip operates under the GMRS call sign WRFK333. His active GMRS license supports two community repeater installations serving different portions of Coos County: Bennett Butte and Shutters Landing.
Bennett Butte
South of Myrtle Point Oregon
The Bennett Butte installation began as the Fat Elk 72 repeater near Coquille before being moved to its permanent elevated location on Bennett Butte. Field reports indicate useful mobile coverage in Coquille, Myrtle Point, and along Highway 42 between the two communities. The elevated site also provides opportunities for coverage into other parts of southern Coos County where terrain permits.
The public WRFK333 directory listing identifies an open community repeater operating with a 462.700 MHz downlink and 467.700 MHz uplink. It supports the standard GMRS travel tone as well as multiple PL and DCS access options, with DCS 023 designated as TAC 1. The repeater is intended for community use, and operators are asked to monitor the channel before transmitting.
The second repeater is located at Shutters Landing in northern Coos County. Its installation was completed through cooperation between Coos County Emergency Management and the Coos Forest Protective Association. Initial mobile testing reported coverage along Highway 101 from the Lakeside area south toward Millington, helping fill an important communications corridor through northern and central Coos County.
The Shutters Landing installation was developed to strengthen local communications for residents, travelers, volunteers, and partner organizations. Its location complements the southern coverage provided from Bennett Butte and expands the area in which properly licensed GMRS users may communicate when cellular or internet service is weak, overloaded, or unavailable.
Shutters Landing
East of HWY 101 South of Ten Mile Lake
Practical Communications for Coos County
GMRS offers a practical bridge between ordinary consumer radios and the more technical world of amateur radio. The FCC defines GMRS as a mobile two-way voice service for individual licensees and their families, including the voluntary provision of assistance to the public during emergencies and natural disasters.
Together, the Bennett Butte and Shutters Landing repeaters help provide Coos County with a locally maintained, terrain-aware communications resource. They may be used for routine conversations, travel coordination, community events, preparedness activities, exercises, and emergency communications by properly licensed operators.
These systems are not intended to replace 911, public-safety radio networks, or official emergency-alert systems. Their value lies in providing another dependable communications option when normal methods are unavailable or when local groups need a simple way to coordinate over a wider area.
Operating and maintaining these repeaters reflects the same philosophy behind KE7ADD:
Build dependable systems, practice before they are needed, and use radio to strengthen the community.