TRANSCEIVER/CONTROLLER: The transceiver is a Vertex VXR-5000, including an add-on Pacific Research RI-310e controller board, receiver board, transmitter board, and a 25-watt final amplifier module. The repeater is mounted on a wall in the shack above a work bench, and is powered by a DC power supply which you can see setting on the bench top. The feedlines to the controller/transceiver are fed through a four-tank resonator, Wacom Products, Inc. model WP641.

BATTERY BACKUP: In July 2023, a West Mountain Radio PWRgate PG40S was installed. This automatically switches from the AC power supply to a battery backup in case of AC power loss. For further information, read the PG40S user manual. --- The following information is about the previous system, no longer in use: On 2 September 2001 a battery backup system was installed on the repeater. The system includes a power controller box consisting of automatic switching and battery charging circuitry, and a parallel combination of two 12-Volt deep-cycle gel-cell batteries from a used wheel chair.

TOWER: The tower for the repeater is approximately 120 feet tall (not including the antenna), and is serviced from a shack approximately 20 feet from the base. The tower is guyed at six points along its rise as can be seen in this view (the lowest guys are not visible in this picture). The base of the tower is at an altitude of approximately 1,110 feet above sea level, so the top of the transmitting antenna is at approximately 1,245 feet above sea level.

ANTENNA: At the top of the tower, fed from the shack by jacketed hardline, is a commercial-grade co-linear vertical J-pole, model 220-2N ("Super Stationmaster ^TM") from RF Systems. This antenna was installed on 29 January 2007 to replace an old DB224 antenna. Replacement was necessary because water got into the coaxial harness and degraded performance. You can view a slide show of the installation process. (Here is the old four-element omni-directional antenna array, vertically polarized, model DB224, from Decibel Products).

COVERAGE AREA: Coverage for the WØGS repeater (view a map, or another map) extends from the St. James area 15 miles east of Rolla, to Jefferson City 75 miles north of Rolla, to the Lake of the Ozarks area 50 miles west-north-west of the Rolla area, to the Lebanon area 50 miles west-south-west of Rolla, to the Salem area 25 miles south of Rolla. Of course, due to the hilly terrain in south-central Missouri, some low-lying areas are not within repeater range even though they lie within the general repeater coverage area.