Volunteers working at the open Cedar Chest repeater building on a sunny day
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Cedar Mountain Repeater Site Gets a Workday Makeover

ByRob Neyhard

On September 18 and 19, TCARC members spent two days working at the Cedar Mountain repeater site. The 145.210 repeater is part of the NR3K PA Grand Canyon Repeater Group system.

The repeater equipment lives in an 8 by 14 foot converted truck box. Joyce Howey named it the “Cedar Chest” when it was first installed. Over the years, critters have chewed through its oak and plywood floor and the roll-up door. Mice have also found the equipment inside a warm place to spend the winter. This workday was the first big step toward fixing that for good.

Clearing the Site

Phil Hemenway started Friday by mowing the field to re-establish the parking and service area. Tri-County Electric generously gives the club antenna space on their 100 foot tower and supplies power for the repeater. To return the favor, the crew cleared wild grape vines from the tower, base, and fencing. Denny also trimmed back the growth around Tri-County’s building.

Volunteer in a hard hat and face shield trimming brush beside a white utility building

Raising the Cedar Chest

With the site cleared, the work turned to the Cedar Chest itself. Using jacks and plenty of cribbing, the crew raised and releveled the building to make room for critter-proofing the underside.

Four volunteers stacking timber cribbing at the base of the Cedar Chest

What’s Next

By the end of Saturday, the floor was repaired and the interior cleaned out. The building was leveled and a Starlink terminal installed. A few items still need attention in the coming weeks. Future plans include a fully enclosed, fan-cooled cabinet to keep critters out of the radios.

Thank You

Thank you to everyone who came out, lent tools, or helped plan. Special thanks go to Denny, Robin, Dale Howey, Phil Hemenway, Dave Moore, and Robert Stevens. Thanks also to Dale for taking Friday’s photos. And thank you to Tri-County Electric for their continued support of amateur radio in Tioga County.

More photos from the workday

  • Volunteers gathering near pickup trucks and a utility trailer
  • Orange compact tractor parked on mowed grass beside work tables
  • Volunteer in a hard hat holding a string trimmer next to the fence
  • Volunteers working near the open Cedar Chest and the fenced tower base
  • Two volunteers talking beside work tables in a clearing
  • White utility building with brush cleared away
  • Volunteer at a portable work table beside the Cedar Chest
  • Two volunteers taking a break, one seated in a folding chair
  • Volunteers at the open Cedar Chest with stacked timbers in front
  • Timber cribbing under the raised Cedar Chest
  • Volunteers working together at the base of the Cedar Chest
  • Antennas on masts against a blue sky with clouds

73, TCARC

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