Episode 21: A 210-Foot APRS Digipeater Covering 93 Miles from a Historic Detroit Building

Digital ModesInterviews
Written By James Mills

Published: September 3, 2026 YouTube: https://youtu.be/FakqdX9c1ac Buzzsprout: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2438895/episodes/19742432

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Summary

Jay Aho (N8QYQ) got back on the air after 20 years away and, within about a year, built an APRS digipeater and a VARA FM Winlink gateway 210 feet up on the Detroit Masonic Temple. He walks through how he got roof access, why he chose a low-gain Diamond X30 and a WIDE1-1 fill-in configuration, the Raspberry Pi and Windows mini PC hardware behind it, and the Detroit Never Goes Silent exhibit that lets the public send an email over radio. Before the interview: Jason KN4AL's 1000th POTA activation, Activate All RI 2026, the new POTA website beta, shack dashboards built with Claude Code, and a full breakdown of the Icom IC-7110 announcement.

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In This Episode

  • Shack check-in: Rory waits on the Icom ID-5200A, James is back to POTA at Holly Recreation Area, and Jason KN4AL closes in on his 1000th activation

  • Activate All RI 2026 (September 11-13, all 61 references) and the new POTA website beta at next.pota.app

  • Jim's FTM-500 APRS GPS fix video and the Radioddity HF-010 vertical review coming this month

  • The hosts build digital signage and shack dashboards with Claude Code

  • Icom IC-7110: specs, pricing and release speculation, the full duplex question, and no APRS

  • Meet Jay N8QYQ: licensed as a teenager in the early 1990s, back on the air two Januaries ago

  • Wayne County ARPSC, Detroit CERT, and building a station at Detroit's Emergency Operations Center

  • Detroit radio history and the Masonic Temple: 210 feet, 500,000 square feet, opened in 1926

  • What APRS is and why the I-96 corridor was a coverage dead zone

  • Getting roof access through the Masonic's general manager and trustees

  • Design choices: Diamond X30, 30 watts, WIDE1-1 fill-in, 93 miles of coverage on aprs.fi

  • The build: Raspberry Pi 4 with Dire Wolf, Windows mini PC for VARA FM Winlink, watchdogs, auto-boot, Google Remote Desktop

  • Power and protection: UPS, 50 Ah LiFePO4, enclosure with fan, building ground

  • Detroit Never Goes Silent: a lobby exhibit that sends visitors an email over Winlink

  • Funding the Detroit EOC station and Jay's fall presentation tour

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Photos from the Install

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Jay shared photos from the rooftop build. Suggested order and captions:

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  1. Rooftop (image8.jpeg): The Diamond X30 on its tripod mast at the roof edge, 210 feet above the street, with the Detroit skyline behind it.

  2. Bridges (image17.jpeg): The view from the roof toward the Detroit River, with the Ambassador Bridge and the Gordie Howe International Bridge. Windsor, Ontario is on the far side, well inside the digipeater's coverage.

  3. X30 detail (image18.jpeg): The antenna mount up close. Jay chose the low-gain X30 on purpose so handhelds at street level downtown can still reach the digipeater.

  4. Skyline (image20.jpeg): Looking out over Cass Park from the roof. The I-96 corridor coverage hole Jay set out to close runs west from here.

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Photo credit line (place under the gallery): Photos courtesy of Jay Aho, N8QYQ.

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Mentioned in This Episode

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Guest

Jay Aho, N8QYQ. Detroit resident since 1995, technology director by day, and the builder of a WIDE1-1 APRS digipeater and VARA FM Winlink gateway atop the Detroit Masonic Temple. Active with Wayne County ARPSC and working to establish an amateur radio station at Detroit's Emergency Operations Center. Detroit Never Goes Silent: https://jayaho.us/ QRZ: https://www.qrz.com/db/N8QYQ

James Mills
Next

Episode 20: Decoding QSL, From Paper Cards to Digital Confirmation