How to help identify someone interfering with the PALS system
First determine if the interference is coming into the PALS repeater that you are currently using. To do this listen for a three beep courtesy tone each time the interferer unkeys. If you only hear two beeps, then the interferer is on another repeater in the PALS system OR interfering with the Hub.
If you hear the three beeps, go to that repeater input frequency and listen for a signal and note the signal strength. On many radios you can go to the input frequency of the repeater by using the REV or reverse switch. If you don’t have a reverse switch, go into the VFO mode of your radio and put in the appropriate input frequency from the list below: Greeleyville – 144.630 MHz Mullins – 144.870 MHz Cheraw – 144.890 MHz Pageland – 146.295 Mhz Lucknow – 146.325 MHz Florence – 147.795 MHz Now to go to Reverse all you have do is switch from Memory mode to VFO mode. If you leave the VFO unchanged, in the future all you need do is switch from Memory to VFO mode.
If you have a UHF (440 MHz), capable radio, the reverse frequency for the Hub is 447.050 MHz. Our interfering station often likes to interfere with the Hub, so if you have the capability to check the input of the Hub and report the signal strength if you hear something, that would be a big help. Make sure that the signal you are hearing is the interfering signal and not a signal from one PALS repeaters since all the PALS repeaters transmit a 447.050 MHz signal to the hub when they are being used.
Once we pin down the area of the state that the interference is coming from, then we can use standard Fox Hunt techniques to find the actual source.
Please do not make your reports or discuss your findings on the air. Contact a PalsNet officer or the Net Manager by e-mail or phone with the information. We don’t want the interferer knowing where we are looking or have looked.