Which means that I was able to get into the Statewide Amateur Radio network (i.e. SARnet) over the weekend with nothing more than a hand-held radio with a decent aftermarket antenna. Talked briefly to a guy over in Madison, just enough to confirm that things were all working together. And of course, that I'd programmed my radio correctly.
The repeater's not really in Apalachicola, it seems to be located up near Sumatra about 20 miles north of there. That does generally put it out of hand-held reach, especially on the 70cm band. Being upstairs helped a lot in establishing an RF line of sight, made things just possible. I'll bet that a small beam antenna on an outside mast would make this very reliable. Something I'll have to try in the near future.
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