Repeaters ( Ham) locations and coverage maps

[Paul]

The repeater network is good, they work well, it's time proven, reliable, but they are exclusive for hams.
They aren't government supported so are heavily reliant on local "keepers".
Because they aren't government supported they won't have the priority electrical supplies or decent backup systems. After 24 hours of no power, it's going to be a hit or miss system.

CB repeaters?
First problem was (and probably still is) the government. A brief history lesson.

Like pirate radio they hated free speech CB'ers hence they were initially deemed illegal.
The first government committee looking into them was made up of scientists and bacon (whoops) hams so it was doomed to be a disaster from the get go.

Despite learned representation from a couple of national CB organizations, the committees chose a silly channel layout (out of step with the rest of the world) a useless mode of modulation FM, limited the power, and introduced a money making scheme called a CB license.

Yeah, right. It all went down really well with the CB'ing world.
Something like a lead balloon would now.

The post office was charged with routing out all evil and their mascot (a big chicken called Busby) became a rallying point against the system. Older CB'ers will remember the phrase "Buck Fusby" well.
Dyslexia rules KO if you don't get the significance.

There was no need for repeaters though. Messages were passed up and down the country using a ad hock system of truckers and mobile operators passing things by word of mouth.
Sometimes it worked, other times it didn't. About 50:50 for those living near the A1, M1, M4, or M5.
CB nets (groups of CB'ers chatting) were the standard back up as it was dead easy to relay chatter round the country.

You have to remember that this electronic computer / mobile phone society didn't exist then so people were more friendly and helpful!

Anyone running power or even looking a bit suspect with a decent home base aerial was libel for a visit by the post office gremlins.
At times, when popular CB'ers were visited, it was not unknown for the street to be blocked by hoards of fellow CB'ers stopping Fusby from confiscating gear.
It would have been called a riot now but at that time the police were a bit more sensible about things.
End of history lesson.

So the feasibility of repeaters.
Numbers of CB'ers is on the increase BUT until the internet and cellular systems crash, there isn't the interest there. That's a serious problem. The old CB clubs are gone.
Preppers are too fragmented and generally can't agree on anything without it getting too complicated. There is also the power side of things. Certain prepper groups think they are a cut above the rest. If they don't want to do it, their membership won't.
Basically no "we're all in this together so lets help each other".
Curiously the worse offenders are those who are the better "organized and respected". Personally those groups I avoid as they have senior member issues i.e. if your face doesn't fit you're no one.

You can also almost guarantee that the bacon world would object to it anyway.
Wouldn't stop them using the system if it was set up though, it's just that it's not sexy enough for them to help set up.

Besides, if there was a requirement for HF repeaters, the bacon would have done it by now.

Paul