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KK7KNS • Southwestern Utah
KK7KNS • Weather
Washington City • Utah
I'm Rob Buell, Extra class amateur radio operator KK7KNS. I currently reside in the community of Washington City, which is located in the southwest corner of the state of Utah. My home QTH is approximately 10 miles (16 km) north of the Arizona state line and 30 miles (48 km) east of the Nevada state line in grid square DM37fd.
Washington City is situated in an area known locally as "Dixie," or occasionally, "Utah's Dixie," which refers to the lower elevation areas of southern Washington County, Utah. This practice can trace its origin back to the 1850s and the then-important cultivation of cotton, the warmer climate, and in that some of the early settlers were from the southeastern region of the United States. Today, it is not an uncommon practice for local businesses and institutions to incorporate "Dixie" into their name.
Washington City, which had a population of 27,993 as of the 2020 census, is bounded by St. George, Utah, to the south and southwest and Hurricane, Utah, to the east. Other nearby communities to the west include Santa Clara and Ivins.
Current Equipment List
Living in a Homeowner's Association, combined with my very small backyard and the close spacing of homes in my neighborhood, has taught me to have "realistic expectations" in amateur radio. This is especially true where HF is concerned.
Being hamstrung by my Homeowner's Association, things like large antennas on tall masts or towers and higher transmit power are options that I cannot realistically consider. While I can have amateur radio antennas, they can only be deployed during use. Even then, antennas must not be visible from the street. Short of moving, there just isn't any real good way for me to work around these restrictions.
So, with that in mind, my current equipment list includes:
- AnyTone AT-D878UV II Plus – Handheld transceiver. Bands: 2m and 70cm. Modes: FM and DMR. Satellite support. Accessories: Diamond SRJ77CA whip antenna, PowerWerx WXSPK speaker-mic. Can connect to a Comet SBB5NMO antenna for mobile operations.
- Icom ID-52A – Handheld transceiver. Bands: 2m and 70cm. Modes: FM and D-STAR. Accessories: Diamond SRH77CA whip antenna, Icom HM-186LS speaker-mic and Heil headset. Can connect to a Comet SBB5NMO antenna for mobile operations.
- Icom IC-705 – Portable and base transceiver. Bands: 160m through 70cm. Modes: AM, FM, SSB, CW, RTTY and D-STAR. Accessories: Heil headset, Comet GP-3 antenna, TN07 My Go2 Antenna and Chameleon F-Loop 3.0 magnetic loop antenna.
- ZumRadio Mini 1.3 OLED Hotspot – For connection to the digital networks: D-STAR, DMR, M17, YSF, P25, NXDN and POCSAG. Transcoding Support: YSF to DMR, YSF to NXDN, YSF to P25, DMR to YSF and DMR to NXDN.
- Xiegu XPA125B – 100 watt amplifier with internal antenna tuner. The antenna tuner can operate independently from the amplifier. Bands: 180m though 6m.
- Pro Audio Engineering KX33 – Low RFI power supply for the Icom IC-705.
- PowerWerx SS-30DV – 25 amp continuous, 30 amp surge, switching power supply for the Xiegu XPA125B amplifier.
- EchoLink – Accessories: Blue Yeti USB mic and Samson boom arm.
On The Air
I spend a great deal of my time on D-STAR or DMR via my hotspot. I do realize that some amateur radio operators out there don't consider anything where the Internet may be involved to be, "real amateur radio" and that's fine. That being said, I don't personally have any issue with leveraging available technology to communicate with others.
I can be found on the HF bands every now and then, but honestly, my preference is for the hotspot/D-STAR/DMR route. If permanent antenna installations were permitted in my neighborhood, I'd surely spend more time on HF than I do now.
FCC Exams in St. George, Utah
Next Exam Session
April 16, 2025
Beginning At
5:30pm Mountain Time
Location
Exams are conducted at the St. George Community Building located at 245 North 200 West in St George, Utah and are offered for all levels of FCC amateur radio licenses.
Exam Fee
The current exam fee is $15.00. Cash (exact amount) is accepted as are personal checks or money orders made payable to "ARRL-VEC." Credit and debit cards are not accepted.
"Walk-ins" are welcome at the St. George exam sessions.
Technician Class Applicants
In order to take your exam, you'll need to register for, and receive, an FCC Registration Number (FRN) from the Federal Communications Commission prior to arriving at the exam session. Remember to bring this number with you to the exam!
Upgrading Existing Licenses
For current FCC licensees who are seeking to upgrade, bring a copy of your current FCC license to the exam session. This copy will be retained by the Volunteer Examiner team.
ID Requirements
Bring a government issued photo identification to the exam session. For applicants below driving age, a school issued photo identification or birth certificate are accaptable.
Under 18 Years of Age?
Applicants under 18 years of age are required to bring a parent or legal guardian to the exam session.
D.A.R.C. Monthly Meeting
Following the FCC exam session, the regular monthly meeting of the Dixie Amateur Radio Club begins at 7pm in the same location. Meetings are open to the public; all are invited to attend.
FCC Exams in Hurricane, Utah
Next Exam Session
April 12, 2025
Beginning At
2:00pm Mountain Time
Location
Exams are conducted at the Hurricane Branch Library Community Room located at 36 S 300th W in Hurricane, Utah.
Pre-registration Required!
Those planning on attending the exam session in Hurricane must contact V.E. Team Liaison Gary Zabriskie (N7ARE) at: (435) 485-3200, or by e-mail at: n7are@arrl.net, at least 5 days prior to the exam.
Exam Fee
The current exam fee is $15.00. Cash (exact amount) is accepted as are personal checks or money orders made payable to "ARRL-VEC." Credit and debit cards are not accepted.
Technician Class Applicants
In order to take your exam, you'll need to register for, and receive, an FCC Registration Number (FRN) from the Federal Communications Commission prior to arriving at the exam session. Remember to bring this number with you to the exam!
Upgrading Existing Licenses
For current FCC licensees who are seeking to upgrade, bring a copy of your current FCC license to the exam session. This copy will be retained by the Volunteer Examiner team.
ID Requirements
Bring a government issued photo identification to the exam session. For applicants below driving age, a school issued photo identification or birth certificate are accaptable.
Under 18 Years of Age?
Applicants under 18 years of age are required to bring a parent or legal guardian to the exam session.
Local VHF & UHF Repeaters
Several VHF and UHF repeaters serve Washington County, Utah and adjacent areas. All are open systems and available for general amateur radio use.
Linked Systems
The Dixie Amateur Radio Club maintains a system of three linked repeaters. One is located on Webb Hill in St. George, Utah, a second on Utah Hill / West Mountain Peak west of St. George and the third is located on Toquerville Hill near Toquerville, Utah. This system provides coverage throughout Washington County in Utah, northwestern Mojave County in Arizona and portions of northern Clark County and southern Lincoln County in Nevada.
The Intermountain Intertie is a large linked repeater system with broad regional coverage. Repeaters are located in southern, central and northern Utah, Idaho, eastern Oregon, northern and central Arizona and southern Nevada. Two repeaters in this system, Utah Hill and Blowhard Mountain, provide coverage in Washington County, Utah.
The repeater information presented here is derived from RepeaterBook.com.
| Freq & Offset |
Tone Uplnk Dnlnk |
Nearby City Site Name |
Mode(s) |
| 145.4500(1) -0.6 MHz |
100.0 – |
Toquerville, UT Toquerville Hill |
• FM • EchoLink |
| 145.4900(1) -0.6 MHz |
100.0 – |
St. George, UT Utah Hill |
• FM • EchoLink |
| 146.6400(1) -0.6 MHz |
100.0 – |
St. George, UT Webb Hill |
• FM • EchoLink |
| 146.8000(2) -0.6 MHz |
100.0 – |
Cedar City, UT Blowhard Mountain |
• FM |
| 146.8200(2) -0.6 MHz |
100.0 – |
St. George, UT Utah Hill |
• FM |
| 146.9100 -0.6 MHz |
100.0 – |
St. George, UT Seegmiller Peak |
• FM |
| 224.7400 -1.6 MHz |
100.0 – |
Ivins, UT – |
• FM • EchoLink |
| 448.1500 -5.0 MHz |
100.0 100.0 |
St. George, UT West Mountain Peak |
• FM • Fusion |
| 448.7250 -5.0 MHz |
100.0 – |
St. George, UT Scrub Peak |
• FM |
| 449.3500 -5.0 MHz |
100.0 – |
St. George, UT Utah Hill |
• FM |
| 449.4250 -5.0 MHz |
203.5 – |
St. George, UT – |
• FM • IRLP |
| 449.5500 -5.0 MHz |
100.0 100.0 |
Hurricane, UT Little Creek Mesa |
• FM • Fusion |
| 449.7500 -5.0 MHz |
123.0 – |
St. George, UT Utah Hill |
• FM |
(1) Dixie Amateur Radio Club Linked System
(2) Intermountain Intertie Linked System