I often travel across Idaho, so I recently searched for the fewest number of repeaters to cover the state. Using the fewest number of repeaters makes radio programming easier and reduces the hassle of keeping track of where you are and dialing up repeaters. I think I found the magical three, and as a nice bonus, the repeaters are all linked together! Introducing the Intermountain Intertie system covering large swaths of Idaho, Utah, and Arizona.
The Intermountain Intertie is a linked repeater system with about two dozen member repeaters, and coverage details can be found on RepeaterBook.com. Some fairly wide area repeaters cover Idaho's I-84 from the Utah border to the Oregon border. One repeater covers from the Oregon border all the way to Mountain Home. Another from Mountain Home to Bliss. And a third from Bliss to the Utah border.
I recently tested all of these repeaters and their mobile coverage from a 2018 Toyota 4Runner equipped with a Yaesu FT-6000R (link) and a Comet CSB-750A antenna mounted to the roof rail. The antenna featured 3.6 dBi gain on the two-meter band. It is important to note that your experience may be different based on your equipment and conditions.
When traveling from the west or from Oregon, the Shafer Butte repeater will cover very well from the moment you can see Ontario, Oregon. It has fantastic coverage all the way to Mountain Home. From the east side of Mountain Home to the west side of Bliss, the Mountain Home repeater has fairly good coverage. Finally, the Mt. Harrison repeater covers an enormous area from Hammett to the Utah border.
If your travels take you on to I-86 or I-15 through Pocatello and points northward, remain on the Mt. Harrison repeater until the area of American Falls where Mt. Harrison’s range reaches its edge. The Jumpoff Peak repeater comes in full scale in this area and will carry you to points northward through Pocatello, Idaho Falls, and Dubois.
Intermountain Intertie on I-84, I-86, and I-15 in Idaho
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Repeater |
Footprint |
Mile Post (MP) |
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Boise, Shafer Butte 145.130- PL 100.0 |
West |
Oregon I-84 at MP 353 |
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East |
Idaho I-84 at MP 90 – Mountain Home |
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Mountain Home 145.150- PL 100.0 |
West |
Idaho I-84 at MP 62 - Blacks Creek Rest Area |
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East |
Idaho I-84 at MP 137 - Bliss |
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Burley, Mt Harrison 145.270- PL 100.0 |
West |
Idaho I-84 at MP 112 - Hammett |
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South |
Idaho I-15 at the Utah border |
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Howe, Jumpoff Peak 146.850- PL 100.0 |
West |
Idaho I-86 at MP 37 – American Falls |
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South |
Idaho I-15 at the Utah border |
Intermountain Intertie on I-84 Coverage Maps
Overall
Boise, Mt. Shafer
Mountain Home
Burley, Mt. Harrison
Howe, Jumpoff Peak
