September at RepeaterBook: A Month of Big Changes and Exciting Updates!
As summer faded into fall, things heated up behind the scenes at RepeaterBook. With more time available, we dived into some serious site enhancements. And guess what? We’ve got some major improvements to share!
RT Systems to the Rescue – No More Google Ads!
If you’ve visited RepeaterBook recently, you’ve probably noticed something – those annoying Google ads have disappeared! Pop-ups, pop-overs, and cluttered pages had turned the site into an ad maze, nearly impossible to navigate. But we’ve never charged for site access or data, so ads were a necessary evil. Lately, though, Google Ads has been squeezing us harder, showing more ads while paying less.
That’s where our amazing sponsor, RT Systems, stepped in! A long-time partner, RT Systems made the magic happen by removing the ads entirely. It’s a welcomed change, and we can’t thank them enough. Thank you, RT Systems!
Better Propagation Reports: Keeping It Legal
Propagation reports are key for understanding how well repeaters perform and their coverage areas. We collect these for both amateur radio and GMRS repeaters, but we’ve noticed something concerning: some amateur repeaters have been receiving reports from users with GMRS call signs.
Friendly reminder: If you’re a GMRS user, your license doesn’t allow you to transmit outside GMRS frequencies (which are between 462 and 467 MHz). To make sure everything runs smoothly, RepeaterBook now checks the call sign of logged-in users and only permits propagation reporting in the amateur radio section for licensed amateur operators. Let’s keep everything legit and in order!
Language Support – A Global Welcome!
We’re excited to announce that RepeaterBook is going global! While the RepeaterBook app has supported multiple languages for a while, the website is catching up! We’re rolling out translations in Catalan, Austrian, Dutch, French, Spanish, and German, with Portuguese, Swiss, and Turkish coming soon. We hope this helps our non-English-speaking friends feel more at home, encourages participation, and leads to more contributions from around the world.
Want to be part of the translation team? We’d love to have your help! Reach out to the admin and join the effort!
Stay Updated with the Change Log!
Ever wonder what’s new on the site? Now, you can easily find out! The RepeaterBook Change Log is linked right in the Main Menu on the Home page. Keep an eye on it to stay updated on all the latest features, fixes, and enhancements.
With all these exciting developments, RepeaterBook is growing and improving, thanks to you and our incredible community. Stay tuned – there’s even more to come!