Table of Contents
Admin Duties
Thank you for your interest in becoming a RepeaterBook admin. RepeaterBook contains over 35,000 repeaters throughout the world. One person can't manage a database of this size. With your help, RepeaterBook can be the most accurate and helpful online repeater directory available.
RepeaterBook has been online since 2006. Many other websites have come and gone, but this one stays online. The secret of success is free, accurate data. People will pay for data (they buy repeater directories all the time), this site believes the data should be a service to the community, and all information should be free.
Tools are provided on the site to help you research data. But you still will need to get out, test repeaters, and gather information. The best research is someone actually verifying the repeater is actually there and it works.
As you may know, there are many “paper” repeaters out there. This is to say that a repeater is coordinated to operate on a channel, but there is no repeater there. This could be because there used to be, there had been plans for it, there are plans for it, or someone is squatting. These “paper” repeaters get listed in many directories because the coordination councils report them as coordinated. We like to go a step further and let the community know if the repeater is operational or not. What good is a repeater listing if you cannot key up the repeater?!
Top Five (5) Predictors of RB Administrator Success
We need highly motivated and successful admins! Here are a few of the traits we are looking for:
- Curiosity, attention to detail, and the ability to spot minute changes that can occur in a wide variety of divergent data sources
- Patience, persistence, tenacity, loyalty, and sense of pride in work performed within a successful and dynamic team setting
- Excellent writing, grammar, and communications skills with a wide variety of readership and stakeholders
- Strong analytical and research skills (online and on-air) with an appreciation of the appropriate balances between data quality, accuracy, completeness, and freshness
- Understanding of relevant radio repeater technologies (theory, operations, best practices, etc.)
Ten (10) Primary Sources of RepeaterBook Data
Online Research:
- Repeater coordinating group/council website.
- Ham club websites and their numerous/ad hoc repeater lists (with a wide variety of data age and accuracy).
- QRZ – Ham club callsign listings and bio data.
- FCC Universal Licensing System (ULS).
- ARRL – Ham club listings.
- Social media (Ham club FB pages, Groups.io, etc.)
Direct Reporting from Trustees, Custodians, Managers, Club Members, and Users:
- Submit Update Requests to RepeaterBook via the RepeaterBook website.
- Send emails directly to RepeaterBook Administrator in response to outreach emails.
State RepeaterBook Administrator:
- Maintains situational awareness/insight from daily exposure to (and travel within) the repeater coverage area.
- Recruit and lead a RepeaterBook VRO Team (Volunteer Repeater Observers).
Tasks and Responsibilities
RepeaterBook has been online since 2006. Many other websites have come and gone, but this one stays online. The secret of success is free, accurate data. People will pay for data (they buy repeater directories all the time), this site believes the data should be a service to the community, and all information should be free.
Tools are provided on the site to help you research data. But you still will need to get out, test repeaters, and gather information. The best research is someone actually verifying the repeater is actually there and it works.
As you may know, there are many “paper” repeaters out there. This is to say that a repeater is coordinated to operate on a channel, but there is no repeater there. This could be because there used to be, there had been plans for it, there are plans for it, or someone is squatting. These “paper” repeaters get listed in many directories because the coordination councils report them as coordinated. We like to go a step further and let the community know if the repeater is operational or not. What good is a repeater listing if you cannot key up the repeater?!
Admins are responsible for the repeater data within their assigned area. Admins curate the data in the following ways:
- Research
- Update requests from users and repeater trustees/owners
When a RepeaterBook user submits an update request, you are notified via email. We desire a prompt response to the update requests. Your responsibility is to check over the submitted data for accuracy and completeness before approving the data for publishing.
Applying for a Position
If we have a position opening, please apply to join our team. We will conduct a phone interview and some training before you get started.
To better your resume, we will research how active you have been on RepeaterBook. You will need a RepeaterBook account. We would like to see some membership longevity (you've been a member for a while), and you have submitted updates in the past. These are not make-or-break requirements, but we would like to see that you have been around a little while to explore the site and have an interest in data collection.
Please contact us to let us know you are interested.