The JSCARC supports an open 2 meter repeater (146.64r/.04t – tone 123.0 Hz). The repeater is located in Building 1 at the Johnson Space Center with the antenna on the roof of the building’s equipment room at about 90 feet high.
In 2019, the Yaesu DR-1X repeater with a power output of 20 watts went QRT. The current W5RRR repeater is a Bridgecom BCR-50V with 50 watts output into a Diamond X700HNA antenna, providing an approximate effective radiated power (ERP) of 100 watts. The repeater has a coverage radius of approximately 30 miles (downtown Houston—downtown Galveston).
The repeater has survived hurricanes, tropical storms, and numerous Texas-sized thunderstorms. It has a back-up battery system designed to provide repeater operation for at least 36 hours.
Because of the repeater’s wide-area coverage of the NASA-Clear Lake area and the JSCARC’s commitment to fulfill its public service obligation, the repeater is frequently used to provide communications for the many and varied public service events.