CHS High Plains & ECRA Partnership

‘System 2’- Expanding Regional Communications Across Eastern Colorado

About the Partnership

The Eastern Colorado Repeater Association (ECRA) is proud to work collaboratively with CHS High Plains in support of expanding Amateur Radio communications infrastructure across Eastern Colorado.

Through this collaboration, ECRA’s second repeater system — “System 2” — is planned for deployment in Yuma, Colorado beginning in June 2026. The project represents a major milestone in ECRA’s ongoing mission to expand regional communications coverage across underserved rural areas of the Eastern Plains.

ECRA sincerely appreciates the support, collaboration, and cooperation from CHS High Plains in helping make this project possible. This partnership supports the growth of reliable communications infrastructure while strengthening regional connectivity for Amateur Radio operators, travelers, local communities, and future communications initiatives throughout Northeastern Colorado.

What is “System 2”?

“System 2” is ECRA’s second planned VHF/UHF Amateur Radio repeater system and is designed to help expand reliable radio communications coverage into Northeastern Colorado.

The system is expected to support:

Expanded regional repeater coverage
Improved rural communications accessibility
Future repeater linking capabilities
Future remote receiver integration
Community event communications support
Additional communications resilience during severe weather and regional emergencies

As ECRA continues building out its network infrastructure, System 2 will become part of a larger long-term vision to improve Amateur Radio communications coverage across the Eastern Plains region.

Why Yuma, Colorado?

Eastern Colorado contains large rural areas where communications coverage can be limited or inconsistent depending on terrain and distance.

Yuma was selected as a strategic location to help improve regional communications accessibility across Northeastern Colorado while supporting ECRA’s broader mission of strengthening communications infrastructure throughout the Eastern Plains.

The location also provides future opportunities for expanded network growth and regional system interoperability. See below for projected coverage.

Sys2 CONSERVATIVE-95 percent lcoation and time- Coverage Probability DL- 6- 105 dBm uplink/downlink

Community & Emergency Communications

While ECRA is not a public safety agency, Amateur Radio infrastructure has historically played an important supporting role during:

Severe weather events
Infrastructure outages
Community events
Rural communications gaps
Emergency preparedness activities

Amateur Radio systems often provide an additional layer of communications resiliency when traditional infrastructure becomes limited, overloaded, or unavailable — particularly in large rural regions where coverage gaps can exist.

By expanding reliable communications infrastructure into additional rural areas, ECRA hopes to help improve overall communications resilience throughout Eastern Colorado.

Current System 2 installation Status

System 2 is currently in active equipment integration, cabinet preparation, and deployment planning phases. Temporary project testing equipment and evaluation infrastructure are currently being removed and transitioned as ECRA prepares for permanent installation activities in Yuma, Colorado beginning June 2026. Additional testing, optimization, and infrastructure expansion will continue throughout the System 2 rollout. Stay tuned here for more System 2 install and progress updates.