CHS High Plains & ECRA Partnership

‘System 2’- Expanding Regional Communications Across Eastern Colorado

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System 2 is now on the air and undergoing initial testing and monitoring. It is scheduled to be formally opened for general public use during ECRA’s August 1, 2026 membership meeting.

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〰️ System 2 is now on the air and undergoing initial testing and monitoring. It is scheduled to be formally opened for general public use during ECRA’s August 1, 2026 membership meeting. 〰️

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 partnership, ECRA has completed the installation of its second repeater system, System 2, at the CHS High Plains facility in Yuma, Colorado. System 2 represents a major milestone in ECRA’s continuing mission to improve regional and emergency communications coverage across underserved rural areas of the Eastern Plains.

ECRA sincerely appreciates the support, cooperation, and collaboration of 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 linked VHF/UHF Amateur Radio repeater system. Together with System 1 in Falcon/Peyton, Colorado, it forms the foundation of ECRA’s growing regional repeater network across Eastern Colorado.

The system is expected to support:

Expanded regional repeater coverage
Improved rural communications accessibility
Future repeater linking capabilities
Remote monitoring and system automation
Future weather receiver and APRS capabilities
Community event communications support
Additional communications resilience during severe weather and regional emergencies

System 2 is part of ECRA’s broader long-term plan to develop a dependable network of plains-based Amateur Radio systems throughout Eastern Colorado.

Why Yuma, Colorado?

Eastern Colorado contains large rural areas where communications coverage (both radio and cellular) are limited or inconsistent because of distance, terrain, and the limited availability of existing communications infrastructure.

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

The CHS High Plains location provides an excellent geographic position for expanded network coverage and regional system development. System 2 is intended to support communications across Yuma County and surrounding areas while providing an important connection point for ECRA’s future network expansion.

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.

System 2 Status — Primary Installation Complete

The primary installation of ECRA System 2 is complete, and the repeaters are officially on the air.

The system is currently undergoing its initial testing, monitoring, and optimization period. ECRA is conducting several daily system tests and reviewing audio quality, RF performance, backhaul operation, propagation, coverage, equipment temperatures, system reliability, and other technical data.

Because System 2 is located at a remote site, it incorporates substantially more automation and remote-monitoring capability than System 1. These systems are intended to help ECRA monitor equipment health, identify issues early, and reduce unnecessary travel to the site whenever possible.

System 2 was formally opened for general public use on August 1, 2026.

System 2 is now on the air, but continued testing, maintenance, optimization, and future expansion still require ongoing support.
Anyone wishing to contribute toward the operation, maintenance, and continued development of System 2 may support ECRA through our GoFundMe.

Your support helps cover equipment, site improvements, internet service, maintenance, replacement components, monitoring systems, and ongoing operational expenses.

Thank you for supporting Amateur Radio infrastructure across Eastern Colorado!

Check out ECRA’s System 2 installation and progress photos below!

CHS mezzanine level view towards System 1 in Falcon

Sys 2 custom six can VHF duplexer, thank you Sunny Communications!

Sys 2 tele cabinet front layout almost complete 5-1-26

Sys 2 tele cabinet rear layout almost complete 5-1-26

SW view from System 2 looking towards System 1 in Peyton. 7-12-26