When I started this project, I wasn’t a professional developer. I’m just a ham radio operator and a member of the Oklahoma Repeater Society who looked at how we were doing things and thought, there has to be a better way.
For years, the repeater coordination process in Oklahoma relied on emailing PDF forms back and forth. Someone wanting to coordinate a new repeater would fill out a form, email it to a coordinator, and then wait. Updates to existing repeater information meant more emails, more PDFs, and more manual data entry. The repeater database itself was a static document that had to be manually maintained.
That’s the problem I set out to solve.
What We Built
I spoke with Merlin Griffin about this, and he mentioned what the Arkansas Repeater Council was using. I lookied into it a bit and started banging this out. I built a complete web-based repeater frequency coordination system from the ground up. Here’s what it can do:
For the Public:
- Browse all 475+ coordinated repeaters in Oklahoma with live search by callsign, city, or county
- Filter by band (2m, 70cm, 6m, and more) and status (Operational, Down, Proposed, etc.)
- View detailed repeater information, including frequency, access tone, HAAT, ERP, coverage estimates, and trustee contact information
- See each repeater on an interactive satellite map with estimated coverage circles
- Submit coordination requests entirely online, no more PDF forms (This is for you Merlin).
- Submit information updates directly to coordinators
For Coordinators:
- A full admin dashboard to manage all repeater records
- Online coordination request inbox replacing the PDF email workflow
- NOPC (Notice of Proposed Coordination) system that automatically emails neighboring state coordinators, tracks responses, and auto-proceeds after 72 hours if no response (This is for you Merlin).
- Annual renewal system that automatically emails trustees and tracks responses
- Conflict detection that flags potential co-channel and adjacent channel issues
- Full audit log tracking every change made by every coordinator
- CSV import and export for bulk data management
- Email template editor so coordinators can customize all outgoing emails
- System settings to enable test mode, disable emails during maintenance, and configure timing
The Mobile App: One of the most exciting parts of this project is the companion Android app — the Oklahoma Repeater Society app, available now as a direct download and coming soon to the Google Play Store.
The app lets you:
- Browse and search all Oklahoma repeaters with large, easy-to-read text
- Filter by band and status
- Find the nearest repeaters to your current GPS location on an interactive map with adjustable radius from 10 to 100 miles
- See tower icons color-coded by repeater status so you can spot operational repeaters at a glance
- View full repeater details including frequency, tone, features, and an embedded satellite map with coverage circles
- Submit information updates directly to ORSI coordinators from your phone
The Bigger Picture
This project started as a demonstration — proof that modern technology can dramatically improve how amateur radio organizations operate. What used to require manual PDF emails, spreadsheet lookups, and phone calls can now be done in seconds from a phone in the field.
The entire system — website, database, API, and mobile app — was built using AI-assisted development. I want to be clear about what that means: AI didn’t replace the knowledge, judgment, and decision-making that went into designing this system. But it did allow someone without a computer science degree to build something that would have taken a professional development team months to create.
The source code and installation package are being made available so other state repeater coordination organizations can deploy their own systems. If Oklahoma can do this, so can every other state.
What’s Next
The system is live now at w5dro.com/repeater_coord. We’re actively working on iOS support and Play Store submission. Future plans include integration with the FCC ULS database for automatic license verification and SPLAT! RF propagation modeling for more accurate coverage predictions.
If you’re interested in seeing a demonstration, have questions, or want to help bring this to your state’s coordination organization, reach out. This is what amateur radio is about — using technology to serve the community.
73, Donald Ohse W5DRO