This web site details the operational and technical aspects of Amateur Radio Repeater GB3OA, located in Southport Town Centre close to the railway station
GB3OA came on-air in March 2006. In October 2013 it was moved a short distance from its original location to a new home. Tests now show that coverage is more in line with the NOV.
Please follow the links above for the latest news on the repeater and for any other associated details.
(For those who work out from the photos exactly where GB3OA is located, please could you keep this information off the air for security reasons? Thanks.)
GB3OA Southport 
Just been on the Western Reflector and enjoyed a very nice IRLP contact, great to have GB3OA back on air many thanks to all involved.
Tony G7OEM Blackpool
Hi Tony
Just found this mode etc and would hope to access the various IRLP nodes through GB3OA. An excellent resource and thanks to all involved.
Ian 2E0EDX Thornton Cleveleys
well GB3OA is audiable in Morecambe now, about s4 – s6 here on my poor, but high up dipole.
A big improvement on the previous configuration – I can now comfortably work the repeater with a hand-held sitting in my garden, Q5 signal, about a mile East of it’s location; before the move, I had to use the base rig (or sit on the shack roof with the hand-held!)
Raynet found we could very usefully use the repeater with hand-helds at a number of locations around town earlier this year while testing for a later event.
At the Southport Club meeting this week, I successfully used IRLP through ‘OA to work into USA as part of a talk given by Don (M1BUL). The signals were very weak due to being inside the clubhouse with a hand-held and its integral antenna (the demo was very “impromptu”) but the club members could hear that the station being worked had an “N” callsign and the announcements from the IRLP reflector confirming it’s location.
A great job done by Mark and his Repeater Team 🙂
Stu, G3OCR
A further observation.
I was at a Raynet activity today in Rainford. Coming out of Rainford, I could open the repeater (50 watts from my FT-857 into a 5/8th magmount on car roof), but the carrier was very noisy and would have been hard work to hold a QSO. By the time I got into Ormskirk, copy was Q5. From there I worked Ronnie solidly through, all the way back to Southport.
Stu
enter ing repeater 5w coppull andy m0nst
As I am going around the northwest in my van , I can use the repeater from a lot of my locations, best so far is the M6 junction at Lancaster.now a very usable repeater.
question anyone know why the western reflector or annex western reflector is not listed any more?
gb3oa today is holding itself oipen with noise it looks like it has a fault , needs to look into 14th oct 2014
22 Dec 2014: Nice to hear GB3OA back. I know i’m out of the service area, but i’m sending this message in just as a signal report for the keeper – its a couple of s-points down from what it was – – now its -118dBm on a dipole in Morecambe, and can’t be opened with 30w. Hope this info is useful from out of the service area.
I have been visiting Southport every weekend for the past 2 months ( June/July 2016 ) from Northumberland. I have been working outdoors in Ainsdale and monitor GB3OA on a little Baufeng UV5R. It is a shame that such a good strong repeater has such little use. However this seems to be the way with most repeaters today. It is sad that it has gone this way after all the effort has been made.
I will call CQ next weekend and see if anybody really is there!
At work today I listened to GB3OA on ‘Shoutcast’. I saw that the number of other listeners varied between 1 and 2. They must enjoy listening to total silence too.
I read how the ‘Shoutcast’ link was implemented and was very impressed. I hope that you don’t go the Fusion repeater way and stay analogue, with components and concepts that we all understand.
Enjoyed an IRLP contact with David, G4TUP, today. 73’s to all in Southport, UK. Jim, W7JLD, Priest River, Idaho, USA.
First time using IRLP, had a good contact with G4TUP, Looking forward to using this one again. Dave M6OXW,Darlington
Glad you enjoyed it Dave, thanks for calling in! Here’s to the next one 🙂
Not been on the PTT for years after being out of the UK since 2001. Bought some handies during lockdown and tried my best to get in ‘OA. Slim Jim in the loft is the best I can do but I am in the lowest part of Chorley. I can (Just) work ‘FC on 70cms and I can open OA but not hear it at all here. Had to get a HAM friend to have a WhatsApp session so I could hear it in St Annes. If I open the squelch then I can just about hear OA in the noise. I was hoping there was a DMR node but if I can’t hear 2m analogue…….. Keep up the good work… there’s always Echolink. I should be able to listen from work then (currently GMT +10 at work)
Oh sorry, dear moderator, please add my Callsign G7UAY to the last post
hey guys just been listening to you guys