Great River Energy

• Great River Energy Member Maps

(June 2005)

This was originally part of a larger group of licences that formed a network among all Great River (then United Power Association) member utilities. It has since been superceded by their new trunking system; I have not heard anything on the old UPA conventional freqs for years, and I have no idea how many (if any) of the stations still exist. Up until a year or so ago, I worked for Mora's public utilities department (a former UPA member), and the station assigned KFI24 sat near my desk. In all the time I worked there, I never heard any communication on the channel. Only a few people could recall when the channel was last active, back in the early 90's. When I left, I was told to take the radio with me if I wished(!). It is a Motorola MOCOM70 consolette, 35W (IIRC), with an external DTMF encoder. It recieved on 153.605 (the wide split was presumably for a repeater).

In the UPA Radio Handbook (dated 11/01/63), this station is identified as being one of 24 across the state. The others include:

REPEATERS ER - Elk River, KAA935 GR - Giese, KDD422 LM - Litchfield, KAI584 WR - Willmar, KDD802 OR - Onamia, KDD441 AB - Elk River/auxillary base, KFI28

PLANTS C - Cambridge, KFI25 H - Hawick, KFI38 M - Milaca, KFI35 P - Pine City, KFI27 L - Maple Lake, KFI36 KR - Kettle River, KCR57 WM - Willmar, KFI32 (different from repeater) PM - Princeton, KFI26 MM - Mora, KFI24 HM - Hutchinson, KFI33 NB - North Branch, KAV30 LM - Litchfield, KAI584 (same as repeater)

OFFICES F - Finlayson, KAV29 B - Braham, KFI31 W - Wright Henn, KFI30 K - Kandiyohi, KFI34 MR - Mille Region, KFI37 A - Anoka, KFI29

According to the manual, the radios were used only when calling by phone was not feasible. Mobile radios identified themselves by a two-digit call number, while bases were known by their location and callsign. The example listed goes: Mobile: "40 to Elk River" Base: "GA, car 40" Mobile "[message] - 40 off" Base: "KAA935" Mobile1: "40 to 45" Mobile2: "45 to 40" Mobile1: "[message] - 40 off" Mobile2: "X-4 - KA5446 - 45 off" The codes used all started with 'X', and sound pretty typical to me: X-1: Poor reception X-2: Good reception X-3: Stop transmitting; stand by X-4: Recieved and understood X-5: Radio test; count to ten X-6: Radio test; hold key X-7: Checking in X-8: Checking out X-9: Repeat; not understood X-11: Relay to dispatcher X-12: Talking too quickly or too softly X-19: Return to base X-20: Give location X-21: Call by phone X-22: Coming in late; request call home X-23: Stand-by X-24: Weather report X-25: Refer to procedure