Welcome to the Madison Area Repeater Association

The Madison Area Repeater Association (MARA) is located in Madison, Wisconsin. MARA is a non-profit organization incorporated under Wisconsin statutes as an amateur radio club. We are affiliated with the Wisconsin Association of Repeaters.

MARA operates three 2-meter repeaters in Madison. All repeaters have emergency power. The 147.15/.75 MHz repeater is located on the west side of Madison at a height of 750ft (1800ft. MSL). This is also a dual mode repeater which will pass both digital and analog. Our D-Star repeater is on 145.305/.705 MHz and is co- located with the 147.15 MHz machine. Our third repeater on 146.76/.16 MHz is located on the UW Hospital in Madison at (1120 ft. MSL). These repeater systems are funded by membership dues as well as proceeds from our annual Hamfest.

As a MARA member, you are entitled to use all three repeaters along with other useful features of the repeaters. You may also hold office on the board of directors, vote on all club matters, accept appointed positions.

MARA Hamfest

(NEW) Date set for MARA Hamfest 2026: April 18, 2026

Latest News

  • DStar Repeater Internet Connection Down
    During an upgrade to the DStar Internet connection a problem occurred and the computer OS needs to be restored. So, currently while the DStar repeater will be available for local conversations, connections to nodes outside Madison will not be possible until we update the system. Please come back here for updates to when the system … Continue reading “DStar Repeater Internet Connection Down”
  • The “76” repeater will be offline for a little longer
    After we made all the changes to the location to the “76” repeater we found that the antenna needed to be replaced. We now have a new antenna in hand and we expect to return to the roof of the hospital to replace the antenna during the week after July 4th.
  • 2026 ARRL Field Day
  • Completed Work on 147.150
    For now. We completed work on the “15” repeater, for now. We’ve repaired the power supply and the RF amplifier. The repeater is now putting out about 70 watts of power. Please note: this is no longer a Fusion/WIRES-x repeater. We are in the process of moving the Fusion repeater to the UW site. We’ll … Continue reading “Completed Work on 147.150”
  • Repeater status
    We continue to work through upgrades and reconfiguration of repeaters. Status – 8/20/25

For News Archive please go to News