Everyday Operating · All SoCal Areas
So Cal Repeaters
A comprehensive guide to the most reputable, active repeaters across Southern California — organized by area. Open systems require no membership. Membership/closed systems require a PL tone or club membership for full access. For ARES/RACES emergency frequencies, see the Emergency section.
Access key:
Open No membership required — just program the PL and talk.
Member Membership or club affiliation preferred/required for TX.
Private Closed system — invitation or specific group only.
Always verify current PL tones via RepeaterBook.com before programming — tones do change.
🌆 Los Angeles Basin & San Gabriel Valley
Mt. Wilson (5,710 ft) dominates LA repeater coverage — virtually every major system has a machine there. Santiago Peak and Saddle Peak fill in the south and west flanks.
| System | Call | Freq (MHz) | Offset | PL | Mode | Access | Site / Coverage | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WIN System | K6JSI | 448.060 | − | 100.0 | FM | Open | Santiago Peak — LA Basin & OC | WIN System flagship SoCal node. 100+ linked repeaters. IRLP Node 9100. Always activity. |
| WIN System | K6JSI | 448.900 | − | 100.0 | FM | Open | Chatsworth / SFV loop — LA & SFV | WIN System SFV/LA node. Great starting point for LA-area hams. Always someone on. |
| WIN System | K6JSI | 446.460 | − | 100.0 | FM | Open | Mt. Disappointment — SFV / Angeles NF | WIN node with good coverage into the SFV, foothill communities, and High Desert approaches. |
| WIN System | K6JSI | 447.580 | − | 100.0 | FM | Open | Santa Anita Ridge — LA / OC border | WIN System mid-basin node filling the gap between Santiago and Mt. Disappointment. |
| PAPA 08 | WA6YBN | 448.420 | − | 100.0 | FM / DMR | Member | Mt. Wilson — LA Basin-wide | PAPA System. Huge Mt. Wilson analog coverage. Linked to all PAPA sites. 33 analog + DMR/D-STAR network. |
| PAPA 04 | WA6YBN | 447.680 | − | 100.0 | FM / D-STAR / DMR / P25 | Member | Saddle Peak — West LA, Santa Monica, Malibu | PAPA System multimode hub. Covers the entire Westside of LA. D-STAR, DMR, and P25 all on-site. |
| PAPA 06 | WA6YBN | 447.260 | − | 100.0 | FM | Member | Mt. Lukens — Northeast LA / SFV | PAPA System Mt. Lukens site. Covers the northeast LA basin and upper SFV areas. |
| ATV Network | W6ATN | 448.420 | − | None | ATV / FM voice | Open | Mt. Wilson — LA Basin-wide | Amateur Television voice coordination repeater. 2m voice on 448.420 alongside ATV downlink at 1265.25 MHz. |
| SOCALINK | WB6MYD | 146.625 | − | 100.0 | FM | Open | Mt. Wilson — LA / Pasadena | Pasadena ARC linked machine. Good Mt. Wilson coverage, active Pasadena/SGV community. |
| SOCALINK | W6SCO | 224.100 | − | 100.0 | FM (220 MHz) | Open | Mt. Wilson — LA Basin | 220 MHz option from a top LA site. Great if you want a less-crowded band with excellent coverage. |
| CARA | AA6DP | 147.090 | + | No PL | FM | Open | Catalina Island — SoCal-wide + marine | Solar-powered, 50+ years active. Unique: covers both the basin AND out to sea. Great marine mobile option. |
| DARN | K6LNK | 445.140 | − | DCS 211 | FM (DCS) | Open | Mt. Wilson — LA County hospitals | LA County's DARN (Digital Amateur Radio Network) — hospital ARES/EmComm system. Open for monitoring; check in during nets. |
🏔️ San Fernando Valley & Ventura County
The SFV is served primarily by the WIN System loop, PAPA Chatsworth, and WD6EBY's linked system. Ventura County has excellent coverage from Sulphur Mountain and Rasnow Peak.
| System | Call | Freq (MHz) | Offset | PL | Mode | Access | Site / Coverage | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WIN System | K6JSI | 448.940 | − | 100.0 | FM | Open | Thousand Oaks / Chatsworth Peak | WIN node covering Thousand Oaks, Moorpark, Simi Valley, and the western SFV. Well-used daily. |
| VC ACS/ARES | WD6EBY | 145.200 | − | 127.3 | FM | Open | Sulphur Mountain — Ventura County-wide | The definitive Ventura County repeater. County-wide ACS/ARES machine. Linked to Camarillo Hills, Ojai, Chatsworth Peak, Rasnow Peak, Laguna Peak, Santa Ynez Peak. |
| VC ACS/ARES | WD6EBY | 449.020 | − | 127.3 | FM | Open | Sulphur Mountain — Ventura County | 70cm companion to 145.200. Same linked system, same great coverage. Program both. |
| PAPA 30 | WA6YBN | 446.360 | − | 156.7 | FM | Member | South Mountain — Ventura | PAPA System's Ventura site. Added in 2022. Good coverage of the Oxnard plain and surrounding areas. |
| WIN System | K6JSI | 448.900 | − | 123.0 | FM | Open | Santa Ynez Peak — Santa Barbara / Ventura | WIN node with excellent Santa Barbara and North Ventura County coverage. Note different PL than LA WIN nodes. |
| LARC / SFV | W6VR | 146.505 | + | 100.0 | FM | Open | Chatsworth Peak — West SFV | LARC Chatsworth machine. Good west SFV coverage, ties into the wider LA repeater community. |
🏄 Orange County
Santiago Peak (5,689 ft) is OC's dominant repeater site. PAPA has multiple machines there (PAPA 03 / PAPA 05) and the WIN System anchor node 448.060 lives there too.
| System | Call | Freq (MHz) | Offset | PL | Mode | Access | Site / Coverage | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OC ARES | W4MCO | 443.050 | + | 103.5 | FM | Open | Downtown OC — county-wide | OC ARES primary analog machine. Active, well-maintained community. Five-site linked system (East OC, Pine Hills, OIA, SW OC). |
| OC ARES | W4MCO | 146.625 | − | 103.5 | FM | Open | OC — multi-site linked | OC ARES 2m analog linked machine. Companion to 443.050. Good countywide coverage when linked. |
| PAPA 03 | WA6YBN | 446.760 | − | 100.0 | FM / D-STAR / DMR | Member | Santiago Peak — LA, OC, SD, Riverside | PAPA System flagship. Massive multi-county coverage. D-STAR and DMR also on-site. Free to listen, membership to TX. |
| PAPA 05 | WA6YBN | 447.340 | − | 100.0 | FM / DMR | Member | Signal Peak (Laguna) — Coastal OC / SD | PAPA System Laguna site. Covers the coastal Orange County and North San Diego County corridor. |
| WIN System | K6JSI | 448.060 | − | 100.0 | FM | Open | Santiago Peak — OC / LA Basin | WIN anchor node — same machine as LA section. If you're in OC this is your first stop. |
| Condor Connection | K8BUW | 224.820 | − | 156.7 | FM (220 MHz) | Open | Santiago Peak — OC / Inland | Condor Connection 220 MHz node. Free, open, less crowded than 2m. Linked across CA/NV/AZ. |
| OCFA | W6STR | 147.315 | + | 100.0 | FM | Open | Anaheim Hills — Central OC | OC Fire Authority area. Active local machine. Good for central and north-central OC. |
| OCARC | N6ME | 147.195 | + | 127.3 | FM | Open | Pleasants Peak — South OC | Orange County Amateur Radio Club. Well-regarded Pleasants Peak site — great South OC and North SD coverage. |
| Calnet (PAPA) | WA6YBN | 441.950 | + | 127.3 | FM / DMR (AllStar) | Open | Pleasants Peak — OC / SD / Riverside | Calnet Repeater Group node. AllStar and Brandmeister DMR. Excellent Pleasants Peak coverage. Open to all. |
⛵ San Diego County
Palomar Mountain (5,560 ft) is the heart of San Diego repeater coverage. PARC (W6NWG) runs the county's flagship system there with multiple 2m, 70cm, 6m, and C4FM machines. SD ARES has a solid linked trio.
| System | Call | Freq (MHz) | Offset | PL | Mode | Access | Site / Coverage | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PARC | W6NWG | 146.730 | − | 107.2 | FM / C4FM | Open | Palomar Mtn — SD County-wide | PARC flagship. Covers most of San Diego County reliably. Fusion/FM dual-mode. Outstanding audio quality. |
| PARC | W6NWG | 147.075 | + | 107.2 | FM / C4FM | Open | Palomar Mtn — SD County | Second PARC Palomar 2m machine. C4FM enabled. Great backup for 146.730. Same coverage. |
| PARC | W6NWG | 147.130 | + | 107.2 | FM / C4FM | Open | Palomar Mtn — SD County | Third PARC Palomar 2m machine. Additional coverage option. Fusion and analog. |
| PARC | W6NWG | 447.000 | − | 107.2 | FM / C4FM | Open | Palomar Mtn — SD County (UHF) | PARC 70cm on Palomar. EchoLink Node W6NWG-R. Wide UHF coverage across SD County. |
| PARC | W6NWG | 52.680 | −0.500 | 107.2 | FM (6m) | Open | Palomar Mtn — SD County | 6-meter machine — try the magic band! Active during E-skip. One of very few 6m repeaters in SoCal. |
| SD ARES | W6SDR | 147.060 | + | 107.2 | FM | Open | Lyons Peak — SD County ARES | SD ARES primary 2m. Part of the linked ARES trio (147.060 / 449.260 / 449.440). EmComm + daily use. |
| SD ARES | W6SDR | 449.260 | − | 107.2 | FM | Open | Multi-site linked — SD County | SD ARES linked 70cm. Part of the three-machine linked trio. Good fallback when 2m is busy. |
| SD ARES | W6SDR | 449.440 | − | 107.2 | FM | Open | Multi-site linked — SD County | Third leg of the SD ARES trio. All three linked and widely used daily. |
| MetroNET | KB3PX | 146.970 | − | 107.2 | FM | Open | Vista — North San Diego County | MetroNET linked system. Also linked to 224.440 − and 224.020 −. Active North SD County community. |
| Fallbrook ARC | N6FQ | 146.175 | + | 107.2 | FM | Open | Red Mountain — North SD / SW Riverside | Linked to 445.600 −. Covers the North SD / SW Riverside gap that Palomar doesn't quite reach. |
| HARS | KK6KD | 147.945 | − | 107.2 | FM / C4FM | Open | Mt. San Miguel — South SD / Tijuana | Hispanic ARS. Unique cross-border coverage into Tijuana, Mexico. Also 448.460 − PL 151.4. Active bilingual community. |
| WIN System | K6JSI | 447.640 | − | 100.0 | FM | Open | Mt. Otay — South San Diego | WIN System San Diego node. Good South County and Chula Vista coverage. |
| WIN System | K6JSI | 449.080 | − | 123.0 | FM | Open | Palomar Mtn — North SD | WIN System Palomar node. Note PL 123.0 — different from PARC on same mountain. |
| WIN System | K6JSI | 448.800 | − | 100.0 | FM | Open | Vista — Oceanside / North SD | WIN System Vista/Oceanside node. Good North Coastal SD coverage. |
| PAPA 11/12 | WA6YBN | 448.160 | − | 100.0 | FM / DMR / D-STAR | Member | Black Mountain — North SD | PAPA System North San Diego site. Multimode coverage for north county and inland areas. |
| PAPA 31 | WA6YBN | 447.640 | − | 103.5 | FM | Member | Daniel Peak — East SD County / Deserts | PAPA System east SD / desert access node. Covers the Anza-Borrego approaches. |
| Condor Connection | W2IRI | 223.940 | − | 141.3 | FM (220 MHz) | Open | Lyons Peak — San Diego County | Condor Connection 220 MHz SD node. Open, linked, low-traffic band. Hidden gem for local comms. |
🏔️ Inland Empire — Riverside & San Bernardino Counties
The IE has some of SoCal's most active repeater communities. Keller Peak, Heaps Peak, and the Redlands area are the anchors. PAPA has several IE sites as well.
| System | Call | Freq (MHz) | Offset | PL | Mode | Access | Site / Coverage | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KPRA | KE6TZG | 146.385 | + | 146.2 | FM | Member | Keller Peak — IE-wide, LA, OC, SD | IE's most active repeater by far. Daily swap, trivia, outdoor, traffic nets. Friendly community. IRLP #3216. Membership highly recommended. |
| KPRA | KE6TZG | 224.040 | − | 146.2 | FM (220 MHz) | Member | Keller Peak — IE 220 MHz | KPRA 220 MHz companion machine. Same great site, same active community. Less crowded than 2m. |
| KPRA | KE6TZG | 449.925 | − | 146.2 | FM | Member | Keller Peak — IE 70cm | KPRA 70cm machine. Same membership structure. Program all three KPRA machines. |
| Heaps Peak ARC | W6TOP | 146.085 | + | 127.3 | FM | Open | Heaps Peak — IE, LA, OC, Riverside, SB | Outstanding multi-county reach. One of the best standalone sites in all of SoCal. Very active. |
| WIN System | K6JSI | 147.210 | + | 100.0 | FM | Open | Sunset Ridge — Pomona / West Riverside | WIN System Sunset Ridge 2m node. IE/LA border coverage. Good for commuters on the 10 and 60 corridors. |
| WIN System | K6JSI | 224.160 | − | 71.9 | FM (220 MHz) | Open | Sunset Ridge — Pomona / Riverside (220 MHz) | WIN System 220 MHz node at Sunset Ridge. Open and free. Low traffic band. |
| PAPA 21 | WA6YBN | 146.730 | − | 127.3 | FM | Member | Redlands — San Bernardino Valley | PAPA System Redlands 2m site. Good San Bernardino Valley and Redlands/Highland coverage. |
| PAPA 24 | WA6YBN | 447.700 | − | 100.0 | FM / DMR | Member | Elsinore Peak — SW Riverside / Lake Elsinore | PAPA System southwest Riverside node. Covers Lake Elsinore / Murrieta / Temecula corridor. |
| Condor Connection | WB6RHQ | 223.840 | − | 156.7 | FM (220 MHz) | Open | Quartzite Mtn — Victorville / High Desert IE | Condor Connection 220 MHz node. Covers the Victor Valley and High Desert IE areas. Open, free. |
| Redlands ARC | W6ELA | 146.775 | − | 100.0 | FM | Open | Redlands — San Bernardino metro | Redlands Amateur Radio Club. Active club machine covering the SB metro and surrounding communities. |
| San Bernardino ARC | K6SRH | 147.885 | − | 100.0 | FM | Open | San Bernardino area | SBARC club repeater. Active, community-focused. Good for San Bernardino city and nearby areas. |
| PAPA 28 | WA6YBN | 447.000 | − | 127.3 | FM | Member | Needles — East IE / AZ Border | PAPA System easternmost SoCal node. Covers Needles and the Colorado River corridor. Good I-40 coverage. |
🏜️ High Desert & Antelope Valley
The Mojave/Antelope Valley area has fewer high-site options but good coverage via Mt. Disappointment (WIN), Frazier Peak, and local club machines in Palmdale/Lancaster.
| System | Call | Freq (MHz) | Offset | PL | Mode | Access | Site / Coverage | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WIN System | K6JSI | 446.460 | − | 100.0 | FM | Open | Mt. Disappointment — SFV / High Desert approaches | WIN node with the best reach into the Antelope Valley from the south. Open and active. |
| Condor Connection | WB6RHQ | 224.720 | − | 156.7 | FM (220 MHz) | Open | Frazier Mountain — Gorman / I-5 corridor | Condor Connection 220 MHz Frazier Mtn node. Covers the Gorman/Tejon Pass area — great for I-5 travelers. |
| Condor Connection | WA6YBN | 223.940 | − | 156.7 | FM (220 MHz) | Open | Rasnow Peak — Thousand Oaks / AV | Condor Connection Rasnow Peak node. Reaches from Ventura County north into the Antelope Valley. |
| Antelope Valley ARC | N6CA | 146.640 | − | 100.0 | FM | Open | Antelope Valley / Palmdale-Lancaster | AVARC primary repeater. Primary hub for the Palmdale/Lancaster/Rosamond ham community. Active club nets. |
| Victorville ARC | W6LIE | 146.505 | + | 100.0 | FM | Open | Victor Valley — Victorville / Hesperia / Apple Valley | Victorville ARC machine. Primary hub for the Victor Valley ham community. Active EmComm affiliation. |
| PAPA 29 | WA6YBN | 448.400 | − | 127.3 | FM | Member | Low Potosi Mtn — Las Vegas / NV border | PAPA System's Nevada node. On the way to Las Vegas — great I-15 corridor coverage into Nevada. |
🌵 Coachella Valley & Desert
The Coachella Valley has a solid local repeater community built around Palm Springs, Indio, and the Desert Arc. Toro Peak (8,716 ft) is the dominant high site for the region.
| System | Call | Freq (MHz) | Offset | PL | Mode | Access | Site / Coverage | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Desert ARC | W6DXW | 146.760 | − | 107.2 | FM | Open | Coachella Valley — Palm Springs / Indio | Desert ARC primary machine. Most-used everyday repeater in the Coachella Valley. Active community. |
| Desert ARC | W6DXW | 447.680 | − | 107.2 | FM | Open | Coachella Valley — 70cm | Desert ARC 70cm companion to 146.760. Program both for full valley coverage. |
| Condor Connection | WB6RHQ | 224.180 | − | 156.7 | FM (220 MHz) | Open | Toro Peak — Palm Desert / Coachella Valley | Condor Connection 220 MHz at the dominant valley high site (8,716 ft). Excellent valley floor coverage. |
| PAPA 25 | WA6YBN | 447.200 | − | 100.0 | FM | Member | Toro Peak — Coachella Valley / Desert | PAPA System Toro Peak node. Excellent Coachella Valley and Anza-Borrego Desert coverage from an extreme high site. |
| RCARC | K6LNK | 147.045 | + | 100.0 | FM | Open | Palm Springs area | Riverside County ARC Coachella Valley machine. Active club, good for the greater Palm Springs area. |
🗺️ County Quick-Start — First Repeater to Try by Area
New to an area? This is the single best everyday repeater to try first. These are not emergency frequencies — just the best starting points for a QSO.
| Area | Best First Stop | Freq (MHz) | PL | Access | Why |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🌆 Los Angeles Basin | WIN — Santiago Peak (K6JSI) | 448.060 − | 100.0 | Open | Open, wide LA Basin coverage, always activity. Best first machine for LA. |
| 🏔️ San Fernando Valley | WIN — Chatsworth / SFV (K6JSI) | 448.900 − | 100.0 | Open | WIN SFV node. Active all day. Good Simi, Chatsworth, and Van Nuys coverage. |
| 🏄 Orange County | OC ARES — W4MCO | 443.050 + | 103.5 | Open | OC's best-maintained open machine. Active, well-run community with five linked sites. |
| ⛵ San Diego | PARC — Palomar Mtn (W6NWG) | 146.730 − | 107.2 | Open | SD's flagship repeater. Outstanding audio, county-wide coverage, daily activity. |
| 🏔️ Inland Empire | KPRA — Keller Peak (KE6TZG) | 146.385 + | 146.2 | Member | IE's most active machine by a wide margin. Multiple daily nets. Membership worth it. |
| 🌊 Ventura County | VC ACS/ARES — Sulphur Mtn (WD6EBY) | 145.200 − | 127.3 | Open | County-wide coverage, multi-site linked. The definitive Ventura County machine. |
| 🌴 Santa Barbara | WIN — Santa Ynez Peak (K6JSI) | 448.900 − | 123.0 | Open | Best single-repeater SB county coverage. Note PL 123.0 — different from LA WIN nodes. |
| 🏜️ High Desert / AV | AVARC — Antelope Valley (N6CA) | 146.640 − | 100.0 | Open | The local club machine everyone in the AV knows. Active nets and friendly community. |
| 🌵 Coachella Valley | Desert ARC (W6DXW) | 146.760 − | 107.2 | Open | Primary local machine for Palm Springs / Indio / Coachella area. Active daily. |
| ⛰️ San Bernardino Mtns | Heaps Peak ARC (W6TOP) | 146.085 + | 127.3 | Open | Excellent mountain site — wide reach into surrounding valleys. Active community. |
| 🌊 Catalina Island | CARA — Catalina ARC (AA6DP) | 147.090 + | No PL | Open | Solar-powered, open, works out to sea. Unique marine coverage. 50+ years active. |
Open Linked Systems
WIN System
Largest free/open linked system in SoCal — 100+ linked repeaters. IRLP Node 9100. No membership required. Just key up and talk.
winsystem.org →
Condor Connection
Linked 220 MHz system covering CA, NV, and AZ. 100% free. Less crowded than 2m — a hidden gem for SoCal operators.
condorconnection.org →
CARA — Catalina ARA
Solar-powered Catalina Island repeaters, active 50+ years. Excellent SoCal-wide coverage. Daily nets, very friendly community.
cararadio.com →
Calnet Repeater Group
17 statewide linked 440 MHz repeaters. AllStar, C4FM, and DMR via Brandmeister. Pleasants Peak covers LA & OC.
calnet.org →
CLARA
Clairemont Repeater Association. Santiago Peak and Barstow sites. Wide SoCal coverage — open to all licensed hams.
145220.com →
C.A.R.L.A.
California Amateur Radio Linking Association. Wide California and Western Nevada coverage. Open to all licensed operators.
carlaradio.net →
Membership / Private Systems
PAPA System
33 inter-linked analog + DMR + D-STAR + P25 repeaters on 19+ hilltops. SoCal's most feature-rich multimode system. Free to listen, membership for full TX access.
papasys.com →
Keller Peak RA (KPRA)
IE's most active community — 146.385 + PL 146.2. Daily swap nets, trivia, outdoor adventure nets. Membership makes the whole system accessible.
kpra.net →
DARN
Digital Amateur Radio Network — LA County's hospital-affiliated ARES system. 445.140 − DCS 211. Active since 1959. Hospital participation and Monday nets.
darn.org →
OC ARES / W4MCO
Orange County ARES five-site linked system on 443.050 + / 146.625 −. Analog and P25/DMR digital. Active and well-maintained. ocares.org
ocares.org →
Full Repeater Directories
RepeaterBook
Best repeater directory online. Search by county, city, or zip. Free iOS and Android apps. 1,200+ California listings.
repeaterbook.com →
W6JPL SoCal Repeater List
Community-maintained VHF/UHF repeater list specific to Southern California. Frequently updated by active SoCal hams.
rptrlist.w6jpl.ampr.org →
SCRRBA
Southern California Repeater and Remote Base Association — frequency coordination and the definitive SoCal band plan.
scrrba.org →
PARC Repeater List
Full Palomar ARC repeater list — all W6NWG machines plus affiliated San Diego County repeaters with current PL tones.
palomararc.org →