W4PDE — 146.745 Dillon Repeater
The Greater Pee Dee Radio Society repeater, serving Dillon County and the Pee Dee region of South Carolina — now on AllStarLink.
Repeater at a Glance
146.745 MHz
Offset: Minus (−0.6 MHz) | PL Tone: 82.5 Hz
Location: WPDE Tower, Dillon, SC (Dillon County)
Coverage: Near the SC/NC state line — very wide coverage
Use: Open — all licensed amateurs welcome
Net: Every night at 9:00 PM Eastern
History of W4PDE
The W4PDE callsign belongs to the Greater Pee Dee Radio Society Inc, a nonprofit amateur radio organization established in September 1985 and based in Florence, South Carolina. The society serves the Pee Dee region of northeastern South Carolina — named for the Pee Dee River and the Pee Dee people — and has kept the 146.745 repeater on the air for decades.
The repeater sits atop the WPDE Tower in Dillon, with its antenna at 1,600 feet. That height, plus its location near the South Carolina / North Carolina state line, gives it very wide coverage across Dillon County and well into the surrounding Pee Dee region and southern North Carolina.
The repeater has been a fixture of the area for years. It appears in South Carolina repeater directories going back to at least 2003, and it carries a nightly net every evening at 9:00 PM Eastern. The society also runs the W4PDEinfo mailing list and sponsors the repeater as an open machine — any licensed amateur is welcome to use it.
AllStarLink Node 438331
Node 438331 is an AllStarLink node that links the 146.745 W4PDE repeater to the AllStar network. It was built on a Raspberry Pi with a radio link from a home station about 6 miles from the repeater, so the repeater can be reached from anywhere in the world — not just from within RF range of the tower.
Once the link is active, anyone connected to node 438331 — by radio, by AllStar, or by the QSO One app on a phone — will be heard on the 146.745 repeater, and anything on the repeater will be heard by everyone connected to the node.
Node details:
- AllStar node: 438331
- Server: W4PDE
- Link: RF from home station to 146.745 (minus, PL 82.5), low power
- Time-out timer: 2 minutes 50 seconds
How to Use It
1. On the Radio
The simplest way — just like any repeater. Program your radio for:
- Frequency: 146.745 MHz
- Offset: Minus (−)
- PL Tone: 82.5 Hz (encode)
Key up and talk. If the AllStar node is linked, your signal goes out over AllStar too.
2. From Another AllStar Node
From any AllStar node, connect to 438331:
Dial *3 438331 to connect, and *1 438331 to disconnect.
Once connected, everything you say goes out on 146.745, and everything on the repeater comes back to your node.
3. From QSO One (Phone App)
QSO One is a free voice app for licensed hams (iPhone, Android, and more). To reach node 438331 from QSO One:
QSO One — WT Mode
- Open QSO One and go to AllStarLink → WT Mode.
- Sign in with your AllStarLink portal account.
- Search for 438331 and tap to connect.
Once connected, hold PTT and talk — you are on the 146.745 repeater.
Net and Operating Notes
- Nightly net: Every night at 9:00 PM Eastern on 146.745.
- Open repeater: All licensed amateurs are welcome. Identify with your callsign as usual.
- Time-out timer: Transmissions on the node are limited to 2 minutes 50 seconds. Keep it short and leave pauses between transmissions.
- Be courteous: The node links the repeater to the internet. Please keep conversations friendly and leave room for others to join.
About the Greater Pee Dee Radio Society
The Greater Pee Dee Radio Society Inc is a nonprofit educational organization founded in September 1985 and based in Florence, SC. It sponsors the W4PDE repeater and serves amateur radio operators across the Pee Dee region. The society runs the W4PDEinfo mailing list for repeater news and announcements.