Keri Varela N2KNK
CEO / System Owner
Amateur Radio • Western Colorado
Reliable wide area coverage and information for the Western part of Colorado
A real, community-supported repeater system built across ridges, canyons, snow, desert roads, and long days of field work.
In the Field
The system is real hardware in real country.
For new visitors coming from Ham Nation, photos should make the page feel open, human, and grounded before they hit the tables and technical details.
Ham Nation Interview
Watch the WestCO and Astra interview.
The embedded YouTube video from the July 29, 2026 Ham Nation interview featuring Keri, N2KNK and Ryan, KF0VMF.
If the embedded player does not load, open the video on YouTube.
Black Ridge
Repeater site camera snapshot
A public view from the Black Ridge camera. The image refreshes about every 10 minutes when this page is open.
Open live view
Press Release
Astra brings practical on-air assistance to the WestCO repeater system.
WestCO Repeaters has introduced Astra, an automated radio assistant operating under the control of Keri Varela, N2KNK. Astra is built to support amateur radio operators across western Colorado with short, useful, plain-language information over the repeater system.
Operators can call Astra by beginning a transmission with “Astra” and making one clear request. Astra can provide weather forecasts, time and date, status and capabilities, net, club, and repeater information, wildfire and evacuation information, fire weather by National Weather Service zone, CDOT COtrip road conditions, operator message handling, control-operator relay, and announcement requests.
Astra also supports scheduled and urgent one-way traffic, including the 07:15 weekday morning weather and fire briefing, National Weather Service severe weather bulletins, and Go-Now evacuation alerts when urgent protective action is needed.
Astra is intentionally limited. She does not provide emergency dispatch, medical advice, private information, general internet answers, directions, or casual conversation. Her purpose is to improve situational awareness, make routine information easier to reach, and help operators pass basic messages while preserving normal repeater use.
WestCO is a community-supported amateur radio repeater system serving western Colorado. It is not a club and not a 501(c)(3); it exists because of donated time, equipment, funds, repairs, site work, and a desire to give back to the ham radio community.
About
Built for clarity, not clutter.
This site is intended to become a clean, practical reference for local radio operators: repeater details, access notes, project status, and contact information without burying the useful parts in static.
The WestCO system has been designed, built, and maintained by Keri Varela, N2KNK. WestCO is not a club, group, or really an organization, but a desire to give back to the ham radio community that she lives in. All of the equipment, time, and tears were donated, purchased, or repurposed by Keri and a few wonderful people that have donated funds or equipment.
Ryan Lackey KF0VMF
Chief Astra Architect
She would love to let you know that everything is not cheap and would respectfully accept any donations you can offer. If you would be as wonderful as you are to others, please keep this in mind: there are no dues to use the system, but there are still continual cost ramifications. Keri and the WestCO system are NOT a 501(c)(3) organization, so anything you can offer is nothing less than a blessing.
VENMO: @Keri-Varela
PayPal: @keriVarela
Directory
Repeater listings
WestCO linked analog repeaters. Updated 05/13/2026. ALLSTAR NODE NUMBER 41304
| Channel | RX MHz | TX MHz | Offset | Tone | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WestCO Grand Mesa | 449.650 | 444.650 | -5.000 MHz | 151.4 | Palisade / Grand Junction / Fruita |
| WestCO Black Ridge | 447.175 | 442.175 | -5.000 MHz | 151.4 | Fruita / Grand Junction |
| WestCO Willow | 447.650 | 442.650 | -5.000 MHz | 151.4 | Moab / Green River |
| WestCO Calahan | 449.925 | 444.925 | -5.000 MHz | 151.4 | Parachute |
| WestCO Uranium | 447.650 | 442.650 | -5.000 MHz | 151.4 | Meeker |
| WestCO Sunlight | 449.875 | 444.875 | -5.000 MHz | 151.4 | Glenwood Springs |
| WestCO W Mountain | 447.650 | 442.650 | -5.000 MHz | 151.4 | Gunnison |
| WestCO Ute Butte | 449.400 | 444.400 | -5.000 MHz | 131.8 | Uncompahgre Plateau |
| WestCO Waterdog | 448.650 | 443.650 | -5.000 MHz | 151.4 | Delta / Montrose |
| WestCO Greyhead | 449.700 | 444.700 | -5.000 MHz | 107.2 | Telluride |
| WestCO Baxter UHF | 447.250 | 442.250 | -5.000 MHz | 151.4 | Baxter Pass UHF (pending install) |
Maintenance Notes
05-14-2026
Waterdog repeater has a failed P.A. and is scheduled for repair within a week.
05-17-2026
Waterdog PA has been replaced, and is back to working order.
07-25-2026
Camera failure on Black Ridge. Will repair ASAP.
07-27-2026
Found P.O.E. Injector being grumpy. Had serious conversation with it and repaired its issue. Back to working. YAY!
WestCO Repeater System • Eleven Linked Repeaters
How to call Astra.
Astra is the system’s automated radio assistant: ten on-air services, one call phrase. Start with “Astra”, wait for the linked system to settle, and ask for one clear thing.
Listen first
Wait for a clear frequency, just as you would before any call.
Say “Astra” first
Her name must be the very first word. “Hey Astra” is ignored by design.
Give your callsign
End your transmission with your callsign. It is required for messages and announcements.
Unkey and wait
She answers in 2-8 seconds and always ends with her identification.
Astra is designed for brief, useful exchanges on the repeater. She does not chat, hold long conversations, or interrupt normal repeater use. If the system is busy, let the conversation finish first.
Weather
Get current weather and short local forecasts for western Colorado towns and coverage areas.
Say: “Astra, weather for Montrose.”
Time and date
Ask for the current Mountain time or date when you need a quick on-air reference.
Say: “Astra, what time is it?”
Status and capabilities
Ask what Astra can do, whether she is operating normally, or what services are currently available.
Say: “Astra, what can you do?”
Net, club, and repeater info
Request WestCO net, meeting, club, and repeater information when you need schedules or basic system details.
Say: “Astra, when is the Radioactive Net?”
Wildfire and evacuation info
Ask for wildfire and evacuation information, including current fire summaries by county or state.
Say: “Astra, how many fires in California?”
Fire weather by NWS zone
Ask for Red Flag and fire-weather information by National Weather Service fire zone.
Say: “Astra, fire weather for zone 203.”
Road conditions
Ask for CDOT COtrip road status and travel condition information. Astra does not provide turn-by-turn directions.
Say: “Astra, is I-70 open through Glenwood?”
Message for an operator
Hold a short message for another operator until that station is heard on the air.
Say: “Astra, leave a message for K0DZ.”
Message to control op
Relay a short message to the control operator for WestCO system questions, reports, or follow-up.
Say: “Astra, tell Keri.”
Request an announcement
Request an announcement for review before it is broadcast to all stations.
Say: “Astra, I need to make an announcement.”
“Astra, weather for Montrose.”
“Astra, any fires in Mesa County?”
“Astra, is Red Mountain open?”
“Astra, fire weather for zone 203.”
“Astra, leave a message for K0DZ.”
“Astra, what can you do?”
Astra supports the ham radio community by improving situational awareness, making routine information easier to reach, and helping operators pass basic messages while human operators focus on net control, events, emergency communications, and repeater operations.
Support
Support the WestCO system.
There are no dues to use WestCO, and WestCO is not a 501(c)(3). The repeaters, links, site work, repairs, travel, and all the little things that keep the system alive still cost real money.
If the system helps you, a donation helps keep it on the air.
Links
Amateur radio resources
Useful club, repeater, and podcast links for operators visiting WestCO.
Western Colorado Amateur Radio Club
Grand Junction area amateur radio club serving western Colorado operators.
Rocky Mountain Ham Radio
Denver-based group operating a statewide DMR system across Colorado and into Wyoming and New Mexico.
Colorado Connection
Statewide VHF linked repeater system for conversation, traffic, reporting nets, and information.
Ham Nation Podcast
Popular amateur radio podcast page where the WestCO and Astra interview will appear.
Contact
For questions, concerns, or other reasons, please E-mail Keri Varela, N2KNK at westcosystem(at)gmail.com