Anyone in East Westphalia looking for a suitable spot with a view for their radio activities can hardly avoid the Kumsttonne (“Kumst” = white cabbage), which is situated high up on the Tönsberg in Oerlinghausen near Detmold. It is the well-preserved remnant of a windmill built in 1752/1753. Due to strong storms, it lost its sails several times, which prompted the local farming community to abandon the mill after only about 60 years of operation. Presumably, in the long run, the climb up to 334 meters above sea level also became too inconvenient for them. 😉
The view from this height over Oerlinghausen and far beyond is truly fantastic, which is why the Tönsberg is always worth a visit, not only because of the mill stump. The Oerlinghausen glider airfield is übrigens only a few kilometers away.
For many years now, the Kumsttonne has been home to the amateur radio repeater DB0OWL. Especially during the warmer months, CB radio operators regularly gather around the Kumsttonne to pursue their hobby. I myself also go there from time to time to do some radio operation with various handheld and mobile radio devices. Here are some technical details of the repeater:
Frequencies TX: 438.80000 MHz (70 cm band) | 1298.67500 MHz (23 cm band)
Location: Kammweg 5, 33813 Oerlinghausen
Locator: JO41HW
Coordinates: 51.95737139759339, 8.663777899356216
Repeater manager: Dieter Drieschner, DL3VJ
Thank you very much for this informative post about the DB0OWL repeater! The Tönsberg with its historic Kumsttonne sounds like an absolute hotspot for radio enthusiasts – and the view from 334 meters must be fantastic, especially when experimenting with a handheld radio up there. I recently did a quick test on the 70 cm band while passing through Oerlinghausen, and the range was impressive thanks to the elevation. Do you have any tips on antenna placement for mobile operation up there? I’ll definitely visit the site in person when I get the chance.
73 de Horst
You can park at the top, right next to the mill. However, you’re not allowed to. 😉 There is, however, a very nice park bench with a table there, which is perfect for portable operation. Parking is also available down in the village.
73s, Alex