Re: [Repeater-Builder] Back up......
I apologize for my earlier comment.. just seems as if the class was punished for the actions of a few. Best Regards, -Chris Carruba irc.spidernet.org KFM-0099 WQIK389 - Original Message From: Kevin Custer [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: Repeater-Builder@yahoogroups.com Sent: Saturday, August 16, 2008 6:35:29 PM Subject: [Repeater-Builder] Back up.. The list is back up.Enjoy! Please keep it under control. This list is nearly 10 years old. I have only had to do this one other time. Thank you to the good reliable membership that tries to help hold things together. For the others, I hope you have learned a thing or two. Since we were on vacation, some group members thought we weren't going to return (like I'm going to hold back a 4000+ membership !) Anyway, you are all invited to join JOHN MACKEY'S new group. See the details below. Regards, Kevin Custer - Original Message - From: John Mackey Since the Repeater-Builder yahoo group has been shut down with no word of if or when it will be operational, I have started a new yahoo group called building-repeaters . The idea of this group is for intelligent provocative discussions about building repeaters to happen on this new group without the temper tantrums of the moderators. Please feel free to join and tell all your friends about it. When sending your join request, please say something about ham radio or repeaters so I know you are not a spammer. thanks! Below is a link to the website for the yahoo group. http://groups. yahoo.com/ group/building- repeaters/
Re: [Repeater-Builder] Ham Repeater Controller
GONE !! --- On Sun, 8/17/08, Mike Mullarkey [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: From: Mike Mullarkey [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: [Repeater-Builder] Ham Repeater Controller To: Repeater-Builder@yahoogroups.com Date: Sunday, August 17, 2008, 10:47 AM If anybody is interested, there is a repeater controller on EBay real cheep for sale. http://cgi.ebay. com/ws/eBayISAPI .dll?ViewItemrd=1item=170251934951ssPageName=STRK: MESE:ITih=007 Mike K7PFJ
[Repeater-Builder] MSR2000 DPL
Repeater Builders, Please, nobody laugh me out of the room... What are my chances of finding an MSR2000 DPL (TARB, duplex) card in somebody's junk box out there? 73 DE N0MJS -- Cort Buffington H: +1-785-838-3034 M: +1-785-865-7206
Re: [Repeater-Builder] Back up......
Chris Carruba wrote: I apologize for my earlier comment.. Okay, maybe you are learning too. It's good you did - as I was on my way to remove you. just seems as if the class was punished for the actions of a few. Yes, the whole group was punished. The good list members didn't mind, though When you have a class room of 4000+, sometimes the only way to get the attention of the group is to pull the trigger. I never said life (on this list) was fair. YMWV. Regards, Kevin Custer
[Repeater-Builder] Motorola R1225 question
I have a Motorola 4 channel R1225 mobile radio that I am programming to use. I dont see anyway in the RSS to program pin 8 on the 16 pin accessory jack. Will pin 8 on this rig default to COS active low? Thanks...
[Repeater-Builder] Kenwood squelch quality
A club is considering Kenwood TKR repeaters for 2M and 440. The 2M repeater will be carrier squelch--no tone. Would appreciate comments how well the Kenwood squelch works, compared to the famous Micor squelch, RLC-MOT, MASTR2, etc. Thanks -- kd4ss
Re: [Repeater-Builder] Kenwood squelch quality
Good question! I was wondering exactly the same thing. Dave BaughnDirector of EngineeringThe University of AlabamaCenter for Public Television and RadioWVUA/WUOA-TV WUAL/ WQPR/ WAPR FMBox 870150195 Reese Phifer Hall, 901 University Blvd.Tuscaloosa, Alabama 35487205.348.8622 cell 205.310.8798[EMAIL PROTECTED] KX4I "chappyr" [EMAIL PROTECTED] 8/18/2008 9:56 AM A club is considering Kenwood TKR repeaters for 2M and 440. The 2M repeater will be "carrier squelch"--no tone. Would appreciate comments how well theKenwood squelch works, compared to the famousMicor squelch, RLC-MOT, MASTR2, etc.Thanks -- kd4ssimage/gifimage/xxx
Re: [Repeater-Builder] Kenwood squelch quality
We are both a radio dealer and have a number of repeaters on the air. Have a Kenwood TKR-751 on 2 meters and it works very good it also has a 210 controller on it. Also a GMRS repeater Kenwood TKR-850 with a 210, no problems and a number of the TRK-740 and 840 repeater in use. Also have Micor UHF and a Johnson UHF. The Kenwood's 840 work as good if not better than the Micor's and the Johnson thanks - Original Message - From: chappyr To: Repeater-Builder@yahoogroups.com Sent: Monday, August 18, 2008 10:56 AM Subject: [Repeater-Builder] Kenwood squelch quality A club is considering Kenwood TKR repeaters for 2M and 440. The 2M repeater will be carrier squelch--no tone. Would appreciate comments how well the Kenwood squelch works, compared to the famous Micor squelch, RLC-MOT, MASTR2, etc. Thanks -- kd4ss
Re: [Repeater-Builder] MSR2000 DPL
Cort - If you have no other luck you may contact me direct about the card - I may have one - I have two - near new - MSR 2000 that I know very little about - NØATH Dave - Original Message - From: Cort Buffington To: Repeater-Builder@yahoogroups.com Sent: Monday, August 18, 2008 8:39 AM Subject: [Repeater-Builder] MSR2000 DPL Repeater Builders, Please, nobody laugh me out of the room... What are my chances of finding an MSR2000 DPL (TARB, duplex) card in somebody's junk box out there? 73 DE N0MJS -- Cort Buffington H: +1-785-838-3034 M: +1-785-865-7206 No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG - http://www.avg.com Version: 8.0.138 / Virus Database: 270.6.4/1617 - Release Date: 8/17/2008 12:58 PM
Re: [Repeater-Builder] Kenwood squelch quality
chappyr wrote: A club is considering Kenwood TKR repeaters for 2M and 440. The 2M repeater will be carrier squelch--no tone. Would appreciate comments how well the Kenwood squelch works, compared to the famous Micor squelch, RLC-MOT, MASTR2, etc. Thanks -- kd4ss You're talking about the newer TKR-750/850, right? It seems they are pretty stable in the ones I've listened to over the air. Doesn't have the real quick drop-out of the Micor, but it's reasonable. I HIGHLY recommend, however, that the capability of putting the repeater in tone-access remotely be included. You WILL have the need to keep out-of-town signals on the same frequency from bringing up your repeater at some time or another.
Re: [Repeater-Builder] Kenwood squelch quality
I am talking about the newer Kenwood repeater's TKR's about the last 2 years or so. Also Kenwood has a new repeater the NXR-800 UHF and the NXR-700 VHF. Will be testing the NXR-800 soon. John - Original Message - From: wd8chl To: Repeater-Builder@yahoogroups.com Sent: Monday, August 18, 2008 11:26 AM Subject: Re: [Repeater-Builder] Kenwood squelch quality chappyr wrote: A club is considering Kenwood TKR repeaters for 2M and 440. The 2M repeater will be carrier squelch--no tone. Would appreciate comments how well the Kenwood squelch works, compared to the famous Micor squelch, RLC-MOT, MASTR2, etc. Thanks -- kd4ss You're talking about the newer TKR-750/850, right? It seems they are pretty stable in the ones I've listened to over the air. Doesn't have the real quick drop-out of the Micor, but it's reasonable. I HIGHLY recommend, however, that the capability of putting the repeater in tone-access remotely be included. You WILL have the need to keep out-of-town signals on the same frequency from bringing up your repeater at some time or another.
[Repeater-Builder] Micor repeater for sale
I have a complete micor uhf repeater for sale it comes with a 90watt pa It has a preamp. It has the 4 micor cans it has the 12 volt power supply it has a rc210 controller with two delay boards and auto patch in it. There are 3 26 amp hour batteries and an astron rs50 amp power supply in it the circulator has already been modified for tuning I sent the chassis to Scot Zimmerman and he modified the station card for hookup to the controller this repeater is in a micor cabinet that stands 6' tall I need to sell the hole thing and I am looking to get $1200 for it. The repeater comes with 2 crystals set for 443.400 and two pl tones crystals set for 107.2. the cans have been tuned for 443.400 also anyone interested in it please call me at 678 455 5093 or send me an email david @ my call sign .com see ya 73's N1IB David Schornak
[Repeater-Builder] Re: Kenwood squelch quality
You've got some of the Kenwood Dealers in the group excited... a few probably even slipped off their chairs. Carrier Squelch operation of a TKR-x50 repeater is pretty darn good. Since I'm running a number of carrier squelch repeaters I can happily say the crash noise is not objectionable, nor is it excessive. Squelch Crash noise can actually be eliminated in carrier squelch repeater operation when you use an audio delay line... most often supplied within the repeater controller (as an option). So you can have both bad and good squelch-noise operation on multiple brand/type repeaters and they would all sound like a quiet breath of spring when you use an audio delay line with your repeater controller. Otherwise back to square one fundamentals where the stand alone Kenwood TKR-750 and TKR-850 repeater squelch operation works very well. cheers, skipp chappyr [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: A club is considering Kenwood TKR repeaters for 2M and 440. The 2M repeater will be carrier squelch--no tone. Would appreciate comments how well the Kenwood squelch works, compared to the famous Micor squelch, RLC-MOT, MASTR2, etc. Thanks -- kd4ss
Re: [Repeater-Builder] Re: Scanner as repeater receiver?
JOHN MACKEY wrote: Skipp- Everything you say below is correct. But I would still argue that it simply isn't worth it to do all the modifications you suggest to a scanner when you can pick up a good receiver from a Motrac/Micor/MastrII/MastrPro for $25 at a hamfest or ebay and have a receiver that is still better than the modified scanner. Heck, at the hamfest I was at yesterday, there were two Micors already duplexed, a Mastr II already duplexed, and a Mastr Pro sitting in a pile on a table with a sign that said $25 takes all, if I read it correctly. I looked at the MASTR II -- it was a 66-split (VHF). I assume the others were also, don't know. Didn't check. I didn't need any more VHF stuff... Seller was Dutch, K0AWS ... if someone wants to try to hunt him down to buy any of it. His club is: http://www.ab0pc.org/ There ya go... a real guess what I saw at a hamfest story, but with real follow-up information on who was selling the stuff. Happy gear hunting... Nate WY0X
Re: [Repeater-Builder] Re: Low Band Base Antenna Info Wanted
Also I remember there is an optimum angle to droop them to get the main lobe at the horizon-I want to say between 30 and 45 degrees down from horizontal. Affects impedance too if I remember...it's late The ground plane elements are usually drooped about 45 deg to get the impedance to around 50 ohms. It is around 36 ohms if left horizontal.
Re: [Repeater-Builder] Build your own
My opinion posted within your questions: - Original Message - From: Dave Gomberg To: Repeater-Builder@yahoogroups.com Sent: Monday, August 18, 2008 7:44 PM Subject: [Repeater-Builder] Build your own I have long considered building my own 2m repeater out of 2 Icom 2100 or 2200 back to back thru a repeater controller, using a good duplexer and a Comet or Hustler antenna. Here are my questions: 1. Nobody seems to like the Comet or Hustler antennas. Why? I have no ice here, lots of wind tho. These antennas typically don't hold up well. If the repeater is at a low profile site, like your house, go ahead and use them. 2. Why is a 50w 2m transceiver, derated to 25w and driving a power amp a bad choice? Or is it OK? Some radios will start to spur if the power is turned down too low. I'm not sure if the models you listed are ham rigs or commercial ones, but it will be cheaper, and usually better, to pick up a used Mastr II or Micor and be done with it. 3. Any suggestions on how to keep the duplexer cavities affordable? Steal them ;-) Seriously, they are expensive unless you happen to get very lucky. 4. Which repeater controller? Or is that a religious question? Yep, they are both religous and political ;-) Anything else I should be wary of? Yes. DO NOT use 9913 or any similar foil/braid coax. Get heliax for your run. All jumpers on the radio end should be either superflex or RG-400 (NOT LMR 400!) Those are my suggestions. Others may say different. Chuck WB2EDV
Re: [Repeater-Builder] Re: Low Band Base Antenna Info Wanted
The antenna he is trying to tune is designed to use horizontal radials. The matching coil in the base of the antenna shunt feeds the vertical element and provides a 50 ohm match. Sd --- On Mon, 8/18/08, Ralph Mowery [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: From: Ralph Mowery [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: [Repeater-Builder] Re: Low Band Base Antenna Info Wanted To: Repeater-Builder@yahoogroups.com Date: Monday, August 18, 2008, 5:18 PM Also I remember there is an optimum angle to droop them to get the main lobe at the horizon-I want to say between 30 and 45 degrees down from horizontal. Affects impedance too if I remember...it' s late The ground plane elements are usually drooped about 45 deg to get the impedance to around 50 ohms. It is around 36 ohms if left horizontal.
Re: [Repeater-Builder] Build your own
Dave Gomberg wrote: I have long considered building my own 2m repeater out of 2 Icom 2100 or 2200 back to back thru a repeater controller, using a good duplexer and a Comet or Hustler antenna. Here are my questions: 1. Nobody seems to like the Comet or Hustler antennas. Why? I have no ice here, lots of wind tho. Ruggedness of the amateur grade antennas versus commercial grade. If you are going into a commercial repeater site, you will likely need to have a certified / insured tower crew install the antenna and feedline. If it fails (and the amateur grade antenna is much more likely to fail than commercial grade), the cost to get the tower crew to do it will most likely be way more than the additional initial cost to have used a rugged commercial antenna in the first place. Also, many of the amateur antennas use small capacitors (another weak spot) internally to tune the antenna. 2. Why is a 50w 2m transceiver, derated to 25w and driving a power amp a bad choice? Or is it OK? Most folks would say you should design the repeater for transmit periods of many, many hours straight. Few amateur transceivers can survive that even at reduced power without forced air cooling over the heat sink. Wide band noise specifications can also be a possible problem with an amateur transmitter. Most commercial sites will require commercial grade equipment. Although not mentioned, the receiver in an amateur transceiver will not have anywhere near the amount of off channel protection that is typically found in a receiver designed for repeater service. 3. Any suggestions on how to keep the duplexer cavities affordable? Not me. 4. Which repeater controller? Or is that a religious question? Somewhat. You also should state what else may eventually be connected to the system to properly determine how complex of a controller is needed. Anything else I should be wary of? Two meters in the bay area is likely to be pretty busy already and difficult to get coordinated. To see how crowded two meters is, visit: http://www.narcc.org/ and look at the list of repeaters already on two meters. You might have a better chance (and cheaper antennas duplexers) on some of the less popular repeater bands (900 or 1200 comes to mind). -- Dave Gomberg, San Francisco NE5EE gomberg1 at wcf dot com Ed Yoho W6YJ
Re: [Repeater-Builder] Build your own
Dave Gomberg wrote: I have long considered building my own 2m repeater out of 2 Icom 2100 or 2200 back to back thru a repeater controller, using a good duplexer and a Comet or Hustler antenna. My comments are not meant to discourage you but I once started out thinking along similar lines and it didn't take long for me to find out why it's not a great idea. Good luck. The receiver is broader than a barn door and I have no doubt the transmitter has higher noise surrounding the carrier than a good GE or Motorola crystal controlled radio. With the ham grade radios you will be far more likely to have desense problems and will likely need a larger, more expensive duplexer to have any hope of cleaning it up. 1. Nobody seems to like the Comet or Hustler antennas. Why? I have no ice here, lots of wind tho. I once wasted a month trying to make a brand new Hustler G6-144B run noise free in duplex service. Every time the wind blew I had loud crackling noise on my repeater. This may have been a problem specific to that individual antenna, since I know some people do use them successfully on repeaters. But it was so aggravating I never again tried using a ham grade antenna in repeater service. 2. Why is a 50w 2m transceiver, derated to 25w and driving a power amp a bad choice? Or is it OK? It might be OK if you put a fan on the heat sink. Most radios of this type will get far too hot even running at half power. Remember the duty cycle of a repeater transmitter is much higher than a user radio. Heat may not be the only issue. Some of the internal components may just be too marginal to handle high duty cycle service. 3. Any suggestions on how to keep the duplexer cavities affordable? Nope. 4. Which repeater controller? Or is that a religious question? Decide what features you want, then look to see which controllers offer what you want. Once you narrow it down to ones that meet your needs, you can decide based on price and user satisfaction (ask owners of those models how they like them). Anything else I should be wary of? As has already been mentioned, no foil/braid coax cables, and forget the single braided shield types too. You really want solid copper shield heliax, or at least mil spec RG-214 (double silver shield) if you don't want noise problems on your repeater. 73, Paul N1BUG
Re: [Repeater-Builder] Kenwood squelch quality
I am curious why anyone in modern times wants to use carrier squelch? All radios I have seen for years had ctcss standard. Also I am in Texas and the Texas VHF-FM society our coordinator agency frowns on carrier squelch on vhf and does not allow it on uhf. I find ctcss much more sensitive than carrier squelch. Just wondering? WB5OXQ
RE: [Repeater-Builder] Kenwood squelch quality
These guys obviously have never built or ran a linked repeater system. Back home we had several hams that would not upgrade there equipment or run pl. They felt that since it had pl on the receiver that it was considered a closed machine. When I purchased the 147.260 repeater in Eugene, Oregon. I built a new repeater that ctcss encode and decode and that threw all the older guys for a loop. They thought it was a closed machine and started complaining. My reply to them was stop bitchin and get involved. They were not paying any dues or support of any kind. They eventually went out and got new hand held radios. When I linked it to my North South trunk and started hearing people in Seattle and Medford Oregon they thought the repeater had moved to another hill that covered all of that area. Point here is that things change and pl is a good thing since the bands are so crowded and most states are out of clean VHF pairs. Just my 2 cents worth, Mike K7PFJ _ From: Repeater-Builder@yahoogroups.com [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Jim Miller WB5OXQ in Waco Sent: Monday, August 18, 2008 6:41 PM To: Repeater-Builder@yahoogroups.com Subject: Re: [Repeater-Builder] Kenwood squelch quality I am curious why anyone in modern times wants to use carrier squelch? All radios I have seen for years had ctcss standard. Also I am in Texas and the Texas VHF-FM society our coordinator agency frowns on carrier squelch on vhf and does not allow it on uhf. I find ctcss much more sensitive than carrier squelch. Just wondering? WB5OXQ http://geo.yahoo.com/serv?s=97359714/grpId=104168/grpspId=1705063108/msgId= 84514/stime=1219073192/nc1=4025338/nc2=5028926/nc3=5379227
RE: [Repeater-Builder] Build your own
Dave, Paul made some excellent responses to your questions. I'd like to provide additional information regarding your question #2. snip 2. Why is a 50w 2m transceiver, derated to 25w and driving a power amp a bad choice? Or is it OK? snip My radio club once had a packet station, operating as a node, that used an FT-2500M 2m radio. Since the site was at an elevated location and we had a DB-224 antenna made for the 138-150 MHz split, we ran the radio at its lowest power setting- which I believe was around 8 watts. I was very surprised when the radio died after more than a year of faithful service. Like many imported 2m mobile rigs, this radio used a typical 50 watt RF module as the power amplifier. After replacing the module, which cost about $85, I ran some bench tests using a calibrated service monitor and a metered power supply. I quickly found out why the radio burned up when set for low power: The DC current draw decreased only slightly when the RF power was greatly reduced! In fact, the DC input power at 8 watts RF output was about 85% of the input power at 50 watts output. The extra power that wasn't generating RF was expended in heating up the driver and the output module. I suspect that the class of operation was tending toward AB or B as the drive level was reduced. Regardless of the mechanism at work here, I proved that the radio ran hotter at reduced power levels than at 50 watts output. Most commercial radios can run at 50% power levels and still be quite efficient. However, many of the Amateur-grade mobile radios I have tested- by no means an exhaustive sampling- run quite hot at reduced power levels. YMMV... 73, Eric Lemmon WB6FLY
RE: [Repeater-Builder] Kenwood squelch quality
We run two machines on carrier squelch. The first is located right off I-75 and we get a lot of travelers on it. Most of them comment about how nice it is to have a machine they can access without having to program a tone. The second is located in the middle of nowhere and we're keeping it open in hopes to attract as many inactive hams as possible. It's only been on the air for about a month as thus far we seem to be stirring up some interest from hams who have been inactive for a while and probably don't have modern equipment. YMMV. 73, Mike WM4B 146.85 (Warner Robins, GA) 145.11 (Cochran, GA) Central Georgia Amateur Radio Club http://members.cox.net/cgarc _ From: Repeater-Builder@yahoogroups.com [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Jim Miller WB5OXQ in Waco Sent: Monday, August 18, 2008 8:41 PM To: Repeater-Builder@yahoogroups.com Subject: Re: [Repeater-Builder] Kenwood squelch quality I am curious why anyone in modern times wants to use carrier squelch? All radios I have seen for years had ctcss standard. Also I am in Texas and the Texas VHF-FM society our coordinator agency frowns on carrier squelch on vhf and does not allow it on uhf. I find ctcss much more sensitive than carrier squelch. Just wondering? WB5OXQ http://geo.yahoo.com/serv?s=97359714/grpId=104168/grpspId=1705063108/msgId= 84514/stime=1219073192/nc1=4025338/nc2=5028926/nc3=5379227
Re: [Repeater-Builder] Kenwood squelch quality
Mike, Now wait just a minute. Cochran is not in the middle of nowhere because I live in the middle of nowhere. I like the two repeaters with carrier squelch. I have always thought of CTCSS as an inconvenience, but maybe in more populated areas it is becoming much more needed. Just my $.02 worth. Thanks Mike for your hard work, Collin -Original Message- From: Mike Besemer (WM4B) [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: Repeater-Builder@yahoogroups.com Sent: Mon, 18 Aug 2008 9:39 pm Subject: RE: [Repeater-Builder] Kenwood squelch quality We run two machines on carrier squelch. The first is located right off I-75 and we get a lot of travelers on it. Most of them comment about how nice it is to have a machine they can access without having to program a tone. The second is located in the middle of nowhere and we’re keeping it open in hopes to attract as many inactive hams as possible. It’s only been on the air for about a month as thus far we seem to be stirring up some interest from hams who have been inactive for a while and probably don’t have modern equipment. YMMV. 73, Mike WM4B 146.85 (Warner Robins, GA) 145.11 (Cochran, GA) Central Georgia Amateur Radio Club http://members.cox.net/cgarc - --- From: Repeater-Builder@yahoogroups.com [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Jim Miller WB5OXQ in Waco Sent: Monday, August 18, 2008 8:41 PM To: Repeater-Builder@yahoogroups.com Subject: Re: [Repeater-Builder] Kenwood squelch quality I am curious why anyone in modern times wants to use carrier squelch? All radios I have seen for years had ctcss standard. Also I am in Texas and the Texas VHF-FM society our coordinator agency frowns on carrier squelch on vhf and does not allow it on uhf. I find ctcss much more sensitive than carrier squelch. Just wondering? WB5OXQ
Re: [Repeater-Builder] Kenwood squelch quality
Anyone who can run their repeater in carrier squelch without problems doesn't know how lucky they are. Neither my 440 machines or my 6-meter machine can run without it for various reasons. And since they are linked to other repeaters, it becomes even more important. Back in the late 70's/early 80's I gave up on 2 meters because of all the noise constantly there. No one would consider CTCSS. It left a bad taste and I now operate on 2 meters two days a year for RACES pumpkin patrol - that's it. Yes, they all run CTCSS today, but the damage was done and I stay on other bands as a result. Chuck WB2EDV - Original Message - From: Mike Besemer (WM4B) To: Repeater-Builder@yahoogroups.com Sent: Monday, August 18, 2008 9:39 PM Subject: RE: [Repeater-Builder] Kenwood squelch quality We run two machines on carrier squelch.
RE: [Repeater-Builder] Kenwood squelch quality
Collin, LOL. you ARE in the middle of nowhere! Glad Cochran is close enough to the middle of nowhere that you can work the repeater! I agree. CTCSS has it's place. just glad we can survive without it! 73, Mike WM4B _ From: Repeater-Builder@yahoogroups.com [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Monday, August 18, 2008 9:53 PM To: Repeater-Builder@yahoogroups.com Subject: Re: [Repeater-Builder] Kenwood squelch quality Mike, Now wait just a minute. Cochran is not in the middle of nowhere because I live in the middle of nowhere. I like the two repeaters with carrier squelch. I have always thought of CTCSS as an inconvenience, but maybe in more populated areas it is becoming much more needed. Just my $.02 worth. Thanks Mike for your hard work, Collin -Original Message- From: Mike Besemer (WM4B) [EMAIL PROTECTED] mailto:mwbesemer%40cox.net net To: Repeater-Builder@ mailto:Repeater-Builder%40yahoogroups.com yahoogroups.com Sent: Mon, 18 Aug 2008 9:39 pm Subject: RE: [Repeater-Builder] Kenwood squelch quality We run two machines on carrier squelch. The first is located right off I-75 and we get a lot of travelers on it. Most of them comment about how nice it is to have a machine they can access without having to program a tone. The second is located in the middle of nowhere and we're keeping it open in hopes to attract as many inactive hams as possible. It's only been on the air for about a month as thus far we seem to be stirring up some interest from hams who have been inactive for a while and probably don't have modern equipment. YMMV. 73, Mike WM4B 146.85 (Warner Robins, GA) 145.11 (Cochran, GA) Central Georgia Amateur Radio Club http://members. http://members.cox.net/cgarc cox.net/cgarc - --- From: Repeater-Builder@ mailto:Repeater-Builder%40yahoogroups.com yahoogroups.com [mailto:Repeater-Builder@ mailto:Repeater-Builder%40yahoogroups.com yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Jim Miller WB5OXQ in Waco Sent: Monday, August 18, 2008 8:41 PM To: Repeater-Builder@ mailto:Repeater-Builder%40yahoogroups.com yahoogroups.com Subject: Re: [Repeater-Builder] Kenwood squelch quality I am curious why anyone in modern times wants to use carrier squelch? All radios I have seen for years had ctcss standard. Also I am in Texas and the Texas VHF-FM society our coordinator agency frowns on carrier squelch on vhf and does not allow it on uhf. I find ctcss much more sensitive than carrier squelch. Just wondering? WB5OXQ
RE: [Repeater-Builder] Kenwood squelch quality
Chuck, I agree. we're thrilled that we can get away without CTCSS. Hope we can keep it that way. 73, Mike WM4B _ From: Repeater-Builder@yahoogroups.com [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Chuck Kelsey Sent: Monday, August 18, 2008 10:02 PM To: Repeater-Builder@yahoogroups.com Subject: Re: [Repeater-Builder] Kenwood squelch quality Anyone who can run their repeater in carrier squelch without problems doesn't know how lucky they are. Neither my 440 machines or my 6-meter machine can run without it for various reasons. And since they are linked to other repeaters, it becomes even more important. Back in the late 70's/early 80's I gave up on 2 meters because of all the noise constantly there. No one would consider CTCSS. It left a bad taste and I now operate on 2 meters two days a year for RACES pumpkin patrol - that's it. Yes, they all run CTCSS today, but the damage was done and I stay on other bands as a result. Chuck WB2EDV - Original Message - From: Mike Besemer (WM4B) mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] To: Repeater-Builder@ mailto:Repeater-Builder@yahoogroups.com yahoogroups.com Sent: Monday, August 18, 2008 9:39 PM Subject: RE: [Repeater-Builder] Kenwood squelch quality We run two machines on carrier squelch.
RE: [Repeater-Builder] Motorola R1225 question
The R1225 is a 16-channel, full-duplex transceiver; I wonder if you actually meant M1225, which is a mobile radio. In HVN9054 RSS: 1. Go to the External Accessories page 2. Select General I/O for Acc External 3. For Pin 08, choose Input or Output for direction 4. If Input, choose from Null, Ext PTT, I/O Hook, RX Audio Mute, Public Address, Channel Steer 0, Channel Steer 1, or Channel Steer 2. 5. If Output, choose from Null, Ext Alarm, PL/DPL-CSQ Detect, or CSQ Detect. Write the codeplug to the radio, and you're done. 73, Eric Lemmon WB6FLY -Original Message- From: Repeater-Builder@yahoogroups.com [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of n2len Sent: Monday, August 18, 2008 7:46 AM To: Repeater-Builder@yahoogroups.com Subject: [Repeater-Builder] Motorola R1225 question I have a Motorola 4 channel R1225 mobile radio that I am programming to use. I dont see anyway in the RSS to program pin 8 on the 16 pin accessory jack. Will pin 8 on this rig default to COS active low? Thanks...
Re: [Repeater-Builder] Kenwood squelch quality
Guys I was not trying to stir up discontent. I got my ticket in 1974 when very few if any ham repeaters had ctcss. It was a lot of fun and when the band opened you could work dx on your local repeater. I really liked that. Now, however, in Central Texas at least, there is so much congestion that you have to run ctcss or have your repeater become almost unusable much of the time. Then the coordinators got really insistent on ctcss so I got on the wagon. At one time I had 5 repeaters on the air in this area that I had built for various hams and we put ctcss on all of them. We mostly all use 123.0 in this county so everyone here knows which tone to program into their radios. We are too close to Dallas and FtWorth not to use tone to stay out of each others hair. There are few pairs left around here to put a repeater on 2 meters. I loved the 70s but it is over for many of us. If you are in a remote area with a good antenna site carrier squelch could be fun! Thank goodness I only have 1 repeater (on ham bands) to maintain now. I spend much of my time on 75 meters AM and many don't like that mode either! Everyone have fun, that is what a hobby should be Jim in Waco, TX WB5OXQ Trustee Texas State Guard ARC 147.320-123.0 ctcss.
Re: [Repeater-Builder] Build your own
Transceivers: If you don't want a boat-anchor of a GE or Motorola, look for a Motorola R1225 repeater transceiver -- not the GR1225, but just the R1225. It's the actual repeater and cheaper. I have run several for years. Run them at 50% power and use good forced air cooling and they'll survive. No, they're not a Micor, but then again, the Micor PA was pretty much designed to run continuous duty into a short/open circuit :) Though the other guys are right. You can't beat a big old Mastr II, Micor, MSR2000 or even MSF5000, etc. for tough and reliable. I just don't like buying my repeaters by the pound anymore! 73 DE N0MJS On Aug 18, 2008, at 6:44 PM, Dave Gomberg wrote: I have long considered building my own 2m repeater out of 2 Icom 2100 or 2200 back to back thru a repeater controller, using a good duplexer and a Comet or Hustler antenna. Here are my questions: 1. Nobody seems to like the Comet or Hustler antennas. Why? I have no ice here, lots of wind tho. 2. Why is a 50w 2m transceiver, derated to 25w and driving a power amp a bad choice? Or is it OK? 3. Any suggestions on how to keep the duplexer cavities affordable? 4. Which repeater controller? Or is that a religious question? Anything else I should be wary of? -- Dave Gomberg, San Francisco NE5EE gomberg1 at wcf dot com All addresses, phones, etc. at http://www.wcf.com/ham/info.html - -- Cort Buffington H: +1-785-838-3034 M: +1-785-865-7206
Re: [Repeater-Builder] Build your own
At 8/18/2008 16:44, you wrote: I have long considered building my own 2m repeater out of 2 Icom 2100 or 2200 back to back thru a repeater controller, using a good duplexer and a Comet or Hustler antenna. Here are my questions: 1. Nobody seems to like the Comet or Hustler antennas. Why? I have no ice here, lots of wind tho. There are many on this list that feel that any antenna that is not commercial grade is no good for repeater service. Certainly the Comets are not as rugged as RFS/Sinclair/etc. , but in many locations they survive just fine. I just pulled a GP9N down that had been installed at a 5000' mountaintop site for over 5 years, it appears to be in great physical condition. They are a bit susceptible to lightning damage due to the 500 V capacitors used for matching the 440 side (apparently no current flows through them on 2 meters). Once I get the values, I'm going to replace them with 2000 V caps. 2. Why is a 50w 2m transceiver, derated to 25w and driving a power amp a bad choice? Or is it OK? As others have stated, most amateur grade TXs are going to have higher broadband noise than a good quality commercial TX. If you must use an IC-2100 for TX, I suggest backing it down to 25 W not use an external amp. Even at that power level it's probably going to need a muffin fan to keep it cool. I have a 25 W TM-411 that I occasionally use as a link TX at the house, while it definitely warms the shack a bit, the fan keeps the radio's RFPA happy. 3. Any suggestions on how to keep the duplexer cavities affordable? eBay, Dayton. You should've been to the latter: lots of cheap 2 meter duplexers as I recall. Maybe it wouldn't be cost effective traveling from SF, but think of it as the money you save on the duplexer helps to pay for the trip :) 4. Which repeater controller? Or is that a religious question? preach LinkComm, SCom. /preach Bob NO6B
[Repeater-Builder] Re: Carrier Squelch Repeater Operation
Jim Miller WB5OXQ in Waco [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I am curious why anyone in modern times wants to use carrier squelch? Simple Answer... If you can operate Carrier Squelch without gremlins and alpha-hotel operators causing too much grief the repeater will tend to attract more visitors, users and become a more open meeting place. All radios I have seen for years had ctcss standard. ZZ.. Also I am in Texas and the Texas VHF-FM society our coordinator agency frowns on carrier squelch on vhf and does not allow it on uhf. If your repeater has as a live control operator around, have him or her flip it into carrier squelch while they monitor the repeater operation. If there's no interference or co-channel operational problems you won't go to jail (Well, I'm not so sure about Texas these days...) you probably won't go to jail. I find ctcss much more sensitive than carrier squelch. Might be... but CSQ is more appealing to the casual general public. Is every Amateur Radio repeater frequency in Texas paired with a nearby co-channel box that none would operate in carrier squelch without grief? Just wondering? WB5OXQ So am I ... have been for years. cheers, s.
[Repeater-Builder] Re: Carrier Squelch Repeater Operation
Anyone who can run their repeater in carrier squelch without problems doesn't know how lucky they are. The technical problems are most often a lot less versus the people caused problems and both can be managed or worked around by paying attention and being resourceful. s.
[Repeater-Builder] Desktrac UHF 40 Watts Repeater Default Archive
Hi I hope some one on this group can help me on a Desktrac repeater default archive, What I mean is I am trying to put a Desktrac repeater together, from my junk, but I need to program the front panel of the Desktrac repeater (not a base unit), if only I have the model number to clone it to my Desktrac, I know how Motorola restricts there software, but this is not the software I am asking for, its the default (ARC) or archive. Thanks. 73 W4CSO
