Re: [Repeater-Builder] Maratrac as a repeater transmitter -connections
kc0mlt wrote: Hello all, I am looking for some information on getting the maratrac to key up and the audio connections into the radio wjen using it as a repeater transmiter. I am powering it with a partial control cable and no control head. I would like to be able to use the partial contorl cable for all of the needed connections but I am willing to use the RJ45 programming port inside the radio if need be. Any help with the connections would be very appreciated! (what pin /wires, how to actually get the radio to transmit -gnd the PTT???) things like that. I use a Maratrac as my UHF repeater TX. Interfacing is easy, with a couple of gotchas. First, the audio and PTT connections are easy. The RJ45 programming connector at the front edge of the radio uses the same pinout as most Radius mobiles. Pinout is here : http://www.batlabs.com/images/maxrad.gif Second, programming tips. The best way I have found is to program your unit for clamshell control head, and delete all modes (channels) except Mode 1, which is programmed to your TX frequency in both TX and RX. The gotcha is this: If you have an A7 (advanced) control head, DO NOT hook it up after you program the unit for clamshell. You will BRICK your radio, and I'm not sure if Motorola depot repair will take these radios any more. Instructions on powering the radio without a control head are here: http://www.batlabs.com/maratrac.html about a third of the way down the page. Basically, pins 17 and 13 to negative, and pins 19 and 4 to +12V. Make sure your power supply can handle the current draw at your power level. Speaking of power levels... TURN THE UNIT DOWN to about 60 watts (assuming you have a 100w drawer) and put a fan on it. This radio is not designed for continuous duty. Give it all the help you can. Don't go below 60w, as the radio will overheat due to inefficiencies in the PA. I've found that dialing back the power and using fans works well in a light-to-medium traffic machine. Oh, one more thing. The Maratrac uses a mechanical relay for TX/RX switching. The relay will last for a while, but it will eventually fail. I solved this by removing the T/R relay and running coax directly from the PA output out thru the hole left by the SO-239 connector, terminated in an inline SO-239. Of course, the antenna will no longer be connected to the RX, but hey... we're using this as a dedicated TX anyway, right? :) There you go. That should get you on the way to using your Maratrac as a dedicated TX. I hope anyone with additional info will chime in as well. 73's and good luck, Brian, N4BWP
Re: [Repeater-Builder] for sale: 420 MHz linking radios, voter
Fred Esteves wrote: Do you have prices As I stated in the original listing, please make offers. Note that the GE gear is already spoken for (though the buyer may not be able to use all of it) and the RVS-8 is so popular that I'll be listing it on eBay. Matthew Kaufman
[Repeater-Builder] Re: LTR Controllers
Hi Mike Can you tell me what the features are on them? Also what are you looking to get for them? Price or trade? TIM
Re: [Repeater-Builder] for sale: 420 MHz linking radios, voter
I agree we need some prices... Im very interested in the encoder/decoder TIM --- On Wed, 7/8/09, Fred Esteves estev...@yahoo.com wrote: From: Fred Esteves estev...@yahoo.com Subject: Re: [Repeater-Builder] for sale: 420 MHz linking radios, voter To: Repeater-Builder@yahoogroups.com Date: Wednesday, July 8, 2009, 6:58 AM Do you have prices --- On Tue, 7/7/09, Matthew Kaufman matt...@matthew. at wrote: From: Matthew Kaufman matt...@matthew. at Subject: [Repeater-Builder] for sale: 420 MHz linking radios, voter To: Repeater-Builder@ yahoogroups. com Date: Tuesday, July 7, 2009, 11:01 AM Over the past two decades I've been accumulating gear to link all my repeaters together. But as I posted a few weeks back, I'm now linking everything with VoIP. There's at least three generations of equipment listed below, and I need to clear out the entire inventory in order to make space and help fund future repeater system development. Please make offers, equipment is located near Santa Cruz, CA: Hamtronics: 1 REP-200N 10 watt repeater w/no controller, type N connectors. RX is 441 MHz, TX is 420 MHz. 6 R304-2 UHF synthesized receiver, wired and tested, mounted in A89 enclosure 3 T304-2 UHF synthesized exciter, wired and tested, mounted in A88 enclosure Yaesu/Vertex: 1 Rare UHF-Low VXR-5000 repeater (40H259J) (spec for 400-420 MHz) w/internal AC power supply Icom: 40+ F420-9 403-430 MHz 32-channel mobile radio (25 in good condition, others have various issues, mostly display problems. Also have 16 custom cables to access internal connector discriminator audio + COS for use as link receiver, 8 custom cables to access internal connector TX audio + PTT for use as link transmitter. GE: 12+ Mastr Exec low-power full-duplex mobiles, 77 range (SX55FAS77A) with internal mobile duplexer Misc spare control heads, high-power Mastr Exec PAs, etc. LDG: 1 RVS-8 repeater voter Com-Spec: Handful of TS-64 CTCSS Encoder/Decoder 1 TP-3200 repeater tone panel (rack-mount) Motorola: 2+ Micor UHF mobile, converted to duplex repeater operation Matthew Kaufman matt...@matthew. at
[Repeater-Builder] 3/4 wave cavity operation at 1296 MHz
Hi there, I've had some success rebuilding tuning 1/4 wave cavities for 146 MHz by playing around with loop sizes, orientation etc and being fortunate to have had access to an HP-Agilent VNA to help along. (W6NBC's excellent article on cavity loop optimisation was found after I had pulled out most of my hair ...but I digress.) Our local radio club in VK2 is attempting to get a 1296 MHz D-STAR repeater operational and we need a suitable diplex filter. (We're currently running a 6 cavity filter for 2 metres using a hybrid combiner for the D-STAR analogue repeaters.) First thoughts were to use 450 MHz cavities operated in 3/4 wave mode. Bench testing showed the cavities performed as expected in 1/4 wave mode, but no amount of loop tweaking or black magic cursing could get the insertion loss to acceptable levels when operated in 3/4 wave mode (1296 MHz). Typical IL was 2 to 3dB per can at these frequencies. All test cable losses were accounted for. Are we doing anything wrong or missing some critical bit of magic fairy dust that needs to be done when operating cavities in this mode ? There seems to be an total lack of information on the web on 3/4 wave cavity building and operation. If this is approach is a lost cause, what do others use for 1296 MHz diplex filter hardware ? All suggestions gratefully received either on or off-line. (vk...@iprimus.com.au) Cheers, Kit VK2LL Sydney
[Repeater-Builder] HLN4181APR
Does anyone know if this is possible to use for a tone panel on a Parallax Micro Controller?
[Repeater-Builder] 3/4 wave cavity operation at 1296 MHz
Hi there, [[ Please excuse if this is double posted.]] I've had some success rebuilding tuning 1/4 wave cavities for 146 MHz by playing around with loop sizes, orientation etc and being fortunate to have had access to an HP-Agilent VNA to help along. (W6NBC's excellent article on cavity loop optimisation was found after I had pulled out most of my hair ...but I digress.) Our local radio club in VK2 is attempting to get a 1296 MHz D-STAR repeater operational and we need a suitable diplex filter. (We're currently running a 6 cavity filter for 2 metres using a hybrid combiner for the D-STAR analogue repeaters.) First thoughts were to use 450 MHz cavities operated in 3/4 wave mode. Bench testing showed the cavities performed as expected in 1/4 wave mode, but no amount of loop tweaking or black magic cursing could get the insertion loss to acceptable levels when operated in 3/4 wave mode (1296 MHz). Typical IL was 2 to 3dB per can at these frequencies. All test cable losses were accounted for. Are we doing anything wrong or missing some critical bit of magic fairy dust that needs to be done when operating cavities in this mode ? There seems to be an total lack of information on the web on 3/4 wave cavity building and operation. If this is approach is a lost cause, what do others use for 1296 MHz diplex filter hardware ? All suggestions gratefully received either on or off-line. (vk...@iprimus.com.au) Cheers, Kit VK2LL Sydney
[Repeater-Builder] Vibrasponder KLN 6209A 123.0Hz..
Hi All, I am in need of a Motorola Vibrasponder KLN 6209A Freq. 123.0 Hz. If anyone has one to sell please let me know. Or if you can steer me in the right direction to try and locate one that would work also. Thanks, Carm,WO3T
[Repeater-Builder] K9TRG Art Housholder Silent Key
Many on this Group knew or have heard of Art I recall going to Spectronics over 35 yrs ago and digging through all the boxes of Old Motorola Parts , I Finally found a Xtal trimmer for a old Tube type Motorola receiver on 42.42 , When I went to Pay I Met Art and He told Me 25 Cents and What was My Ham call , Well I did not have one at that time , And He said well since it is for a receiver and You came all the here from Indiana I will let You get it this time but get Your Ham Lic and rest is History I know He worked With Lefty at MDM http://www.mdmradio.com/ And Bob at http://www.theportableclinic.com/ They were making Scanning Radios and Repeaters out of Motorola Equipment before Most of us was Born Our Thought and Prayers go out to His family and Friends Don KA9QJG It is with deep regret that I report the death of Mr. Art Housholder, K9TRG. Art was proprietor of Spectronics Inc of Oak Park, IL for many years during the 1970s! He sold used Motorola gear to hams in those early days of amateur repeater development Arthur E. Housholder a longtime resident of Elk Grove Village A memorial service for Arthur E. Housholder, 82, will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday, July 11, at St. Michael the Archangel Cemetery, Palatine. Mr. Housholder passed away Tuesday, July 7, 2009, at Alexian Brothers Medical Center. Art Housholder, like a select few of the kids of his generation, was bitten by the amateur radio bug, and became seriously infected at K9RTG. And what could be more fun than running a ham radio store* In the late 1960s his store, Spectronics, was a Chicago center for a new amateur radio technology called repeaters ... a technology that would help change the whole world as cell phones ... bringing personal communications to over two billion people. Amateurs, frustrated by the limited line-of-sight range of their little hand-talkies, began putting automatic relaying stations atop tall buildings and mountains, giving them a hundred or more miles range instead of a mile or two. And Art was one of the leaders of the revolution by using his close contacts with Motorola to convince them to pioneer the cell phone industry, where they are still a major player. He was also awarded as a member of the Circumnavigators Club, an exclusive international organization open only to people who have voyaged around the world, crossing every meridian, in a single trip. Members include the likes of Neil Armstrong, Sally Ride and Walter L. Cronkite. He was the beloved husband of Ada; loving father of Anne Marie, Ann Cristine, Bob/Mary, Steve/Faye Marie and Gary/Mary; proud grandfather of Matt, Mark, Julie, Andy and Katrina; great-grandfather of Hunter, Brook and Kira; fond brother of Alice O'Day; and close friend of Wayne Green, Dick McKay, Frank Mercurio and Dave Zatler. For more information, call Elegy Cremation and Memorial Services, 877-565-7070. Link to Sign On Line Book http://www.legacy.com/gb2/default.aspx?bookid=4578564640112
Re: [possible spam] Re: [Repeater-Builder] LTR Controllers
Gentlemen, Sorry for the misunderstanding. I have absolutly no need whatsoever for those. Thanks anyways. Ask me sometimes off list about LTR controllers. 73 de N5NPO - Original Message - From: Repeater-Builder@yahoogroups.com Repeater-Builder@yahoogroups.com To: Repeater-Builder@yahoogroups.com Repeater-Builder@yahoogroups.com Sent: Fri Jul 10 00:27:08 2009 Subject: [possible spam] Re: [Repeater-Builder] LTR Controllers Depends how much, too. Joe M. NORM KNAPP wrote: Need? Such a strong word to use when talking about those. - Original Message - From: Repeater-Builder@yahoogroups.com mailto:Repeater-Builder%40yahoogroups.com Repeater-Builder@yahoogroups.com mailto:Repeater-Builder%40yahoogroups.com To: Repeater-Builder@yahoogroups.com mailto:Repeater-Builder%40yahoogroups.com Repeater-Builder@yahoogroups.com mailto:Repeater-Builder%40yahoogroups.com Sent: Thu Jul 09 19:36:00 2009 Subject: [Repeater-Builder] LTR Controllers Does anyone need some Trident TNT LTR controllers. Mike Yahoo! Groups Links
[Repeater-Builder] Maxon sm4450sc
Hi guys .I have a maxon sm4450sc that is setup for rx ctcss decode in a repeater and it is decoding ctcss ok but it only activates the call led when the signal is over the squelch level. I am wondering is there a way that the radio decoder can be on all the time so even if the signal is below the squelch the radio will activate the call led without affecting the audio squelch level. I tried to use ctcss external decoder card and they work great with direct connection to the receiver audio out from the detector but as I have found out recently with the cards outside the radio they are affected badly with rf when the transmitter is activated if the leads are too long so I have setup the radio to decode the ctcss and this is working well but it is slow to activate the repeater.I am trying to set the receiver up that it will decode as soon as the signal is present instead of it needing it to be over the squelch level before decoding. Thank You, Ian Wells, Kerinvale Comaudio, 361 Camboon Road.Biloela.4715 Phone 0749922574 or 0409159932 www.kerinvalecomaudio.com.au
Re: [Repeater-Builder] Vibrasponder KLN 6209A 123.0Hz..
I also am in need of 4 of the 162.2 Hz vibrasponders. I have 4 203.5 Hz if anyone needs them, or maybe I could trade them for the frequency I need. On Thu, Jul 9, 2009 at 12:37 PM, Carmen J Peca carmenp...@comcast.netwrote: Hi All, I am in need of a Motorola Vibrasponder KLN 6209A Freq. 123.0 Hz. If anyone has one to sell please let me know. Or if you can steer me in the right direction to try and locate one that would work also. Thanks, Carm,WO3T -- James Adkins, KB0NHX Vice-President -- Nixa Amateur Radio Club, Inc. (KC0LUN) www.nixahams.net The Nixa Amateur Radio Club - There is no charge for awesomeness! (Well, only $1.00 per month)
Re: [Repeater-Builder] Maxon sm4450sc
Hey, You can use the external card, just shield it as well as possible by placeing it into a metal grounded case and using double or triple shieldee coaxial condutors to link it to the radio. This wil prevent any interference from dispurbing the useful signals. This having said, please take into consideration that if the TX antenna is at least several meters away then you should check the feeder, connectors and antenna reflected wave, since this diturbance should not normlly happen in good configuration. I have also noticed that for some reason, the internal decoder takes a wihile to react to the carier CTSS signal. It may be a design glitch or it may be possible that a optional delay might exist via software. I never checked. For these reasons, I think the external card is best. Regards, Buie Daniel Razvan RADIOCOM Bihor 004 741 133740 buie.raz...@radiotelecomunicatii.ro www.radiotelecomunicatii.ro --- On Fri, 7/10/09, kerinvale kerin...@pacific.net.au wrote: From: kerinvale kerin...@pacific.net.au Subject: [Repeater-Builder] Maxon sm4450sc To: Repeater-Builder@yahoogroups.com Date: Friday, July 10, 2009, 4:35 AM Hi guys .I have a maxon sm4450sc that is setup for rx ctcss decode in a repeater and it is decoding ctcss ok but it only activates the call led when the signal is over the squelch level. I am wondering is there a way that the radio decoder can be on all the time so even if the signal is below the squelch the radio will activate the call led without affecting the audio squelch level. I tried to use ctcss external decoder card and they work great with direct connection to the receiver audio out from the detector but as I have found out recently with the cards outside the radio they are affected badly with rf when the transmitter is activated if the leads are too long so I have setup the radio to decode the ctcss and this is working well but it is slow to activate the repeater.I am trying to set the receiver up that it will decode as soon as the signal is present instead of it needing it to be over the squelch level before decoding. Thank You, Ian Wells, Kerinvale Comaudio, 361 Camboon Road.Biloela. 4715 Phone 0749922574 or 0409159932 www.kerinvalecomaud io.com.au
Re: [Repeater-Builder] 3/4 wave cavity operation at 1296 MHz
Hello, Looking at W6NBC's article, he warns that operating in the harmonic mode will result in higher losses. Maybe 2-3 db may not be unreasonable for this mode. The other thing he warns about is maximum diameter of the cavity. He says that the cavity diameter can't be more than 1/3 wavelength in diameter. For 1296 that would be less than 3 inches? What are the diameter of the cans? 73, Joe, K1ike kitsca...@iprimus.com.au wrote: Hi there, I've had some success rebuilding tuning 1/4 wave cavities for 146 MHz by playing around with loop sizes, orientation etc and being fortunate to have had access to an HP-Agilent VNA to help along. (W6NBC's excellent article on cavity loop optimisation was found after I had pulled out most of my hair ...but I digress.)
Re: [Repeater-Builder] Vibrasponder KLN 6209A 123.0Hz..
Carm, I have a '6210 that should work fine. I can bring it to the Somerset hamfest next weekend if you're going to make it. BTW: A good local hamfest for those in the Allegheny region of Pennsylvania: http://www.k3smt.org/hamfest/index.shtml Come up to the mountains - The RF is GREAT!! Scott Scott Zimmerman Amateur Radio Call N3XCC 474 Barnett Road Boswell, PA 15531 Carmen J Peca wrote: Hi All, I am in need of a Motorola Vibrasponder KLN 6209A Freq. 123.0 Hz. If anyone has one to sell please let me know. Or if you can steer me in the right direction to try and locate one that would work also. Thanks, Carm,WO3T No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 8.5.375 / Virus Database: 270.13.9/2228 - Release Date: 07/09/09 18:07:00
Re: [Repeater-Builder] Vibrasponder KLN 6209A 123.0Hz..
James, I have indeed (4) 162.2Hz KLN6209's here. Send me a private e-mail and we'll bicker. HIHI Scott Scott Zimmerman Amateur Radio Call N3XCC 474 Barnett Road Boswell, PA 15531 James Adkins wrote: I also am in need of 4 of the 162.2 Hz vibrasponders. I have 4 203.5 Hz if anyone needs them, or maybe I could trade them for the frequency I need. On Thu, Jul 9, 2009 at 12:37 PM, Carmen J Peca carmenp...@comcast.net mailto:carmenp...@comcast.net wrote: Hi All, I am in need of a Motorola Vibrasponder KLN 6209A Freq. 123.0 Hz. If anyone has one to sell please let me know. Or if you can steer me in the right direction to try and locate one that would work also. Thanks, Carm,WO3T -- James Adkins, KB0NHX Vice-President -- Nixa Amateur Radio Club, Inc. (KC0LUN) www.nixahams.net http://www.nixahams.net The Nixa Amateur Radio Club - There is no charge for awesomeness! (Well, only $1.00 per month) No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 8.5.375 / Virus Database: 270.13.9/2228 - Release Date: 07/09/09 18:07:00
[Repeater-Builder] Re: Vibrasponder KLN 6209A 123.0Hz..
try Ted at MDM in Chicago !Google his website Jerry VE3 EXT
[Repeater-Builder] Repeater Desense?
Just replaced a damaged mast for our VHF repeater. Went with a 4-bay dipole as a replacement, along with switching out the old coax with 1/2 hardline. Everything else stayed the same, VXR-7000 and internal duplexer. All worked well after a final check, until night came along, when it seems to possible to a casulty of desense? In base mode, tx and rx are wonderful, but when switched to repeater mode as soon as it rx's and attempts to transmit, it cut's itself out. About a one second in, out, back in, out, etc. Not sure what happened but around mid-day it started working fine again, then last night started acting up again. Any thoughts? suggestions? Did recheck all connections from antenna down and everything is tight.
Re: [Repeater-Builder] Repeater Desense?
waterproof connections? - Original Message - From: kfd29 To: Repeater-Builder@yahoogroups.com Sent: Friday, July 10, 2009 9:58 AM Subject: [Repeater-Builder] Repeater Desense? Just replaced a damaged mast for our VHF repeater. Went with a 4-bay dipole as a replacement, along with switching out the old coax with 1/2 hardline. Everything else stayed the same, VXR-7000 and internal duplexer. All worked well after a final check, until night came along, when it seems to possible to a casulty of desense? In base mode, tx and rx are wonderful, but when switched to repeater mode as soon as it rx's and attempts to transmit, it cut's itself out. About a one second in, out, back in, out, etc. Not sure what happened but around mid-day it started working fine again, then last night started acting up again. Any thoughts? suggestions? Did recheck all connections from antenna down and everything is tight.
Re: [Repeater-Builder] Repeater Desense?
Sounds like a temperature related issue. You might recheck the duplexers and even knock on their housing while testing. I am no expert but am only throwing out suggestions. Brian - Original Message - From: Maire-Radios To: Repeater-Builder@yahoogroups.com Sent: Friday, July 10, 2009 7:08 AM Subject: Re: [Repeater-Builder] Repeater Desense? waterproof connections? - Original Message - From: kfd29 To: Repeater-Builder@yahoogroups.com Sent: Friday, July 10, 2009 9:58 AM Subject: [Repeater-Builder] Repeater Desense? Just replaced a damaged mast for our VHF repeater. Went with a 4-bay dipole as a replacement, along with switching out the old coax with 1/2 hardline. Everything else stayed the same, VXR-7000 and internal duplexer. All worked well after a final check, until night came along, when it seems to possible to a casulty of desense? In base mode, tx and rx are wonderful, but when switched to repeater mode as soon as it rx's and attempts to transmit, it cut's itself out. About a one second in, out, back in, out, etc. Not sure what happened but around mid-day it started working fine again, then last night started acting up again. Any thoughts? suggestions? Did recheck all connections from antenna down and everything is tight.
Re: [Repeater-Builder] Repeater Desense?
I was wondering the same... are you thinking a bad duplexers? or maybe re-tuning? "K5IN" k...@comcast.net 7/10/2009 10:13 AM Sounds like a temperature related issue. You might recheck the duplexers and even knock on their housing while testing. I am no expert but am only throwing out suggestions. Brian - Original Message - From: Maire-Radios To: Repeater-Builder@yahoogroups.com Sent: Friday, July 10, 2009 7:08 AM Subject: Re: [Repeater-Builder] Repeater Desense? waterproof connections? - Original Message - From: kfd29 To: Repeater-Builder@yahoogroups.com Sent: Friday, July 10, 2009 9:58 AM Subject: [Repeater-Builder] Repeater Desense? Just replaced a damaged mast for our VHF repeater. Went with a 4-bay dipole as a replacement, along with switching out the old coax with 1/2" hardline. Everything else stayed the same, VXR-7000 and internal duplexer. All worked well after a final check, until night came along, when it seems to possible to a casulty of desense? In base mode, tx and rx are wonderful, but when switched to repeater mode as soon as it rx's and attempts to transmit, it cut's itself out. About a one second in, out, back in, out, etc. Not sure what happened but around mid-day it started working fine again, then last night started acting up again. Any thoughts? suggestions? Did recheck all connections from antenna down and everything is tight. image/gifimage/xxx
Re: [Repeater-Builder] Repeater Desense?
what does the watt meter show? normal? reflected? - Original Message - From: Ken Franks To: Repeater-Builder@yahoogroups.com Sent: Friday, July 10, 2009 10:16 AM Subject: Re: [Repeater-Builder] Repeater Desense? I was wondering the same... are you thinking a bad duplexers? or maybe re-tuning? K5IN k...@comcast.net 7/10/2009 10:13 AM Sounds like a temperature related issue. You might recheck the duplexers and even knock on their housing while testing. I am no expert but am only throwing out suggestions. Brian - Original Message - From: Maire-Radios To: Repeater-Builder@yahoogroups.com Sent: Friday, July 10, 2009 7:08 AM Subject: Re: [Repeater-Builder] Repeater Desense? waterproof connections? - Original Message - From: kfd29 To: Repeater-Builder@yahoogroups.com Sent: Friday, July 10, 2009 9:58 AM Subject: [Repeater-Builder] Repeater Desense? Just replaced a damaged mast for our VHF repeater. Went with a 4-bay dipole as a replacement, along with switching out the old coax with 1/2 hardline. Everything else stayed the same, VXR-7000 and internal duplexer. All worked well after a final check, until night came along, when it seems to possible to a casulty of desense? In base mode, tx and rx are wonderful, but when switched to repeater mode as soon as it rx's and attempts to transmit, it cut's itself out. About a one second in, out, back in, out, etc. Not sure what happened but around mid-day it started working fine again, then last night started acting up again. Any thoughts? suggestions? Did recheck all connections from antenna down and everything is tight.
RE: [Repeater-Builder] Repeater Desense?
If this is a 2m repeater, and the duplexer is mounted inside the VXR-7000 cabinet, it must be a mobile notch duplexer. I don't believe that such a duplexer can perform with a 600 kHz split. Please elaborate on the make and model of duplexer you have, and the RX and TX frequencies. 73, Eric Lemmon WB6FLY -Original Message- From: Repeater-Builder@yahoogroups.com [mailto:repeater-buil...@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of kfd29 Sent: Friday, July 10, 2009 6:59 AM To: Repeater-Builder@yahoogroups.com Subject: [Repeater-Builder] Repeater Desense? Just replaced a damaged mast for our VHF repeater. Went with a 4-bay dipole as a replacement, along with switching out the old coax with 1/2 hardline. Everything else stayed the same, VXR-7000 and internal duplexer. All worked well after a final check, until night came along, when it seems to possible to a casulty of desense? In base mode, tx and rx are wonderful, but when switched to repeater mode as soon as it rx's and attempts to transmit, it cuts itself out. About a one second in, out, back in, out, etc. Not sure what happened but around mid-day it started working fine again, then last night started acting up again. Any thoughts? suggestions? Did recheck all connections from antenna down and everything is tight.
RE: [Repeater-Builder] 3/4 wave cavity operation at 1296 MHz
Bench testing showed the cavities performed as expected in 1/4 wave mode, but no amount of loop tweaking or black magic cursing could get the insertion loss to acceptable levels when operated in 3/4 wave mode (1296 MHz). Typical IL was 2 to 3dB per can at these frequencies. All test cable losses were accounted for. What type/model/brand/size of cavities were you using? The first thing that comes to mind was that the cavity you were attempting to use? --- Jeff
RE: [Repeater-Builder] Repeater Desense?
Okay, so you definitely have a mobile notch duplexer, which has practically no bandpass effect since it works entirely by notching out the opposite frequency in the split. Since the problem began when you changed the antenna, my suspicion is that the new antenna's pattern allows more TX signal to bathe the repeater than before. Some versions of Yaesu/Vertex VXR repeaters were supplied with single-shield jumpers inside the cabinet, and this allowed some random desense to occur. That happened in my own VXR-5000, and I completely cured it by replacing the factory jumpers with RG-400/U double-shielded coax. The original Vertex jumpers had gray jackets with no identification, so they were replaced with RG-400/U. If you do make new cables, make them with the correct connectors on each end, so that you do not have to use any adapters. I think you're pushing the notch duplexer to the limit of its capability, and you can test this by dropping the TX power to 15 or 20 watts, and checking again for desense. Also, you might try temporarily swapping it for a BpBr four cavity duplexer. 73, Eric Lemmon WB6FLY -Original Message- From: Ken Franks [mailto:fra...@godwinschools.org] Sent: Friday, July 10, 2009 8:04 AM To: Eric Lemmon Subject: RE: [Repeater-Builder] Repeater Desense? it is a commercial VHF (rx 152, tx 159). yes, the duplexer is mounted inside. I went to take a look at the make/model and it was not legible due to a faded sticker. It should be within operating spec's though since it was the one purchased with the unit and been in service for 3 years. Interestingly enough, one of our IT people went to look at it and found that the closer he held the PT to the duplexer, the dropping of rx when tx'ing resolved but was pretty fuzzy sounding yet. Then, when he held the PT even closer and transmitted, it began to operate properly again and no longer sounded fuzzy. Eric Lemmon wb6...@verizon.net 7/10/2009 10:32 AM If this is a 2m repeater, and the duplexer is mounted inside the VXR-7000 cabinet, it must be a mobile notch duplexer. I don't believe that such a duplexer can perform with a 600 kHz split. Please elaborate on the make and model of duplexer you have, and the RX and TX frequencies. 73, Eric Lemmon WB6FLY -Original Message- From: Repeater-Builder@yahoogroups.com mailto:Repeater-Builder%40yahoogroups.com [mailto:Repeater-Builder@yahoogroups.com mailto:Repeater-Builder%40yahoogroups.com ] On Behalf Of kfd29 Sent: Friday, July 10, 2009 6:59 AM To: Repeater-Builder@yahoogroups.com mailto:Repeater-Builder%40yahoogroups.com Subject: [Repeater-Builder] Repeater Desense? Just replaced a damaged mast for our VHF repeater. Went with a 4-bay dipole as a replacement, along with switching out the old coax with 1/2 hardline. Everything else stayed the same, VXR-7000 and internal duplexer. All worked well after a final check, until night came along, when it seems to possible to a casulty of desense? In base mode, tx and rx are wonderful, but when switched to repeater mode as soon as it rx's and attempts to transmit, it cuts itself out. About a one second in, out, back in, out, etc. Not sure what happened but around mid-day it started working fine again, then last night started acting up again. Any thoughts? suggestions? Did recheck all connections from antenna down and everything is tight.
[Repeater-Builder] FS/FT: MOTO tone reeds
How goes it? I have, in a box, the following Motorola tone elements: Kln 6209a 88.5 91.5 127.3 131.8 x3 192.8 206.5 x2 Kln 6210a 82.5 141.3 146.2 Tln 6824a 67.0 103.5 127.3 x2 156.7 162.2 167.9 179.9 192.8 Tln8381a 67.6 94.8 x2 103.5 107.2 118.8 131.8 141.3 146.2 151.4 156.7 167.9 Tln6492 ba 118.8 151.4 I'd like to find some GE tone elements, the big red ones. 110.9hz I'd also like to unload this box all at once. =] Thanks for the bandwidth! Chris Kb0wlf
Re: [Repeater-Builder] Maxon sm4450sc
Thanks for the reply Thank You, Ian Wells, Kerinvale Comaudio, 361 Camboon Road.Biloela.4715 Phone 0749922574 or 0409159932 www.kerinvalecomaudio.com.au ---Original Message--- From: Razvan Daniel Date: 10/07/2009 21:57:50 To: Repeater-Builder@yahoogroups.com Subject: Re: [Repeater-Builder] Maxon sm4450sc Hey, You can use the external card, just shield it as well as possible by placeing it into a metal grounded case and using double or triple shieldee coaxial condutors to link it to the radio. This wil prevent any interference from dispurbing the useful signals. This having said, please take into consideration that if the TX antenna is at least several meters away then you should check the feeder, connectors and antenna reflected wave, since this diturbance should not normlly happen in good configuration. I have also noticed that for some reason, the internal decoder takes a wihile to react to the carier CTSS signal. It may be a design glitch or it may be possible that a optional delay might exist via software. I never checked. For these reasons, I think the external card is best. Regards, Buie Daniel Razvan RADIOCOM Bihor 004 741 133740 buie.raz...@radiotelecomunicatii.ro www.radiotelecomunicatii.ro --- On Fri, 7/10/09, kerinvale kerin...@pacific.net.au wrote: From: kerinvale kerin...@pacific.net.au Subject: [Repeater-Builder] Maxon sm4450sc To: Repeater-Builder@yahoogroups.com Date: Friday, July 10, 2009, 4:35 AM Hi guys .I have a maxon sm4450sc that is setup for rx ctcss decode in a repeater and it is decoding ctcss ok but it only activates the call led when the signal is over the squelch level. I am wondering is there a way that the radio decoder can be on all the time so even if the signal is below the squelch the radio will activate the call led without affecting the audio squelch level. I tried to use ctcss external decoder card and they work great with direct connection to the receiver audio out from the detector but as I have found out recently with the cards outside the radio they are affected badly with rf when the transmitter is activated if the leads are too long so I have setup the radio to decode the ctcss and this is working well but it is slow to activate the repeater.I am trying to set the receiver up that it will decode as soon as the signal is present instead of it needing it to be over the squelch level before decoding. Thank You, Ian Wells, Kerinvale Comaudio, 361 Camboon Road.Biloela. 4715 Phone 0749922574 or 0409159932 www.kerinvalecomaud io.com.au
RE: [Repeater-Builder] 3/4 wave cavity operation at 1296 MHz
What type/model/brand/size of cavities were you using? The first thing that comes to mind was that the cavity you were attempting to use? --- Jeff Sorry, hit send too soon. The first thing that comes to mind was that the cavity you were attempting to use had geometry that was causing undesirable moding. If this was a conventional two-loop bandpass cavity, sweep it over a wide range, look for any unusual responses such as a second bump in the pass response well-removed from the center resonant frequency. From my experimentation, 4 diameter UHF cavities seem to work OK at 1.2 GHz from a resonance standpoint. --- Jeff WN3A
Re: [Repeater-Builder] SEA ESP1000 220Mhz Repeater
Don't throw them out yet. I was working on a NBFM mod, but just moved and things are all shook up. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Repeater-Builder/files/FluX%20Research/SEA%20ESP1000%28M%29%2C%20ESP1100%28M%29%2C%20ESP-504/ http://pages.cs.wisc.edu/~timc/e/esp504222.html
Re: [Repeater-Builder] SEA ESP1000 220Mhz Repeater
Manuals of interest: http://www.cornerstonesmr.com/pdf/ http://www.cornerstonesmr.com/pdf/ESP1000Instructions.pdf http://www.cornerstonesmr.com/pdf/ESP1100_Instruction.pdf http://www.cornerstonesmr.com/pdf/ESP504-520_Service.pdf
RE: [Repeater-Builder] Repeater Desense?
It's difficult to answer that question without more information about your system. Please answer these questions: 1. What make and model antenna was used before you replaced it with the four-bay antenna? 2. What make and model antenna is now installed? 3. How long is the new 1/2 hardline, and is it Andrew LDF4-50 Heliax? 4. What is the present transmitter power output, measured at the TX output jack? 5. What is the receiver 12dB SINAD sensitivity, measured at the RX input jack? 6. What type of cable is used to connect the end of the hardline to the antenna jack on the duplexer? 7. Do you have the test equipment to verify the tuning of the duplexer? 8. Have you confirmed that the transmitter is not producing spurious signals at the RX frequency? If it turns out that the notch duplexer is not up to par, an economical solution might be to add a bandpass cavity between the existing notch duplexer's RX output jack and the repeater's RX input jack. However, my personal preference would be to replace the notch duplexer with a BpBr cavity duplexer, such as a Telewave TPRD-1584 shown here: www.telewave.com/pdf/TWDS-6039.pdf You're looking at an expenditure of $1,500 or so, not including double-shielded jumpers and high-quality connectors. If the cable in Item 6, above, is anything but RG-214/U, RG-400/U, or Heliflex, that may be the cause of your problem. Ideally, that particular jumper should always be made to order, with the correct connectors on each end- no barrels or adapters. RG-213/U, 9913, and LMR-400 are definitely a no-no! 73, Eric Lemmon WB6FLY -Original Message- From: Ken Franks [mailto:fra...@godwinschools.org] Sent: Friday, July 10, 2009 8:49 AM To: Eric Lemmon Subject: RE: [Repeater-Builder] Repeater Desense? Thanks! I'll check it out after lunch here. Our IT guy has a little knowledge since we used to run a TV broadcast out of the school here but it has been many, many years. Do you feel that purchasing a BpBr 4-cavity would be a wise investment for us, over the mobile notch? What are the benefits? This is a part of our District's school safety/security radio system so we'd like to make it as solid as possible. Thanks! Eric Lemmon wb6...@verizon.net 7/10/2009 11:30 AM Okay, so you definitely have a mobile notch duplexer, which has practically no bandpass effect since it works entirely by notching out the opposite frequency in the split. Since the problem began when you changed the antenna, my suspicion is that the new antenna's pattern allows more TX signal to bathe the repeater than before. Some versions of Yaesu/Vertex VXR repeaters were supplied with single-shield jumpers inside the cabinet, and this allowed some random desense to occur. That happened in my own VXR-5000, and I completely cured it by replacing the factory jumpers with RG-400/U double-shielded coax. The original Vertex jumpers had gray jackets with no identification, so they were replaced with RG-400/U. If you do make new cables, make them with the correct connectors on each end, so that you do not have to use any adapters. I think you're pushing the notch duplexer to the limit of its capability, and you can test this by dropping the TX power to 15 or 20 watts, and checking again for desense. Also, you might try temporarily swapping it for a BpBr four cavity duplexer. 73, Eric Lemmon WB6FLY -Original Message- From: Ken Franks [mailto:fra...@godwinschools.org mailto:Franks%40godwinschools.org ] Sent: Friday, July 10, 2009 8:04 AM To: Eric Lemmon Subject: RE: [Repeater-Builder] Repeater Desense? it is a commercial VHF (rx 152, tx 159). yes, the duplexer is mounted inside. I went to take a look at the make/model and it was not legible due to a faded sticker. It should be within operating spec's though since it was the one purchased with the unit and been in service for 3 years. Interestingly enough, one of our IT people went to look at it and found that the closer he held the PT to the duplexer, the dropping of rx when tx'ing resolved but was pretty fuzzy sounding yet. Then, when he held the PT even closer and transmitted, it began to operate properly again and no longer sounded fuzzy. Eric Lemmon wb6...@verizon.net mailto:wb6fly%40verizon.net 7/10/2009 10:32 AM If this is a 2m repeater, and the duplexer is mounted inside the VXR-7000 cabinet, it must be a mobile notch duplexer. I don't believe that such a duplexer can perform with a 600 kHz split. Please elaborate on the make and model of duplexer you have, and the RX and TX frequencies. 73, Eric Lemmon WB6FLY -Original Message- From: Repeater-Builder@yahoogroups.com mailto:Repeater-Builder%40yahoogroups.com mailto:Repeater-Builder%40yahoogroups.com [mailto:Repeater-Builder@yahoogroups.com mailto:Repeater-Builder%40yahoogroups.com mailto:Repeater-Builder%40yahoogroups.com ] On Behalf Of kfd29 Sent: Friday, July 10, 2009 6:59 AM To: Repeater-Builder@yahoogroups.com mailto:Repeater-Builder%40yahoogroups.com
[Repeater-Builder] Circuit Stickers
I got the Below E-Mail from a Friend And Had No idea what the heck was a Circuit Sticker , So I looked at the Links , this is useful for Building Projects So I thought would share the info to the group PS Looks like some of the Breadbording Things I have put together But they sure did not look this Neat Enjoy 73 De Don KA9QJG I will be at the Indy hamfest tomorrow selling Circuit Stickers. http://www.indianakits.com http://www.indyhamfest.com/ I will be at table A10 in the commercial building, the one that's air-conditioned and in out of the rain. Circuit Stickers are applied to either perf board, a solderless breadboard, or bare copper. Here are some links to some examples. http://www.indianakits.com/csrx01/ http://www.indianakits.com/csugly01/ http://www.indianakits.com/cscpo01/ Please stop by my table and have a look. Thanks, Jim, WD9EYB
[Repeater-Builder] Need Lightning Protection Equipment Recommendatoin for Building Repeater Site
I am involved with a ham radio club that has repeaters on the top of a 55-story condo building 6 miles north of downtown Chicago on the Lake Michigan lakefront. The club is a general purpose ham club, not a repeater club, and does not seem to have any members who are in the 2-way radio business or have experience with commercial repeater site installations. They've had a 70cm FM repeater on this building for about 15 years. It has never had any form of lightning protection equipment protection equipment. The club has been lucky and not experienced any apparent problems from lightning.. Within the last two years the club has replaced it's Icom 70cm FM repeater with a new commercial Motorola 70cm FM repeater. They've also added a D-STAR 70cm Digital Voice repeater, a D-STAR 23cm Digital Voice repeater and a D-STAR 23cm Digital Data Access Point. It's possible a 23cm FM repeater will also be added soon. There are three antennas on the roof currently for 70cm FM, 70cm D-STAR and 23cm D-STAR. A fouth antenna may be aded for 23cm FM. All antennas are fed with hardline ultimately terminated in N connectors at the repeaters. It is a very ham friendly site and we can do work on the repeaters the roof unsupervised. The only other repeater system on the building is a high-band U.S. government repeater adjacent to the ham repeater equipment rack. The government repeater seems to be grounded to a grounding bar running through the equipment room. These new repeaters antennas should have lightning protection. My question to the group is what form of lighning protection would you recommend for these repeaters. I assume Polyphaser equipment is one option, but we need recommendations of specific brands model #s of equipment with approximate prices if you have them. We plan to review any recommendations received then forward them to the club's board of directors for acquisition installation. Please reply to me directly and thanks in advance for any advice you have. 73, Mark, WB9QZB Chicago, IL
[Repeater-Builder] Building HT antennas
Hey guys, I posted this question over on the HT600e forum but didn't get anything. I was wondering if anyone here could be of assistance. I recently acquired a low band MT1000 for use on the 6m band. It has a nice new commercial antenna but I was wanting to do something a little better. No one that I can find supplies or can supply me with a better antenna for this radio. Even smiley antenna, my usual go to company for custom antennas for the Genesis line can't help me. So I was thinking of building my own. My first thought, since the antenna connector on the MT1000 is basically a 1/4-32 hole, I could thread a piece of aluminum round stock to create a base. Then I could just make a 1/4 wave whip from stainless rod. I know it would be silly long but it is a start. If I do this, do you think I should just use the standard 1/4 wave vertical formula? Would I need to compensate for the HT's lack of a ground plane? Any thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks Albert KI4ORI
[Repeater-Builder] Need Genesis small parts
Hello guys, I am looking for a few small parts for the Motorola Genesis line of HT's. If you have the following or other items I would be very interested. I need the soft rubber monitor buttons that are above the PTT switch. I also need the small plastic plate that retains them. I could use several of each. I also need some of the washers and rubber grommets that go between the radio belt clip and body of the radio. I would also be interested in nice cases, knobs, or similar items. Thanks Albert KI4ORI
Re: [Repeater-Builder] Building HT antennas
On Fri, 10 Jul 2009, Albert wrote: Hey guys, I posted this question over on the HT600e forum but didn't get anything. I was wondering if anyone here could be of assistance. I recently acquired a low band MT1000 for use on the 6m band. It has a nice new commercial antenna but I was wanting to do something a little better. No one that I can find supplies or can supply me with a better antenna for this radio. Even smiley antenna, my usual go to company for custom antennas for the Genesis line can't help me. So I was thinking of building my own. My first thought, since the antenna connector on the MT1000 is basically a 1/4-32 hole, I could thread a piece of aluminum round stock to create a base. Then I could just make a 1/4 wave whip from stainless rod. I know it would be silly long but it is a start. If I do this, do you think I should just use the standard 1/4 wave vertical formula? Would I need to compensate for the HT's lack of a ground plane? Any thoughts would be appreciated. I would think that you would want to do a 1/2 wave helical. This will get you closer to resonance without requiring a ground plane and as a normal mode helix -- will radiate in a vertical fashion. That's certainly quite an undertaking. -- Kris Kirby, KE4AHR Disinformation Analyst
Re: [Repeater-Builder] Building HT antennas
I am assuming this is to be attached to the radio as a typical HT versus a mag mount design? Yes you will need to compensate for a little bit of GP loss, but this wont make a noticable difference in length. the last HT antenna I made was for dual band 2/70cm I used an old tachometer cable as I found it had the right diameter as well as flex, but is still rigid enough to work with. This may not work to well on 6 because of over all length but could still be considered. I hope you realize that you will be having an antenna that is a about 3.5 feet, and for portable this may be well over the length desired. The only real bennift will be the size of connection, it should withstand some stress a lot better then a SMA or BNC. while it may sound odd, I used a coloring crayon from kids box to make a quick was mold of the threaded connector on radio, then went to hardware store and found some nut expert to find what I needed. Of course this was more work then needed as I could have just taken the HT in with me and tried the trial and error method of elimination! I am also going to assume you have a SWR/FS meter to work with for proper tuning. Also I dont know if EZNEC program will do HT antennas but you may try to run it through and see what you get. good luck and let us know what you figure out. Chris On Fri, Jul 10, 2009 at 2:55 PM, Albert hitekgearh...@hotmail.com wrote: Hey guys, I posted this question over on the HT600e forum but didn't get anything. I was wondering if anyone here could be of assistance. I recently acquired a low band MT1000 for use on the 6m band. It has a nice new commercial antenna but I was wanting to do something a little better. No one that I can find supplies or can supply me with a better antenna for this radio. Even smiley antenna, my usual go to company for custom antennas for the Genesis line can't help me. So I was thinking of building my own. My first thought, since the antenna connector on the MT1000 is basically a 1/4-32 hole, I could thread a piece of aluminum round stock to create a base. Then I could just make a 1/4 wave whip from stainless rod. I know it would be silly long but it is a start. If I do this, do you think I should just use the standard 1/4 wave vertical formula? Would I need to compensate for the HT's lack of a ground plane? Any thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks Albert KI4ORI
RE: [Repeater-Builder] Building HT antennas
Albert, In the 30-50 MHz band, the antennas for a portable radio must be cut for proper operation, over a very narrow range of frequencies. The length of a whip antenna must be changed by 1/4-3/8 inch for every 1 MHz. Motorola still offers the NAB6064B tunable antenna for the MT1000 radio, which must be cut to length for the specific frequency needed. In other words, there is no such thing as a broadband antenna for low band, and the radio's PA could be damaged by using an antenna that is not the right length. The NAB6064B antenna costs about $23 from Motorola Parts. Call 800-422-4210 to order. 73, Eric Lemmon WB6FLY -Original Message- From: Repeater-Builder@yahoogroups.com [mailto:repeater-buil...@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Albert Sent: Friday, July 10, 2009 12:56 PM To: Repeater-Builder@yahoogroups.com Subject: [Repeater-Builder] Building HT antennas Hey guys, I posted this question over on the HT600e forum but didn't get anything. I was wondering if anyone here could be of assistance. I recently acquired a low band MT1000 for use on the 6m band. It has a nice new commercial antenna but I was wanting to do something a little better. No one that I can find supplies or can supply me with a better antenna for this radio. Even smiley antenna, my usual go to company for custom antennas for the Genesis line can't help me. So I was thinking of building my own. My first thought, since the antenna connector on the MT1000 is basically a 1/4-32 hole, I could thread a piece of aluminum round stock to create a base. Then I could just make a 1/4 wave whip from stainless rod. I know it would be silly long but it is a start. If I do this, do you think I should just use the standard 1/4 wave vertical formula? Would I need to compensate for the HT's lack of a ground plane? Any thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks Albert KI4ORI
Re: [Repeater-Builder] Need Lightning Protection Equipment Recommendatoin for Building Repeater Site
Polyphaser. Period. End of discussion.. ;-) George, KA3HSW / WQGJ413 From: Mark Thompson wb9qzb_gro...@yahoo.com To: repea...@yahoogroups.com; Repeater-Builder@yahoogroups.com; repeat...@yahoogroups.com Sent: Friday, July 10, 2009 2:11:52 PM Subject: [Repeater-Builder] Need Lightning Protection Equipment Recommendatoin for Building Repeater Site I am involved with a ham radio club that has repeaters on the top of a 55-story condo building 6 miles north of downtown Chicago on the Lake Michigan lakefront. The club is a general purpose ham club, not a repeater club, and does not seem to have any members who are in the 2-way radio business or have experience with commercial repeater site installations. They've had a 70cm FM repeater on this building for about 15 years. It has never had any form of lightning protection equipment protection equipment. The club has been lucky and not experienced any apparent problems from lightning. Within the last two years the club has replaced it's Icom 70cm FM repeater with a new commercial Motorola 70cm FM repeater. They've also added a D-STAR 70cm Digital Voice repeater, a D-STAR 23cm Digital Voice repeater and a D-STAR 23cm Digital Data Access Point. It's possible a 23cm FM repeater will also be added soon. There are three antennas on the roof currently for 70cm FM, 70cm D-STAR and 23cm D-STAR. A fouth antenna may be aded for 23cm FM. All antennas are fed with hardline ultimately terminated in N connectors at the repeaters. It is a very ham friendly site and we can do work on the repeaters the roof unsupervised. The only other repeater system on the building is a high-band U.S. government repeater adjacent to the ham repeater equipment rack. The government repeater seems to be grounded to a grounding bar running through the equipment room. These new repeaters antennas should have lightning protection. My question to the group is what form of lighning protection would you recommend for these repeaters. I assume Polyphaser equipment is one option, but we need recommendations of specific brands model #s of equipment with approximate prices if you have them. We plan to review any recommendations received then forward them to the club's board of directors for acquisition installation. Please reply to me directly and thanks in advance for any advice you have. 73, Mark, WB9QZB Chicago, IL
[Repeater-Builder] Re: About those Trident LTR Controllers
They are Trident, which means the programming, setup and software is a bit quirky (to me a lesson in how to punch the clown face hard). Once you get past the installation hurdles they work fairly well and they seem to be fairly well constructed. LTR Trunking has a lot to offer the commercial radio world. On the ham side you can use them with your 927.xxx MHz Repeater and some of the more popular radios like the Motorola GTX-900 and Kenwood TK-981. However, you are not normally allowed to decode carrier squelch and CTCSS DCS signals while using LTR so the persons you're talking to need to have it, or you run scan with a conventional channel. It all gets quirky. We have LTR Overlay on one 925 MHz box and a co-operational conventional box going on the same time. Just for fun but it does work. cheers, s. radiowavz radiow...@... wrote: Hi Mike Can you tell me what the features are on them? Also what are you looking to get for them? Price or trade? TIM
[Repeater-Builder] Need operators manual for COM-SER Laboratories Inc. BR-1000-A service monitor
Please Help! I Need operators manual for COM-SER Laboratories Inc. BR-1000-A service monitor. I have only been able to find a few schematic diagrams and block diagram for this service monitor (from 1979). I have some good pictures of this unit up running... I will try to figure out how to post them here shortly. If anyone knows where this unit was made (I know they are not around anymore) or where I can get copies of an Operation manual, I would Greatly Appreciate it...
RE: [Repeater-Builder] Building HT antennas
FWIW I have a 99-channel 42-50MHz MT1000 that I bought with the intention of using it for both 6m and 47 MHz Red Cross channels. The radio came with a 32-channel model number, but the radio took 99 channels just fine. The radio is not in service yet as it needs to be modified from the 42-50 MHz range to 46-54 MHz. And I do not know if the radio front end (or the transmit VCO) will reach to both 47mhz and 52-53 MHz. If anybody has done any work in that direction I'd like to hear from you. If it does end up to be usable on both I know that I'm going to need to have two separate antennas - a shorter one for ham and a second, longer one, for Red Cross. Over the years I've learned that you should not expect any real transmit performance from a low band HT, especially an HT200 or an MT1000. Why? Two reasons... First: A 1/4 wave at 52 MHz is about 54 inches (about 4 1/2 feet). An antenna with a decent ground plane would have a 1/4 wave radiator and a 1/4 wave ground plane, for a total of just about 9 feet long. I can just see a 9 foot long coaxial antenna plugged into a 7 1/2 inch long radio. Second The MT1000 uses a hot-only antenna connector, with no ground (at least the GP68 got that part right). The only way to get a RF ground is to use a cheezy plastic adapter that uses an earphone plug to adapt the radio to a length of RG174 coax. (see the photos on http://www.repeater-builder.com/motorola/genesis/genesis-index.html and look above the photo of a hand holding a radio) FWIW I've seen a couple of the adapters converted to a BNC mounted into the top of the adapter. So without re-engineering the radio your choices are a footlong rubber duck that would make a good truncheon, or an external antenna. And the NAB6064B duck is about $24-$25 each. More and more I've been thinking that a crossband repeater from a Red Cross UHF frequency (locally there are several already coordinated, licensed and in use) to the particular 47 MHz frequency (locally we have at least three, one of which is the nationwide 47.42) might just be more practical. Mike WA6ILQ At 01:42 PM 07/10/09, you wrote: Albert, In the 30-50 MHz band, the antennas for a portable radio must be cut for proper operation, over a very narrow range of frequencies. The length of a whip antenna must be changed by 1/4-3/8 inch for every 1 MHz. Motorola still offers the NAB6064B tunable antenna for the MT1000 radio, which must be cut to length for the specific frequency needed. In other words, there is no such thing as a broadband antenna for low band, and the radio's PA could be damaged by using an antenna that is not the right length. The NAB6064B antenna costs about $23 from Motorola Parts. Call 800-422-4210 to order. 73, Eric Lemmon WB6FLY -Original Message- From: Repeater-Builder@yahoogroups.com [mailto:repeater-buil...@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Albert Sent: Friday, July 10, 2009 12:56 PM To: Repeater-Builder@yahoogroups.com Subject: [Repeater-Builder] Building HT antennas Hey guys, I posted this question over on the HT600e forum but didn't get anything. I was wondering if anyone here could be of assistance. I recently acquired a low band MT1000 for use on the 6m band. It has a nice new commercial antenna but I was wanting to do something a little better. No one that I can find supplies or can supply me with a better antenna for this radio. Even smiley antenna, my usual go to company for custom antennas for the Genesis line can't help me. So I was thinking of building my own. My first thought, since the antenna connector on the MT1000 is basically a 1/4-32 hole, I could thread a piece of aluminum round stock to create a base. Then I could just make a 1/4 wave whip from stainless rod. I know it would be silly long but it is a start. If I do this, do you think I should just use the standard 1/4 wave vertical formula? Would I need to compensate for the HT's lack of a ground plane? Any thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks Albert KI4ORI
[Repeater-Builder] RE: Lightning Protection
I agree on the Polyphaser suggestion. Dont forget the AC power protection. I suggest Transtector SL plug in series, not cheap, but they work quite well. Also, how does a Polyphaser fail? Open? Closed? And are they truly multiple strike capable? Chris KC4CMR
[Repeater-Builder] looking for a G.E. deskmate cabinet
Does anyone around south central Missouri have a G.E. deskmate size (or possibly even a tall size) rack cabinet they want to get rid of? Just about done with a repeater project and want to house it. Thanks for the bandwidth. Chris Kb0wlf
RE: [Repeater-Builder] RE: Lightning Protection
Although Polyphaser protectors have a large and loyal following, they are seldom used in high-end commercial two-way and cellular sites, where the preference is for Huber+Suhner devices. H+S protectors are very expensive- perhaps four or five times the cost of a Polyphaser- but they are machined out of stainless steel, are waterproof, and have easily-replaceable gas tube elements that are available in a wide range of ratings. When you have a revenue-producing station that is costly to build, you don't skimp on lightning protection. More info about H+S protectors is here: www.hubersuhner.com/ie70/products/hs-p-rf/hs-rf-lightning-protectors.htm or http://tinyurl.com/lnos4d However, since the majority of non-revenue repeater owners are satisfied with Polyphasers, it should be pointed out that there are many models of protectors in the Polyphaser catalog. The purchaser should take care to select the particular model that allows the least amount of energy let-through for a given operating frequency and power level. The protectors are designed for a specific connection arrangement, and the antenna and equipment sides should not be reversed. The Polyphaser gas tube elements are soldered in place, and are not easily replaceable. Regardless of the brand of lightning protector used, it is very important that the protector body have an effective connection to ground over as low-impedance path as possible. Chris' comment about AC power line protection is a good one. Any phone or control lines entering the station should also be protected with gas tube arrestors. 73, Eric Lemmon WB6FLY -Original Message- From: Repeater-Builder@yahoogroups.com [mailto:repeater-buil...@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of ccour79992 Sent: Friday, July 10, 2009 4:13 PM To: Repeater-Builder@yahoogroups.com Subject: [Repeater-Builder] RE: Lightning Protection I agree on the Polyphaser suggestion. Dont forget the AC power protection. I suggest Transtector SL plug in series, not cheap, but they work quite well. Also, how does a Polyphaser fail? Open? Closed? And are they truly multiple strike capable? Chris KC4CMR
Re: [Repeater-Builder] RE: Lightning Protection [1 Attachment]
Here's some info that might help regarding single-point grounding, attached. - Original Message - From: Eric Lemmon wb6...@verizon.net To: Repeater-Builder@yahoogroups.com Sent: Friday, July 10, 2009 8:01 PM Subject: RE: [Repeater-Builder] RE: Lightning Protection Although Polyphaser protectors have a large and loyal following, they are seldom used in high-end commercial two-way and cellular sites, where the preference is for Huber+Suhner devices. H+S protectors are very expensive- perhaps four or five times the cost of a Polyphaser- but they are machined out of stainless steel, are waterproof, and have easily-replaceable gas tube elements that are available in a wide range of ratings. When you have a revenue-producing station that is costly to build, you don't skimp on lightning protection. More info about H+S protectors is here: www.hubersuhner.com/ie70/products/hs-p-rf/hs-rf-lightning-protectors.htm or http://tinyurl.com/lnos4d However, since the majority of non-revenue repeater owners are satisfied with Polyphasers, it should be pointed out that there are many models of protectors in the Polyphaser catalog. The purchaser should take care to select the particular model that allows the least amount of energy let-through for a given operating frequency and power level. The protectors are designed for a specific connection arrangement, and the antenna and equipment sides should not be reversed. The Polyphaser gas tube elements are soldered in place, and are not easily replaceable. Regardless of the brand of lightning protector used, it is very important that the protector body have an effective connection to ground over as low-impedance path as possible. Chris' comment about AC power line protection is a good one. Any phone or control lines entering the station should also be protected with gas tube arrestors. 73, Eric Lemmon WB6FLY
RE: [Repeater-Builder] RE: Lightning Protection
I use Polyphasers on both My repeaters. How do you know when they fail , Do you automatically loose the signals or as they take different nearby strikes or do they gradually deteriorate the signals Which might make you think of other problems. Thanks Don KA9QJG
[Repeater-Builder] Re: Maratrac as a repeater transmitter -connections
Am I correct in thinking to ground the PTT connection to get it to key up? Just looking at the diagrams I have, and seeing a voltage on the pin I would think so. Also Mic audio to ground or is it some other pin? Thanks for the reply! Wade KC0MLT --- In Repeater-Builder@yahoogroups.com, Brian Poellnitz n4bwp...@... wrote: kc0mlt wrote: Hello all, I am looking for some information on getting the maratrac to key up and the audio connections into the radio wjen using it as a repeater transmiter. I am powering it with a partial control cable and no control head. I would like to be able to use the partial contorl cable for all of the needed connections but I am willing to use the RJ45 programming port inside the radio if need be. Any help with the connections would be very appreciated! (what pin /wires, how to actually get the radio to transmit -gnd the PTT???) things like that. I use a Maratrac as my UHF repeater TX. Interfacing is easy, with a couple of gotchas. First, the audio and PTT connections are easy. The RJ45 programming connector at the front edge of the radio uses the same pinout as most Radius mobiles. Pinout is here : http://www.batlabs.com/images/maxrad.gif Second, programming tips. The best way I have found is to program your unit for clamshell control head, and delete all modes (channels) except Mode 1, which is programmed to your TX frequency in both TX and RX. The gotcha is this: If you have an A7 (advanced) control head, DO NOT hook it up after you program the unit for clamshell. You will BRICK your radio, and I'm not sure if Motorola depot repair will take these radios any more. Instructions on powering the radio without a control head are here: http://www.batlabs.com/maratrac.html about a third of the way down the page. Basically, pins 17 and 13 to negative, and pins 19 and 4 to +12V. Make sure your power supply can handle the current draw at your power level. Speaking of power levels... TURN THE UNIT DOWN to about 60 watts (assuming you have a 100w drawer) and put a fan on it. This radio is not designed for continuous duty. Give it all the help you can. Don't go below 60w, as the radio will overheat due to inefficiencies in the PA. I've found that dialing back the power and using fans works well in a light-to-medium traffic machine. Oh, one more thing. The Maratrac uses a mechanical relay for TX/RX switching. The relay will last for a while, but it will eventually fail. I solved this by removing the T/R relay and running coax directly from the PA output out thru the hole left by the SO-239 connector, terminated in an inline SO-239. Of course, the antenna will no longer be connected to the RX, but hey... we're using this as a dedicated TX anyway, right? :) There you go. That should get you on the way to using your Maratrac as a dedicated TX. I hope anyone with additional info will chime in as well. 73's and good luck, Brian, N4BWP
RE: [Repeater-Builder] Building HT antennas
On my Azden 10 meter FM HT using the stock rubber duck antenna with a BNC connector, when I was transmitting listeners noticed a definate increast in signal when I put my thumb and finger on the BNC connector ground. So then I started carrying a 9 foot long wire connected to an aligator clip which I would connect to the BNC ground and again noticed a definate increase in signal strength. But certainly you are correct, a low band HT on a rubber duck has poor performance. Despite that, I have worked Sioux City, Iowa to Portland, Oregon several times on my 3 watt HT on 29.6 Mhz. I know that K7LJ has worked US to Japan on his HT-200 (using telescoping antenna) on 29.6 Mhz several times. -- Original Message -- Received: Fri, 10 Jul 2009 03:43:24 PM PDT From: Mike Morris WA6ILQ wa6...@gmail.com To: Repeater-Builder@yahoogroups.com Subject: RE: [Repeater-Builder] Building HT antennas FWIW I have a 99-channel 42-50MHz MT1000 that I bought with the intention of using it for both 6m and 47 MHz Red Cross channels. The radio came with a 32-channel model number, but the radio took 99 channels just fine. The radio is not in service yet as it needs to be modified from the 42-50 MHz range to 46-54 MHz. And I do not know if the radio front end (or the transmit VCO) will reach to both 47mhz and 52-53 MHz. If anybody has done any work in that direction I'd like to hear from you. If it does end up to be usable on both I know that I'm going to need to have two separate antennas - a shorter one for ham and a second, longer one, for Red Cross. Over the years I've learned that you should not expect any real transmit performance from a low band HT, especially an HT200 or an MT1000. Why? Two reasons... First: A 1/4 wave at 52 MHz is about 54 inches (about 4 1/2 feet). An antenna with a decent ground plane would have a 1/4 wave radiator and a 1/4 wave ground plane, for a total of just about 9 feet long. I can just see a 9 foot long coaxial antenna plugged into a 7 1/2 inch long radio. Second The MT1000 uses a hot-only antenna connector, with no ground (at least the GP68 got that part right). The only way to get a RF ground is to use a cheezy plastic adapter that uses an earphone plug to adapt the radio to a length of RG174 coax. (see the photos on http://www.repeater-builder.com/motorola/genesis/genesis-index.html and look above the photo of a hand holding a radio) FWIW I've seen a couple of the adapters converted to a BNC mounted into the top of the adapter. So without re-engineering the radio your choices are a footlong rubber duck that would make a good truncheon, or an external antenna. And the NAB6064B duck is about $24-$25 each. More and more I've been thinking that a crossband repeater from a Red Cross UHF frequency (locally there are several already coordinated, licensed and in use) to the particular 47 MHz frequency (locally we have at least three, one of which is the nationwide 47.42) might just be more practical. Mike WA6ILQ At 01:42 PM 07/10/09, you wrote: Albert, In the 30-50 MHz band, the antennas for a portable radio must be cut for proper operation, over a very narrow range of frequencies. The length of a whip antenna must be changed by 1/4-3/8 inch for every 1 MHz. Motorola still offers the NAB6064B tunable antenna for the MT1000 radio, which must be cut to length for the specific frequency needed. In other words, there is no such thing as a broadband antenna for low band, and the radio's PA could be damaged by using an antenna that is not the right length. The NAB6064B antenna costs about $23 from Motorola Parts. Call 800-422-4210 to order. 73, Eric Lemmon WB6FLY -Original Message- From: Repeater-Builder@yahoogroups.com [mailto:repeater-buil...@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Albert Sent: Friday, July 10, 2009 12:56 PM To: Repeater-Builder@yahoogroups.com Subject: [Repeater-Builder] Building HT antennas Hey guys, I posted this question over on the HT600e forum but didn't get anything. I was wondering if anyone here could be of assistance. I recently acquired a low band MT1000 for use on the 6m band. It has a nice new commercial antenna but I was wanting to do something a little better. No one that I can find supplies or can supply me with a better antenna for this radio. Even smiley antenna, my usual go to company for custom antennas for the Genesis line can't help me. So I was thinking of building my own. My first thought, since the antenna connector on the MT1000 is basically a 1/4-32 hole, I could thread a piece of aluminum round stock to create a base. Then I could just make a 1/4 wave whip from stainless rod. I know it would be silly long but it is a start. If I do this, do you think I should just use the standard 1/4 wave vertical formula? Would I need to compensate for the HT's lack of a ground plane? Any thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks Albert KI4ORI
[Repeater-Builder] I have a ton of stuff I need to rid of!
I have a lot of radio gear I am clearing out. Please check the qrz.com swap section for my call sign. A bunch of repeater related gear is going to go up such as CAT controller, Wacom duplexer, DB404 antenna, etc. Thanks Preston Moore, N5YIZ
[Repeater-Builder] Re: K9TRG Art Housholder Silent Key
I entered my name in a drawing at my very first hamfest in 1973 in Muskegon, MI. It was in the FM forum there, and Art presented me as the winner with a fine, used, Motorola HT200 two channel *brick*. This was when no ham-grade handhelds existed, only converted, very expensive commercial grade radios. Boy was I happy. Good times... Thanks Art. Laryn K8TVZ
[Repeater-Builder] Re: K9TRG Art Housholder Silent Key
I still have one of those HT200 bricks in my garage that I use to monitor the local 2M repeater when I'm at the workbench. Runs quite happily as a receiver with a 12-volt wall-wart Battery pack is long gone, drop-in charger speaker/mic are in a box somewhere in the attic. George, KA3HSW / WQGJ413 - Original Message - From: Laryn Lohman lar...@hotmail.com To: Repeater-Builder@yahoogroups.com Sent: Friday, July 10, 2009 10:30 PM Subject: [Repeater-Builder] Re: K9TRG Art Housholder Silent Key I entered my name in a drawing at my very first hamfest in 1973 in Muskegon, MI. It was in the FM forum there, and Art presented me as the winner with a fine, used, Motorola HT200 two channel *brick*. This was when no ham-grade handhelds existed, only converted, very expensive commercial grade radios. Boy was I happy. Good times... Thanks Art. Laryn K8TVZ
[Repeater-Builder] fs test equipment
I have a Tektronic 1503 TDR in working order wither built in printer and new battery pack. Also have a Texscan AL-51A spectrum analizer, works good, but may need a new battery, It has a DC and AC power cord. Also have a Sinnader 3 that I don't even think I used. If interested you can email me offsight. Thanks for the bandwith. Dean.
[Repeater-Builder] fs ge master 3, 800 mhz repeaters
I have 3 master 3, 800 mhz repeaters. They are the edacs systems and are complete. if interested email me direct. Thanks. Dean.
[Repeater-Builder] A few things I'm Trying to Sell off .
Hear is a List of some stuff I am Trying to sell off . If there is anything you like Please Contactme at cat2...@aol.com . Pictures Available on request . thanks . For Sale EF Johnson Replacement Display for the 51SL / 5100 / 5100ES Portables . $35.00 Shipped . FS- 2 EFJ-51xx RF Deck Housing and Shields . (REAR HOUSING 5100 PORTABLE) . $25.00 Shipped . FS- 1 EFJ-51xx Series Model 2 Rubber Keypad . $8.00 Shipped . FS- EFJ-8180CX / 8190CR Viking Programming Cable Kit . $40.00 FS- GM300 Display Head Housing . No Parts inside . $5.00 FS- GM300 Display Logic Board . $5.00 FS- GM300 LOGIC BOARD - $10.00 FS- GM300 RF LOGIC BOARD - $10.00 FS- GM300 RUBBER Key's - $2.00 FS- SPECTRA Mounting Bracket - $8.00 FS- Saber Housing w/ Belt Clip - $5.00 FS- Saber Screen .NTN4541A - $2.00 FS- Saber DES Securenet Encryption - $25.00 FS- Saber RF PA - 438-470 MHz - $10.00 FS- Saber Saber Logic Board - $10.00 FS- Saber Back Sheilding NTN4647A - $2.00 FS- Saber NLE9461A - $8.00 FS- Motorola HT50 / HT90 Desktop Charger . $20.00 Plus SH . Note: All Parts are Used Selling as Is .
