I strongly recommend that you proceed very cautiously along this path. Amateur-grade radios seldom have the quality, stability, and robust design needed in a repeater. The CTCSS tone encode deviation is frequently far too high, and is almost never adjustable. Every dual-band rig I have seen needed to be adjusted to bring the center frequency and deviation within the manufacturer's own specs, and some were very prone to drift. The ICOM IC-207H is a prime example of such a radio. Very few dual-band ham rigs with cross-band repeat capability have the proper filtering to keep the CTCSS tones out of the repeated audio. I would go with two back-to-back commercial radios and a RICK between them if I were interested in cross-band repeat capability.
As I understand the FCC Rules, a cross-band radio (such as the Alinco DR-605T) should be used as a remote base by the owner only. To be legal as an open repeater, it must have a station identifier. Ideally, the radiation center of the antenna should be above any nearby obstructions. An omnidirectional antenna with modest gain (4 to 7 dBd) on the roof of the highest building will likely be a good performer. If your antenna location is not centered in the desired coverage area, consider a directional-pattern antenna such as a corner reflector, a low-gain Yagi, or an offset dipole. I suggest you consider a Motorola R1225 repeater, instead. The R1225 is available in 10 watt and 50 watt versions, is available in both VHF and UHF versions, includes station ID-er, hang timer, courtesy beep, timeout timer, TPL and DPL encode/decode, and is completely programmable. Even with the required HVN9054 software, it costs less than a roughly equivalent Hamtronics repeater, and is a far, far better radio. I have two R1225 repeaters in commercial service, and one in Amateur service on 2m. One of the former is a solar-powered UHF repeater that has been operating 24/7 on a mountain ridge for more than a year, without a problem. The R1225 is an economy low-tier repeater, but it has great value for the money. I have no financial interest in Motorola, I am simply a longtime user of their equipment and a very satisfied customer! 73, Eric Lemmon WB6FLY Rizky_p wrote: > > Hi, i am thinking of building repeater for cheap. > > Can a mobile radio with cross band repeating capability and with 50W of Tx > power be used instead of using dedicated repeater controller? I am thinking > of Yaesu FT8800R. How high should the tower be? I want the coverage at least > 20-30 miles. The area here is perfectly flat with most building as high as > 24 feet. (densely populated area mostly houses) Any advice? Yahoo! Groups Links To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Repeater-Builder/ To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
