On 12/25/06, Eric Lemmon <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
Steve, I wonder if you're "fixing" the wrong part of your repeater. Repeater coverage is limited *primarily* by the ability of the repeater to receive the distant (usually portable) stations, not by the transmitter power. The Vertex/Yaesu VXR-5000 repeater does not have a very good receiver- I have one in service, and I know that it is its weak point.
Definitely fixing the wrong thing. Steve, just think about it this way... if your repeater puts out 200-250W and the "average" user is either using a 50W mobile -- or more likely a 5W HT... Steve, you can do the free-space path-loss calculations and easily see that you can't fix the laws of physics with more transmitting power at the repeater site. Even after your duplexer -- you're probably putting out as much power as the mobiles that use your repeater on medium power settings. Make it hear further than it talks... then worry about more transmitter power. As you add TX power you'll need healthier cans and more of them, and you'll start causing desense in the repeater system if you don't do it right, anyway. Get the receiver sensitivity right down into the noise floor and then worry about adding power. Being able to hear the repeater full-scale in a location where a 5W HT can't hit the repeater just means you've built an alligator. That's an all brawn, no brains type of repeater setup. :-) Nate WY0X
