Gene, I recently converted a UHF Hamtronics REP-200 repeater to 220 MHz by changing the receiver, exciter, and power amplifier to the 220 versions. It is working well, and has not had any problems. The only reason why I did this was because neither Motorola nor Kenwood offered a commercial-grade repeater for the 220 Amateur band.
In my opinion, the major deficiency in Hamtronics repeaters is the bare-bones power amplifier. These units have no power regulation and no high-VSWR protection. I know of two Hamtronics 2m repeaters that suffered blown PAs due to antenna problems. With no protection against high VSWR, the PA transistor smoked. To prevent that from happening in my "new" 220 repeater, I installed a Telewave single ferrite isolator to maintain a constant impedance load seen by the PA. Rather than buy a Hamtronics 2m repeater, I'd go for a Motorola R1225 full-duplex transceiver. You get commercial quality and a complete controller in a package that has more power, and for less money than the Hamtronics package. 73, Eric Lemmon WB6FLY -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Wednesday, July 11, 2007 10:28 PM To: [email protected] Subject: [Repeater-Builder] Hamtronics Anyone with experience with the Hamtronics 200 or 200T repeater please advise of your satisfaction rating/comments. . We are considering one for the local ARES standby repeate and your inputs are important.. Thanks in advance. Gene
