At 1/16/2008 13:12, you wrote: >Our repeater group has four hilltop 440 MHz repeater sites which are >currently linked via 430 MHz full duplex links through a central hub >site on the ground (low level site - not a hilltop). This has worked >great, but it looks like we are losing our hub location and this has >led to some discussion within the group. > >Some of us want to take the hardware at the hub (controller, antennas, >link radios, filters, etc.) and relocate the hub to a new location. >Depending on how far we move, this might entail re-aiming link yagis >on the hilltops but, more than likely, not. > >Another group wants to do away with the hub altogether and perform >linking from site to site to site to site. The thought being that it >would free up the RLC3 controller that we use at the hub for other >uses, we wouldn't have to worry about maintaining the hub site, and >would not even have to find a new site. Downside is moving all the >link hardware to the hilltops. > >Since there are a lot of "old hands" out here, I thought I'd ask for >opinions. What are the pros and cons of linking multiple sites via a >hub vs. linking point-to-point? What's the "best" method and why?
Since your email address has "socal" in it & you say that you're currently linking on 430, I'll mention that I've been told that the local 420-450 MHz coordinator frowns on direct "comm site to comm site" linking in the 420-430 MHz range in the major metro. areas because its bandplan cannot easily accommodate such links, & prefers the approach you're currently using (hub at non-comm site). You might want to send an email to 20kHz at scrrba dot org & see what it has to say about your particular operation. Bob NO6B
