These are not 90 watts TX out. They top out at about 50 watts. You can run an out board amp, but that is not advised as it is another part to break and their reliability is sometimes suspect.
If you are connecting a 3rd party controller like a Linkcom, Scom or such to it, there are sometimes issues. What kind of repeater do you have now? Maybe it just needs a face lift. If it is a GE MastrII (a real rack mounted repeater, not a converted mobile) I would not change it out, just R&R it and keep going. If you have to get a new repeater, look at the Motorola MTR2000 or Quantar. These are 100-125 watt and are beginning to show up on the surplus market at good prices. The MaCom MastrIII is another choice, but not my preferred as they take 2-3 programs to program at times. Brands to stay away from.... Hamtronics Maggorie (sp) Anything that is not a commercial built, public safety, grade repeater is something to stay away from. There are lots of good used repeater showing up on the market as the public safety guys begin the final move to the narrowbanding of the public safety and commercial frequencies. How much money do you have to spend? That is going to dictate what you buy the most. Paul Gilbert, KE5ZW Austin, TX On Fri, Nov 21, 2008 at 9:19 AM, John Transue <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > My ham radio club is ready to replace our 440 repeater. I have read the > spec/data sheets on the Icom IC FR-4000 and the Kenwood TKR-850. > > Here are my questions: > > Are these among the best modern repeaters available? > > Is one or the other superior? > > Is there a different repeater you would prefer or recommend? > > What good/bad experience have you had with the Icom or Kenwood (or with > related products)? > > Are there specific brands or models to avoid? > > Information that might be relevant: The repeater will be in a standard > 19-inch rack mount cabinet. It will be inside, not exposed to the elements > . It can be used with or without a power amplifier (5W in, 90W out). I > would like the power out to be near the 90W. The frequency pair has 5MHz > separation. TX is on 448.375MHz; RX on 443.375MHz. The duplexer is a > Motorola T1504A > > I would appreciate the benefit of your experience. Thanks. > > John Transue, Trustee > > Vienna Wireless Society > > Vienna, VA > >
