I'm not sure why you think "tone panels" are not a good fit for a ham repeater?
The Zetron Model 48B I'm using has CWID that can be adjusted in increments of one minute intervals. I haven't seen very many commercial tone panels that didn't have built-in CWID. Most do have remote programming over the air with DTMF commands. My 48B will allow me to disable the repeater, change the frequency of the courtesy beep, control relay outputs, enable/disable PL and DPL tones/codes and many other functions. It also has a built-in modem that allows full keyboard programming of all features as well as viewing air time of any PL tones heard on the repeater input. One of the greatest features I plan to use is it's ability to cross translate PL tones. 100.0 Hz decoded with 146.2 Hz encoded. I will have Echolink connected to this repeater as well as a remote base each with it's own PL. A conversation on Echolink will not disrupt the other repeater with the remote base. However when someone uses the repeater with the remote base, it's PL will be decoded from one tone and encoded as another. Using DTMF commands, I can turn on or off anther transposed set of PL tones to bring the repeater using the remote base into the Echolink QSO. Not too many ham repeater panels have this kind of flexibility. Both types panels have their place but to say one or the other doesn't fit the other application is not correct. Randy WB0VHB --- In [email protected], wd8chl <wd8...@...> wrote: > That's because Zetron makes commercial tone panels, not repeater > controllers. They don't use delay lines for the purpose of >eliminating > squelch tails and DTMF muting. > Frankly, for a ham repeater, tone panels are not a good fit. Many >have > fixed ID intervals, at a time period longer than ham regs require, >if > they have an ID'er at all. Most don't have a real "repeat disable" >or > "transmit disable" command either. >
