Glen, A great deal of information about the RC-85 controller, including a downloadable manual, is on the RBTIP here: <www.repeater-builder.com/acc/acc-index.html#RC-85>
One of the downsides of using the internal clock of an RC-85 controller- or almost any other controller on the planet- is that the clock drifts, and requires regular resetting. I consider this to be an unacceptable burden, and I prefer to use an accurate time source. After all, why pay attention to a clock if it is not accurate? I am currently using a rather simple GPS-synchronized hourly time hack on my 220 repeater, that was designed by Dave KA6BFB. Every hour, it generates a one-second tone that is transmitted by the repeater. To ensure that the repeater is "up to speed" and all listening receivers are ready to receive the tone, the PTT signal is invoked two seconds earlier. This ensures that any scanners have locked onto the repeater frequency and all receivers are unsquelched. As soon as the tone stops and the PTT is released, the ID-er comes on to identify the station. Works like a charm! I do not think it is necessary to reveal the time in hours and day of the week and the year, every hour- as some controllers do. Dave's prototype uses a Garmin GPS-15W engine, a separate active antenna, a PIC chip running a very simple program, and an Exar tone chip. An improved model will use an integral GPS receiver/antenna to reduce the parts count and complexity. The prototype plugs into a handheld set to just enough power to get into the repeater at full quieting, so that any other user of the repeater will easily capture it without interference. A production model will probably be designed to connect directly to a controller or to a portable or mobile radio for remote control. Stay tuned... 73, Eric Lemmon WB6FLY -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of wa6mha_glen Sent: Sunday, July 26, 2009 7:53 AM To: [email protected] Subject: [Repeater-Builder] Missing Time OF Day announcement -RC-85? Our club's RC-85 has been working great for about 20 years now. Few changes were made over the years to its programming. Time was changed with DST. The person that did the changes has moved on so we are scrambling to learn the programming for the controller. It would be a lot of help if anyone could comment on how to turn on the TOD announcement again. If this is an indication of an impending system failure, this would be a big help also. Suggestions for a low cost replacement would be appreciated as well. The functions needed are Voice announcements for ID and TOD, ON OFF, AP, and some AUX control. Thank you Glen wa6mha
