Mark, Oh, man, are you in for an avalanche of advice! Rather than duplicate other posts, I would like you to consider a few questions:
1. Why do you want to build a repeater? Is there no repeater serving your area now and you perceive that one is needed, or is an existing repeater constantly being tied up with inane discussions by long-winded yakkers, or are you interested in delving into a new area of technology to better yourself? 2. Do you have the money to build a first-class repeater, or are you limited in budget and want to "get by" with a minimal system as cheaply as possible? 3. Have you applied for and received a repeater pair from the cognizant coordinating body? 4. Are you planning to do this by yourself, or are there others with similar desires who will chip in labor and/or money? 5. Do you have a site in mind, having considered the ongoing costs for rent, power, insurance, etc? The above questions are not intended to discourage you, but #2 is the real "snake in the grass." In the many years that I have been monitoring the posts on this list, I have lost count of the number of posts from "Newbies" who start out with the notion that they could set up a 2m repeater using a couple of Amateur transceivers, a flat-pack notch duplexer, and a home-made J-pole antenna. As you learn more about the realities of a 600 kHz split, you will quickly realize that this optimism is based on a lack of technical knowledge. But, let us not be too pessimistic here. There are Elmers on this list who will cheerfully answer your questions and guide you through the jungle of misinformation and misunderstanding. Do not be afraid to ask basic questions for fear of flaming- there are those on the list who become impatient with basic questions, to be sure, but there are many more who relish the opportunity to "take the hand" of someone who sincerely wishes to create a device to serve the community and advance the knowledge of the radio art. If your resources are truly limited, perhaps a UHF repeater in the 440 band would be an inexpensive project. The 70cm band uses a 5 MHz split, which can be handled by a relatively inexpensive "flat pack" notch duplexer that can be purchased new for less than $ 350. This is in stark contrast to a 2m repeater which has a very narrow 600 kHz split and requires a more elaborate duplexer that costs at least $ 1,500. I encourage you to pursue your quest for information. You have come to the right place. Welcome! 73, Eric Lemmon WB6FLY -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of tetrault Sent: Monday, January 25, 2010 11:19 AM To: [email protected] Subject: [Repeater-Builder] newbie looking for info Where would I find a book or list of items I would need to build a repeater. Is there a list of parts and rules etc? I didn't see anything appropriate in the files section. Tnx, Mark AA1OV
