Re: [Repeater-Builder] Re: Community Tone board question
If you have one RF channel, the only one person can talk at a time. Basic RF. The only way around it is some of the more exotic digital modulation schemes like TDMA and CDMA. --- In Repeater-Builder@yahoogroups.com, Peter Dakota Summerhawk [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I think I know the answer to this but I am going to confirm it. The community tone board only filters out what talk group you don't want to hear. And it won't let you if you have multiple groups on the same pair talk over each other. Am I correct on this? The reason I ask is that we have several groups that want to be on the same pair but want different PL's but the machine wont let two people with different pairs talk at the same time if I am not mistaken. We only have one pair for this site (VHF) and they want several talk groups for grounds, maintenance, banquets, housekeeping, ad the front desk. Let me know of I am right on this or if I am being crazy. Thanks Peter
[Repeater-Builder] Re: Community Tone board question
If your radios are portables with tone receive normally enabled, then no, different user groups won't be able to initiate conversations between themselves. Once a user(s) is aware that another group is trying to talk to him, he/they can open his receiver. Then they can talk normally. But the problem is how to alert him. So unless your portables are in carrier squelch all the time, it's cumbersome to talk cross-group. But then, why have a community tone panel in the first place? *Maybe* some of the newer panels have unique methods of getting around that problem. Or, maybe some radios can now be programmed to respond to more than one tone without switching channels. (I always wished for that option back when...) But that still somewhat negates the advantages of a tone panel. I built and programmed a repeater with tone panel some years ago with the exact same scenario as you are proposing--different groups within the same company. Many of the users ended up wanting to talk cross-group, so they just kept their radios in carrier squelch. It worked fine operationally, but it's not so fun listening to a carrier squelch radio... Laryn K8TVZ
[Repeater-Builder] Re: Community Tone board question
Peter, I will take a stab at this and some of the others can jump in and help out also. Yes, you are correct in your assumption as to how a community repeater works. It is a single channel repeater with the ability to have different user groups that each have their own PL or DPL Tone. The repeater can only handle one conversation or user group at a time. Typically the mobile radios had a wire connected to either the hang up button on the microphone or they used a hang-up box that contained a switch inside it. The way this worked was when the microphone was hung up in the holder, the radio was in PL mode and you could only hear conversations from your group. When the microphone was picked up or taken off hook to make a call, the radio was then changed to carrier squelch mode and you could hear if the repeater was in use by another group, or was available for use by you and your group. If it was busy, you just waited your turn and if it was clear, you were good to go. It was not uncommon to have 6-8 or more different user groups on a single community repeater. Joe --- In Repeater-Builder@yahoogroups.com, Peter Dakota Summerhawk [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I think I know the answer to this but I am going to confirm it. The community tone board only filters out what talk group you don't want to hear. And it won't let you if you have multiple groups on the same pair talk over each other. Am I correct on this? The reason I ask is that we have several groups that want to be on the same pair but want different PL's but the machine wont let two people with different pairs talk at the same time if I am not mistaken. We only have one pair for this site (VHF) and they want several talk groups for grounds, maintenance, banquets, housekeeping, ad the front desk. Let me know of I am right on this or if I am being crazy. Thanks Peter
