WB4GBI 145.470 Repeater on Broadcastify

I can listen to one of my favorite local repeaters on Broadcastify without a radio.

VolNet DMR

Guess I need the UHF version of whatever radio I pickup... VolNet DMR Repeaters.

Hytera RD965 - Tactical DMR Repeater Project

Hytera RD965 - Tactical DMR Repeater Project:

In testing UHF DMR in simplex mode, I found on typical terrain or on road convoys, the DMR radios gave us approx 2-3x the distance and had many fewer coverage holes in a given set of terrain. Another anecdote, from the basement of my house in Fort Collins, I can hit the Boulder area DMR-MARC repeater, using a HT, in DMR mode. This is pretty amazing considering the distance and stuff in the way. On analog UHF, I am lucky to hit the local Fort Collins (Horsetooth) repeater from the exact same position.

Only problem, the DMR repeaters Kent deals with are fixed position enterprise-level units, and the "manpack" repeaters he builds are typically built around ultra low power VHF/UHF. So I did a bunch of research online and found the Hytera RD965 repeater. It's small, a little larger than an old Hayes Courier HST modem. The downside compared to the other manpack repeaters was going to be its power requirements. I said that I didn't mind if we needed to have more batteries or solar panels, so we just went ahead with the project.

The idea is that we ID the best mountain-top position for the repeater to give maximal coverage of the event area, drive/hike it up there, and then leave it there for about to two weeks, until we're done with the site. The repeater is to run autonomously during that time.

Click the link for the full details (including pics) of the solution.

WB4GBI Repeater Problems

Not really repeater problems, but people problems:

"I'm sure most of you know by now that the repeater has been off the air since early Friday Morning. I was on vacation last week, and some incidents that happened while I was away left me choice but to ask my control operators to shut it down until I returned.

I do not like to leave the repeater off. I do not like to "punish" the vast majority of great amateur radio operators that use and enjoy my repeaters the way I wanted my "labor of love" to be used and enjoyed. However, as I have mentioned before, this is my license and my investment of time and dollars that are on the line. In order for that investment to be preserved, and enjoyed properly, I am in the final process of publishing an "Acceptable Use Policy" (AUP). This document, which will be published on my website (www.wb4gbi.com), will specifically detail what is permissible and what is not when using any of my 14 repeaters. I regret having to resort to this method, but everyone will be able to read, understand, and know the policies of being a "guest in my house actually means." Think of it as what would be expected of you if you were a long-term guest in someone else's residence. In essence, when you use someone else's repeater, that is exactly what you are doing.

Until this document is published, the repeater will remain off the air. The final version of the AUP document is being edited and revised by several parties. I expect to have it ready to publish in the next few days. There will be a downloadable PDF file available as well. If you have any questions or concerns, please email me personally.

73 de Tim WB4GBI"

Repeater Highway Sign

A nice idea, but I'd probably not catch the frequency as I drove by it. (And some on reddit think it is fake.)

As seen on CBS This Morning #hamradio pic.twitter.com/y9XutfIAOD
— Randy (@K7AGE) December 22, 2014

Bucket Cross-Band Repeater

A cross-band repeater in a bucket project:

"The “Bucket Repeater” is a battery powered cross-band VHF/UHF repeater in a weather proof enclosure that can operate unattended for a week or more, and be remotely activated or deactivated from miles away as needed."

He uses a Puxing PX-UV973 for the radio and has a complete parts list.

Via AR-15 Ham Radio Forum

HT Repeater Box for $20?

Radioddity is selling the RPT-2D Two Way Radio Repeater Box for Two Transceivers Station DIY for $28. But, if they get 200 likes on Facebook, they will drop the price to $20.

Via reddit

Surecom SR-112 Simplex Repeater

The Surecom SR-112 Simplex Repeater at the 409Shop for $69.90.

SR-112 Radio record simplex repeater Controller The SR-112 is a multi-function voice recorder device that connects to virtually any handheld, base, or mobile radio. It features exceptional voice recording quality and higher capacity than any other comparable device on the market. Simplex Repeater A simplex repeater records incoming transmissions and retransmits them on the same frequency. This has the effect of doubling the time required to transmit a message, but while a traditional repeater typically costs thousands of dollars and might be semi-portable at best, a simplex repeater can be set up with a single handheld radio and operated from batteries. This makes it perfect for disaster response, home or campground use, and any place where radio range needs to be extended but the cost and complexity of a traditional repeater can’t be justified. Voice Mail The SR-112 s voice mail function operates like a telephone answering machine, allowing users to record messages for later retrieval. Up to 3 incoming messages can be recorded, total recording  message  up to 180sec Auto message send system 15/30/45 minutes  setting Major Features- 3 of message box for record - Auto Messge send out at 15/30/45mins -Up to 180 seconds total recording time -DTMF remote control for all functions -19.2 KHz sample rate for excellent voice clarity -Operates from 14500 3.7V Li-ion or external 5-24 V DC supply -build-in rechargeable Lithium-ion battery support 72 hours long life operation -User to change the DTMF remote control password by radio -User set the Repeater Operates On/Off by DTMF -Audio output adjustable in hardware and by remote command -Audio in Level display -Auto Battery level display (20%~100%) -Provides audio Input  level display  ( for adj. best sound ) -Provides signal roger beep setting -DTMF signal dispaly -Works with most popular CB,FRS, PMR, Amateur radios,Mobile Radio (optional of Cable) -1 year warranty on complete unit, 5 years on flash memory

Baojie Repeater Backpack

Like ham radio?
Like repeaters?
Like backpacks?
Like prepping?

Then Hans has a post for you: the Baojie Backpack Repeater. (Click here for my other prep related posts.)

Baojie Backpack Repeater

Interference on WB4GBI's 940 Repeater

Tim tells the story of tracking down the source of interference to his popular 146.940 repeater.

Funny Repeaters

Dan, AE5DW, has a post about some funny repeater IDs and includes MP3 recordings. One of which is the W4KEV repeater here in Knoxville that I posted about in July of 2011.

QKC

On the lighter side, a new Q code for kerchunking:

"QKC: I am kerchunking the repeater

QKC?: Are you kerchunking the repeater?"

No More Ribbit

Tim, WB4GBI, posted a note about his 900 MHz repeater on his blog. but what caught my eye was this note:

"And on a final note, while at the repeater site, after taking care of a couple of matters for the " Frog," (that's the nickname of the radio station whose tower we share), I was also able to complete some work on the 146.94 repeater which removed the FM broadcast audio from the repeater audio. Now I know some will be disappointed that they can no longer hear the faint country music on 146.94, They can tune to 107.7 and hear it for real."

It is the end of an era.

Use it or lose it: Repeaters

WD4AM spins the dial and cannot find anyone on the repeaters in his area. He posits that hams are too busy watching American Idol to monitor the repeaters. This doesn't seem to be a problem in the Knoxville area as there are a lot of guys using the W4GBI repeaters on a regular basis. Knoxville maybe the exception to the rule.

Repeater Primer

From Stu (G3OCR) on the Wouxun KG-UVD1 Yahoo Group gives a repeater primer on the various burps/chirps/tones/beeps/dits/dahs/buzzes you might hear:

"The tone is commonly referred to as a "K" tone, because all repeaters used to be programmed to send a Morse __ _ __ (letter K, the Morse code abbreviation for "over to you") to let you know that the other station had finished transmission and the time-out timer had been reset. A lot of repeaters these days use a letter T (one dash) instead, but there are other variants too.

Other tones used sometimes are an "access tone", which is a bit of history as a 1750 tone-burst used to be (and sometimes still is) required by the repeater at the start of a transmission to stop unmodulated carriers opening the repeater and possibly keeping it open.

The 118Hz tone you refer to is called a CTCSS (Continuous Tone Coded Squelch System), sometimes called a PL-Tone in other countries like USA. This can be one of a number of low-audio tones (sub-audible) and these are usually chosen to avoid a station inadvertently opening up a repeater half a state away as well as your local one, if there's a "lift".

 So there you have (wanted or not!) a quick rundown on the terms for the different tones relating to repeaters."

Baofeng UV-3R: Cheap UV-3R Repeater

Bart (eo512) has created a UHF repeater using two UV-3R Mark II and a small UHF duplexer. He thinks he'll be in the hole for less than $200 (excluding antenna and feedline) for the project.

I'll have to check back later as he indicates he'll add more notes about the setup.

30 Years Anniversary of the 145.470 Repeater System Picnic

From the 470 Amateur Radio Group...

"On September 17th of this year the 145.470 repeater will be 30 years old, in celebration of the 30th anniversary, Tim Berry WB4GBI and I spoke about having a picnic get together for all of those who use the 470."

146.730 Repeater

Tim, WB4GBI, announces that the 146.730 repeater should be rocking and rolling again after eliminating a tricky problem.

"The offending signal is actually produced when two UHF transmitters (there is another one involved) and the 146.73 transmitter are all “up” at the same time. How did I determine this? There several software programs out there in shareware and software land that will help you calculate all of the possibilities. I tabulated the frequency of EVERY transmitter on the tower and loaded them into a database. The software that I used showed a “fifth-order” intermodulation product caused by three transmitters that would cause a signal to be generated on 146.13 Mhz. Recognize that frequency? It’s the INPUT to 146.73."

Jack FM 2 Meters

So I got all these repeaters programmed into my UV-3R this evening. Purely by chance, I left the radio set to 145.370 (W4KEV).

This is, by far, the funniest repeater I have heard. (Once again, I acknowledge that I have the sense of humor of a 12 year old boy.) I've heard two announcements so far...

The first is a woman's voice announcing the repeater's info by encouraging you to stop playing with your rubber duck and move out of your mother's house. She ends with the phrase "helping hams not be so gay."

The next is a woman's voice doing Morse code - dits and dahs. A man comes on and says nice dits.

If you visit the W4KEV page, you will notice he is associated with 95.7 Jack FM. And now it all makes sense.

Repeater Websearch

It is tools like the Amateur-Radio.net repeater websearch that make me doubt the need for a dead tree list of the repeaters. Of course, if the lights go out, I'll might be real glad I have a list on paper.