Kenwood: TM-V71 tone configuration Was: Trouble with local repeater

tiggen · May 21, 2015

I'm a (relatively) new ham, and I've recently been having trouble getting on the local (Atlanta)146.82 machine. To complicate matters, I'm learning a new radio (Kenwood TM-V71A).

Last night I tried to check in to a linked repeater net, but was unable to hear any audio on my radio with the CTCSS set to 146.2, which is the proper tone. The S meter was full strength (I'm only about 2-3 miles from the repeater), and the radio said "busy" on that band. After a little bit of fiddling I removed the tone, and suddenly I could hear everybody else.

I then tried to check in, but without the tone set I'm pretty sure I was not heard. (The net controller did not acknowledge my call.) Either way, I thought the CTCSS is used for transmit and not receive. Am I wrong? As I understand it I rightly shouldn't have been heard when I transmitted without the CTCSS tone turned on, but why didn't I hear anything with it turned on? (I realize this may be a radio specific question, that maybe I turned on some setting, but I have been re-reading my manual and can not find anything about this issue.)

I'm pretty sure I have the radio programmed properly as I was able to get on a net on the W4BOC Stone Mtn repeater last week, and while the frequencies and tones are different, the setup is the exact same.

I hope I explained this properly. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

ermin · May 21, 2015

tiggen said:
I'm a (relatively) new ham, and I've recently been having trouble getting on the local (Atlanta)146.82 machine. To complicate matters, I'm learning a new radio (Kenwood TM-V71A).

Last night I tried to check in to a linked repeater net, but was unable to hear any audio on my radio with the CTCSS set to 146.2, which is the proper tone. The S meter was full strength (I'm only about 2-3 miles from the repeater), and the radio said "busy" on that band. After a little bit of fiddling I removed the tone, and suddenly I could hear everybody else.

I then tried to check in, but without the tone set I'm pretty sure I was not heard. (The net controller did not acknowledge my call.) Either way, I thought the CTCSS is used for transmit and not receive. Am I wrong? As I understand it I rightly shouldn't have been heard when I transmitted without the CTCSS tone turned on, but why didn't I hear anything with it turned on? (I realize this may be a radio specific question, that maybe I turned on some setting, but I have been re-reading my manual and can not find anything about this issue.)

I'm pretty sure I have the radio programmed properly as I was able to get on a net on the W4BOC Stone Mtn repeater last week, and while the frequencies and tones are different, the setup is the exact same.

I hope I explained this properly. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Hello

Looks like you have the PL correct.. Several things to try.
1. Use PL on transmit only. Some repeaters do not pass thru the PL
2. Make sure you have a - offset. I've done that a lot.
3. Make sure your offset is .600

If you have your radio set to 146.820 with a -.600 offset and a transmit pl of 146.2 and your that close to the repeater than it should work.

Good Luck & 73

Ermin

tiggen · May 21, 2015

ermin said:
1. Use PL on transmit only. Some repeaters do not pass thru the PL
2. Make sure you have a - offset. I've done that a lot.
3. Make sure your offset is .600

Ermin

Ermin, thank you for the response.

Here's what I've done:

1. Can't find anywhere in the radio that allows for the PL to be active on receive, but I'm still looking.
2. Made sure of that.
3. Made sure of that.

I'm still not getting anything. I actually had the call channel of the radio set to the same frequency/tone/offset and wondered if that was a problem, so I changed the call freq. Still no audio on the repeater with CTCSS on.

I also reprogrammed another random frequency into the #1 memory channel (where I have the repeater), and then reprogrammed the repeater back into memory channel #1. That didn't make it work either.

I'm going to program a different repeater that I know works from another memory channel into memory channel #1. I realize that my logic may be flawed, but if the other repeaters in the other memory channels function properly, could it just be this memory channel? Conversely I'm going to plug this repeater into a different memory channel as well.

I'll nail it down eventually.

kayn1n32008 · May 21, 2015

Press the 'tone' button on the control head until you see a black square with a 'T' in it. When showing this icon, your radio will listen in carrier squelch mode, and transmit PL only. Then press 'function' then 'tone' and select the correct tone, press 'tone' again to save the selected tone. Then save it to a memory, don't have the radio in front of me, and I can't remember exactly how to save it to a memory channel with out having the radio I front of me.

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AK9R · May 22, 2015

As described on page 27 of the manual, repeated presses of the TONE button cycle through "None >> T (tone) >> CT (CTCSS) >> DCS >> None". With just a T in the display, the radio transmits a tone, but does not decode the tone on receive (the receiver is in carrier squelch mode). With CT in the display, the radio transmits a tone and requires that same tone on receive (the receiver is in tone squelch mode). Note that you cannot select different transmit and receive tones.

It sounds like the OP had the radio in CT mode while trying to access a repeater that requires a tone but does not transmit a tone. If that's the case, the radio should be in T mode.

Saving a frequency to memory is described on page 33. While in VFO mode, select the frequency, offset, and tone. Then press the F key. A channel number will appear. Turn the main knob to select the desired memory channel. Then press the MR key to store the information from the VFO into the selected memory.

rapidcharger · May 22, 2015

tiggen said:
I'm a (relatively) new ham, and I've recently been having trouble getting on the local (Atlanta)146.82 machine. To complicate matters, I'm learning a new radio (Kenwood TM-V71A).

Last night I tried to check in to a linked repeater net, but was unable to hear any audio on my radio with the CTCSS set to 146.2, which is the proper tone. The S meter was full strength (I'm only about 2-3 miles from the repeater), and the radio said "busy" on that band. After a little bit of fiddling I removed the tone, and suddenly I could hear everybody else.

I then tried to check in, but without the tone set I'm pretty sure I was not heard. (The net controller did not acknowledge my call.) Either way, I thought the CTCSS is used for transmit and not receive. Am I wrong? As I understand it I rightly shouldn't have been heard when I transmitted without the CTCSS tone turned on, but why didn't I hear anything with it turned on? (I realize this may be a radio specific question, that maybe I turned on some setting, but I have been re-reading my manual and can not find anything about this issue.)

I'm pretty sure I have the radio programmed properly as I was able to get on a net on the W4BOC Stone Mtn repeater last week, and while the frequencies and tones are different, the setup is the exact same.

I hope I explained this properly. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

The atlanta radio club repeater has some serious problems that have gone unresolved for years. That repeater can be really hard to get into and really hard to hear and it's probably got nothing to do with your radio.

http://forums.radioreference.com/am...307822-if-your-club-repeater-sounds-like.html

^^^ read this.

MTS2000des · May 22, 2015

In addition to the W4DOC repeater having a severely over modulated transmit signal, a couple of points:

They don't transmit a PL tone on the output side for some reason. You must set your V71A to "T" (encode tone) and ensure that the encode PL tone is 146.2 (the V71A has independent menu setting for both encode CTCSS and encode/decode!).

Also, that particular net they configure the link to RX only meaning the linked traffic goes out over the repeater, but repeater traffic doesn't make it over the link. I don't know why they do this, but a control operator has to come in and turn on the link when they call for check ins from Atlanta. I guess he does it so only he can check in.

Regardless, since that repeater is a cheeseburger, my suggestion is to try one of the many other repeaters on the Southeastern Linked repeater net that are more accessible and in better operating condition.

I use the hub 145.21 PL 131.8 in Fayetteville which has excellent audio and good coverage all the way into downtown using a mobile like your V71A. And there is always the Echolink option to check in as well.

bharvey2 · May 22, 2015

When I first purchased my TM-V71A, I ran into this problem as well. Much of it due to my making assumptions on how tones were used. A quick synopsis of the settings:

Tone (T): Transmits the selected tone frequency but will receive anything.

CTCSS: Transmits the selected tone frequency and requires that a selected tone frequency be received for the transmitting station to break your radio's squelch.

I made the incorrect assumption that if a repeater required a tone for input that it would also transmit a tone. That was incorrect. Many HAM repeaters don't transmit a tone. If you use the Tone (T) setting, you should be able to communicate with the repeater (assuming that your frequency and offset are correct and you're withing range). However, you could also receive any additional traffic being transmitted on that frequency.

KC4YIN · May 22, 2015

What "bharvey2" says just above here is correct. Make sure you have just the letter"T" showing for your tone. You do not want it in "CT" mode.

tiggen · May 22, 2015

kayn1n32008 said:
Press the 'tone' button...

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W9BU said:
As described on page 27 of the manual...

Thank you, gentlemen. This was indeed the problem. Radio works fine now.

I figured that was the problem, I just never found it stated in the manual that "T" meant transmit w/ a tone and "CT" meant transmit and listen with a tone. Perhaps this is a standard ham/Kenwood thing.

So, do most repeaters not tx the tone? This might explain why I've never heard some of the repeaters that I programmed into the radio.

However, the two other area repeaters that I listen to most often must tx the tone because I have them set up with "CT" in the memory, and I hear them fine.

tiggen · May 22, 2015

MTS2000des said:
Regardless, since that repeater is a cheeseburger...

I don't exactly what that means, but it made me laugh. And thanks for the info. Will put it to good use!

Thank you for the responses.

kayn1n32008 · May 22, 2015

tiggen said:
Thank you, gentlemen. This was indeed the problem. Radio works fine now.

Glad we can help.

tiggen said:
I figured that was the problem, I just never found it stated in the manual that "T" meant transmit w/ a tone and "CT" meant transmit and listen with a tone. Perhaps this is a standard ham/Kenwood thing.

Pretty normal for ham gear.

tiggen said:
So, do most repeaters not tx the tone? This might explain why I've never heard some of the repeaters that I programmed into the radio.

Depends. In Edmonton Alberta almost every repeater that requires tones to access repeaters, they also transmit PL as well, yet a couple hundred kilometres south in Calgary most repeaters that require PL to access a repeater DONOT transmit PL. It all depends on where you are.

If a repeater is in a city,cand does not transmit PL they are almost unusable due to the ****y front ends of ham gear IMHO. I know in Calgary there are only a couple of repeaters I use there, simply because they actually transmit PL and my receiver stays quiet when using them.

tiggen said:
However, the two other area repeaters that I listen to most often must tx the tone because I have them set up with "CT" in the memory, and I hear them fine.

If you have full PL set then yes they do transmit PL?

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cmdrwill · May 22, 2015

Another quirk in the programming: the T and CT settings can have different 'tones' set in them.

The TM-V71 and TM-710 can not do 'split tone', a different RX tone from the TX tone.

Kenwood: TM-V71 tone configuration Was: Trouble with local repeater

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