Help programming a GMRS repeater into APX 7000

[gt5837c]

I own an APX 7000, model number H97TGD9PW1AN

I own a licensed copy of APX CPS Version:R29.00.03

I have successfully backed up my original code-plug, and I have also successfully added the first 7 GMRS channels, and confirmed they worked with other users, directly between our radios.

I am a member of the North Georgia GMRS Network and I am trying to program in one of their repeaters, namely Flagship 675.

Please see the last row in the chart below for the repeater information, which is just a screen-capture from the (public) linked spreadsheet above.



In this second screen-shot, I show the Conventional Personality that I created for this repeater in CPS.



Lastly, I show in a final screenshot from CPS, that I have this Conventional Personality assigned to Position/Channel 1 of Zone 2



After having written this plug to the radio I cannot hear any traffic from this repeater, despite knowing (from a friend on facetime) that there is in-fact traffic on it. (Dallas doesn't work either, but I'm working them one at a time).

I have tried swapping the Rx/Tx frequencies, but that has no discernable impact - I still can't hear anything.

Thanks for any help you can offer!

 

[a417]

1) can you confirm you are in range with another (working) radio at your location?

2) if you listen on CSQ, do you hear it?

 

[Medic10mda]

I own an APX 7000, model number H97TGD9PW1AN

I own a licensed copy of APX CPS Version:R29.00.03

I have successfully backed up my original code-plug, and I have also successfully added the first 7 GMRS channels, and confirmed they worked with other users, directly between our radios.

I am a member of the North Georgia GMRS Network and I am trying to program in one of their repeaters, namely Flagship 675.

Please see the last row in the chart below for the repeater information, which is just a screen-capture from the (public) linked spreadsheet above.

View attachment 143419

In this second screen-shot, I show the Conventional Personality that I created for this repeater in CPS.

View attachment 143422

Lastly, I show in a final screenshot from CPS, that I have this Conventional Personality assigned to Position/Channel 1 of Zone 2

View attachment 143421

After having written this plug to the radio I cannot hear any traffic from this repeater, despite knowing (from a friend on facetime) that there is in-fact traffic on it. (Dallas doesn't work either, but I'm working them one at a time).

I have tried swapping the Rx/Tx frequencies, but that has no discernable impact - I still can't hear anything.

Thanks for any help you can offer!

Could it be DPL selected instead of PL selected ?

 

[alcahuete]

Maybe someone with a better set of eyes can see something, but it looks fine to me.

Could it be DPL selected instead of PL selected ?

The repeater he is trying to use is DPL.

 

[Thunderknight]

Does the radio work on any other UHF frequencies? Perhaps it has a defective component/board or it needs an alignment.
I concur with switching to carrier squelch on receive and seeing if that helps.

 

[hp8920]

Agree with using monitor or CSQ. If the issue is with the squelch, try the other TX deviation settings. Also try the DPL invert option.

 

[gt5837c]

Thanks to each of you for your time to read my question, and your thoughtful suggestions.

@a417 - I think your question about my proximity to the antenna(s) may be the answer. According to the coverage map at mygrms.com (attached, my house is at the tip of the red arrow) I am just inside the coverage area, approximately 48miles point-to-point. The tower is at an elevation of ~3,200ft and my home is at ~850ft. I do not know of any large obstructions between us, but I'm obviously not a bird! This question helped to eliminate the DALLAS repeater, because I'm well outside the coverage area.

Your second question was easy to test, changing out the squelch type to CSQ, and I can confirm that I still, do-not, hear any traffic at all.

@Thunderknight - That is a great question, could you suggest a frequency that is easy to program and monitor? I don't know where in the UHF spectrum to look for a guaranteed signal acquisition! Likewise, thanks for the suggestion about CSQ, you can see above I gave that a whirl to no-avail.

@hp8920 - Thank you for the suggestion to try inverting the DPL, I tried that too - no luck. I wonder if you know what the N means at the end of the code (D114N)? I originally thought that might be an indicator or tell to use inversion, but I feel like I have read that inversion is usually indicated with an I? but again, I feel like I can't find a definitive answer.

Thank you again!

 

[mmckenna]

Those perfectly circular coverage plots are useless as they don't take into account any topography, any antenna pattern changes, or any thing routed in reality. It assumes the topography is perfectly flat and level.

If you know the EXACT location of the repeater and the EXACT height of the antenna, you can draw lines on Google Earth and plot the topography in between the two points.

 

[a417]

@hp8920 - Thank you for the suggestion to try inverting the DPL, I tried that too - no luck. I wonder if you know what the N means at the end of the code (D114N)? I originally thought that might be an indicator or tell to use inversion, but I feel like I have read that inversion is usually indicated with an I? but again, I feel like I can't find a definitive answer.

Thank you again!

N is normal, I is inverted.

DCS - The RadioReference Wiki

DCS Explained - MMI Technical Resource

and my personal, all time fave --> DPL / DCS Information

thank the gods that archive.org has that, as the domain has been lost to scumbags.

 

[GTR8000]

Your second question was easy to test, changing out the squelch type to CSQ, and I can confirm that I still, do-not, hear any traffic at all.

If the radio is not receiving anything in CSQ mode on the correct frequency, you're either out of range, or something is wrong with the radio itself. You didn't state what other band the 7000 has, and if the second band is enabled. Looking at your CPS screenshot, it appears that it may have VHF capability. If so, program your local NOAA Weather Radio frequency and see if it receives that signal. If yes, find any local UHF repeater and make sure it receives that as well. If yes to both, then you can pretty much conclude that you're out of the range of this GMRS repeater. And as @mmckenna stated, those "range circles" should be taken with a grain of salt, they are simply a best guesstimate under ideal conditions.

 

[gt5837c]

Those perfectly circular coverage plots are useless as they don't take into account any topography, any antenna pattern changes, or any thing routed in reality. It assumes the topography is perfectly flat and level.

If you know the EXACT location of the repeater and the EXACT height of the antenna, you can draw lines on Google Earth and plot the topography in between the two points.

I tend to think that you are correct, and that there are many things between my base station and the repeater!

 

[gt5837c]

N is normal, I is inverted.

DCS - The RadioReference Wiki

DCS Explained - MMI Technical Resource

and my personal, all time fave --> DPL / DCS Information

thank the gods that archive.org has that, as the domain has been lost to scumbags.

Thank you very much!!!

 

[a417]

that's a shot.

w/o coordinates, I guesstimated locations.

could have line of sight, but you might have something local to you that is masking the signal. Considering you're in metro hotlanta, the noise floor is probably almost as high as that antenna.

 

[mmckenna]

So, I did an elevation profile on Google Earth, and depending on EXACTLY where you are in the Atlanta area, there should be a fairly clean line of sight.
There are some hills in the way, so expecting a hand held radio to hit a repeater nearly 50 miles away is kind of stretching it. Get your antenna up high and try again.

 

[gt5837c]

that's a shot.

w/o coordinates, I guesstimated locations.

likely have line of sight, but you might have something local to you that is masking the signal.

View attachment 143534

Well this cool, what a neat tool you have!

I don't know the height of the repeater tower, but I was able to get these specific coordinates for the two locations

FLAGSHIP 675
LAT: 34.52174727402835
LON: -84.33827552822169
ELEVATION: 3,264 ft

ME:
LAT: 33.8
LON: -84.4
ELEVATION: 850 ft

Between me and the tower, Dobbins Air Force Base sits to the left of the red line, PDK airport to the right, and I think weather.com has some gear near the Battery.

I agree, it feels like a shot

 

[gt5837c]

So, I did an elevation profile on Google Earth, and depending on EXACTLY where you are in the Atlanta area, there should be a fairly clean line of sight.
There are some hills in the way, so expecting a hand held radio to hit a repeater nearly 50 miles away is kind of stretching it. Get your antenna up high and try again.

I will do just that, I was out looking at Ed Fong's antenna's just an hour ago!

Thank you!!

 

[MTS2000des]

Their repeaters are on high sites 50 miles outside metro Atlanta. Portable coverage will be spotty at best. I doubt it's your APX, just their overstated coverage on their full time linked repeaters. Most of the users are on high power mobiles and base radios with external antennas.
Your elevation is similar to mine, I'm at 880. It's so diverse land wise, Cobb had to install another RFSS here in Smyrna just to get fill-in coverage on their trunking system, when they are not ISSI into mine for coverage in Mableton.

This is not a "portable friendly" area for distant repeaters rimshotting into the region.

 

[gt5837c]

Their repeaters are on high sites 50 miles outside metro Atlanta. Portable coverage will be spotty at best. I doubt it's your APX, just their overstated coverage on their full time linked repeaters. Most of the users are on high power mobiles and base radios with external antennas.
Your elevation is similar to mine, I'm at 880. It's so diverse land wise, Cobb had to install another RFSS here in Smyrna just to get fill-in coverage on their trunking system, when they are not ISSI into mine for coverage in Mableton.

This is not a "portable friendly" area for distant repeaters rimshotting into the region.

Thank you for saying this! I've been scouring these maps, with a suspicious eye, and it does appear that we are in a repeater-desert if I may coin a term. I'm going to get a base-station, and mount an antenna on the roof, I think

 

[mmckenna]

I will do just that, I was out looking at Ed Fong's antenna's just an hour ago!

Thank you!!

Don't. You can do better.

Get a good COMMERCIAL grade antenna and good coaxial cable.
But before doing anything, take the handheld radio outside, in the clear, preferably on top of a high building or high hill.

 

[MTS2000des]

What he said. I can hit all of their "flagship" repeaters with an XPR5550E with a Diamond X-50 about 30 feet off the ground, with 55ft of LMR400. A lowly setup but it works well on pinging any part 95/97 UHF ham or GMRS within 50 miles of this low country.