WX5812
Member
Looking for ideas to make a backyard repeater by using 2 mobile radios or one mobile and a handheld with an actual controller. Can anyone give me some examples and pictures would be nice.
Thanks
Thanks
The controller I’m wanting to use is going to be a cat 260
Thats cool,is that what they call a poor man repeater....I'm sure you want to go a tad bit more elaborate, but I actually made a repeater out of two GP300's. I programmed one to scan, and beep when the scan stopped. I put the other on VOX and taped it's mike to the first one's speaker, with a TX delay. When the first one heard something, it would beep. That would open up the VOX on the second one. The audio was "all right". Not something I would put in service for a bunch of people. But it was fun to try.
A possible alternative is to use two antennas with proper horizontal and or vertical separation to create the needed isolation. Still, I prefer using a duplexer.Making a cross band repeater is easy, in band is another story and without a duplexer it will be hard to make it work. You can cobble things together and make an in band repeater work in front of you but the transmitting radio will blitz the receiving radio and you will not get any distance from it.
A possible alternative is to use two antennas with proper horizontal and or vertical separation to create the needed isolation. Still, I prefer using a duplexer.
A possible alternative is to use two antennas with proper horizontal and or vertical separation to create the needed isolation. Still, I prefer using a duplexer.
I agree. There are also losses using a duplexer. Lopsided is dependent upon losses, TX output, attenuation, etc. as you know, whether single antenna or two. A mobile duplexer, along with its losses, is typically limited to the power output it can handle, ergo the potential for lopsided results you identified.Proper means lots of separation. Lots of separation is going to create lopsided coverage in most cases. Add in the cost of the coaxial cable, the losses associated with that, and then the limitations from using incorrect radios, it all adds up to poor performance. Might take a lot of work to get it to work halfway decent, but that money and effort might be better invested.
Not saying that dual antenna systems cannot work, just that it's not as easy as many think, especially with the closely spaced 2 meter offsets.
Even a mobile duplexer can work better.
At 2 meters, .600mHz separation usually needs some good duplexers if you want it to work well.
70cm is a bit easier with 5mHz of separation.
Thank you all very much for the feedback. This is going to be a slow process and I will keep updated. Also I’ve herd conflicting story’s of the cheap Chinese duplexers. Is that what you are talking about would be safe with about 20watts or so?