I am sorry, but this response was and is completely off subject of the original question from "aaronhorowitz". He wasn't ask about ANYTHING you mentioned except about building height.. He didn't ask if the software is (ver) complex or if a building will require a contract or the parts of a repeater site. He asked about coverage and which wattage repeater he should get.
Actually, the advice I gave him is SPOT ON. How about you go and re-read the OP. He is wanting to set up a DISPATCHING repeater for an EMERGENCY SERVICE agency. Setting up life safety Comms is NOT something a beginner should be doing. This can not be done by learning as you go. This needs to be done right the first time, by people that know what they are doing.
Your advise to get a professional to do it, is basically telling him, he isn't allowed to learn it him self. Which maybe he wants to, which is why he is asking.
Again this is going to be used, potentially, for life safety Comms, at least that is what I read between the lines in his post. So yes, he needs to have professionals in on this. This is not the time to be screwing around, figuring out how to put a repeater on the air, and making mistakes, when people are relying on it. It needs to be done right, and done right the first time. If he was putting up a ham repeater I would suggest finding an Elmer to help, the OP is putting up a repeater for an 'emergency service' entity, and again this is not the place to be learning through trial and error.
A ham operator learning to do something doesn't just call a "professional" because he/she doesn't know how to do something, how is that person supposed to learn and educate themselves?
Again, go back and read. The OP is NOT putting a ham repeater on the air. If he was, I would have given him much different advice. A ham repeater is not the same as putting up a repeater for first responders. I would encourage someone trying to put up a ham repeater. Please do not compare putting up a ham repeater to a dispatching repeater for first responders. And actually, I ask "professionals" lots of questions regarding ham radio, friends that have worked in the industry for decades, so yes even hams call professionals too.
The last thing I will mention is how insulting and ignorant your final paragraph was, at least I took offense to it, as you are insinuating it won't be done right with out "professionals". I have seen lots of stuff done better by non-"professionals" then "professionals" who DON'T know about what they are doing.
Well good thing you are not the OP.
I wholeheartedly agree, there are some "professionals" out there I would not let with in 20 miles of a ham repeater. They are out there. You need to make sure the "professionals" actually are competent, and that costs money, and time.
The OP states he is putting up a repeater for an emergency service agency. It is not the time to be dicking around learning that coax jumpers need to be double shielded, and not RG-58 70% braid. Or that a circulator is actually a good thing, or that maybe using 7/8" hard line makes better sense than using RG-213 to go from the duplexer to the antenna. Or that horizontal separation does not work nearly as good as vertical, or that a mobile duplexer is not going to work in a high RF environment. Things beginners can learn, but a repeater for emergency services is, IMHO, NOT the place to be learning by trial and error.
First responders need it to work the first time, not while a newbie learns through trial and error.
That is all, have a good day.
I was having a great day until seeing your post. While the OP was asking about building height, and power output, these are only a small part of the whole system, and IMHO, less important than selecting a site based on its predicted coverage, rather than just 'putting it on the tallest building I can get access to'. These details are rather important, and saying that this is the time to learn is opening up the OP to liability if the repeater is a cause of an incident.
I, even though I have built a few repeaters for amateur radio, who does not do this professionally, would NEVER attempt to design or implement, a repeater system for 'an emergency service' entity. I would insist that they need to hire the right people for the job, or rent time on an existing SMR, that has coverage where they need it.
You really need to understand that there is a time and a place to learn, and when it comes to putting up a repeater for emergency services, is NOT time and NOT the place to be learning the basics, or the details of putting a repeater on the air.
Good day to YOU sir.
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