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Baofeng UV-5R+ Repeater problem...

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iepoker

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I recently watched a video on how to make two Baofeng radios into a repeater, and was so intrigued I bought a pair.

Sure enough, the parts were easy enough but I encountered a problem and wondered if ya'll have any suggestions. The problem is that the transmitter keys up intermittently when the mic jack gets coupled up with the RX radio. There will be nothing coming from the other radio. I have used a gold 2.5mm jack adapter, and don't know what the problem is. When I am able to hit the repeater, it has a low hum like something isn't grounded.

Could it be the gold connecter? I am bummer because I have always wanted my own repeater but could never afford it, so this was the answer to that... but I am stuck in a bind.

Any help?
 

WB4CS

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Could it be the gold connecter? I am bummer because I have always wanted my own repeater but could never afford it, so this was the answer to that... but I am stuck in a bind.

Any help?

One thing to keep in mind, a pair of $30 radios will never come close to being a dependable repeater. It will work for short term, short range repeating. A pair of $30 radios will not become a long term, long range, heavy use repeater system. Just throwing that out there since it sounds like your expectation is that this will give you a long range repeater system.

That being said, as for the hum a few things to check:
1) Do you have enough voltage or amperage from the power supply? Not enough volts or amps could cause some hum.
2) How far apart are the radios? If they are too close to each other, one could be desensing the other and causing a hum and/or intermittent TX. This is why actual repeaters have can duplexers to isolate the receiver from the transmitter.
3) How far apart are the receiving and transmitting antennas? Same reason as #2 above.


Maybe that will get you in the right direction of troubleshooting. Good luck, sounds like a fun project.
 

K5MPH

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Can you post a link to the YouTube video........
 

iepoker

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One thing to keep in mind, a pair of $30 radios will never come close to being a dependable repeater. It will work for short term, short range repeating. A pair of $30 radios will not become a long term, long range, heavy use repeater system. Just throwing that out there since it sounds like your expectation is that this will give you a long range repeater system.

That being said, as for the hum a few things to check:
1) Do you have enough voltage or amperage from the power supply? Not enough volts or amps could cause some hum.
2) How far apart are the radios? If they are too close to each other, one could be desensing the other and causing a hum and/or intermittent TX. This is why actual repeaters have can duplexers to isolate the receiver from the transmitter.
3) How far apart are the receiving and transmitting antennas? Same reason as #2 above.


Maybe that will get you in the right direction of troubleshooting. Good luck, sounds like a fun project.


Thanks for the reply. I understand the rule of line of sight and cheap equipment. I plan on using this to extend the range of GMRS equipment at some areas I have had trouble with. On a temporary basis. Like, the camping trip I take to Yuma every year where the terrain is a little hilly when we go jeeping... but... there is a hill we always hike up every year that overlooks the whole area. Big time. Several hundred feet above the rest of the terrain. Figure I'll drive the Rhino up it with my 'Vault' and 'Tower' and leave it up there for the weekend. Go up and switch out the batteries once a day, or whenever. And have a fun 'toy' to brag with my dorky once a year camp guys. The rest of the year... well, my kid will have the coolest radios in the neighborhood. MS350R's for the boys, My setup on the roof gives me about a two mile radius of indoor penetration. That's with the hum...

...so I got thinking: Perhaps it was the gold connector. So I removed it, used a scanner as my RX radio (since it has a 3.5mm out) and voila, no hum. No intermittent transmit. No explanation, other than its cheap stuff and maybe it doesn't like gold? Either way, all is working fine now, and other than it not being a "perfect" repeater, it works pretty good.

The radios sit in an 'Ammo' can, with a hole drilled in the side, antenna cable feeds out separate holes. They are in the same can for now, mere inches apart, and seem to do the trick. I wonder how this will be over the long term... but hey, they were 35 each, right? I pondered giving each its own ammo can, and separate them by about 20 feet, since I have a good ten feet of extra coax leading to the 'Tower'.... I guess I could do that. Think that will improve it? My 'Tower' (again, a temp unit for camping etc.) is a five gallon bucket, filled 1/3 of the way with concrete. I put an eye bolt in there in case I want to use a cable lock at some point. A five foot mast rises from the rock, and then 'T's off with a Motorola UHF 4" mobile antenna at each end. They are separated by about 4 feet. I know this to not be ideal, but it is functioning. I don't anticipate being able to get them further apart at any time soon. I feel that the placement of the units, and the reality of it being 4 watts, will dictate its efficiency. The hill I am planning on using the spring should do the trick just fine, if not, I'm in for about 100.00 and tinkering time. I kind of consider it my 35th grade Science project.

I kind of took the idea from the video and ran with it, I guess =)

For the guy who wanted the link:

Set up a Baofeng UV-5R Repeater System - YouTube

...any help or critiques of the setup (other than the obvious, its a 35 dollar radio) would be appreciated.... hell, we can rag on the radios too, they are **it, but functioning quite well right now... always like to tweak it though.

Thanks in advance!
 

WB4CS

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I plan on using this to extend the range of GMRS equipment at some areas I have had trouble with.

Just so you're aware, what you're trying to do isn't legal with the UV-5R. It's not FCC Part 95 approved equipment for GMRS use.

If you're trying to extend the range of a GMRS repeater, you'll need the permission of the repeater owner to create a link to their system. I'm not entirely sure (I'm a little rusty on Part 95 rules) but I don't believe remote base links to a repeater are allowed on GMRS.

If you're trying to extend the range of GMRS simplex, what you'll need are GMRS Part 95 approved radios that are capable of 50 Watts of power - or - larger high gain antennas - or both - to extend the range of simplex.

Unfortunately in your case, GMRS is not meant to be a long distance radio service, with the exception of a GMRS repeater built out of Part 95 approved equipment. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but that's the way it is. On the other hand, there are people on this forum that don't care that the Baofeng radios aren't legal on the GMRS band and they may help you further. Proceed at your own risk.

Good luck
 

iepoker

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I understand what you are saying, but I am a licensed Ham and can just as easily make them a 440 band repeater with the same parts. Dig?
 

iepoker

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And by the way, the hum WAS caused by the antennas being too close to each other... Good call.Now I have them separated by about 30 feet and cannot believe the improvement. Thanks for your advice.
 

K5MPH

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Theses radios won't last long as repeaters, you will burn the pa on them in a short time any way good luck.
 

665_NJ

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Portable Repeater...Hmmm

Interesting,

Have you seen this device LINK

When click on the link, read it carefully especially the details and diagrams.
May work as an initial but very temporary solution at an incident for only a short duration or until a more robust equipment is set up.:roll:

Max:cool:
 

prcguy

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The UV-5Rs will make an ok low power CROSS BAND repeater (VHF to UHF, etc) but will not work when repeating within the same band unless you have an actual duplexer or two antennas with lots of separation and band pass cavities. Even a pair of Motorola XTS5000s will not work as a GMRS repeater using two antennas that are very close to each other.
prcguy
 

iepoker

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Yeah, I have the antennas approx., 30 feet apart right now, For the concerned party, to reiterate, these are now being used in the 440 band for HAM, so you can un-wedge your panties... =)

They are working very well for their intended use: To have a temporary, low wattage, low elevation repeater. My yearly camping trip with the guys will be more fun, and breakdowns of our OHV's will be easier to remedy (no cell coverage at our spot, but an absolute choice hill to place my machine!)

Thanks for all the help, all is working really well.
 

iepoker

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Just came from my annual camping trip that I basically built these for, and I must say we were all AMAZED! Our antenna 'site' was located on a hill that was 200 feet above our camp... obviously the range there was impressive... but we were making good contacts at up to 10 miles away with numerous hills in between and it worked super duper good.
 

JCNHB

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Awesome. I love it when a plan comes together. Good job!


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iepoker

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Plenty of folks nay say about others' ideas. Thankfully, some of us push on through it and it pays off. Since it was so cheap, I went against conventional wisdom and got the desired results.
 

WB4CS

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Plenty of folks nay say about others' ideas. Thankfully, some of us push on through it and it pays off. Since it was so cheap, I went against conventional wisdom and got the desired results.

And some folks follow the rules the FCC put in place :)

If you're talking to me specifically, I wasn't nay-saying about your idea, I think it was a great one and encourage experimenting. However, as a licensed FCC amateur radio operator, you've agreed to the FCC that in exchange for the privilege of being able to transmit on the air, you promise to follow the FCC rules. I simply pointed out that Baofeng UV-5R radios are not legal to use on GMRS.

I'm glad you got it all worked out and tested, and I hope that you did indeed test it on ham frequencies with other licensed hams. I hope you'll continue to experiment, ask questions, and learn. But I also hope that when you're told information that you don't like (IE: That's not legal) that you listen and learn, instead of saying "I have a ham license! I'll do it anyway."

Good luck!
 

WA0CBW

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I'm sure the local Repeater frequency coordinator would also like to know when an un-coordinated repeater pops up. How did you accomplish the FCC's rules for control of your repeater?
 

JCNHB

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I did not know BF UV-5R radios are not legal to use on GMRS. I thought it would be ok if the operator had a GMRS license and identified w their GMRS call sign.

If someone could point me out to the citation or code where this is stated? Just for my self education...


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JCNHB

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You know what else might not be legal? Providing legal advice/practicing law without a license...


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nd5y

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eCFR — Code of Federal Regulations

Subpart E—Technical Regulations
§95.603 Certification required.
(a) Each GMRS transmitter (a transmitter that operates or is intended to operate at a station authorized in the GMRS) must be certificated.


You can look up FCC IDs here to see if the radio is Part 95 certified.
OET -- FCC ID Search

The label on the radio should also show what FCC rule parts the radio is certified for.

Baofeng does not have any products with Part 95 certification.
 

JCNHB

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Thank you. That's very helpful.


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