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Best Radios for Repeater Build

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W3AWF

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I am getting ready to build a UHF repeater and have some questions in regards to what radio is better for the application.

I am trying to build this out of stuff I happen to have sitting around. Sitting here currently I have a CDM750, an M1225, and a Maxtrac. All of which are 16 pin radios. My question is, which of these is better to use for a transmit radio and which is better for a receive radio? I have read that a lot of people have had good luck with Maxtrac's, GM300's, and other radios of that era for this so I wouldn't be opposed to buying one of those if that is the way to go.


"Interoperability is not a luxury, it is a necessity!"
 

zz0468

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I am getting ready to build a UHF repeater and have some questions in regards to what radio is better for the application.

I'd go with the CDM's. They are excellent in duplex service. The main thing to watch out for is that the transmit radio needs to have cooling air blown on it. And put in some logic so that if the fan fails, the transmitter shuts down. It WILL eat itself alive from the heat if you don't.
 

N1GTL

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Check both, or ask for help from someone, with a service monitor. I'll bet you find the RX sensitivity of the Maxtrac to be better than a CDM. Check TX deviation.

Also, what kind of repeater are you building? Amateur? How will you control the FCC ID? CW? Shutting it down if there is an issue? If it's for business, Maxtrac's are only wideband.

All the things you need answered can be accomplished with the right test equipment and someone who knows how to use it.
 

W3AWF

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Check both, or ask for help from someone, with a service monitor. I'll bet you find the RX sensitivity of the Maxtrac to be better than a CDM. Check TX deviation.

Also, what kind of repeater are you building? Amateur? How will you control the FCC ID? CW? Shutting it down if there is an issue? If it's for business, Maxtrac's are only wideband.

All the things you need answered can be accomplished with the right test equipment and someone who knows how to use it.



I will have to get ahold of my buddy up in State College that has a service monitor, he generally works for beer which is perfect for me!

It is going to be a GMRS repeater. I am thinking that I am going to use an ID-O-Matic as the repeater controller which will give me the ability to use that to ID the repeater via either CW or voice.



"Interoperability is not a luxury, it is a necessity!"
 

SteveC0625

Order of the Golden Dino since 1972
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I am getting ready to build a UHF repeater and have some questions in regards to what radio is better for the application.

I am trying to build this out of stuff I happen to have sitting around. Sitting here currently I have a CDM750, an M1225, and a Maxtrac. All of which are 16 pin radios. My question is, which of these is better to use for a transmit radio and which is better for a receive radio? I have read that a lot of people have had good luck with Maxtrac's, GM300's, and other radios of that era for this so I wouldn't be opposed to buying one of those if that is the way to go.
Just a point of information, and I am not trying to be the radio police here. The M1225 is the only one of the three that is type accepted for GMRS transmit. If that is a concern to you, then you at least now know. If not, then you're probably like many of us (me included) that feel that a Part 90 type accepted radio is more than adequate for Part 95a.

That said, I'd go with the CDM also on the Tx side. I happen to have a CDM and a M1225 on the shelf here, and have considered putting up a GMRS repeater with them. I'll watch your project with great interest.
 

n3obl

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Why don't you look on eBay. Might be able to find a older repeater that can be programmed on gmrs and is wideband only? Plus a real repeater has better sensitivity and power handling for transmit.
 

cmdrwill

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Why don't you look on eBay. Might be able to find a older repeater that can be programmed on gmrs and is wideband only? Plus a real repeater has better sensitivity and power handling for transmit.

They would still have to be type accepted for GMRS transmit.
 
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