hello everybody,
just was wondering if anybody would have any Motorola GR-300 Chassis laying around without anything but the power supply inside..?
Building a repeater from scratch is not for the average person. It requires skill, the radio parts, a controller, a duplexer, good coax and a good antenna. Then there is the issue of a tower to hold the antenna, a shelter or outdoor cabinet to fit the radios system into and don't forget the FCC license to operate the repeater under.
While your considering all of the above, don't forget that you will need some test equipment to align up the radio receiver and transmitter. Then you need to tune the duplexer for the 2 frequencies you will be using. Lastly you will need a good watt meter to be able to look at the antenna system while transmitting.
Once you manage to get over these hurdles, you can enjoy the use of the repeater. Expect to have to pay something for rent at the tower, share in the electrical expense for the power you will use and lastly, expect to pay to have the antenna installed on the tower along with the coax cable.
Normal tower crews don't come cheap. Generally you can expect the shock of your life when they tell you it will cost about $2000 just to show up at the tower. It can go up from there. Sometimes you can get a break if things are slow for them, but they don't work for nothing.
You asked the question, so now you have an idea what it takes. Remember, your repeater will only be as good as the equipment you use. Some radio equipment have decent shielding and others you might as well just throw in the trash can. Those you will never get to play well in repeater service.
Hope the above can provide some thought to think about.
