kayn1n32008
ØÆSØ Say it, say 'ENCRYPTION'
Some recent-ish photos of the progress in the clubs repeater room. We have:
-Analogue repeaters on 50, 144, 220 and 440MHz
-2x DMR on 440MHz
-1x P25 on 440MHz
-1x Fusion on 440MHz
-DStar on 144, 440, 1200MHz
-1200bps packet and APRS.
This site has been neglected for quite a few years. There were some 'Teknisuns' involved in the neglect and just poor RF design, and imementation. We pulled out dozens of meters of LMR400, removed dozens of genderbenders and various adaptors.
I even removed a VHF preamp in-line with a second preamp on our 144MHz analogue repeater.
We have removed lots of cheap ass components that should have never been Installed.
It has taken countless hours in the last 5 months of work by a few dedicated, talented and skilled people to make this transformation.
From (1)left to (4)right, top to bottom:
Rack 1:
-4 cavity 220MHz duplexer.
-Alinco radio being used as a link radio to a non club network. It's slated to be replaced with something that does reverse burst. Unsure what we are going to settle on for manufacturer at this time
-IRLP embedded node. It's old, and is hopefully going to be retired as well with the new controller.
-TK-820. It's barely holding on. Currently our UHF analogue repeater. Once our new controller is programmed, burned in and ready forproduction, this repeater will be E-cycled. Plastic components are crumbling, and it's a PITA to have to power it down, it takes some persuasion to power back on.
-ENDEC no idea the brand, but it provides emergency alerts on our repeater system, same as you hear on broadcast AM/FM(In Canada at least).
-2x DSP-404's. Our current controllers. Not sure what we are going to do with them once we replace them.
Rack2:
-2x Alinco 220MHz mobiles that make up out 220MHz repeater. Theu are going to get racked onto a metal rack at some point, it's currently on a piece of plywood.
-MSR2000 VHF 100w. It appears the club bought this brand new back in the day. It's had a good life, but it's time for it to be retired. It's long in the tooth. In cleaning up, I've found spare channel elements, OEM stamped, with the receive and transmit frequencies of this machine.
Rack 3:
- APRS multicoupler.
-ECCC weather radio multicoupler
Rack 4:
-Club VHF analogue repeater Rx Multicoupler
-Club VHF analogue repeater Tx Multicoupler
Not shown in this photo is the APRS Digipeater. It is a Motorola Radius mobile with an Opentracker 3. Tx is either 12.5w or 25w. I can't remember if it's a high or low power mobile, but it is set 50% of rated output.
Also not shown is 2x 10" band pass cavities in-line to the MSR2000. Likely, they will be removed once the MTR2000 is put into service.
From left to right, top to bottom
Rack 1:
-MTR3000 DMR repeater on DMR-MARC network
-Quantar 125w P25 linked.
-XPR8300 This repeater may have been replaced with either a MTR3000 or a SLR5700. DMR Drandmeister network.
-DR1 or DR2, Fusion, linked.
-NXR-810 This will become our replacement UHF analogue repeater pending our new repeater controller going online.
-8 port UHF Receive multicoupler. ALL the UHF ham repeater receivers are fed from here connected to a single receve antenna. Not shown are 2x LMR repeaters that use this antenna, their equipment is between the antenna feedline and our Rx Multicoupler.
-6x UHF 4 cavity multicouplers. ALL ham UHF repeater transmitters are combined to a single transmit antenna.
Rack 2:
-4 cavity VHF duplexer. Owned by one of 4 LMR tenants, a local highway maintenance contractor.
-XPR8400 VHF. Owned by the highway maintenance contractor.
-MTR2000 VHF. Will be the replacement for the VHF MSR2000 pending the controller.
Left to right, top to bottom
Rack 1:
-Ubiquity, managed 24 port, fiber fed switch.
-24 port patch panel. We have been working to replace all CAT-5e with shielded CAT-6 in the equient room.
-Sysco something, used to link the Quantar.
-Networked KVM.
-2x 1U Zetron shelves that hold a bunch of mini computers.
-Full DStar stack. 144/440/1200 Voice/1200Data.
-VHF duplexer for DStar
Rack 2:
-Daniels Electronics dual 20A power supply.
-DC distribution panel.
-GPS-DO. Anything that can utilize a 10MHz reference is using this, including the ECCC weather radio MTR3000.
-24port 10MHz reference dstribution amplifier.
-120v distribution panel
-8 port Pi based repeater controller. Currently in the process of configuring this up to replace the 2x DSP404 controllers.
-1200bps packet. VHF. Slated for upgrading. Mitrek is going away as is the modem. Likely going to be a sound card based system with a modern LMR mobile.
-2x band pass cavities in-line with the Mitrek
These photos are a few months old. There has been over head cable trays added. All the feedlines currently come up through the floors inside the racks. In the spring, the plan is to pull them out, bring them all up in a single location, bond their shields, add polyphasers, then use 1/2" super flex to the rack each feedline needs to go to. The club as settled on RG142 for Rx RF chain and RG400 for Tx RF chain and 1/2" super flex for filtering to tower feed line. Eventually ALL RG214 will be removed and replaced.
Come spring time, the club is going to be deploying a new build site. Its in an ideal spot, that we are able to do PtP microwave and get IP to it. Then we will do two more links to our other current remote sites. This will save expense in the long run of not needing to pay a commercial provider. Based on a survey we did, the vast majority of the users of our VHF/UHF infrastructure would like to have expanded digital mode footprint. Over time we are going to expand our digital modes, keeping them on UHF, and adding them to our remote sites. It will also enable us to IP link all our analogue repeaters as we update controllers. The 2 models we currently use are no longer manufactured, and there is no support for them either. All our linking will be on our private WAN/LAN.
We recently have purchased networked RF power monitoring equipment to be able to monitor every active VHF/UHF antenna at our site. The 4 LMR tenants at our site, will be a part of the power monitoring, they use the clubs feedlines and antennas for their equipment. Being able to see what is going on, with out having to disconnect equipment to insert power meters, will aid in diagnostics in case there is any issues in the future.
The maintenance contractor wanted to 'try out' our site, and evaluate coverage before they committed to a lease for their repeater. We set up a night, before the winter snow set in, drive to were the repeater was, pulled it and it's duplexer, moved it to our site and had them on the air in less than 2 hours. They tested it over night, physically driving to the various locations that they had no coverage with their previous site. The club site has exceeded their wildest expectations in their contracted service area. Our willingness to let them test the site, and move their equipment for them definitely helped. It would have taken days to get a local radio shop to do it.
It's nice to have technically competent people involved, that don't believe in scabbing stuff together.
Over the years, things were added, and half done. Like multicouplers added when the UHF repeaters went to split antennas, they were never racked, and left on the floor. Same with the VHF multicouplers, put into service, but never racked. Racks were full of old equipment not in use. Or equipment that was very outdated. Like computers that were 20 years old, that have never been hardware updated. Or pulling a dead MSR2000 and it's duplexer that had sat for 5+ years, never having been repaired.
Things were added over the years, but nobody took the time to integrate it, and make it presentable.
The ONE most important thing we need to work on is the site grounding. Its not great, the tower itself was built by a cellular telecom company 30+ years ago, and is grounded properly.
The ham stuff needs to be looked at, and a proper ground system be built and bonded to the tower/building/power ground system. That's also on the list for spring/summer
I've had a hand in helping it get to the way it is in these photos and I can actually look at the work we have done and have some pride in it.
-Analogue repeaters on 50, 144, 220 and 440MHz
-2x DMR on 440MHz
-1x P25 on 440MHz
-1x Fusion on 440MHz
-DStar on 144, 440, 1200MHz
-1200bps packet and APRS.
This site has been neglected for quite a few years. There were some 'Teknisuns' involved in the neglect and just poor RF design, and imementation. We pulled out dozens of meters of LMR400, removed dozens of genderbenders and various adaptors.
I even removed a VHF preamp in-line with a second preamp on our 144MHz analogue repeater.
We have removed lots of cheap ass components that should have never been Installed.
It has taken countless hours in the last 5 months of work by a few dedicated, talented and skilled people to make this transformation.
From (1)left to (4)right, top to bottom:
Rack 1:
-4 cavity 220MHz duplexer.
-Alinco radio being used as a link radio to a non club network. It's slated to be replaced with something that does reverse burst. Unsure what we are going to settle on for manufacturer at this time
-IRLP embedded node. It's old, and is hopefully going to be retired as well with the new controller.
-TK-820. It's barely holding on. Currently our UHF analogue repeater. Once our new controller is programmed, burned in and ready forproduction, this repeater will be E-cycled. Plastic components are crumbling, and it's a PITA to have to power it down, it takes some persuasion to power back on.
-ENDEC no idea the brand, but it provides emergency alerts on our repeater system, same as you hear on broadcast AM/FM(In Canada at least).
-2x DSP-404's. Our current controllers. Not sure what we are going to do with them once we replace them.
Rack2:
-2x Alinco 220MHz mobiles that make up out 220MHz repeater. Theu are going to get racked onto a metal rack at some point, it's currently on a piece of plywood.
-MSR2000 VHF 100w. It appears the club bought this brand new back in the day. It's had a good life, but it's time for it to be retired. It's long in the tooth. In cleaning up, I've found spare channel elements, OEM stamped, with the receive and transmit frequencies of this machine.
Rack 3:
- APRS multicoupler.
-ECCC weather radio multicoupler
Rack 4:
-Club VHF analogue repeater Rx Multicoupler
-Club VHF analogue repeater Tx Multicoupler
Not shown in this photo is the APRS Digipeater. It is a Motorola Radius mobile with an Opentracker 3. Tx is either 12.5w or 25w. I can't remember if it's a high or low power mobile, but it is set 50% of rated output.
Also not shown is 2x 10" band pass cavities in-line to the MSR2000. Likely, they will be removed once the MTR2000 is put into service.
From left to right, top to bottom
Rack 1:
-MTR3000 DMR repeater on DMR-MARC network
-Quantar 125w P25 linked.
-XPR8300 This repeater may have been replaced with either a MTR3000 or a SLR5700. DMR Drandmeister network.
-DR1 or DR2, Fusion, linked.
-NXR-810 This will become our replacement UHF analogue repeater pending our new repeater controller going online.
-8 port UHF Receive multicoupler. ALL the UHF ham repeater receivers are fed from here connected to a single receve antenna. Not shown are 2x LMR repeaters that use this antenna, their equipment is between the antenna feedline and our Rx Multicoupler.
-6x UHF 4 cavity multicouplers. ALL ham UHF repeater transmitters are combined to a single transmit antenna.
Rack 2:
-4 cavity VHF duplexer. Owned by one of 4 LMR tenants, a local highway maintenance contractor.
-XPR8400 VHF. Owned by the highway maintenance contractor.
-MTR2000 VHF. Will be the replacement for the VHF MSR2000 pending the controller.
Left to right, top to bottom
Rack 1:
-Ubiquity, managed 24 port, fiber fed switch.
-24 port patch panel. We have been working to replace all CAT-5e with shielded CAT-6 in the equient room.
-Sysco something, used to link the Quantar.
-Networked KVM.
-2x 1U Zetron shelves that hold a bunch of mini computers.
-Full DStar stack. 144/440/1200 Voice/1200Data.
-VHF duplexer for DStar
Rack 2:
-Daniels Electronics dual 20A power supply.
-DC distribution panel.
-GPS-DO. Anything that can utilize a 10MHz reference is using this, including the ECCC weather radio MTR3000.
-24port 10MHz reference dstribution amplifier.
-120v distribution panel
-8 port Pi based repeater controller. Currently in the process of configuring this up to replace the 2x DSP404 controllers.
-1200bps packet. VHF. Slated for upgrading. Mitrek is going away as is the modem. Likely going to be a sound card based system with a modern LMR mobile.
-2x band pass cavities in-line with the Mitrek
These photos are a few months old. There has been over head cable trays added. All the feedlines currently come up through the floors inside the racks. In the spring, the plan is to pull them out, bring them all up in a single location, bond their shields, add polyphasers, then use 1/2" super flex to the rack each feedline needs to go to. The club as settled on RG142 for Rx RF chain and RG400 for Tx RF chain and 1/2" super flex for filtering to tower feed line. Eventually ALL RG214 will be removed and replaced.
Come spring time, the club is going to be deploying a new build site. Its in an ideal spot, that we are able to do PtP microwave and get IP to it. Then we will do two more links to our other current remote sites. This will save expense in the long run of not needing to pay a commercial provider. Based on a survey we did, the vast majority of the users of our VHF/UHF infrastructure would like to have expanded digital mode footprint. Over time we are going to expand our digital modes, keeping them on UHF, and adding them to our remote sites. It will also enable us to IP link all our analogue repeaters as we update controllers. The 2 models we currently use are no longer manufactured, and there is no support for them either. All our linking will be on our private WAN/LAN.
We recently have purchased networked RF power monitoring equipment to be able to monitor every active VHF/UHF antenna at our site. The 4 LMR tenants at our site, will be a part of the power monitoring, they use the clubs feedlines and antennas for their equipment. Being able to see what is going on, with out having to disconnect equipment to insert power meters, will aid in diagnostics in case there is any issues in the future.
The maintenance contractor wanted to 'try out' our site, and evaluate coverage before they committed to a lease for their repeater. We set up a night, before the winter snow set in, drive to were the repeater was, pulled it and it's duplexer, moved it to our site and had them on the air in less than 2 hours. They tested it over night, physically driving to the various locations that they had no coverage with their previous site. The club site has exceeded their wildest expectations in their contracted service area. Our willingness to let them test the site, and move their equipment for them definitely helped. It would have taken days to get a local radio shop to do it.
It's nice to have technically competent people involved, that don't believe in scabbing stuff together.
Over the years, things were added, and half done. Like multicouplers added when the UHF repeaters went to split antennas, they were never racked, and left on the floor. Same with the VHF multicouplers, put into service, but never racked. Racks were full of old equipment not in use. Or equipment that was very outdated. Like computers that were 20 years old, that have never been hardware updated. Or pulling a dead MSR2000 and it's duplexer that had sat for 5+ years, never having been repaired.
Things were added over the years, but nobody took the time to integrate it, and make it presentable.
The ONE most important thing we need to work on is the site grounding. Its not great, the tower itself was built by a cellular telecom company 30+ years ago, and is grounded properly.
The ham stuff needs to be looked at, and a proper ground system be built and bonded to the tower/building/power ground system. That's also on the list for spring/summer
I've had a hand in helping it get to the way it is in these photos and I can actually look at the work we have done and have some pride in it.
