Crossband repeaters on Itinerant Frequencies?

[WB9YBM]

I believe you're referring to VEHICULAR REPEATERS (See Pyramid and MSI) which are an approved and common use of cross-banding in Part 90. There's even an MO3I station class for an itinerant VEHICULAR REPEATER.

also called "mobile extenders" because they're located in the mobile (i.e. squad car) and they extend the range of H.T.s carried by police officers (while out on foot).

 

[prcguy]

This further reinforces the need to check with the FCC or a frequency coordinator to make sure what is legal and licensable. It may be perfectly legal to cross band within a part 90 license but you might need radio equipment specifically type accepted for cross band repeater use. You can't guess or assume, you need to know and I don't think anyone here does.

I believe you're referring to VEHICULAR REPEATERS (See Pyramid and MSI) which are an approved and common use of cross-banding in Part 90. There's even an MO3I station class for an itinerant VEHICULAR REPEATER.

 

[dorcse]

I noticed an old Anytone 5888uv is Part 90, crossband capable in the covered frequency ranges. Would that not be acceptable assuming his license includes that station as MO3I?

 

[prcguy]

I think only the FCC can answer that, all we can do here is guess. When doing research in the early 80s when putting together a GMRS repeater I read the radios used must not only be FCC type accepted for Part 95 GMRS but also for use as a repeater and the specifications for a repeater were tighter than just a radio. In other words sticking two mobile radios together was not legal unless the radios were FCC type accepted for use as a repeater. I have not been able to find that wording in recent searches but its probably still there.

I noticed an old Anytone 5888uv is Part 90, crossband capable in the covered frequency ranges. Would that not be acceptable assuming his license includes that station as MO3I?

 

[dorcse]

All good points and I appreciate the input on this and I think it's a good conversation.

Something else occurred to me. IF it turns out he is OK to do crossbanding, is there a restriction on which particular itinerant frequencies may be used? I'm not familiar with if some of them are identified as simplex, repeater in and repeater out. Are they?

 

[jlag]

Here's where I technically disagree. The FCC definition of FB2 is mobile relay station. The exact definition is located in Part 90.7.


By that definition, if it automatically repeats a signal that originated on the transmit frequency of a a mobile station...its a mobile relay regardless of whether or not it is repeating on the same frequency or a different frequency.

That being said, I wouldn't configure a parrot repeater to receive and transmit on the same frequency if it could be avoided. The reason being, you have four types of user experiences in this situation assuming everyone is within range of the repeater. The originator of the message who hears what they just said, those who hear the real-time message and then the parroted message, those who hear a bunch of noise and then the parroted message, and then those who just hear the parroted message. If a parrot repeater is instead configured to receive on one frequency and then transmit on another (like a conventional repeater or split-base) you only have two types of user experiences. The originator who hears what they said and then everyone else who only hears the parroted message which can greatly simplify and lessen confusion.

I think some of this could be handled if you could use different TX/RX PL tones on the radios. Still some annoyance would exist to the originator I think.