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GMRS repeater license ??

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k8zgw

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Macedonia Ohio
While discussing putting up a GMRS repeater ( on 462/467 675)
someone told my friend that you needed a "special" license for a repeater.
I have looked at the rules and can find no place that said
anything about a specific license for a repeater ??/
To my way of thinking, anyone with a GMRS license can put up a repeater
anyplace you like, as long as it runs 50 watts or less
and doesn't bother anybody else.

Can anyone shed some light on this.

Don
 

temchik

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No special license needed. There may be local restrictions as far as the tower height goes and FAA comes into play over 200ft, but other than that your are fine

/904
 

k8zgw

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repeater ?

Can anyone site the rule that states this ?
We are going on an existing tower that is 120 feet,
with the 20 foot antenna at the top.
will be running about 10 watts to a 6 db omni
fed with LMR 400.
should work a radius of about 15 miles
 

mmckenna

I ♥ Ø
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§ 95.29Channels available.
(a) For a base station, fixed station, mobile station, or repeater station (a GMRS station that simultaneously retransmits the transmission of another GMRS station on a different channel or channels), the licensee of the GMRS system must select the transmitting channels or channel pairs (see § 95.7(a) of this part) for the stations in the GMRS system from the following 462 MHz channels:
462.5500, 462.5750, 462.6000, 462.6250, 462.6500, 462.6750, 462.7000 AND 462.7250.

120 Feet of LMR 400 is going to result in the loss of over half you signal just in the coax run. You'll get about 7 watts to the antenna. You'll get about 28 watts ERP with the 6dB antenna. Consider that the loss in the coax also figures into the received signal, so this is more likely to reduce range.
There are also those that say LMR400 and the like are not well suited to high RF environments, especially a repeater. If you can, see if you can get some 1/2" heliax. That cable would only have 1.77dB of loss, and get almost 10 watts out the antenna. Not a huge difference, but that improvement in cable helps the received signal.
 

k8zgw

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Location
Macedonia Ohio
info

Thanks for the rule quote.
I have been in communications of some sort for over 50 years.
The system is already in place.
There are two asp 700's , one at the top and another side mounted at 105 feet .
The top antenna now has a 6 watt "demo" repeater at 464.550 while the other
had ( will have) a 30 watt amateur repeater on it( 444.475, if you care).
at 72 years old, I am not going to replace coax.

While I know LMR 400 is not the best, it's what is already there.

( it worked fine on 30.76 for years ;-} )
 

jeepsandradios

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Just because the cable worked fine on 30.76 (low band) does not mean it will work fine for your GMRS repeater. One issue with LMR400 is duplex issues. Do some searching online as there have been many posts in regards to this. On the low band channel it was most likely a simplex base radio. When you put a repeater on the same chunk of cable you will have issues. I tried a 50' piece on a tower and couldn't work a 4 watt portable from 2 miles away. Swapped to 1/2 hardline and now work it fine.
 

k8zgw

Member
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Location
Macedonia Ohio
cable

I Know the theory Jeff.
You apparently didn't notice my "wink"
Where LMR has it's problems is in higher power apps,
with high SWR where the cable heats at different rates
and causes noise.
As I said before the cable is already on the tower and
I know how it works.

With the three Db low band onmi, the 100 watt base could talk 50 to 75 miles.
The 464 demo repeater talks 10 to 12 miles and the 30 amateur that was there
was good for about 15 to 20 miles.

This all started with me asking about RULES.

Now that I know that answer, unless anybody has anything else to say about
GMRS repeater rules, this thread could be closed
 

Project25_MASTR

Millennial Graying OBT Guy
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Texas
The repeater license is from pre-1989 rules and has dice been done away with.

A 20ft antenna that only provides 6 dB of gain? The only antennas I'm aware of that size are the station/channel master (I've only seen VHF) and dB420 and dB413 antennas.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

k8zgw

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Oct 16, 2008
Messages
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Location
Macedonia Ohio
antennas

I think they are both ASP 701's 17 feet 8 db.
These are both old antennas that have been on THIS tower for
8 or 10 years, but both have had previous lives elsewhere.
 
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