Icom IC-FR4000 CW ID help

[Cowley639]

Hello everyone,

I'm working with someone that just purchased a IC-FR4000 for business use. I am trying to get the CWID set-up properly for them to ID at 15 minute intervals per FCC rule. I have it set-up how I think it should be set-up but I am having no success with the repeater ID'ing at all. Below is what I currently have set-up in the software;

"COMMON 3" tab;
RPT Log:
IN Delay Timer: 0.150 - (I assume this is in minutes?)
OFF Delay Timer: 0.000
IN/OFF Interval Timer: OFF
ID OUT during RPT Activation (NOT CHECKED)
C. TONE during ID out (CHECKED)

"EXPERT 1" tab;
CW ID
Dot Period: 0.050
Tone Frequency (Hz): 1000.0
Code: xxxxxxx (My clients FCC ID)

"Memory CH" tab;
RPT Log: PWR ON
RPT Log ID: CW ID

I would like the repeater to ID every 15 minutes, and NOT ID during repeater use.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Flameout00]

I know this is an old thread, but it popped up in my search. I just picked up the FR4000 also and I can't get the CWID to work at all. Did you ever figure out the 15 minute interval problem? Also, do those settings above allow the cw to transmit at all?

 

[Flameout00]

Still no luck with getting this FR4000 to transmit the CWID. I think I may have the last one of these in existence

 

[wrzk546]

These repeaters can do what you are looking for. I have mine broadcasting (Morse code) my callsign every 15 minutes.

1. Open the CS-FR3000 cloning software.
2. Select Memory CH. Double-click anywhere in the Memory – CH field (to the right of the tree menu).
3. In the RPT Log field, select PWR ON.

What this has just done is say that when on this memory channel, the repeater will start a timer at power on to broadcast

4. In the RPT Log ID field, select CWID

This says what is to be broadcast. Next we set up how often it should be broadcast once the timer starts

5. Click Common under the Common Settings folder.
6. Double-click anywhere in the Common Setting: Common field (to the right of the tree menu). The Edit Common screen appears. Click the Common 3 tab.
7. Change the IN/OFF Interval Timer to the desired interval between CWID transmissions, (in seconds). For example, 900 seconds is a 15 minute interval.

Note: Be sure to consider how the ID Out during RPT Activation check box is set
• If selected: if you are transmitting when the CWID timer goes off, the voice is pre-empted and all you hear is the CWID
• If unselected: If you are transmitting when the CWID timer goes off, the CWID waits until you finish your voice TX, then the CWID starts transmitting.

Next we set up what to broadcast:

8. Click Expert under the Common Setting folder.
9. Double-click anywhere in the Common Setting: Expert field (to the right of the tree menu). The Edit Expert screen appears.
10. Enter your ID text in the Code field. This is the text that is broadcast using morse code.

The IN Delay Timer and OFF Delay Timer settings are also in seconds and used to delay the broadcast of the text when the timer is up. Basically how many seconds to wait once the timer is up to begin broadcasting and to end broadcasting.

If you power on your repeater at 9am and timer is 900 seconds, then at 9:15 you will hear the first broadcast. Then at 9:30, etc. Note that if your text takes 5 seconds to broadcast then over time the broadcast will no longer be at 15 minute intervals. 9:00:00 -> 9:15:00 -> 9:30:05 -> 9:45:10 -> :10:00:15 etc. As the next timer doesnt start until the broadcast is finished, and that took 5 seconds. So you can adjust the 900 second interval to 895 and keep it mostly on track, if your picky. You can also use the In Delay and Out Delay to pad a little as needed.

Hope this helps! I have a few FR3000/FR4000 repeaters and they are great. Information is hard to find, and the interface is not intuitive. But they are great repeaters.

 

[Flameout00]

Thank you, WRZK546 for that information and taking the time to post it. I just tried again, following step by step, but still no CWID. I'm staring to wonder that there might be something fried in my repeater, even though it does RX and TX just fine (Just not at the power is is rated for) Could I maybe email you my .icf file and you could look at it to see if I am missing something?

 

[wrzk546]

Gladly. Email me and I can even email you mine for you to try. Message me on here to exchange info.

Power wise: could also be a configuration issue or the duplexer.

 

[Flameout00]

Appreciate all of the help. At least now we know that not all of these FR4000 repeaters will do the CWID.
Now to just figure out why that is and if I can ever find that correct cable, I'll try the firmware update from 1.4 to 1.6

 

[Flameout00]

This board certainly has no effect on the CWID, but I was wondering if anyone knows why there are 2 different inputs for the RX side of this FR4000 repeater. The one used is J1 and the other is J5 (ATT). What is the J5-ATT used for?

 

[wrzk546]

No mention as to why in the service manual:

“Received signals from the RX antenna connector enter the RX unit J1 and pass through a tuned bandpass filter ( D3, D4, L1–L3, L32, C2, C5–C8, C10–C12, C14, C205, C206, C210,) which is controlled by the D/a converter IC (LOGIC unit; IC25). The filtered signals are applied to an PRE-ampli- fier (Q1). The amplified signal are applied to a bandpass fil- ter (D6, D7, L6, L7, C21, C22, C24, C, 26–C28, C30, C207, C208) and are then applied to the 1st mixer circuit.”

I’ve only read elsewhere that maybe ATT “attenuates RX so that weaker signals are excluded. You will like this if you're trying to work a strong or nearby station, and don't want to hear all the static, or the faint chatter of weaker stations.”

So maybe you can switch the input port the RX is received on to change what filters it goes through…?

 

[Flameout00]

I may have to experiment a little. This repeater isn't working as good as it should be for some reason. I swapped out my motorola GR1225 with this one and I get reports that the repeater is down.
Using the same external duplexer, coax and antenna and even though the Icom is putting out more power, the RX side is all but non existent unless very close to the repeater location