Yaesu: Linking 2m and 70cm DR2X repeaters

[iceman977th]

I'm assisting a radio club with upgrading their repeaters to Yaesu DR2X's purchased during Yaesu's upgrade program. One repeater is a 2 meter (currently a DR1x) connected to an Arcom RC210, and the other is a 70cm Kenwood repeater with no controller. The two are currently linked using a UHF Motorola radio on the first repeater, which simply connects to the 70cm as another user (done long before my time)

Since the DR2X has a secondary transceiver which can be used for linking and as a control channel, I am hoping to utilize that to link instead. But given that the two repeaters are separate bands, I'm not sure what the best way to do that is. My idea is to have repeater 1 (2m) send out to Repeater 2 (70cm) on UHF, and have Repeater 2 send back traffic on 2m. This way, receive from the transmitting station is not interfered with on each repeater, although I would say some filtering will be needed as a precaution. Our eventual goal is digital linking via Allstarlink (which is already on Repeater 1 currently) so there is no issues with interference.

I'm looking for input on what other solutions others have come up with. I know looking at using another band such as 33cm would be more ideal, but the club doesn't want to purchase much more equipment after this upgrade.

 

[ko6jw_2]

First of all, the secondary channel on a DR2X is not a transceiver. It is a receiver only and allows limited control of the main repeater from a transmitter that is "registered" with the repeater. This prevents unauthorized control of the repeater. When it sends back acknowledgements of the command it does so digitally on the main repeater frequency. No audio passes through. It is not a vehicle for controlling or linking the repeater except for limited functions like turning the repeater on and off or changing power. To do what you intend would probably require a separate controller.

Yaesu's intention is that Fusion repeaters will be linked via the Wires-X program. However, this is mostly designed for remote linking and you seem to want to do local linking. That is why a separate controller would be used. You don't mention what your intentions are regarding C4FM, but that will be a consideration as well.

I suggest that you visit www.hamoperator.com where there is a huge amount of information and resources on Fusion.

 

[iceman977th]

First of all, the secondary channel on a DR2X is not a transceiver. It is a receiver only and allows limited control of the main repeater from a transmitter that is "registered" with the repeater. This prevents unauthorized control of the repeater. When it sends back acknowledgements of the command it does so digitally on the main repeater frequency. No audio passes through. It is not a vehicle for controlling or linking the repeater except for limited functions like turning the repeater on and off or changing power. To do what you intend would probably require a separate controller.

Yaesu's intention is that Fusion repeaters will be linked via the Wires-X program. However, this is mostly designed for remote linking and you seem to want to do local linking. That is why a separate controller would be used. You don't mention what your intentions are regarding C4FM, but that will be a consideration as well.

I suggest that you visit www.hamoperator.com where there is a huge amount of information and resources on Fusion.

Not sure why Yaesu would include a TX-B port if the secondary transceiver was not meant for duplex communications. Guess I'll have to find out when we get ours put up, hopefully tomorrow.

 

[ko6jw_2]

The secondary receiver (not a transceiver) is intended to allow control of the repeater by authorized operators. It is very useful in instances where the main repeater is locked on (stuck mic. etc.) or where someone is interfering with the repeater. Having a means to control the repeater, other than through the regular input, is necessary. You can use FTM 100's, 400's and 3200's for this purpose. Analog or Fusion is permitted. Control radios need to registered to prevent unauthorized use. This has to be done at the repeater. FCC rules require that repeaters have remote control.

Hope you enjoy your DR2X. I suggest setting it all the optionsup on the bench before installation at the repeater site. Ours is up in the mountains and not easy to access quickly.

 

[prcguy]

The DR2X is a dual band repeater where only one transmit band can be used at a time. If your club only intends on using one band at a time then the single DR2X can be both the 2m and 70cm repeater. The TX-B port would be the second transmitter output when needed.

 

[iceman977th]

Well.. I stand corrected on the repeater, so I apologize ko6jw_2. That's a bummer.. I was hoping to use it that way. It's okay.. we plan on setting up Allstarlink between the two sites anyways this spring.

Luckily ours is easy to access (right off a paved road, though it's 45 mins from me) but everything seems to be working great, I also have a LOT more headroom on the controller as well.

 

[ko6jw_2]

The documentation for the DR2 now includes instructions for using an S-Com 7330 controller. In the beginning Fusion repeaters did not play nicely with controllers. We had a DR1 and then upgraded to a DR2. While the repeater does not need a controller for out of the box use, I would like to be able to set up 220 and 440 remote bases. I'm looking at the 7330 as a means to that end. Has anyone used this controller with a DR2?

We have set up a node station at my house to connect the DR2 to the System Fusion Wires-X world. I hope that you will join this. We operate the repeater in the AUTO mode to accommodate non-digital users, but we are attracting a number of local operators who are buying Fusion radios. We used it for a bike ride event last June with all operators using digital. It did a fantastic job.

By the way,I have nothing against other digital modes. We just happened to have a connection with Yaesu through a friend that has consulted with them and bought the DR1 and then traded it in for the DR2.

 

[n9upc]

The documentation for the DR2 now includes instructions for using an S-Com 7330 controller. In the beginning Fusion repeaters did not play nicely with controllers. We had a DR1 and then upgraded to a DR2. While the repeater does not need a controller for out of the box use, I would like to be able to set up 220 and 440 remote bases. I'm looking at the 7330 as a means to that end. Has anyone used this controller with a DR2?

We have set up a node station at my house to connect the DR2 to the System Fusion Wires-X world. I hope that you will join this. We operate the repeater in the AUTO mode to accommodate non-digital users, but we are attracting a number of local operators who are buying Fusion radios. We used it for a bike ride event last June with all operators using digital. It did a fantastic job.

By the way,I have nothing against other digital modes. We just happened to have a connection with Yaesu through a friend that has consulted with them and bought the DR1 and then traded it in for the DR2.

He has not done consulting and just done presentations but as an employee of Yaesu what do I know.

 

[n9upc]

A couple of things on the DR-2X repeater in the design and purpose of the 'B' side of the repeater:

1.) The B side can be used as a control input for controlling the repeater in analog or digital.

2.) While the repeater has two seperate inputs it only has one transmitter. The reason it has two output/antenna ports is because you can set it up to NOT allows users to hear responses or ack backs.

3.) If you have additional DR-2X's and IMRS boards in the you can actually have one repeater as the main one in digital. The second repeater can then be set-up for analog or digital on the A side while using the B side as a digital remote receiver site.

4.) Finally, with a simple interface (with a controller of sorts) and another transmitter (radio) you can make an analog/digital dual repeater or a analog/analog dual repeater. This can also be same band or opposite bands.