Need repeater help.

[mjthomas59]

Ok. Im prolly not gonna use the amp. I got it for nothing anyway. Im not even sure if it works. I live in fairly flat land. The grain leg i talk about is in kind of a depression. I would say it is only about 80-100 feet when compared to everything around it. You can see the top of it from all directions for quite a long ways. I will consult my local radio shop on the electric motor interfrence. There is another farm down the road that has that set up also uhf. The have like a 15 foot tower mounted at the top the their leg.
As far as tuning the duplexer and programming, the radio shop will definately have to do that. I dont have the epuipment for any of that, and if i did i wouldnt know how to do it.
I dont want to spend the money to have the radio shop come set it up, but i think they would send someone out to give advice pretty cheep. They are nice guys and they like to help.

Have you consulted with this "farm down the road" to see what kind of equipment they have, feedline they use, power output, antenna type etc etc. Also, once you know that, ask them what kind of range they get out of it. I suppose my first question would be, if someone down the road has a repeater setup, why would you also want/need one? Is there an issue with just using theirs when you need to?

Also, i don't know if it has been mentioned or not, but for GODS SAKE invest in some serious lightening protection. Putting a metal rod 120 feet up in the air out in the open is just begging for lightening issues. I doubt you will get a direct hit(of course it could happen at any time) but just a lightening strike nearby could fry your stuff without some preventitive measures.

 

[nlaser11]

No, i havent talked to the farm down the road. They are kind of stuffy ppl, but it wouldnt hurt to ask them. They probably wouldnt even know. IM sure a shop just did it all and sent a bill.
I dont ever really NEED to use a repeater, its just for me and my buddies. Its a hobby of ours. I dont think these farmers would like us yacking on their business freq.
Yes, lightning protection hasnt been mentioned in this thread, but ive had a few guys say the same thing. The 120' leg im talking about has been hit before and had to have a new motor....definately something to consider.

 

[mjthomas59]

Oh ok i didn't realize the farm was using it for business comms... i was thinking GMRS repeater or some sort of amateur band repeater.

I understand all too well the idea of doing something for fun, and if i had gotten a bunch of free stuff i'd probably put up a repeater also. Just make sure whatever you do with your repeater is legal. The last thing anyone needs is the FCC knocking down your door.

Good luck with the install and btw, if a shop did install the repeater that is down the road, you might be able to atleast get the name of the shop that did the work from the farm owner. That might point you in the right direction of a quality installer.

 

[nlaser11]

Im using mine for gmrs, and im licensed and i will stay within 50 watts. One question i should have asked on here a long time ago...What does a shop charge to set up a repeater? Say on the grain leg i mentioned in earlier posts. I have the repeater and a duplexer. I would need the 7/8" hardline (140'), antenna, and everything else plus labor. Just an estimate. I would not know if it would cost 500 bucks or 20,000. Im going to go to my local shop and ask too, but my local shop is about an hour and a half away. Ive called and talked to them a little about it before, but i dont remember everything they said, plus i didnt even know what to really say. It ended up being chit chat.

 

[Radioman1993]

OK. For a price guess first.

Good antenna $700 ( Dipole Type 6 to 8 db gain )
Coax 140 ft 7/8 hardline $560 to $700 depending on copper prices
Connectors for coax 4 most likely $175
Grounding of coax and lightening protection $330
Tower/silo grounding if needed $1000 to 3000 depending on whats needed
Labor for tower crew $2000
Labor for technician $750
Setup and tuning of repeater prior to install $350 max
misc cable and connectors to attach duplexer to Repeater $85

So a guesstimated total would be $4900 to 5100 not including any Silo or tower grounding
This also assumes that you provide any additional steel and its installation for added
height above the top of the silo.

Now as for a range guess. Seeing as Antenna system gain with all hardware considered
would be in the order of 4 to 6 db and a VXR7000 properly tuned having a thru duplexer
sensitivity of about -117dbm with a portable on flat ground you should get a reliable
range of 7 to 10 mile radius. This guess assumes that you are outside of any structures
with the radio to your face and not on your belt with a speaker mic and a properly tuned
portable radio with a good battery.

The only question that I would have about a repeater on a GMRS license would be antenna
height to tip limits and the power output limit 50watts max emitter power or 50w ERP.

Just so you have an idea of the qualifications behind this guessing I am doing. I have
been an FCC Licensed Technician for 13 years and for the last 3 years in charge of
engineering for large projects. ( Trunking Systems, Dispatch Consoles, Voted Repeater
Systems and Wide Area Networks )