suitcase repeater build question

[brin831]

i'm looking to set up a small "suitcase style repeater for some special events mainly large "downtown" style festivals for event coordination and work with local authorities etc.

in the past we have used one of our gr1225's and its worked just fine we have a number of uhf repeater pairs we are licensed for.

the question i have is instead of relocating one of the gr's and taking it off line we have a couple radius mobiles gm300's just sitting around could put them in a little road case with a power supply and couple fans and some other spare parts laying around but we had no extra accessory plugs ...

so in a quick search for cheap accessory connector's these came up and didn't know if anyone had any experience with something like this: 1X MGRCA Simplex REPEATER interface cable Motorola GM300 16 PIN PLUG KIT

and also wondered if anyone thought i should look out for anything as far as programing wise or anything else? it appears to just be a jumper cable between the two radios?

and for that matter what would be the benefit of buying their "duplex" cable ... rx and tx both ways ? that makes no good sence?!? or am i missing something here??

anywho its 10 bucks i may get one and try it out ... see what i can blow up?!?

 

[N_Jay]

I would assume the duplex is for crossbanding and the simplex is for normal repeater operation.

You will also need a duplexer. (but I am sure you knew that)

 

[jackj]

Are you sure that you can do this legally? It has been a few years since I worked in land-mobile 2-way radio and licensing has changed a bit. I believe that when the FCC issues a license in the land-mobile service, the license specs the base station / repeater coordinates. There used to be a special type of license they issued called an itinerant license that allowed operation anywhere in the USofA as long as you give the FCC notice before hand. Do you have an itinerant license or have these requirements changed?

Portable repeaters work well but their requirements are the same as fixed repeaters. They need a quality antenna and feed line and some type of isolation between the transmitter and receiver, usually a duplexer. Most radio shops can set up a mobile repeater, complete with a crank-up tower or mast on a small trailer. That might be a better option for you.

 

[brin831]

AHHH YES cross band duh?!? the post was before my morning cup of coffee ...

yes we have a small mobile duplexer we'll tune it to the split and be good to go ...

legally we are covered nation wide license for our freq use because typically we are working with motor sports and travel around the country even in Canada just need to be sure your clear with the Canadian fcc also as they are quite the sticklers there haha ... forget what they are called?

i understand the legality the topic of this post was mainly about the functionality of the product if anyone had seen this before used it etc?

as far as antenna and feed line probably use about 50 ft of 9913 to a 7db yagi ... the couple of times we have done this in the past we have been able to secure a roof mount location so no issue with tower etc. top of a 60 story building is plenty to get a couple miles coverage easy ...

so again i was just trying to save myself some wiring time and see if there was a plug n play solution ... any one see an issue with ctcss in this setup i thought i remembered reading somewhere about having to jump pins 15 to 16 on the receive ? maybe repeater-builder.com not sure any thoughts about this???

 

[n5ims]

Have you tried something like this Motorola Portable Suitcase SPECTRA UHF Repeater Radio - eBay (item 320492416578 end time Mar-24-10 20:11:33 PDT)

 

[brin831]

yeah and that costs 3 grand ... i already have all the parts i need, duplexer, programing, radios, even a rick if i wanna use it, only looking for accessory connectors ?!?

heck the part i was asking about is 10 bucks ?!? not trying to be condescending i appreciate the post i really do its just we are comparing apples to oranges there ...

i can wire up the radios myself my question was about the pre-made cable i put a link to ... and if anyone had experience with something similar and if they were happy with its performance and if not if anyone had any thoughts on the product in the link or things i should be concerned about if i were to use that item.

 

[gewecke]

Check with these guys,I'm sure they'll be able to help!

Welcome to Repeater Builder Dot Com

n9zas

 

[Luis_R]

yeah and that costs 3 grand ... i already have all the parts i need, duplexer, programing, radios, even a rick if i wanna use it, only looking for accessory connectors ?!?

If you have a rick, why don't you just use it? Beats spending money on something that could damage your radios and cost you more in the long run. I personally would hook it up the right way with a rick.

 

[gewecke]

ricks??
n9zas

 

[bezking]

ricks??
n9zas

Repeater Interface Communications Kit: a device that allows you to connect two mobile radios and use them in a repeater configuration.

http://batlabs.com/rick.html

 

[gewecke]

Thank's bez! Not a term we use here I guess.
n9zas

 

[jackj]

I've never used one of those cables. I have built a couple of 2 meter repeaters in the past for our radio club but i have always built my own controller. The web site you posted the link for doesn't have much info on this cable but it does say that the software isn't included. Where do you load the software? Do you need to add a computer to the mix?

My advice would be to stay away from it, I think you'll find that you just pee'd away 10 bucks. If you have all the parts you need then you don't really need to buy this cable anyway so save your money.

 

[brin831]

no i don't need to add a computer ...

the reason i saw it was i was looking for accessory connectors because i would need 4 i think to set up with the rick ... and they are like 7 10 buck maybe ... so if i can do for 10 what i needed 40 for and not have to do anything but plug it in then i'm all for that less work and less money

but i saw the software thing i think that may mean cps or rss, which i have, with rib and cable so not worried about that ...

gwecke - yeah i checked there thats where i thought i remembered something about having to tie pin 15 to 16 on the receive radio ...

they have an ebay store and have great reviews but i figured i'd just see if anyone here had used it before trust actual radio users more i guess ...

but just ordered one this evening so i'll let you know guys know when it gets here and how it works out ... hopefully it works great haha !!

 

[ramal121]

I will be using a portable repeater next month that I slapped together with two M1225's. Made my own simple cable. Three wires. 1 receive audio to transmit audio, 2 CSQ & PL detect to PTT, and 3 ground.

Not much to it. Sure there is no audio level adjust and no hang timer, receive radio needs a mic grounded on a clip (to keep monitor off), but it plays fine.

The only special programming needed is to specify the acc pin for CSQ & PL pin. The others (audio and PTT) are already assigned to the connector.

For $10 dollars, this is all you'll get, but the cable will work.

 

[rescuecomm]

His license should have FBT's listed on it.

Bob

 

[Napadude]

I will be using a portable repeater next month that I slapped together with two M1225's. Made my own simple cable. Three wires. 1 receive audio to transmit audio, 2 CSQ & PL detect to PTT, and 3 ground.

Not much to it. Sure there is no audio level adjust and no hang timer, receive radio needs a mic grounded on a clip (to keep monitor off), but it plays fine.

The only special programming needed is to specify the acc pin for CSQ & PL pin. The others (audio and PTT) are already assigned to the connector.

For $10 dollars, this is all you'll get, but the cable will work.

I just came across this post and I have 2 M1225's that I am wanting to do this same thing with. Is there any way i can talk you into sending me the setup info on how this is done please ? I have been looking around and have a few that use other radios but I have about 6 extra M1225's and rib box so I won't have much money tied up and make use of the extra radios. Thanks !

 

[brin831]

Napadude

just buy the premade one one fleabay or even you can check online places like kawamall.com etc have them they all work the same and are cheaper than getting the parts together on the accessory plug and building yourself ...

if you search other threads of mine i eventually set up ...

http://forums.radioreference.com/pi...p/239531-very-mobile-station.html#post1748548

you can ax the clear com interface but the compressor gate is a nice touch and gives you loads of audio control etc for about 100 bucks or you maybe able to find a used one for less ...

there is a small amount of keyup time this way i'd say less than a 1/4 second but works great and sounds fantastic i've used this at lots of large scale very hi profile events in Charlotte NC its just about as bomb proof for wireless coms as you can get ... i also added in an external mobile duplexer and small yagi antenna ... can cover most all of downtown with 2 watts tx out to the duplexer

 

[SteveC0625]

I just came across this post and I have 2 M1225's that I am wanting to do this same thing with. Is there any way i can talk you into sending me the setup info on how this is done please ? I have been looking around and have a few that use other radios but I have about 6 extra M1225's and rib box so I won't have much money tied up and make use of the extra radios. Thanks !

Look up an ebay seller called mre1032 - he sells all kinds of repeater cables and other wiring accessories for Motorola products. He includes detailed instructions with every cable for your specific type of radio. He's a standup guy and sells a great product.

 

[N4KVE]

+ 1 for Kurt, MRE1032. I have a few of his cables, & they work great. They look factory too.

 

[RodStrong]

+ 1 for Kurt, MRE1032. I have a few of his cables, & they work great. They look factory too.

Yeah buddy.....big fan of MRE1032. Bought a cable from him recently, and have bought maxtrac plugs and misc. over the years. Rock solid seller. Good luck.

http://www.ebay.com/sch/merchant/mr...3A1QQ_trksidZp3911Q2ec0Q2em14QQ_sopZ15QQ_scZ1