The making of a field programmable portable repeater

[prcguy]

As a coincidence I was assembling a similar setup but for cross band repeat using a pair of Wouxuns. One radio is a 2m/440 and the other a 2m/220 version.

I have an Austin 2m/220/440 triplexer, a tiny 12v to 7.2v 3A high efficiency switching converter, a 12V 7ah gel cell, solar charger controller, and a similar full duplex plug and play repeater controller.

This all fits in a fairly small Pelican case and should run for most of a weekend on the internal battery or forever with a flexible, foldable 42w solar panel. The Pelican case is desert tan and so is the solar panel.
prcguy

 

[jim202]

Does anyone want to complain about how the guy parts his hair too? Go on....seems like you may be having a lousy day so why not complain about that too.

Lighten up and give the guy some credit. If you want to show off your knowledge, try helping someone out and be a real "Elmer".

It is stuff like this that turned me away from the hobby last time......grouchy old men never die I guess.

Vince

I take it you don't work with this stuff every day like some of us. I don't think any of the comments were out of line. Most of them were just pointing out issues that normally show up with this type of package. Later down the thread, some of the issues were addressed in a logical fashion.

Maybe you should chill out just a bit and don't jump to conclusions so fast of comments from people in the industry that work with this kind of radio and package all the time. Electronics and radios have a sneaky way of biting you when you need something to work at the least possible time for it to break or act up. Some on this board don't have the background or the experience to fore see the problems before they happen. Some useful comments go a long way to resolving technical problems before they occur.

 

[pjtnascar]

I take it you don't work with this stuff every day like some of us. I don't think any of the comments were out of line. Most of them were just pointing out issues that normally show up with this type of package. Later down the thread, some of the issues were addressed in a logical fashion.

Maybe you should chill out just a bit and don't jump to conclusions so fast of comments from people in the industry that work with this kind of radio and package all the time. Electronics and radios have a sneaky way of biting you when you need something to work at the least possible time for it to break or act up. Some on this board don't have the background or the experience to fore see the problems before they happen. Some useful comments go a long way to resolving technical problems before they occur.

Lucky for the rest of us, there are plenty of the aforementioned individuals to point out the negatives.

Trial and error-experimentation the old fashioned way.

 

[druhe]

Would it be possible to provide the make and model number of the controller ? I attempted to enlarge the photo but the lettering is out of focus.

Thanks

 

[SCPD]

I dunno about the difference in quality, but a retractable metal antenna would be a cool addition, along with a switch panel outside of the case to turn it on!

Are the portables on battery eliminators?

 

[kpoe_28]

Would it be possible to provide the make and model number of the controller ? I attempted to enlarge the photo but the lettering is out of focus.

Thanks

They will provide one set of cables of your choice to hook up just about any two radio's with. Radioshop888 KG-UVD1P TG-UV2 Repeater Controller Speaker Mic Ham Radio KG-669 KG-689 PX-777 PX-888 FT-897 FT-857 VX-177 VXA-300 KG-679 VEV-3288S V-1000 TG-UV FT-817ND FT-60R FT-897 FT-857 VX-7R VX-7RB VX-6R VX-3R FT-1802M FT-8800R VX-170 FT-8900R FT- for $75.00 shipped. I've got two now and they both work great.

 

[KI4VBR]

"Don't jump to conclusions"....Jim.

I take it you don't work with this stuff every day like some of us.

Maybe you should chill out just a bit and don't jump to conclusions so fast of comments from people in the industry that work with this kind of radio and package all the time.

Why would you make an assumption like that? Most likely you have no idea what I do every day, or my level of knowledge.

Rather than discuss capacitive coupling in a Phelps Dodge six cavity duplexer , or a the Q factor of a three-stage Chebyshev filter, I will respect the others and leave it at that. I welcome your follow-up in the form of a private message.

Vince

 

[squirrel911]

Possible Field Programmable Repeater

Ok, this guy has a setup that the Rescue Sqruad I am on is looking for. Not completely like this but kinda. We want to use two dual band mobiles. I talked to a guy the other day and he said that there is a little black box we can connect the two radios to turn them into a repeater. We wont be using a duplexer, we wil be using multiple antennas. This will be in a trailer used for mobile command. We travel all across the state and have permission already in allot of counties to use there frequencies while in there areas. Does anyone know what the name of this box is and where I may get one?

 

[kpoe_28]

Ok, this guy has a setup that the Rescue Sqruad I am on is looking for. Not completely like this but kinda. We want to use two dual band mobiles. I talked to a guy the other day and he said that there is a little black box we can connect the two radios to turn them into a repeater. We wont be using a duplexer, we wil be using multiple antennas. This will be in a trailer used for mobile command. We travel all across the state and have permission already in allot of counties to use there frequencies while in there areas. Does anyone know what the name of this box is and where I may get one?

sent you a pm on yahoo messenger

 

[n8emr]

The controller doesnt seem to have an IDer in it. How you doing your legal ID's?

 

[SCPD]

Is that radio tone duplexer working well for you? Nice Job! you'd make an EM happy!

 

[kpoe_28]

The controller doesnt seem to have an IDer in it. How you doing your legal ID's?

On the base repeater I built the out of FT-2900's I have the TX radio it's self setup to ID every 10 mins.

On the one with the Chinese radio's, doesn't have that option, If one were to set that up and use it the ID would have to be done by voice

 

[N4ADE]

awesome setup on a budget none the less cheap and inexpensive. it is nice to see someone getting creative with the wouxuns. insane use of them in a repeater.

would be cool to see more projects that include the use of the wouxuns for things like this.

Thanks,
brian

 

[ResQguy]

Ok, this guy has a setup that the Rescue Sqruad I am on is looking for. Not completely like this but kinda. We want to use two dual band mobiles. I talked to a guy the other day and he said that there is a little black box we can connect the two radios to turn them into a repeater. We wont be using a duplexer, we wil be using multiple antennas. This will be in a trailer used for mobile command. We travel all across the state and have permission already in allot of counties to use there frequencies while in there areas. Does anyone know what the name of this box is and where I may get one?

EFJohnson Technologies | Portable Repeater

 

[firetaz834]

I'm very impressed with what I saw, please don't let the detractors prevent you from continuing with what your doing. In things I've done, I've heard them but it what is up to you and not them. I used to say everyone has an opinion but till someone wants to cough up the cash then continue to do it your way.

Again, it looks very super and just keep working and improving on what your doing.

 

[n8emr]

EFJohnson Technologies | Portable Repeater

Using the repeater make you still have the same issue and more than the original poster had.
You said you had permission to operate on several other counties freq.
Does all of there license allow another repeater, the Cheif cant give you permission to operate the repeater if his fcc license doesnt allow it. With a couple of mobiles you will need duplexers you CANT get enough separation on a trailer for dual antennas on the same band. If you going to a cross band system then you make your IDing even more complex. You have to ID 2 transmitters.

 

[776]

Could you put one radio on a repeater channel and the other on a simplex channel and use it as a link or to extend the range of the repeater? If so it would be good to work with national Interoperability channels.

NICE SETUP

776

 

[gewecke]

Dude, that is awesome work with what looks like little to average money put into the project! You'll have plently of isolation with that frequency split and low power for sure.... Does that controller (can't think of the name right now, I know its from Japan), does it have an "IDer" feature or can it be programmed to have one?

I saw your other repeater at home and that too was an excellent use of two relatively cheap mobile rigs!

Keep us updated with any changes you make and again nice job!

For a cheap and dirty on the fly repeater,this would probably work but a BETTER controller WITH cw id is needed to make it legal.

Try here,

Integrated Control Systems


73,
n9zas