Transmit OUTSIDE the box.

[DrBlackHat]

My department recently built a new building for my division. Our radios operate in the 462MHz range. With all the steel and concrete that went into the construction we can no longer get reception for our radios. Cell phones are just as dodgy. Does anyone have a simple COST EFFECTIVE solution, such as a mini-repeater (does that even exist?). Their solution was to get a scanner for our office area, great until you walk out of the room. The interior of the building has 4-6 concrete walls in every direction, and we are at a low point right on the water. Any ideas?

 

[b7spectra]

I worked in a 14 story building years ago, and we operated on 464.400MHz. Well, reception wasn't that great from the basement to the top floor, so we installed a 2 watt repeater! Now, you say "2 watt?" Yup! The repeater was in the basement, and we ran "leaky coax" up through the center of the building to the top floor. Basement to the top floor, great reception! Since we never left the building, it worked out perfectly for us.

 

[cg]

A passive antenna system might work as well depending how much area you are looking to cover. Another solution might be to get another frequency and set up a second repeater that was patched to the first. Perhaps the primary repeater could be relocated closer to your building (if it doesn't cause problems in other buildings.
Had it been part of the project, it would have been much easier to put a solution in place.

chris

 

[DrBlackHat]

Its a municipal radio system PD to be exact. We have, as far as I know, 3 repeaters, and a main tower. The closest less than a mile away at the airport. If you are in HQ, which houses the main tower, you can't get reception either. Broadcasts out, not up or down. I was thinking about it last night, Is there a "prebuilt package" that maybe has an antenna we could mount on the roof or in the attic, and then run a coax to our tech room, and have a splitter that runs maybe 4 satellite antennas out to cover the whole building. Its only one story, and we are running antiquated Motorola HT1000's. I think I'm trying to say are there plun-n-play repeaters?

I may just end up with a $200 cell phone booster system and tell our dispatchers if they can't get us on the radio, to call our cells.

 

[Packetpeeker]

Poor Comms

It's hard to believe that 460 mhz won't penetrate that building but i have seen stranger things. You indicate that cell reception is spotty also. You could license another set of splits and install a motorola 25W uhf repeater package and use a combiner and 2 antennas off of the output of the duplexer.
Mount one antenna on a high point of the building externally and mount the other inside the building, perhaps in a closet within the concrete structure, this should surely give very good coverage.
You will loose Db through the duplexer, through the combiner and of course through the coax so you may have a gross output of between 12 and 15 watts which should be more than enough for full communications, if need be, depending on the repeater the power could be lowered further with programming software if you desire.
As for the HT1000, it is older but is a very good and dependable radio.

Hope this helps.

 

[davidgcet]

if the main issue is just that you can't hear dispatch, simply put in a base(mobile on a power supply) and run a few speakers thru the building. then when dispatch calls you go to the base and answer. or put deskset remotes in at multiple locations and answer off one of them.

 

[ramal121]

Is there a "prebuilt package" that maybe has an antenna we could mount on the roof or in the attic, and then run a coax to our tech room, and have a splitter that runs maybe 4 satellite antennas out to cover the whole building.

Yes, ain't cheap though....

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