How To Build A GMRS Repeater Part 2.5 - First Issues, How To Configure The KG-1000G, and Tom Hanks 

haha you got pinned.

you got caught in the "karen boy" trap.lol

Not now he,s getting divorced his wife will have it.

I think you missed Randy's point.... LOL

I think BG might be a DH too.

He really had me with that 4th grade story. I wonder how he bows about old ladies. Lol, this channel got me into GMRS, and here in Florida, after Hurricane Ian, I’m looking at setting up a repeater to check in on friends when cell towers go down.

Your repeater is already listed as "NEW" on MyGMRS. Congrats.

I tried to connect to your repeater frequency 462.600. input tone: 023 DPL. and output tone: 023DPL. so it isn't compatible with Retevis Radios? it doesn't have that kind of tone, is it only for Motorola radios? I live in Riverside

Process of elimination!

How I know something has arrived- it hits the wall next to the door - I’m since I can hear my open an shut - and it doesn’t- I know UPS launched it from the driveway 20’...

She works for the broadband network too. Me: Ma'am our whole neighborhood has lost internet. Tech: First we need to run some tests. Please power down your modem. Me: Ma'am the whole neighborhood is down. What will that accomplish? Tech: We must do this to establish where the problem is. Me: I believe I know where the problem is. Can I speak to your supervisor?

I have my antennas stacked on my tower. The Tx antenna on top, and the Rx antenna on the bottom. Up about 60'. Separated on the tower with just a few feet. The frequencies are non-harmonic, and 5MHz difference. Since I've made my own antennas I've specifically made the antenna so they are resonant on the frequencies that they are serving. The Rx antenna is resonant at exactly 467.6250 MHz and the Tx antenna is resonant at exactly 462.6250 MHz. I use Heliax coax. It was given to me. Otherwise I would have used the LMR400. My SWR on both Rx and Tx sides are 1.01 to 1

Just added it to the info section

@@TheNotaRubicon thank you!

WRME359

@@leeskidmore cool! thank you can you leave a link please? i cant find anything on this device. i thought of buying a kg uv9g pro.if this is better... thank you!

@@chiliwalker8263 not a device...that's his callsign. WRMA293.

@@JoseLuis_HG and thats yours? Cool..iv written them both down on a cardboard box. do you have any radio suggestions

Where at in Texas?

if a Rasberry Pi works out of the box, just like the ID-O-MATIC to do the job, it sounds like a great idea.. If not, then i'm not interested.

@@TheNotaRubicon The ID-O-MATIC is Windows based. It does require set-up. Doesn't work with MACs.

@@TheNotaRubicon nope it takes a bit of configuration. I had an ID-O-MATIC on my GMRS Repeater first. It was functional and I really liked it. But it had issues. I sent it back and by the time I got a replacement I had the pi up and working. So yes ID-O-Matic is pretty much plug and play. In the future if your interested in upgrading check it out. Hamvoip has the best site for learning about it. Thanks for replying. Good luck on your repeater build. I'll be watching. I learned a lot building mine and I'm very happy with it. Keep up the good work and spreading the humor! Jimmie

For many walkietalkie types you can take cable from speaker to mic between each - and BAM💥 you have a repeater! But only as good as the reception on the walkietalkie and it’s tiny antenna to transmit and receive... Them prepped types have lots of videos out there of them hiding them out in the woods in cammo ammo cans... I imagine if you do the same - wire mic to the speaker on the other and be careful with the volume and ohm ratings etc- one could do the same with any two radios??? That of course have external jacks for such... I’ve actually looked for some of the 50W varieties and of the mobile type you’ll find a jack for speaker (~8 ohm) but not mic... If you want to risk getting all hacker about it. My repeater budget is being consumed and put on hold until after taxes and a new Jeep....

You will need about a 30Amp power supply if you want to connect both radios.. Otherwise one that is about 25A connected to the transmitter and a smaller 5A or 10A for the receive radio.. Easiest to just get a 30A and connect them both. There is a link in the info section to the power supply i'm using.

I use a car battery for home base. Lasts long time and put a charger on battery overnite when it gets below 13v. About evry 4-7 days depending on use.

Yes - any duplexer is going to steal some of your power.. Usually, the smaller/cheaper the duplexer, the more it steals. i dont remember the exact amount that the one I was using was stealing but it was something like 10-20watts.

a duplexer does not buffer/switch, so there is no delay. instead it isolates the transmit signal, or does some other voodoo so that the transmit signal does not step on the receive signal.

If I was rich, or using someone else's money, I would have used one of those fancy antennas also..Instead I decided on the Tram 1486 because it has a very low wind profile and also does not look like a radar-station for all my neighbors to complain about - and it has 6.5db gain, so it's a 'good' antenna..and, it was only about $75. Would a $2000 antenna perform better? Probably.. Would it perform $1930 better? i dont think so..

@@TheNotaRubicon After looking at some far field plots of both collinear arrays, like the Tram 1486, and folded dipole arrays, like those $2000 monsters I referenced, before, I discovered what the appeal of the folded dipole arrays is. The far field plot of a collinear, like the Tram 1486, is like a flat pancake with a very low angle of radiation - which makes it good for long distance contacts with other stations that are at about the same height/elevation. So, a group of operators who have their antennas at about the same height are going to have excellent results in communicating with each other. However, repeaters tend to have their antennas at MUCH greater heights above ground and at higher elevations above sea level. This means that the stations they are servicing are going to be below the horizon of the antenna - and, the antenna needs to be able to have good radiation, not at the horizon, but below the horizon, as well. The folded dipole arrays provide a larger "bubble" of coverage that provides both a low angle of radiation out to the horizon, but also below the horizon to service the stations that are located hundreds or thousands of feet below the antenna. So, when you get your repeater on the air, you might want to test coverage in the immediate vicinity , as well as at a good distance away. Particularly, see how the coverage is for areas that are much lower in elevation, but not too far away to see if you're getting a good signal nearby. And, go out a good distance to a point that is also at about the same elevation. I suspect you may discover some "holes" in your coverage within a few miles of your repeater, while still having the ability to access it from a long distance away. Just something to consider. EDIT: As a way to determine whether this issue is a problem for you I might suggest that you also put up a simple 1/4 wave ground plane for GMRS at the same or similar height and compare between the two. The 1/4 wave ground plane is going to lack the gain of the collinear antenna, but it is going to provide more radiation below the horizon, which might actually make it perform better with stations at much lower elevations. Good luck! I hope the antenna you chose works well for you! I'll be interested to see the results! Thanks, for taking us along on your adventure into running a repeater!

@@richardowens9061 Agree with all of the above, but also don't forget a pricey 2- or 4-bay folded dipole array also offers directionality and/or a null. And the reason that they are $2000 (well, a lot less used if you can find one at a hamfest or through a club) is that they're intended for 99.999% reliability in public safety and commercial applications, and the ability to survive for decades through extreme temperatures, heavy rain, snow, winds, etc on a mountaintop. A $75 antenna will not offer the same mechanical reliability, but if it's mounted to your home 17' AGL that's not a requirement. If Randy is using the highest (50W) TX power level I would be concerned that the repeater might be an alligator (all mouth, no ears). I suspect it likely will. An antenna at 17' above the ground will have limited receive capabilities for weaker HTs and mobiles, but 50W and 6 dBd gain is 200 Watts ERP (less feedline losses), which will be full quieting to the horizon. His users might be able to hear it perfectly, but unless they're running high power mobiles they might not make it in cleanly. Another thing to test!

@@W2IRT I'm less concerned about the repeater being an "alligator" than I am that it's just not going to have the desired coverage within a few miles of the repeater site. His location is actually very good - high above the surrounding terrain, even at ground level. He can hit repeaters dozens of miles away with his HT at his home. I think the problem is going to come in when, despite the gain of the antenna, mobile and handheld stations close by but far below the antenna are not going to be able to hear OR key up the repeater. I'm of the belief that if you can hear a station, it can hear you, barring noise or other more powerful stations at the other end. And, that's usually not an issue with a repeater. Yes, those really expensive folded dipole arrays are designed to be extremely reliable and part of the reason they cost so much. But, the far field plot reveals their real ability as antennas. Being able to cover the area at the bottom of a tower as well as 25 or 50 or 100 miles away is where they really shine. Interestingly enough, the simple 1/4 wave ground plane antenna offers a similar radiation pattern. It just doesn't have the gain. Of course, GMRS is a line of sight band, anyway, so I don't see the big benefit of a high gain collinear antenna - but, i do see the benefit in having the antenna at a high elevation relative to the surrounding terrain. It will be interesting to see how it turns out and what issues manifest themselves once he's gone live and people start using it.

@@richardowens9061 I certainly agree with the negative angle issue. That's a huge consideration, especially for wide-area coverage machines. I was just referencing the the fact that even if he were to be on completely flat terrain it would most likely out-talk its ability to hear at 50W. I honestly don't know a single thing about his neighborhood--I've been to CA exactly three times in my life, so I don't know if there's a lot of stuff below his location, or if he's on relatively flat terrain at the base of the mountains behind him. With an antenna at 12' AGL, I suspect his range will be just fine for running errands around town and calling home, etc. I have a 35' second tower on my house that holds a 6 element LFA for 50 MHz plus a discone scanner antenna, and I was thinking of throwing up an old Micor that I have laying around on GMRS, but I don't have the equipment needed to retune the cans, which are currently on 443/448 and I'd need to get xtals made!

I will do a price breakdown when the repeater is up and running - the parts list keeps changing

@@TheNotaRubicon thanks

WRFQ770

are you able to hit our repeater from Hemet? We are now on 700, DCS 271

Better duplexers cost money, but if you would like to send one I will be happy to use it. Also, according to the manufacture running that thing on high power for extended periods will be no issue as long as it has adequate air-flow. Not that i believe what the manufacturer says, but I run the same radio in my Jeep, on high-power for hours (8-12) at a time, in desert temperatures with very little air-flow, and it hasn't burned up yet.

@@TheNotaRubicon but as a repeater itll have a heavier duty cycle. Because not only will it transmit your audio, but also the others. Where as you talking on your mobile it has more rest time.

your duplexer will be fine since there are no other repeaters near your repeater. Love your sense of humor. Carry On!

as mentioned in the video, i checked/tested everything between the radio and the antenna.

@@TheNotaRubicon this what I get for listening on the way to work. Sorry

I was wondering the same thing. Maybe someone smarter than both of us can answer.

@@TheNotaRubicon LOL... That is a tall order! But hopefully so. I am thinking of building 2 go boxes, that could be teathered / linked together to make an instant (field) repeater. Then just use each rig's antenna per radio.

@@TheNotaRubicon using omni directional antennas, the separation would need to be vertical not horizontal as the antenna radiant pattern are doughnut shaped. Getting them to resides in each other hollow space (doughnut hole) is the sweet spot to avoid desense of the receiver by the transmission side. The exact measurements seem to all be "theoretical" but consciences also seems to be, even a cheap duplexer is a better choice then trying to deal with dual antennas with separation solution.

Yes.. Check the antenna protection/grounding codes in your area for the correct/best way to protect and ground your setup.

Yes.

the base of the antenna will be about 12 feet of the ground. I talked about my expected coverage in Part 1

Just make sure that if there are any other repeaters within 100 miles of yours, that you dont use the same tone - otherwise, just pick at random.

@@TheNotaRubicon Thank you.

@@TheNotaRubicon I'm lost why a tone was deemed necessary. This isn't the transmission frequency for any channel right? The only reason for someone to transmit on this frequency is to try and activate a repeater otherwise they would be transmitting on the same frequency the repeater is transmitting on. Preventing spurious emissions causing it to kerchunk?

Its not a legal requirement, as far as I understand the rules since anyone using the repeater must ID with their own callsign.. You can purchase add-on kits that will do it and BuyTwoWayRadios should be selling an interface cable for one of those kits soon.

@@TheNotaRubicon Thanks for reply. One more question: Do you have to apply to get a coordinated pair of GMRS frequencies to put up a repeater in your area. If so, how do you do this and who controls how close repeaters can be that use the same channel. Yes, I'm a ham (one of the good ones).....don't judge me. I feel that anything that gets people of the air communicating is great. Most of the frequencies are quiet all the time. If we don't use them, the FCC might take them from us and sell them to evil industry. Love your channel.

Nope.. No frequency coordination on GMRS.. Everybody has to figure it out on their own and get along with each other.. I listened-in on all the frequencies for a week or so before choosing mine to make sure there were no repeaters around to interfere.. then later had to change anyway because there was some overlap with a repeater that is about 50 miles away..I didnt have to, but i did, because i'm a nice kinda guy.