Hi Jim I run a whole linked system on UHF and also two VHF repeaters for my local club.
I have repeater panels on my main repeater unfortunately not enough to do all but there is a simple reason for repeater panels-especially commercial ones. I use the ZETRON 38A which has many features too long to go into but the basics are here: Management-Management-Management. With DTMF if sitting at home or RS232 when at the site via a laptopI can do the following. Enable/disable the repeater External relay swithching on given CTCSS \ DCS(ideal for switching in a PA or preamp etc. Program all the standard features such as each of the 50 tones as users or cross tone-change the lengh of the tail-good for linkingetc. Provide a good way to see airtime usage-CW id-good for multiple groups such as emergency radios that do not want to listen to general chat. For testing I can remotely generate any single tone and DTMF digit on command. I can also enable the ANTI-KERCHUNK filters which is very handy. And the list goes on. It is fine to run to the one repeater you own every time it coughs and needs some testing-rEMEMBER FOR US THAT HAVE 11 REPEATERS IT IS WORK-SMART . If you can not get hold of a repeater panel you may want to look at a more simple approach such as NHRC pic repeater controller for the very simple and reliable approach. Kind regards Bradley Glen ZS5WT --- "Jim B." <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > jfrohoff wrote: > > >>>Also add a commercial community tone board > >>>with DCS to keep things orderly. > > > > > > Can anyone explain the need for a community tone > board and DCS? I > > understand that some radios allow us to use the > digital coded > > squelch, but why the community tone board? Best I > can tell from > > researching them on the net (and on > repeater-buider site) is that > > they are used when a repeater owner wants to track > usage by different > > groups of people, each assigned a different CTCSS > code or DCS code > > (?), sometimes used for billing purposes. > > > > I am building up a first-time UHF reapeater/remote > for local > > emergency use but am now a bit confused as to > whether I am best to > > buy a simple CTCSS decoder or a whole "community > panel"? > > > > Equipment obtained thus far is a Kenwood UHF > TKR-850 repeater radio > > with Decible Products Duplexer. Thanks in advance > for any comments. > > Jim K7RNR > > > > The primary purpose is to allow the use of more than > one tone/code on > the same system. This is all earlier tone panels > would do. > Secondary purposes, usually reserved for newer > panels, include usage > counts, CW identifiers, and remote control, either > DTMF over the air, or > by RS-232/modem. > Your TKR-850 will do just fine as long you don't > care about usage stats > or remote control (I'm not too familiar with the > -850 to know it's > capabilities, but the -820 was just a basic 8-tone > board with > time-out-timer, no other functions.) > > -- > Jim Barbour > WD8CHL > > > > > > > > Yahoo! Groups Links > > > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Finance: Get your refund fast by filing online. http://taxes.yahoo.com/filing.html Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Repeater-Builder/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
