* IF YOUR NICE I MAY TELL YOU <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> [2007 Jan 09 06:55 -0600]:
> Hi all you know they say there is no dumb question unless you didnt
> ask it and messed things up so here goes .I am wanting to make a cheap
> repeater system for 2 meter and I really need some input on how to put
> one together and also once its built is there a special licence to
> operate it?Thanks 73'3
If you're in the USA, no special license is required so long as you
hold a Technician class or higher. The first thing you need to do
before investing time and money is to contact your local frequency
coordinator and get a frequency pair coordinated. Without proper
coordination, the FCC will hold you fully accountable for resolving
interference to a coordinated system.
As for "cheap" equipment, as the equipment gets cheaper, your
investment in time increases. It's almost a linear relationship. That
said, I've had good results with a pair of Motorola Mitrek mobile
radios. There is not enough isolation within one radio at 2 meters to
get by with only one. Also, the modifications are fewer when two
radios are used, plus you can make them to be a ready spare for the
other function.
To be really cheap, you'll have to avoid the duplexer. So, this pretty
much dictates a "split site" repeater which adds the complexity of a
link between the receive and transmit sites. Also, a split machine
will suffer from uneven coverage between RX and TX.
Duplexers aren't cheap even when bought used. Once purchased they need
to be tuned onto the correct frequencies. This is easily done with a
tracking generator, but can also be accomplished with a signal
generator and a spectrum analyzer.
Then there is feedline and antenna. Nothing less than hardline will do
and avoid fiberglass antennas like the plague. Uless you like chasing
noise problems...
73, de Nate >>
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