My ham radio club is ready to replace our 440 repeater. I have read the spec/data sheets on the Icom IC FR-4000 and the Kenwood TKR-850.
Here are my questions: Are these among the best modern repeaters available? Is one or the other superior? Is there a different repeater you would prefer or recommend? What good/bad experience have you had with the Icom or Kenwood (or with related products)? Are there specific brands or models to avoid? Information that might be relevant: The repeater will be in a standard 19-inch rack mount cabinet. It will be inside, not exposed to the elements. It can be used with or without a power amplifier (5W in, 90W out). I would like the power out to be near the 90W. The frequency pair has 5MHz separation. TX is on 448.375MHz; RX on 443.375MHz. The duplexer is a Motorola T1504A I would appreciate the benefit of your experience. Thanks. John Transue, Trustee Vienna Wireless Society Vienna, VA
