Thanks Tom, Getting help around here is the hard part. I am the most experience and that is mostly from book reading and now a little playing around with the radio. No one else knows anything about repeaters either.
We are just now getting into the repeater stage for our club. 73 John --- In Repeater-Builder@yahoogroups.com, Tom Parker <t...@...> wrote: > > Mastr II is a good radio. Likely not much wrong with it. They're a > great deal better than most of what you buy today; however, we're pretty > impressed with the Kenwood TKR's in our shop for mid tier units. Our 22 > trunk sites are made up of Micors, Mastr II's, Johnsons, and one site of > MSR 2000's and one site of R1225's with Henry amps. Most are five > channel and up. The TKR's are in stand alone situations or conventional > users who own their on. > > You ought to stick with what you have and work out the problems or get > some help. > > thp > > W3ML wrote: > > > > > > I probably will turn it up more to see what happens. When I had it at > > 5 watts out we had no problems at all. > > > > Over the 10 watts is when the noise was really bad. Now at 55 it works > > and then it doesn't and then it works again. > > > > So, yes I still have something wrong and maybe one of these days I > > will get another grant and convince the club to buy another GE Mastr > > II and and a new antenna and coax. Maybe that will fix it. > > > > People we got radio from are not answering. > > > > John > > > > --- In Repeater-Builder@yahoogroups.com > > <mailto:Repeater-Builder%40yahoogroups.com>, "Chuck Kelsey" > > <wb2edv@> wrote: > > > > > > I'd suggest turning the power up more. You have it set at about 50% > > and the > > > transmitter may be intermittently spurious at that level. > > > > > > Watch the wattmeter when things act up and see if anything changes > > when you > > > notice the desense happening. You can also pull the TX ICOM when the > > problem > > > is happening and see if the receive clears up on the local speaker. > > > > > > There are so many things that could be at fault - loose connector, bad > > > antenna, problem with transmitter, problem with receiver, intermod > > issue, > > > etc. > > > > > > Ask the people you got the radio from if they had the same problem > > with it. > > > > > > Chuck > > > WB2EDV > > > > > > > > > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > > > From: "W3ML" <w3ml@> > > > To: <Repeater-Builder@yahoogroups.com > > <mailto:Repeater-Builder%40yahoogroups.com>> > > > Sent: Monday, October 05, 2009 8:33 PM > > > Subject: [Repeater-Builder] Re: Radio for repeater use Response to > > Tom's > > > comments > > > > > > > > > > Hi Tom, > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > I did crank up the power to 55 watts out of radio and that gives > > me 45 out > > > > of the duplexer. Decided on this wattage until I can figure the > > problem > > > > better. It is working better than before, but still having trouble. > > > > > > > > So from what you said about power coming out duplexer, the > > duplexer must > > > > still be okay. > > > > > > > > However, during the day today there were 3 hams talking and they said > > > > (later) that all of them were loud and clear. But, when I got home > > and > > > > tried to call one of them, he was covered in noise. > > > > > > > > Later one of the others called in and he would be clear, then the > > repeater > > > > would cut out and his signal would be gone, then it would come > > back with > > > > noise on his signal and then clear again. > > > > > > > > Then the other one came in with a lot of noise, then he would come > > in with > > > > a little noise and then no noise at all and then back again > > through this > > > > cycle. > > > > > > > > This cycle of noise and then no noise is driving me crazy. > > > > > > > > The set up is this: > > > > > > > > GE Mastr II VHF mobile running into a 6 cavity duplexer set to our > > freqs > > > > with a service monitor prior to bringing it here. > > > > > > > > There is a bandpass filter on the receive side after the duplexer and > > > > before the radio. > > > > > > > > We have used 1/2 inch hardline going up to the used G7-144. > > > > > > > > Then only thing I can think of is the radio is bad, the antenna is > > no good > > > > and the coax is shot. > > > > > > > > Now, the radio was given to us by a group that had used it, but > > decided to > > > > replace it with a Kenwood. > > > > > > > > I am thinking that they had the same problem and that is why they > > gave it > > > > away. > > > > > > > > Any advice would be greatly appreciated. > > > > > > > > 73 > > > > John, W3ML > > > > > > > > > > > > - In Repeater-Builder@yahoogroups.com > > <mailto:Repeater-Builder%40yahoogroups.com>, W9SRV <tgundo2003@> wrote: > > > >> > > > >> Ok- > > > >> > > > >> 1. Where are you checking the swr at in the chain? Make sure you > > bypass > > > >> the duplexers to check the antenna, the cans can throw off the > > reading on > > > >> some meters like you describe using. If you are less than 1.5:1 I > > would > > > >> not worry too much more about it, any reflected power will get > > eaten up > > > >> back in the cans. If you are really concerned about protecting > > the TX put > > > >> a circulator in-line with it. > > > >> > > > >> 2. Make sure all the interconnecting cables are good shielded and > > not > > > >> foil/ braid type. RG-213 and RG-400 are good choices, though > > there are a > > > >> few more. > > > >> > > > >> 3. Terminate into a good dummy load. Set you output power to > > 80-90W. Then > > > >> run thru the duplexer and check the power coming out of the cans. > > You > > > >> should see something like 60-70w, depending on the spec of the > > duplexer. > > > >> If your seeing much less than you may have a duplexer tuning issue. > > > >> > > > >> Figure out the real problem, let the radio run at a real spec power > > > >> output, than absorb the title of "far lord" as every one thanks > > you for > > > >> giving the repeater twice as many s-units. (then be prepared for > > the next > > > >> round of complaints that become your problem) > > > >> > > > >> Tom > > > >> W9SRV > > > >> > > > >> Sent from my iPhone > > > >> > > > >> On Oct 4, 2009, at 5:46 PM, "W3ML" <w3ml@> wrote: > > > >> > > > >> No, except when it was at the 2o watts the swr was almost 1 and > > someone > > > >> said that was the problem causing the de-sense. So we were afraid > > to run > > > >> it higher. > > > >> > > > >> Like you said guess it was only a problem from running too little of > > > >> power. > > > >> > > > >> > > > >> Thanks and 73 > > > >> John > > > >> > > > >> > > > >> --- In Repeater-Builder@yahoogroups.com > > <mailto:Repeater-Builder%40yahoogroups.com>, W9SRV <tgundo2003@> wrote: > > > >> > > > >> You answered your own question : > > > >> > > > >> "So it appears that this radio, which is a GE Mastr II mobile, > > doesn't > > > >> like to run at the lower wattage of 10 to 20 watts out." > > > >> > > > >> 110w radio will not be stable at 10-20w. If you look at your > > output on a > > > >> spectrum you probably have spurs all over the place. Any reason you > > > >> cannot run it at least 1/2-2/3 power? > > > >> > > > >> Tom > > > >> W9SRV > > > >> > > > >> Sent from my iPhone > > > >> > > > >> On Oct 4, 2009, at 4:46 PM, "W3ML" <w3ml@> wrote: > > > >> > > > >> So it appears that this radio, which is a GE Mastr II mobile, > > doesn't > > > >> like to run at the lower wattage of 10 to 20 watts out. > > > >> > > > >> > > > >> > > > >> > > > >> > > > >> ------------------------------------ > > > >> > > > >> > > > >> > > > >> Yahoo! Groups Links > > > >> > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > ------------------------------------ > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Yahoo! Groups Links > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > >
