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
<mailto:Repeater-Builder%40yahoogroups.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>
> > <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>
> > <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>
> > <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>
> > <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
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > >
> >
> >
>
