Some repeaters have the option of letting the VCO run continuiously and they key the power amp circuits, The benefit is the PTT rise time goes from 50-100mS down to like 4mS. The disadvatage is that any radios in close proximity to the repeater hear the VCO running due to leakage, is that the case here? Do you actually have full power out of the repeater all the time?
Also you might try removing the programing cable from the repeater as it appears to share the PTT line.
