RE: [Repeater-Builder] Poor Mans Repeater Project anyone?
You are absolutely right, Nate! One can go broke just obtaining / keeping-on-hand the necessary test equipment to build/maintain a repeater system, cheap (i.e. poor man's) or otherwise. Either way, you'll be a poor man by the time you finish building your project... hehehe Until recently, I was fortunate enough to have a friend who is in the business (also a ham) assist me with the test equipment end of things. But now, he might be accepting a supervisory position with his company; if this does happen, he/I will lose his access to the test equipment we regularly needed to maintain my 440 repeater with remote receivers (SpectraTAC system). So it looks like I'll be haunting e-Pay more often looking for inexpensive test equipment, and trying to appease the XYL in the process. ;-p Add to that that I am trying to build a 900 machine, and the costs continue to rise... 73 de Mark - N9WYS -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Nate Duehr On 4/11/07, skipp025 [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Re: Poor Mans Repeater Project anyone? I'd be interested in reading along and learning, but I'm not sure how much I could help -- I was mentored by MASTR II guys... They work so well for just about any type of project (Joe's 6m split-site is easy with a 6m and a UHF Mastr II mobile pair to swap parts around in!) that I don't know much else... But I'll watch, learn, and comment if I think I have anything useful to add... Pretty much, I'd consider myself a poor man when it comes to repeaters -- I work on club systems to feed my habit... since club members help foot the overall bill, and we all get to enjoy the results. That's probably one thing many budding repeater-builders don't realize... if you get sucked in, even a club paying for parts won't save you... you'll end up buying test gear, good cables for bench testing, good quality adapters and connectors, etc etc etc... it becomes a lifestyle choice to blow money on stupid repeater related stuff... to put it politically-correctly. Add in a weak-signal VHF+ habit and well, it's easy to be broke all the time, but as long as it's fun... why not? Cheap, well-engineered, and soon... pick any two! (As the saying goes!) Nate WY0X
RE: [Repeater-Builder] Poor Mans Repeater Project anyone?
Wouldn't that be: /KT/R, /AG/R AND /AE/R ??? Mark - N9WYS -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of DCFluX They will have to identify with /KT, /AG, and /AE accordingly. On 4/11/07, Ken Arck [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: At 03:50 PM 4/11/2007, you wrote: Perhaps some one would like to start an 'Advanced Repeater Builder' list on Yahoogroups? ---But what about Technicians, Generals Extras? Ken
Re: [Repeater-Builder] Poor Mans Repeater Project anyone?
Wow! Just the project I've been waiting for!--got a few MO and GE mobiles in the shed--let's go! from ve5ned On 4/11/07, skipp025 [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Re: Poor Mans Repeater Project anyone? Would some of you group members be interested in a Poor Mans Repeater Project as described below? The project goal would be to construct a simple repeater using various/mixed radio parts. We as a group would talk about various portions of the repeater during actual construction of a project by at least one or two (probably more) group members. The project would more likely be surplus two-way conversion and/or ki-built related radio equipment as anyone can buy a pre-made repeater system. We'd toss around a few ideas first and then try to aquire equipment and make it work as best possible. Converted mobile radios..? Converted base or commercial repeaters? Junk bought off ebay... yadda yadda. Duplexer... no duplexer, high power, low-power. You get the idea... Might be fun and a way to get good information and various opinions out to the group. A lot of you don't have the money for some of these bells and whistles we talk about. So why not go back to our roots and build a repeater from scratch. Anyone interested? cheers, skipp -- Ned Carroll
Re: [Repeater-Builder] Poor Mans Repeater Project anyone?
Sounds like fun to me. In fact I've been tasked to help with just that sort of thing for a group. Probably a local split site on 6m using 70cm as a link. 73, Jon KD5SFA -Original Message- From: skipp025 [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Apr 11, 2007 2:02 PM To: Repeater-Builder@yahoogroups.com Subject: [Repeater-Builder] Poor Mans Repeater Project anyone? Re: Poor Mans Repeater Project anyone? Would some of you group members be interested in a Poor Mans Repeater Project as described below? The project goal would be to construct a simple repeater using various/mixed radio parts. We as a group would talk about various portions of the repeater during actual construction of a project by at least one or two (probably more) group members. The project would more likely be surplus two-way conversion and/or ki-built related radio equipment as anyone can buy a pre-made repeater system. We'd toss around a few ideas first and then try to aquire equipment and make it work as best possible. Converted mobile radios..? Converted base or commercial repeaters? Junk bought off ebay... yadda yadda. Duplexer... no duplexer, high power, low-power. You get the idea... Might be fun and a way to get good information and various opinions out to the group. A lot of you don't have the money for some of these bells and whistles we talk about. So why not go back to our roots and build a repeater from scratch. Anyone interested? cheers, skipp Yahoo! Groups Links
Re: [Repeater-Builder] Poor Mans Repeater Project anyone?
skipp025 wrote: Re: Poor Mans Repeater Project anyone? Would some of you group members be interested in a Poor Mans Repeater Project as described below? Back in the 70's I breadboarded a VOX circuit that used a diode voltage doubler driving a big cap and a NPN transistor keying a small reed relay. I put a ouncer telephone transformer in line, and a .01 cap and pot in series for the repeat audio path. I mounted it all in a little project box I had, two terminal strips for I/O. Plug the input into the speaker jack on a rx radio, and mic and PTT into the tx radio and off you go. Users had to voice ID it as they ID'ed. Ran that at a couple of hamfests years back, rx was an Icom IC-22A or 22S, tx was a KDK FM144 on 1W. Toss it under the seat, gain antenna on the roof for rx, rubber duck or 1/4-wave mag mt under the car (or in the trunk)for tx. Sounded like crap, but it worked. -- Jim Barbour WD8CHL
RE: [Repeater-Builder] Poor Mans Repeater Project anyone?
Skipp / all, I'm kinda doing this particular thing now - constructing a repeater from pieces-parts (i.e. mobile radios, controller, power amplifier, power supply, etc) for 900MHz... although I'm not down to board-level construction of the machine. That being said, I'd also be interested in following such a thread. One thing, though -- the conversion of a mobile into a repeater has already been done (and expertly, I might add) with both the Micor and Mastr-II mobiles on the Repeater-Builder website... However, (that was for you, Skipp! Hehehe) employing a different mobile unit, certainly! I'd just hate to reinvent the wheel. Mark - N9WYS -Original Message- From: Repeater-Builder@yahoogroups.com On Behalf Of KD5SFA Sounds like fun to me. In fact I've been tasked to help with just that sort of thing for a group. Probably a local split site on 6m using 70cm as a link. 73, Jon KD5SFA -Original Message- From: skipp025 [EMAIL PROTECTED] Re: Poor Mans Repeater Project anyone? Would some of you group members be interested in a Poor Mans Repeater Project as described below? The project goal would be to construct a simple repeater using various/mixed radio parts. We as a group would talk about various portions of the repeater during actual construction of a project by at least one or two (probably more) group members. The project would more likely be surplus two-way conversion and/or ki-built related radio equipment as anyone can buy a pre-made repeater system. We'd toss around a few ideas first and then try to aquire equipment and make it work as best possible. Converted mobile radios..? Converted base or commercial repeaters? Junk bought off ebay... yadda yadda. Duplexer... no duplexer, high power, low-power. You get the idea... Might be fun and a way to get good information and various opinions out to the group. A lot of you don't have the money for some of these bells and whistles we talk about. So why not go back to our roots and build a repeater from scratch. Anyone interested? cheers, skipp
Re: [Repeater-Builder] Poor Mans Repeater Project anyone?
At 4/11/2007 11:02 AM, you wrote: Re: Poor Mans Repeater Project anyone? Would some of you group members be interested in a Poor Mans Repeater Project as described below? The project goal would be to construct a simple repeater using various/mixed radio parts. We as a group would talk about various portions of the repeater during actual construction of a project by at least one or two (probably more) group members. I'm just starting on my 3rd GE MVP VHF portapeater. #1 is locked up in a tower; I guess that makes it a permapeater now. No regrets - it's still accessible has on-off control via an open-drain output of a controller on a co-located 440 system, plus it was cheap: radio mobile duplexer were free, IDer was an old Autocode board out of my junkbox, homebrew audio/keying circuit used pre-existing GP9 antenna with crossband diplexer. Only thing I remember explicitly buying for the system was the crystals. #2 got pressed into standard 600 kHz repeater service (sans mobile duplexer, of course). Anyway, I started on #3 by grabbing a VHF MVP out of the garage throwing in on the bench. I test before I do any converting so I don't waste time converting a dog. I pay particular attention to the TX, as RXs are easy to swap but if the RFPA has a problem it's easier to just use another chassis with a working RFPA. It tuned up fine: 32 W on 144.93, 0.35 µV for 12 dB SINAD @ 147.585. One coil in the IF section was way off for some reason, but everything's playing fine now so time to start the conversion (convert to duplex bring all needed I/O out the rear 10-pin system connector). I'll also be installing the VHF UHS preamp I bought from Kevin at the '05 Hamvention to see if it will handle the mobile duplexer isolation. I need to squeeze as much sensitivity as I can out of this one, even if it means adding an additional filter, sized within reason (not a 10 1/4 wave Motorola bottle!). Bob NO6B
Re: [Repeater-Builder] Poor Mans Repeater Project anyone?
Sound good to me. Would certainly like to observe learn. Have a project going of converting an Motorola Mitrek UHF as an Backup for an Repeater that I have in operation. Wesley AB8KD
Re: [Repeater-Builder] Poor Mans Repeater Project anyone?
I was hoping to start an open source built from scratch repeater project, that would be board style, kinda like Scotty's spectrum analyzer. But someone said there may not be enough intrest in it at the time. Perhaps people are intrested now?
Re: [Repeater-Builder] Poor Mans Repeater Project anyone?
On 4/11/07, skipp025 [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Re: Poor Mans Repeater Project anyone? I'd be interested in reading along and learning, but I'm not sure how much I could help -- I was mentored by MASTR II guys... They work so well for just about any type of project (Joe's 6m split-site is easy with a 6m and a UHF Mastr II mobile pair to swap parts around in!) that I don't know much else... But I'll watch, learn, and comment if I think I have anything useful to add... Pretty much, I'd consider myself a poor man when it comes to repeaters -- I work on club systems to feed my habit... since club members help foot the overall bill, and we all get to enjoy the results. That's probably one thing many budding repeater-builders don't realize... if you get sucked in, even a club paying for parts won't save you... you'll end up buying test gear, good cables for bench testing, good quality adapters and connectors, etc etc etc... it becomes a lifestyle choice to blow money on stupid repeater related stuff... to put it politically-correctly. Add in a weak-signal VHF+ habit and well, it's easy to be broke all the time, but as long as it's fun... why not? Cheap, well-engineered, and soon... pick any two! (As the saying goes!) Nate WY0X
RE: [Repeater-Builder] Poor Mans Repeater Project anyone?
Pretty simple really , maybe 25 watts max but the fun starts with the controller . From: skipp025 [EMAIL PROTECTED] Reply-To: Repeater-Builder@yahoogroups.com To: Repeater-Builder@yahoogroups.com Subject: [Repeater-Builder] Poor Mans Repeater Project anyone? Date: Wed, 11 Apr 2007 18:02:44 - Re: Poor Mans Repeater Project anyone? Would some of you group members be interested in a Poor Mans Repeater Project as described below? The project goal would be to construct a simple repeater using various/mixed radio parts. We as a group would talk about various portions of the repeater during actual construction of a project by at least one or two (probably more) group members. The project would more likely be surplus two-way conversion and/or ki-built related radio equipment as anyone can buy a pre-made repeater system. We'd toss around a few ideas first and then try to aquire equipment and make it work as best possible. Converted mobile radios..? Converted base or commercial repeaters? Junk bought off ebay... yadda yadda. Duplexer... no duplexer, high power, low-power. You get the idea... Might be fun and a way to get good information and various opinions out to the group. A lot of you don't have the money for some of these bells and whistles we talk about. So why not go back to our roots and build a repeater from scratch. Anyone interested? cheers, skipp _ Advertisement: Visit LetsShop.com to WIN Fabulous Books Weekly http://a.ninemsn.com.au/b.aspx?URL=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Eletsshop%2Ecom%2FLetsShopBookClub%2Ftabid%2F866%2FDefault%2Easpx_t=751480117_r=HM_Tagline_books_m=EXT
Re: [Repeater-Builder] Poor Mans Repeater Project anyone?
Perhaps some one would like to start an 'Advanced Repeater Builder' list on Yahoogroups? On 4/11/07, Barry C' [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Pretty simple really , maybe 25 watts max but the fun starts with the controller . From: skipp025 [EMAIL PROTECTED] Reply-To: Repeater-Builder@yahoogroups.com To: Repeater-Builder@yahoogroups.com Subject: [Repeater-Builder] Poor Mans Repeater Project anyone? Date: Wed, 11 Apr 2007 18:02:44 - Re: Poor Mans Repeater Project anyone? Would some of you group members be interested in a Poor Mans Repeater Project as described below? The project goal would be to construct a simple repeater using various/mixed radio parts. We as a group would talk about various portions of the repeater during actual construction of a project by at least one or two (probably more) group members. The project would more likely be surplus two-way conversion and/or ki-built related radio equipment as anyone can buy a pre-made repeater system. We'd toss around a few ideas first and then try to aquire equipment and make it work as best possible. Converted mobile radios..? Converted base or commercial repeaters? Junk bought off ebay... yadda yadda. Duplexer... no duplexer, high power, low-power. You get the idea... Might be fun and a way to get good information and various opinions out to the group. A lot of you don't have the money for some of these bells and whistles we talk about. So why not go back to our roots and build a repeater from scratch. Anyone interested? cheers, skipp _ Advertisement: Visit LetsShop.com to WIN Fabulous Books Weekly http://a.ninemsn.com.au/b.aspx?URL=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Eletsshop%2Ecom%2FLetsShopBookClub%2Ftabid%2F866%2FDefault%2Easpx_t=751480117_r=HM_Tagline_books_m=EXT Yahoo! Groups Links
Re: [Repeater-Builder] Poor Mans Repeater Project anyone?
6M ? a very interesting band currently , I will be reading along . From: KD5SFA [EMAIL PROTECTED] Reply-To: Repeater-Builder@yahoogroups.com To: Repeater-Builder@yahoogroups.com Subject: Re: [Repeater-Builder] Poor Mans Repeater Project anyone? Date: Wed, 11 Apr 2007 14:15:43 -0400 (EDT) Sounds like fun to me. In fact I've been tasked to help with just that sort of thing for a group. Probably a local split site on 6m using 70cm as a link. 73, Jon KD5SFA -Original Message- From: skipp025 [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Apr 11, 2007 2:02 PM To: Repeater-Builder@yahoogroups.com Subject: [Repeater-Builder] Poor Mans Repeater Project anyone? Re: Poor Mans Repeater Project anyone? Would some of you group members be interested in a Poor Mans Repeater Project as described below? The project goal would be to construct a simple repeater using various/mixed radio parts. We as a group would talk about various portions of the repeater during actual construction of a project by at least one or two (probably more) group members. The project would more likely be surplus two-way conversion and/or ki-built related radio equipment as anyone can buy a pre-made repeater system. We'd toss around a few ideas first and then try to aquire equipment and make it work as best possible. Converted mobile radios..? Converted base or commercial repeaters? Junk bought off ebay... yadda yadda. Duplexer... no duplexer, high power, low-power. You get the idea... Might be fun and a way to get good information and various opinions out to the group. A lot of you don't have the money for some of these bells and whistles we talk about. So why not go back to our roots and build a repeater from scratch. Anyone interested? cheers, skipp Yahoo! Groups Links _ Advertisement: Its simple! Sell your car for just $30 at carsales.com.au http://a.ninemsn.com.au/b.aspx?URL=http%3A%2F%2Fsecure%2Dau%2Eimrworldwide%2Ecom%2Fcgi%2Dbin%2Fa%2Fci%5F450304%2Fet%5F2%2Fcg%5F801577%2Fpi%5F1005244%2Fai%5F838588_t=754951090_r=tig_m=EXT
Re: [Repeater-Builder] Poor Mans Repeater Project anyone?
At 03:50 PM 4/11/2007, you wrote: Perhaps some one would like to start an 'Advanced Repeater Builder' list on Yahoogroups? ---But what about Technicians, Generals Extras? Ken -- President and CTO - Arcom Communications Makers of the world famous RC210 Repeater Controller and accessories. http://www.arcomcontrollers.com/ Coming soon - the most advanced repeater controller EVER. Authorized Dealers for Kenwood and Telewave and we offer complete repeater packages! AH6LE/R - IRLP Node 3000 http://www.irlp.net
Re: [Repeater-Builder] Poor Mans Repeater Project anyone?
They will have to identify with /KT, /AG, and /AE accordingly. On 4/11/07, Ken Arck [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: At 03:50 PM 4/11/2007, you wrote: Perhaps some one would like to start an 'Advanced Repeater Builder' list on Yahoogroups? ---But what about Technicians, Generals Extras? Ken -- President and CTO - Arcom Communications Makers of the world famous RC210 Repeater Controller and accessories. http://www.arcomcontrollers.com/ Coming soon - the most advanced repeater controller EVER. Authorized Dealers for Kenwood and Telewave and we offer complete repeater packages! AH6LE/R - IRLP Node 3000 http://www.irlp.net
