berkinet

Antenna “Gain” might reduce your S/N ratio, especially in the case of a directional antenna, because you will be receiving less noise and competing signals. But, it will not impact the signal strength of the desired signal. In the case of an omni directional antenna, the impact is really minor since you really don’t hear much fromdirectly overhead or below the antennna.

Thanks for this tip. The ability to use alkaline batteries is perfect for emcomm applications where there may be no time or facilities to recharge batteries.

Note: More power out the antenna equals more drain on the battery. So, even though a radio like the GMRS-V1 might only output 3 watts, if that is all you need for your uses then it is fine. Bigger is not necessarily better. In particular, if you are using a local repeater, less power is often a plus.

If you are indoors, and you cannot get access to a roof, the circumstances pretty much dictate you will not have good omni-directional radiation. So, you might as well look for an antenna with a radiation pattern that fits your mounting options. In a window, a 180º antenna will work well, on a balcony you might find something with up to a 270º pattern. Also, unless you have a balcony, or outside wall mounting option, be careful about the power you use. Under 5 watts would be best, you don't want to fry your brain with 50 watts into a 9 db gain omni (with at least 1/2 the power being radiated inside tour house/apartment).

Typical? No. Common? Yes. Morse code is permitted and used to meet FCC ID requirements.

You are, of course, correct. I was trying to give a basic answer to someone who had some pretty basic questions.

50 Watts is the absolute limit on GMRS. A call sign must be broadcast every 15 minutes. Antenna regulations Also, check out this thread.

Neither. the concept of fixed is really orthogonal to the temporary/permanent axis. Of course, philosophically speaking, everything is temporary. However, there is a clear difference between in motion and not-in-motion. Clearly a repeater cannot be used while in motion. In this case I'd take fixed to mean it will remain stable at its location while it is supporting whatever activity it is designed to support. When that ceases, it will move on. Probably the edge case would be a mobile repeater that was only turned on when the vehicle in which it was mounted was parked. I.e. not in gear and the parking brake set. Such might be the case for some kind of shopping trip, treasure hunt, etc. I'd ague that was also fixed, since it did not move while operating. In any case. I suspect on the FCC's enforcement priorites list, tracking down borderline "fixed" repeaters ranks slightly below use of Part-90 equipment on GMRS.

Now that is a place to push the state of the art forward!

To keep things fair, shouldn't you be giving guns and radios to the elk too?

95.1 The General Mobile Radio Serv- ice (GMRS). (a) The GMRS is a land mobile radio service available to persons for short- distance two-way communications to facilitate the activities of licensees and their immediate family members. Each licensee manages a system consisting of one or more stations. GMRS is not a hobbyist service, it is not for expanding ambitions, it is not a place to push the state of the art forward. However, there is a place for that... Amateur Radio. Per the FCC, Part of the Basis and Purpose of amateur radio is the: Continuation and extension of the amateur's proven ability to contribute to the advancement of the radio art. If those are your interests, get an amateur license.

Or, it may not. I can't find any mention about what technology is used for the duplexer. I couldn't even find a picture or a video of the repeater with the case open. Also, the specifications do not mention Rx/Tx isolation. But, at a $400 price point, whatever duplexer they are using, it can't cost much -- though, it is probably the most expensive thing in the box.

CHIRP

Yes. That is the (minimum) $60 cost I was referring to. That is in addition to the cost of the Pi, so figure another $35 and you are just over $100. I also learned a bit more about the ORP (Open Repeater Project). It is essentially a web based front to SvxLink - a project that develops software targeting the ham radio community.

I think I may have spoken/posted too soon. Turns out you need more than just the Pi to make this work... Like around another $60 to several hundred dollars more depending on your needs. Yes, if you have the abilities and time you can DIY, but the instructions are not very precise. Still probably a good deal for somewhere around $100 for a mid-level controller. But, more than I'd spend just for grins.

I just stumbled upon the Open Repeater Project. https://openrepeater.com. This is a Raspberry-Pi based repeater controller that fits somewhere between the bare-bones ID-O-Matic and more "feature rich" controllers. Other than the cost of the Pi, it is free. Control is via a built-in web server, so remote operation is available. There is a video available on the website that give a nice, though not particularly exciting, overview of the controller. This is something I am likely to try, so I will report back. BTW, having a Pi in your repeater setup is a nice idea anyway. Especially if you install the VirtualHere software (https://www.virtualhere.com) which allows you to remotely connect to USB devices. Like, for radio programming, etc.

Each setting, Courtesy Beep and ID has it's own pitch setting (in Hertz). From the product page (I don't own one): This board will record and play back a 10-second voice message.

Since this topic was posted in the Equipment Reviews forum, I guess a review of the product itself (as opposed to sales and service issues) is appropriate. The ID-O-Matic is a very basic station ID and repeater controller offering a minimal set of functions including: Automatic periodic ID in CW and optionally, with an extra module, voice.An optional "Courtesy (Roger) Beep" when the incoming carrier is dropped.​The "beep" consists of one or more characters sent in audible morse code.A separate "beep" is available for input timeouts.The speed, volume, and pitch of the beep and ID are controllableTiming controls for maximum talk-time (PTT) hang time, ID time, etc.Option for one alternate ID message (based on the state (high or low) on an input line.Beacon control functionality.An option to control an external fan.Programming is via a terminal connection over USB using a simple menu based system.The following common repeater control functions are not available: Other than a gain control, there is no processing of audio.There is no processing of CTCSS (PL, DPL, etc.).This means any use of CTCSS on Rx or Tx must be done in the radios themselves.There is no provision to trigger an ID with an external signal.There is no provision to have an alternate "beep" or "beeps." (For example, when on battery power.)Note, while sales material states it is possible to have an alternate "beep," such an option does not appear in the programming menu and is not documented in the manual.There is no logging.Other than for backup power, it is specifically not recommended to configure the controller or to even leave the USB control line connected during operation. This means you should not plan on being able to alter the program remotely. However, In practice leaving the controller connected to a PC during operation does not seem to exhibit any problems, as long as you take care to Quit the programming menu after use.For the price, for a very basic repeater system, this probably cannot be beat. However, do consider the design, documentation and firmware are now 5 years old and the original developer Dale, N0XAS, is no longer with the company having sold it to the current owner, Dan, W7RF in 2017. As noted in posts above, this change may impact the level and quality of support available.

I eventually came to this conclusion as well. The manual says the flashing LED means it is in a timing cycle. Which cycle it is, is not specifically mentioned and it sure wouldn’t have killed him to answer my question. That’s ok. I got the message, my business is not appreciated and I should, and will, shop elsewhere next time.

Well. I got the ID-O-Matic setup and running on a Motorola MTR2000. In fact, the only reason we needed the ID-O-Matic was for a "Roger Beep" that some users felt was necessary. Anyway, it works fine but I had noticed one minor issue, so I emailed Dan... I have the controller hooked up and generally working. However, I have one issue. After receiving COR, turning on PTT, losing COR and then dropping PTT (I.e. a normal transmission) the LED remains blinking green and never returns to solid green. Everything seems to operate correctly, it is just the LED that is an issue. And, here is his reply. I never even pay any attention to the LED so I cannot even tell you what the manual will tell you about it. I USE the controller and never care what flashy lights mean unless there is a problem. If you want to know more about the LED, read the manual. There are so many parameters to change and it is a waste of time trying to chase down what you MAY have programmed to make the LED operate as you describe. If you want to see the LED operate the way the manual states or if something you may have programmed is not right but you cannot figure it out then do a reset, of course all of your programming is reset to factory, but the LED will be just as the manual describes. Use the controller, if it operates the way you want, leave it alone. 73, Dan Magro W7RF Seriously, RTFM? Is this the kind of customer response he normally provides. First he says he never read his own manual about the LED. Then, he says I should read the manual. In fact, he just bought the company in 2017 and it is likely he actually does know nothing about the operation (and peculiarities) of the ID-O-Matic. Summary: If all you want is to tie two radios together with an ID and Roger Beep, the ID-O-Matic will work fine. But, you should know it does essentially no audio (PL/DPL, etc.) processing, logging etc. Also, as demonstrated above, you probably shouldn't hold out high hopes of support if you have any problems.

I had a teacher who used to say, it is not important to know information, just where it can be found. Googling “wiki collinear antenna” gets you https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collinear_antenna_array In any case, the wikipedia explains it much better than I could.

I finally received my ID-O-Matic. It was delivered Late Saturday, but I couldn't pick it up until yesterday. Those who commented about postal delays were right. But, of course that was all the more reason to be prompt about mailing it in the first place. I ordered the controller and box hoping to get a nice fitting installation. The controller itself is fine. I used a Mac to set it up (OS 10.14.2) and had no issues whatsoever (well, other than grabbing a faulty usb cable from my cable bin). My only minor gripe is that 20 years into the second millennium, something like this really ought to have a built-in web server for setup (and Wi-Fi or ethernet onboard). That would also make it easier for post install changes. However, I do have some serious reservations about the box. #1, the only way the board will fit into the box makes it impossible to have the USB plug connected and difficult to access the wire connectors. Also, although the board is drilled for hold-down bolts, there are no matching studs in the box. Basically, it is just a standard project box that is ill sized for the board it will contain, at about 5 times the price I can get it on Amazon or the local electronics shop (Yes, we still have one.) My advice: Since you'll have to drill holes in the box anyway, you might as well save the money and get a box that fits your individual needs somewhere else. OTOH, the ID-O-Matic is a nice piece of kit, especially at the price they sell it for.

Probably best not to post email addresses in the forum... likely to become spam bait. But, I now have yours and will send an email. To PM (if you are using a browser in a desktop it tablet) is to click my name in the gray bar above this post, and then click “Send me a Message”

I guess that was my point as well. This is a radio communications forum with an emphasis on GMRS. I realize that this interest tends to have a lot of crossover with other non-radio interests. And, while I am probably in the minority here on many of those topics, the simple matter is, regardless of where one falls on those issues, they really don't belong here. As long as we keep to that. any differences should be irrelevant. As to my "superior" experience. Well, I may have a lot of experience, but that does not necessarily equate to knowledge or expertise. There are others on this forum with a much better technical grounding than me. Probably the one important thing I have learned is to keep my contributions limited to what I know and keep my mouth shut about the rest. That, and I always double check by re-reading my posts, before clicking Post, and by looking up information to be sure I have it right before sharing it with others. In any case, I sent you a PM earlier and if there is some topic you think would be best handled outside of the forums, feel free to respond.