Billy

I have two of the Boafengs. I have the extra batteries and Nagoya 771 antennas. They work well. The one upgrade that I did do was to open up the microphone hole slightly. This cured what seemed to be low audio. Mouth placement is important with these radios as the location of the hole is not instinctive. For your elderely friend. Try to pick up on of the stubby dual band antennas for about six bucks. They are only about an inch long. I will tell you that they do not work very well on the VHF side (understandably) but work fine on the UV5R in GMRS and 70cm for local repeaters. Also some antenna's do not fit the UV5R perfectly, leaving a gap. A small rubber washer will tighten them up and make it less prone to breakage. Bill

That is what I figured. I am going up on what appears to be a open pair, I have monitored, researched and nothing is listed. I was thinking in terms of the future so I do not get squashed out. That is why I asked about the Narrow/Wide option. Thanks for the response. Bill

I am saying that all but one pair are in use, some by two or more repeaters. It is getting busy, much more so than a few years ago. Part of the reason I think is the emergency side of things. A few blackouts and hurricanes have people thinking about comms. I have been approached by a few people looking to put their own small scale repeaters up as well. Ham and GMRS licenses have been steadily on the rise lately in this area of Southern New York and Long Island.

My repeater is cabable of either Narrow or Wide. All of my equipment can do either. I was just curious as in my area all the pairs except .725 is being used by another repeater system. I am going up on .725 but wondered for the future if it was better to go narrow in case someone did set on top of me. On my repeater the ability to change PL's is there but once the frequency is set it more complicated.

Also as an additional thought would this be a place where a narrowband machine would help? Bill

I have a question. How far should a repeaters be away from one another to share the same frequency pair. This is assuming different PL's of course. At what distance or proximity do they start interferring with one another. My question is five miles enough, ten or greater? This is all assuming basic LMR type cable and desktop type repeaters. Thanks guys!

Thanks Logan, I was able to adust the VCO voltage on the RX/TX and the repeater is functioning fine. I did take a stab at tuning the duplexer using the brail method. I felt my way around and wound up nowhere Going to have to have a pro look at it and tune it. So all is good for now. I will update as it comes together. Bill

Just wanted to throw in a quick update. Programming cable came and have been able to set the fan, ID and hang time. Worked really smooth at the current freq setting. I am getting an error beep from the machine at the GMRS frequencies. A quick call to Ritron and the Tech sent me some skematics and adjusting information for the VOC voltage, amp and duplexer (good guys BTW, not the first time they took the time to expalain things). I am gonna open it up tommorrow and see how easy it looks in reality. I just thought of a scene from Fast Times at Ridgement High. "We can fix it, my dad has a awesome set of tools". Bill

Have seen used on ebay. Still pricey.

If your radio works and his does not then it is his radio. Quality in and Quality out! But as far as the hum what type of power supply? Battery is great and the cleanest, give it a try. At least it will tell you if that is the problem. Process of elimination! Also make sure he is programmed for the wide band if that is what the repeater is running on.

I am a big fan of Icom and those are great radios. If you can get them and program them for GMRS for that price jump on it. As far as the radios for bike riding go as long as you expectations are realistic, 1/4 mile or so any of the radios sold as Radio Shack or other stores will do fine. Just make sure they have the features you are looking for. I have some expensive radios but I also have cheap radios that go where I fear losing the expensive peice. Sometimes a good cheap HT is all you need, leave the investment at home.

I would slow down at this point. A good 1225 Motorolla tuned for GMRS freqs is around 500 on ebay give or take. Your current machine has a fairly good reputation as a reliable system. Maybe time to find a tech that can work on it, tune the duplexer and get it up and running rather than throwing good money after bad. At this point I would ask the following questions; 1. What is the area that you are trying to cover via HT (If we are talking a half mile or so a big repeater is not needed) Run predictions to see how many watts you really need with a good antenna at its current height. You may find that you don't need a big system but are better off with a good antenna and a low wattage arrangement. 2. I know you mentioned HOA but is this for the crew, the Neighborhood Watch or what. Because duty cycle will figure in your choice. What I am trying to say is if you are forming a neighborhood watch in a small gated community you don't need that much. A system like the Ritron I just bought that does about 8 watts might cover such an area with ease with a good antenna. That is what the majority of repeaters are designed for. Think construction site, factory, cab company, etc. Anyway, ask questions before you spend too much money. Slow down. It can get expensive if you leap too quickly. It is important to know the coverage area. If it is small look at the low wattage repeaters from ICOM, Ritron and the like. They both make stand alone, brand new programmed from the factory repeaters that are just plug in and 100% duty cycle for less then $1500. That includes the warranty. Bill

If "IF" you find yourself in need of an antenna, I can recommend this one. He also makes a dual band which is what I use. Tell him the specific frequency you want it cut for and it will come to you with flat swr's. I have two, GMRS and MURS and 440/2meters. The GMRS/MURS is broadband enough I still get less than 2:1 in the 440 Ham bands, not so much in the VHF arena. This one is a purely UHF antenna and more than likely what I am going to go with for my repeater when ready. I has a good amount of gain as well. Good Luck http://www.ebay.com/itm/111026812813?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649 As a side note, a half wave of the GMRS frequencies is roughly 1 foot or 12 inches. I have always been told that jumpers should approximate 1/2 wave of the frequency you are testing for proper measurments. I have also read that the same theory is used in tuning duplexers and the like. I have never tuned a duplexer and maybe one of the more knowledgeable can chime in. But it looks like your 1 foot jumpers were a good choice.

Please contact the seller with your issues before you put too much work into the repeater. At the very least he should be allowed to correct his issues. Ebay feedback is a powerful thing with a good seller. Consult the more experienced and technical before you spend your money. Bill

Thanks Gary, I do the same with all my radios after killing an HT that was transmitting from my workbag. Darn nice HT I killed. But like you say, It is not me that I am concerned about. I don't think the factory 3 minutes is a bad number, if you cannot say it in 3 minutes your going to have to let it drop. The programming cable did not come today, just the Ritron mic. So needless to say I just got done playing with that, works good, audio is very nice so far. Bill

Put the repeater on the antenna last night for a few minutes to test on the factory frequencies. Worked great, clear sharp audio. Seems like a smooth machine. Looks like the power setting is at 12 Watts. From what I have read the machine has a 30 Watt amp to give a boost over the entry level 8 watts. I don't know what the programs power increments are yet I need the cable for that, manual does not say, just says adjustable up to 30. The machine is supposed to be 50% duty cycle at the full 30. Thinking something in the 20-25 watt range might keep it healthy. There is definately a fan option for TX only, I am going to go with that. I will also take the 1.5-2 second hang time advice. Time out timer is factory set at 3 minutes, any input on that would also be appreciated.

Package came tonight, on stoop as usual. Powers up fine, fan is a little noisy but blows hard. I have a N adapter coming tommorrow so I have to wait to test it. Also found out that my programming cable is the wrong one, I have the 2.5mm and the jack is a 3.5mm. Appartently they have two kinds in the front, like usual mine is the wrong one. Ordered the right one as well. The Software is good that I have so that helps. There are two options from what I can see for the fan, on all the time and on transmit only so I will have to play with that when I get a chance. Gonna clean it up a bit and wait on my parts to give it a good test as is. It is set on 451.xxx so duplexer tuning is a must. Once I get all my pieces I will program it up and take you up on that offer. Thanks, Bill P.S. Speaking of programming, anyone have any suggestion on a good hang time. Also for the morse ID, what is the legal interval. I am going to name it and not broadcast it under my license. WB725NY has a good ring to it. Again, Thanks

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Dakota-Alert-M538-HT-MURS-2-way-Handheld-Radio-NEW-Factory-Sealed-/300782802212?pt=2_Way_Radios_FRS&hash=item46080d5524 I have no personal experience with these, nor does it detail the power levels but these are programmed specifically for the MURS bands. Bill

The Baofeng UV5R types are Part 90 accepted. They will power down to 2 watts and will cover both UHF and VHF (MURS). Easy to program with Baofeng downloaded software and cheap cable. They will cover the GMRS bands as well. Good radios for the $50 price tag. Extra batteries are $15. Something to look at.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/140944502597?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649 I purchased this last night. Although JohnE has the best repeater systems around I wanted this for an emergency backup to be operated from my house. I did all the coverage predications and it looks like 25 Watts would cover my local area for HT service with my current antenna setup. I have a few Ritron radios and in addition to them all being Part 95 accepted they are work horses. I have the software and cable already to program the radio so that should be a snap. The built in controller does hang time, Morse ID and a few other tricks. It also has its own power supply and DC battery backup charger. My only issue is going to be tuning the duplexer once I reprogram it. So I was wondering if anybody knows a good place to take it and have the duplexer retuned for the GMRS pair (looks like 725 is available locally). Thanks in advance for any information. Bill WQOV721 I should have added that I am in Babylon, Long Island.