Any repeaters in the Austin Texas Metro Area

[WD5EMS]

Hi Everyone;

 

I'm looking at utilizing a spot of which I currently don't have a HAM radio repeater and by placing a GMRS repeater to benefit the area.  Currently I only see one repeater within the vicinity of Round Rock, Texas (location of my soon to be installed repeater) however I was wondering what other repeater owners have used for techniques for deciding on what frequency pair to place a repeater.  Unlike the Ham community going through a repeater coordinator, GMRS does not seem to have this as the rules states nothing about coordination but more or less a gentlemen's agreement.  Outside of listening to the GMRS repeater pairs for any traffic to know what frequency pairs to avoid for co-channel interference, im not sure what the best way to go about this. 

 

My set up will be a DB 420 Omni antenna that is currently mounted on a mutli story building utilizing a short 1/2" heliax feedline to the soon to be built repeater which will be operating at 25 watts.  So finding any repeaters in the Austin Metro area would be crutial to me as when I had a ham repeater that was only set to 20 watts I had a radius of approx. 25-45 miles and I don't want to create co-channel interference. 

 

Any suggestions as to how to determine what frequency pair to use?

 

Thanks and 73!

Tommy Taylor, WD5EMS/WRAA259

[Logan5]

Use a scanner, program all the GMRS pairs in and monitor both input's and output's, using the lockout feature when radio users are detected. You will end up with the quietest pair in the end and save a lot of money having to have the deplexor re-tuned again at a future date.

[zap]

I live in Round Rock. I typically keep my issued service monitor in my truck. PM me if you need help or duplexer tuning. I will say, highly recommend using a Band-Pass/Band-Reject type duplexer if your site is to be collocated with other UHF repeaters.

 

I'd run a rtl_power plot for the repeater spectrum and see what comes out…I may do that (Brushy Creek area here) and see what I find.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[WD5EMS]

Thanks Zap! 

 

I do plan on using a cavity duplexer with BpBr due to other uhf repeaters on the roof of this structure.  Just waiting on Belton Hamfest to find one at a decent price.  I use a Wacom 4 cavity for my 444.875 repeater and it gets between 95-100db of isolation so even though the GMRS repeater will only be putting out ~20 watts at the radio, I don't want to be a bad neighbor and create desense of either repeater.  Glad that your local!  I work nights usually at my full time job but feel free to contact me off list and perhaps we can meet up since we are close by.  I live in a subdivision off Gattis School and Double Creek called Southcreek.  My email address is I_do_911@yahoo.com.  From there I can share my cellphone number and it would be great to meet up and have lunch and discuss radio things 

 

73

Tommy Taylor, WD5EMS/WRAA259

[WD5EMS]

Hey Zap;

 

I did a radio trade with a guy up in Indiana.  He is sending me two Kenwood TK-880's, both version 2, and one is the high power version.  Im planning to eventually make a repeater out of them with the high power radio being turned down to about 25 watts.  Saw you had some comments to a post regarding TK-880's.  Its good to know your in Round Rock, nice to have you close by.  Are you going to Belton Hamfest?  If so, ill have a table inside, be nice to meet you.

 

73's

Tommy

[Lee - Texas GMRS Network]

If any of you with repeaters in the Austin area are interested in linking them via IP, let me know.  

[mdomsch]

Tommy - there was one repeater listed here for the last year, but it appears to be removed now. I was never able to access it from anywhere within Austin, nor did the owner respond to my inquiries.  I also routinely scan the local HAM and GMRS frequencies from my truck and have never heard a GMRS repeater in the Austin area, only weak HTs.  I have regularly heard what I think is either a church or the community theater in Round Rock Memorial Park at I-35 & 620 coordinating activities in different parts of the venue (lights, audio) using HTs during events, though I forget now which frequency.

[WRMF554]

Following up on this post - I know it's old, but it is one of the few with folks in the Austin area speaking up. Added a few of you as "friends" on here. Anyone still active in the Austin / Round Rock / Pflugerville / Hutto area?

[kmcdonaugh]

On 4/24/2021 at 9:35 PM, WRMF554 said:

Following up on this post - I know it's old, but it is one of the few with folks in the Austin area speaking up. Added a few of you as "friends" on here. Anyone still active in the Austin / Round Rock / Pflugerville / Hutto area?

ONE YEAR LATER.....

I'm in Leander. There are more and more GMRS repeaters popping up in the area every month. Flintrock Hill, Round Rock, Taylor, etc

[WRPC505]

I live in the Killeen/Copperas Cove/Fort Hood area but work security in the Four Corners area (RM 620 & 2222) so I need to start carrying my GMRS HT with me. If I ever think about it I may attempt to reach the Flintrock Hill repeater from there soon.

Warren Rowe, WQ1C/WRPC505

[chappys4life]

Im in north austin by pflugerville and was debating setting up a repeater using a Retevis RT97

[WRJQ927]

On 7/12/2022 at 9:37 AM, chappys4life said:

Im in north austin by pflugerville and was debating setting up a repeater using a Retevis RT97

I hope you do! I'm just north of the Parmer/Mopac intersection a block behind the old Fry's. I can pick up the Flintrock Hill repeater pretty well.  Every Monday morning I look at the gmrs email with the list of new repeaters and hope someone adds a good one to this area.

[MichaelLAX]

[WRJQ927]

On 7/12/2022 at 9:37 AM, chappys4life said:

Im in north austin by pflugerville and was debating setting up a repeater using a Retevis RT97

I hope you do! I'm just north of the Parmer/Mopac intersection a block behind the old Fry's. I can pick up the Flintrock Hill repeater pretty well.  Every Monday morning I look at the gmrs ema

 

21 hours ago, MichaelLAX said:

Interesting, because I check this map every week. Just did a second ago. On mine, Round Rock 725, Austin 725, and rock 650 do NOT show up. I know I have asked for and received the tones for the two 725 repeaters. I have never been able to hit them. I don't think I have seen Rock 650 before. Round Rock 725 is out of action according to the owner. If anyone knows about Rock 650 I would like to know. 

 

[MichaelLAX]

56 minutes ago, WRJQ927 said:

Interesting, because I check this map every week. Just did a second ago. On mine, Round Rock 725, Austin 725, and rock 650 do NOT show up. I know I have asked for and received the tones for the two 725 repeaters. I have never been able to hit them. I don't think I have seen Rock 650 before. Round Rock 725 is out of action according to the owner. If anyone knows about Rock 650 I would like to know. 

See the "wheel" near the upper left hand corner of the map?  If you click on this wheel, two options open up: Show Offline Repeaters and Show Stale Repeaters.

In my experience some of these are still active, especially "stale" which can just mean the owner has not posted any new comments or modifications to his repeater page in over a year.

So I always show them to an inquiring member such as yourself, to give you more data to work with.

[WRJQ927]

On 12/20/2022 at 11:19 AM, MichaelLAX said:

See the "wheel" near the upper left hand corner of the map?  If you click on this wheel, two options open up: Show Offline Repeaters and Show Stale Repeaters.

In my experience some of these are still active, especially "stale" which can just mean the owner has not posted any new comments or modifications to his repeater page in over a year.

So I always show them to an inquiring member such as yourself, to give you more data to work with.

Got it. Thank you! I contacted the owner so hopefully I'll hear back.

[WRZI840]

I know this is an Old Post but my brother lives in the Leander / Austin area and is recently got his GMRS license. He is currently looking at programming local repeaters in his area into his radio but it appears a few have gone Stale or Offline. Anyone in the Leander / Austin / Round Rock / Pfluggerville area know of any updated or Online Repeaters that get good coverage? My brother would like to build a newtork of GMRS users in his area and possibly look into putting up a repeater eventually but needs help on equipment.

[WSAT280]

I just got into gmrs for use with the family but I haven't been able to get any repeaters yet.  I'm in the austin area, I work near campus.

[koni13]

Hello to all, new to all of this and have a series of questions. Have my GMRS license and own a set of Baofeng radios UV82, along with a Radioditty DB-20. I can hear on certain GMRS frequencies, have input repeaters onto my Baofeng although not pinging? Assuming I'm missing a set in programming as on neither radios can I transmit. Again hear ongoing communications abroad with others transmission, including the NOAA weather stations. Asking for any help for assurance can transmit with other GMRS people on frequencies, thanks in advance!

[WSFK753]

Is anyone using the Flintrock Repeater out in Lakeway area?  It seems to have a huge range. I am trying to set up my 5RM to access it, (the menu is a bit different than the UV-5r), so wanted to know if people regularly access this Repeater that I can connect with....