6 replies to this topic

[gf66]

They are owned by individuals and can boost range if you hook into them. My question is about the Midland MTX400. Recently installed it, it comes with repeater channels which confuses me. Are they saying the radio is a repeater or any repeater near by allowing the channels from 15-22 to be used. it is now using, without permission? There is no feature allowing the connection to a personal repeater, it just makes 15-22 repeater channels. I thought when I bought it, it was a repeater specifically designed to be the GTX 1050 repeater. In other words it could boost the range of the hand held, but I recently read here the 1050 isn't able to use a repeater. I'm thinking there maybe some claims being made that can't possibly be true. 

 

Just the tinker in me that needs to understand these things. If there are conversation covering this please provide a link. 

[kb2ztx]

The radio is programmed with the repeater split as you said on 15-22. That means the radio will TX on 467.xxx which is 5mhz up from the non repeater of 462.xxx

 

There is no "repeater" systems in the world only what private folks put on the air. I think Midland and other vendors need to share that info as many buy it and think it will work out of the box. It does not. If you get permission to use a repeater you can use it. If you buy your own repeater and set it up you can use it. 

 

To my knowledge Midland does not sell repeaters. Not in GMRS. They used to sell Part 90 repeaters. 

[Blackmar401]

You bought a 40w base radio. It has repeater channels on it so if you are near a repeater and have permission and the privacy codes you can use it. That is all.

[OldRadioGuy]

If you are interested in more detail....

Your mobile radio only transmits or receives at any given time.

It can use different freq for TX and RX so it is compatible with a repeater.

 

Your radio never transmits and receives at the same time.

That's the trick only a repeater system can do.

It requires extreme filters to separate the TX and RX which are very close together.

Think of two guys sending morse code at the same time using adjacent notes on a keyboard.

You need an amazing filter to separate them.

 

That's why repeater systems are very expensive.

 

Ham guys can do a thing called Cross Band Repeater which is much easier.

The signals are often at 440MHz and 145MHz.

More like a tuba and piccolo sending morse code at the same time.

So many radios are cabable of cross band repeat operation.

But GMRS has only one band so no dice.

 

I don't know if you could use a MURS radio and a GMRS.

But all the users would need TWO radios also.

Not very practical.

 

OK, that was probably too much information.

 

Vince

[gf66]

You bought a 40w base radio. It has repeater channels on it so if you are near a repeater and have permission and the privacy codes you can use it. That is all.

Watched a utude vid, just how you explain it with instruction on how to set it up. Thanks.  . 

[gf66]

Well, I figured out that the MTX400 has repeater channels already to go like BlackMar said and that there are 3 repeaters round here and all 3 are open source, unfortunately 2 of them use the same frequency. I also figured out how to find the owners of permission only repeaters and how to enter the codes in the radio should the need arise. So, I have channel 17 and 20 using repeater channels, 17 is south of here and 20 is north. I'm thinking the thing to do is create a map on a gps with open source repeaters and there corresponding channels so no matter what direction I'm heading I have a repeater channel to use. 

 

FWIW I've been on the net and in forums for a long time, searching for information doesn't always answer the questions asked. When I create a post I try and keep in mind someone might be searching for an answer and my "conversation" might help answer their question. If my posts sound a bit lame it's because they are directed at not only the present and persons involved, but a wider audience that might come in later. 

 

Vince, that was all greek to me, give me some time to learn the language

kb2ztx, thanks, 462-467 isn't just a number designation, it signifies a boost in power, very helpful.  

[wayoverthere]

Think of it as listening to two people talk at the same time. If they're both standing side by side, it's hard to pick out one over the other.

If you put a barrier between them, and stand on one side or the other of the barrier (the filters repeaters use) you can make out one easily.

Likewise, if they stand far apart (vhf vs uhf), you can more easily pick out one without the other interfering too much