Alternate Travel Tone

[ASRM]

I am getting additional PL/DPL's programmed into my repeater, there is another one on my freq that is close enough that I can trip his repeater and travel tone. 

 

Is there an alternate that folks recommend? 

 

Thanks for any tips

[Logan5]

Consider another frequency. I would not park on the same channel, although it can be done, it would be highly recommended not to use any of the same PL or DPL tones the other repeater is using. I say, pick another pair.

[zap]

If there is another repeater on frequency, it generally easier to select a different frequency. You could run different PL in sort of a poor-man's voting configuration but becomes a pain as some program their radios for a RX PL, other's don't, and others (like me) take full advantage of the hang up mechanism built into most modern Motorola microphones.

[ASRM]

Consider another frequency. I would not park on the same channel, although it can be done, it would be highly recommended not to use any of the same PL or DPL tones the other repeater is using. I say, pick another pair.

Sadly all the channels are taken, the particular repeater I am talking about is probably the furthest away, it has no traffic on it, I would say my repeater is getting all the current activity, but yeah, I will avoid adding his tones in. The other repeater is about 20-25 miles away, doesn't cover the metro area like mine does or north and east and most of the west like mine either. I may just select a tone for travel as an alternate tomorrow when I visit the shop. My thought was to offer access for those in the area. What's odd is while there are repeaters on all the channels, they have no activity?

[zap]

That's really not unusual. Not having activity is not unusual for a GMRS repeater...nor is it unusual for an amateur repeater.

[ASRM]

That's really not unusual. Not having activity is not unusual for a GMRS repeater...nor is it unusual for an amateur repeater.

 

I guess that is a good thing.

[gortex2]

One thing to try is a common TX tone from the repeater. I have 3 repeaters on a the same frequency but use a different input PL for each repeater. This used to be done in the LMR days as a "poor" mans voting system. It would allow a PD to have a north and south repeater but the units could hear either when in range. The way i set mine up i can hear all three from my control station at home and depending on the area depends on which tower i pick in the radio. This also allows me to listen so if someone is on one of them I dont cover with my traffic.

[zap]

One thing to try is a common TX tone from the repeater. I have 3 repeaters on a the same frequency but use a different input PL for each repeater. This used to be done in the LMR days as a "poor" mans voting system. It would allow a PD to have a north and south repeater but the units could hear either when in range. The way i set mine up i can hear all three from my control station at home and depending on the area depends on which tower i pick in the radio. This also allows me to listen so if someone is on one of them I dont cover with my traffic.

 

Works well. One can also use this method and remote receivers to have a common transmitter site. 

[ASRM]

Actually I am doing that, the "other" repeater is only on the travel tone if I am not mistaken, I have around 8-10 tones in, I also have the travel tone but on a separate channel within my other tones, since the Vertex is a 16 channel repeater I just programmed the same freq in each channel assignment, but created different tone banks. If the other repeater goes off line for an extended period I can then flip to say channel 3 and have the tone active.

 

My next step is to look at MDC1200 as Zap had suggested, I somewhat like the idea in theory. I am going to add MDC1200 to all the units at the least for ID'ing them on the control radio, other users don't need to of course.