programming radios (CHIRP) for using my RT97 repeater

[NevadaBlues]

In short, I can make the repeater work, so that's good.

But I'm programming the radios to transmit and break squelch on the same tones. The transmit-tone part works because the repeater activates, but the handhelds are picking up signal (and breaking squelch) from a tone-less transmission on the equivalent simplex channel.

I have the tonemode set to TSQL and the Tone Squelch at 136.5. This matches the CTCSS/DCS Dec and CTCSS/DCX Enc of 136.5 which I believe is the transmit and receive tones from the RT97. 

My goal is to make it that on that programmed channel the handhelds are (a) able to activate the repeater and (b) only hear from the repeater.

[axorlov]

12 minutes ago, NevadaBlues said:

but the handhelds are picking up signal (and breaking squelch) from a tone-less transmission on the equivalent simplex channel

That will always be the case. If receive tone is not set, radio hears everything, with and without tones.

13 minutes ago, NevadaBlues said:

My goal is to make it that on that programmed channel the handhelds are (a) able to activate the repeater and (b) only hear from the repeater

You need to set TX tone (appears to be achieved) and RX tone on your programmed repeater channel.

[NevadaBlues]

40 minutes ago, axorlov said:

You need to set TX tone (appears to be achieved) and RX tone on your programmed repeater channel.

I think this is my question: how do I do that? I read that tone mode = TSQL is the setting to use when the the sending and receiving tones are the same. So I did that, set the Tone Squelch value, but it's not working.

[KAF6045]

45 minutes ago, NevadaBlues said:

I think this is my question: how do I do that? I read that tone mode = TSQL is the setting to use when the the sending and receiving tones are the same. So I did that, set the Tone Squelch value, but it's not working.

More information is needed: In particular -- what are the HTs in question, and how have they been programmed (as has been mentioned, if the HT is on a channel that does not have a receive tone defined, it will open squelch on all traffic -- and repeater outputs are the same frequencies as the simplex channels; I really hate that the FCC and manufacturers shove repeaters in as "separate channels", in the old days one went by frequency [assigned to a channel memory] and had a button that toggled between simplex and repeater operation).

[axorlov]

7 hours ago, NevadaBlues said:

I read that tone mode = TSQL is the setting to use when the the sending and receiving tones are the same. So I did that, set the Tone Squelch value, but it's not working

As KAF6045 said, more info is needed. Is your HT even programmable by Chirp? By what you said, looks like you've got it working. The Tone Mode = TSQL and Tone Squelch = <some tone> should only hear transmissions with the said tone and nothing else.