Is it possible for unlinked repeaters to daisy chain a communication?

[WRXW945]

I’m wondering if multiple separate repeaters in close enough proximity to communicate are able to carry a transmission.

This is just an exercise in could it be done?

I’m still new to radios and just thinking about theoretically if it could be done.  Maybe 2 normal repeaters and a 3rd programmed with a negative offset as an intermediary?

 

[SteveShannon]

8 minutes ago, WRXW945 said:

I’m wondering if multiple separate repeaters in close enough proximity to communicate are able to carry a transmission.

This is just an exercise in could it be done?

I’m still new to radios and just thinking about theoretically if it could be done.  Maybe 2 normal repeaters and a 3rd programmed with a negative offset as an intermediary?

 

There’s a conversation about that from maybe eight or nine months ago. Technically you might be able to do something like that but you tie up more channels. Done incorrectly you end up with an infinite loop. 
But the regulations don’t allow repeaters to transmit on the 467 MHz frequencies so it’s not really possible. 

[WRKC935]

Yeah, as Shannon said there are specific regulations forbidding this.

The other issue that comes up with doing this is the entire repeater allocated frequency range exists in a 200Khz bandwidth.  Meaning that if you are trying to 'listen' to another repeater signal and then transmit to the next 'hop' you have a transmitter and a receiver in the same 200Khz bandwidth.  The transmitter will swamp the receiver and you will either go deaf, or the receiver will lock on to the transmitter thinking it's the desired signal and the thing will loop up and not stop transmitting. 

 

If you are dead set on doing this.  It needs to be engineered correctly and linked via some other means.  This would typically be some sort of IP linking using either the internet or microwave links between the sites. 

The equipment and methods that are used for the MYGMRS repeater system are not some super secret proprietary technology.  It's a reuse of a ham linking system called AllStar Link or ASL.  This runs on a software add-on that runs on a IP PBX called Asterisk.  In other words an IP based phone system.  That technology could easily be used to link multiple repeaters together and be fully closed so that your repeaters were the only equipment on that specific system.  And that would probably be the best option for this.

Now I will also say that linking a bunch of repeaters together and taking up a number of the 8 repeater pairs we have available isn't going to make you real popular if there are others that are wanting to put up repeaters.  So be aware of that as well.  If you are going to do it make sure that it is going to fill a need.