MURS Simplex Repeater !

[aglafon]

Hello near Mt. Jackson Va is a Simplex Repeater on 151.880Mhz it has a PL of 156.7Hz.

I live nearly 60 miles north and can hit it with no issues. So it must be well located on the

mountain top. If it's legal it's nice but i have no idea nor did i find any info on if it's legal.

 

                                                                                                          Al Lafon WQXH590

                                                                                                            

[Logan5]

MURS does not allow repeaters.

[WQYC236]

Very interesting.

 

Questions:

 

1) How did you find the repeater?

2) How do you know you are hitting it?

3) Have you ever talked to anybody on it?

4) What kind of traffic do you hear if any?

 

Since that frequency is definitely MURS I really wonder what's up?  

[WQYC236]

I just looked it up and the nearest ridge line to the East is approximately 2600 ft.  If it's up there the theoretical talking distance line of sight is 76 miles. However my experience with VHF is that it will go considerably further.

[quarterwave]

I would say it possible that legal or not someone has put up a MURS simplex repeater (simplexor / digipeater)....I'm sure it's not the first or last. 

[n4gix]

2) How do you know you are hitting it?

I suspect hearing yourself being "parroted back" after a making a transmission just might be a give away...

[WQYC236]

"(I suspect hearing yourself being "parroted back" after a making a transmission just might be a give away... }"

 

I guess I don't yet know how to make that happen. The best I can do is hear the two or three second delay carrier after I un-key the mic.

[n4gix]

Since you are already "breaking the rules" by kerchunking the "repeater" you may as well give a brief voice transmission as well, such as "Testing, 1, 2, 3" and see if it is "parroted back" to your radio.

[SteveC7010]

A "simplex repeater" uses a simplexor (or store and forward) device which contains a recorder. Some are for a fixed length and others are VOX. I suspect that you've found one with a VOX. The only way to know for sure is to give a 10 count and see if comes back. If you only hear the same 3 second kerchunk, it's likely that it is a regular repeater.

 

I have an older Zetron Model 19 Simplexor on my ambulance squad's base radio. It works fine, although we rarely use it. It is only triggered by a unique Quik-Call II tone set that dispatch uses only when our EMS repeater is off line. The simplexor records the dispatch when activated. Then it sends out our regular pager tones and plays the recorded dispatch. It's not a bad system although we rarely have need of it.

[WQYC236]

"Since you are already "breaking the rules" by kerchunking the "repeater" you may as well give a brief voice transmission as well, such as "Testing, 1, 2, 3" and see if it is "parroted back" to your radio. "

 

 

 

Thanks for the information guys! I didn't know I was "breaking the rules" by saying "Radio Check, 1,2,3,4" and then giving my call sign on a repeater frequency. Can you clarify? 

[n4gix]

By "breaking the rules" I was actually referring to keying up a repeater without identifying yourself, which is what "kerchunking" means. Of course on an FRS or MURS frequency one doesn't have a callsign anyway, so no ID is even possible...

[WQYC236]

Thanks!  Just wanted to be safe and legal.

[WQYC236]

Wouldn't it be nice if the FCC put MURS under GMRS and offered licencees those frequencies at GMRS power levels.   

[wrodina]

I wonder where the line is drawn for the "repeaters are not allowed" on MURS frequencies. I could set up a repeater but not use it, or I could use someone else's repeater that I had nothing to do with setting up. Is it the person who set up the repeater who would be at fault, or the transmitting station? Because in all fairness, I wouldn't expect to be activating a simplex repeater on a MURS frequency if I were transmitting.

 

Anyway, here's a group who's none too shy about their MURS repeater: http://www.artscipub.com/repeaters/detail.asp?rid=32221&ln=WB9VR_repeater_information_on_151.880_in_Monee,_Illinois

 

So it's definitely a thing. Probably a handful or more of them out there, and I'd bet it's not at all worth the FCC's time to go on a fox hunt.

[WQYC236]

I wonder where the line is drawn for the "repeaters are not allowed" on MURS frequencies. I could set up a repeater but not use it, or I could use someone else's repeater that I had nothing to do with setting up. Is it the person who set up the repeater who would be at fault, or the transmitting station? Because in all fairness, I wouldn't expect to be activating a simplex repeater on a MURS frequency if I were transmitting.

 

Anyway, here's a group who's none too shy about their MURS repeater: http://www.artscipub.com/repeaters/detail.asp?rid=32221&ln=WB9VR_repeater_information_on_151.880_in_Monee,_Illinois

 

So it's definitely a thing. Probably a handful or more of them out there, and I'd bet it's not at all worth the FCC's time to go on a fox hunt.

 

 

Interesting post and repeater.

[jmoylan69]

the best way to understand a parrot is go to Argent Data Systems and take a look at theirs. i have one and works real nice and fits the kenwood/baofeng as well.

 

https://www.argentdata.com/catalog/

 

as of now yes the rules do not permit even a simplex repeater for MURS. however, im sure in a post collapse etc or SHTF scenario if I had critical scenarios i would even use one. but they do have their place. one example is you can use a simple handheld with the parrot, and place it up on a mountain top someplace as a tool to test RF coverage etc. i've done that and when that works you remove it and place up a duplex repeater etc. 

but if someone has a MURS repeater going on. just keep in mind its against the rules.  uhmmummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

[jmoylan69]

" wonder where the line is drawn for the "repeaters are not allowed" on MURS frequencies"

 

95.1311 Repeater operations and signal
boosters prohibited

 

Murs stations are prohibited from operating as a repeater station or signal booster.  This prohibition includes store and forward packet operation.

 

 

 

Hence a parrot or simplex repeater is a store and forward device

[WQYA707]

the repeater owner is the control operator and, according to the FCC, responsible for the repeater, whatever the service. so if it is illegal to have a repeater on MURS frequencies, then the folks that set it up are on the hook. that said, if a MURS radio user connects to a repeater, when he or she figures that out, they must stop using it, since it is also illegal to use a repeater on MURS. 

[zap]

Ironically, this post gave me an interesting (dangerous) idea. Simplex repeater, P25 receive, analog transmit. Subs are programmed to receive analog and transmit P25.

 

Sent from my SM-T350 using Tapatalk

[Unit61]

All this information is pretty accurate and it has always been an interesting topic. There is always this possibility as well:

 

§95.1317   Grandfathered MURS Stations.

Stations that were licensed under part 90 of the Commission's Rules to operate on MURS frequencies as of November 13, 2000, are granted a license by rule that authorizes continued operations under the terms of such nullified part 90 authorizations, including any rule waivers

 

 

But on that note there are a few neat and cool things we can do with it if willing to spend the time and money to do them:

 

§95.1313   Interconnection prohibited.

MURS stations are prohibited from interconnection with the public switched network. Interconnection Defined.Connection through automatic or manual means of multi-use radio stations with the facilities of the public switched telephone network to permit the transmission of messages or signals between points in the wireline or radio network of a public telephone company and persons served by multi-use radio stations. Wireline or radio circuits or links furnished by common carriers, which are used by licensees or other authorized persons for transmitter control (including dial-up transmitter control circuits) or as an integral part of an authorized, private, internal system of communication or as an integral part of dispatch point circuits in a multi-use radio station are not considered to be interconnection for purposes of this rule part.

 

§95.1307   Permissible communications.

(a MURS stations may transmit voice or data signals as permitted in this subpart.

(b A MURS station may transmit any emission type listed in §95.631(j) of this chapter.

(c MURS frequencies may be used for remote control and telemetering functions. MURS transmitters may not be operated in the continuous carrier transmit mode.

[WROY767]

So let me ask the group about this…

Using a MURS channel as part of a Crossband system.
I , I mean “A Friend”  would use 151.xxx on a vehicular repeater (commercially produced for this purpose) which is physically connected to a GMRS base. 
 

Why on earth would e want to do this?

Can’t use a UHF HT, Need a base station to work the GMRS repeater I am a part of.  Want to be able to walk around the house (yard, etc) with a VHF HT on .5w and talk.

This isn’t a Parrot and it’s a repeater but not a MURS repeater  

The equipment is type-certified  This setup is in practice nationwide in commercial and municipal situations.  So if my example is not “legal” is it “illegal” strictly based on the frequencies being used?

Thoughts?

 

 

[gortex2]

Correct. Public Safety and LMR frequencies have specific frequencies for mobile repeaters, ie: DVRS, Vehicle Repeater. 

 

[Lscott]

On 11/27/2016 at 10:13 PM, zap said:

Ironically, this post gave me an interesting (dangerous) idea. Simplex repeater, P25 receive, analog transmit. Subs are programmed to receive analog and transmit P25.

 

Sent from my SM-T350 using Tapatalk

That's right up there with people building cross-band repeaters between MURS and FRS. Then use a cheap Baofeng to transmit through it since it is a dual band radio. Likely the cross-band repeater was built using Baofengs with cross over cables, cheap duplexer and dual band antenna too.

[WROY767]

Hopefully you are commenting on Zen said as quoted above?

My setup, if I were to do it, would be using a  Vertex UHF mobile or base, and a Vertex  VXR-1000 vehicular repeater. A system designed to do this in the proper manner (voice of frequencies aside). 
 

While I own some BooFwangs as my group likes to call them, they wouldn’t be anyway near. Those ARE a mess I’m more ways than 1. 

[WROK383]

I think the fact his GMRS license was canceled on: 07/20/2020 speaks for itself.