I got an old repeater

[VETCOMMS]

I did it,  I went and got an old Vertex VXR 7000 repeater.  So now I have an old repeater AND I'm confused. 

So I read I need ce27 software.  Where do I get it?  Some people on the interwebs say motorola.   Some say a vertex group.   Some say from the guy that makes the programing cable (I need one of those too).  Is there a certain version that's recommended?  One that works with windows?

Speaking of that,  does Windows 10 run it?  Gotta go back in time to Windows 7?  32 bit or 64 bit laptop?  

How do I tune the duplexer once I decide on my frequency pairs?

Oh I'm in it now! 

[MarkInTampa]

7 minutes ago, VETCOMMS said:

Gracias.  I have it set to TX on 467.625 and RX on 462.625.  If I'm not confuculated that's repeater ch 18.  There is much rejoicing now.   Next is fingering out all the various settings that are on the CPS and what they do.   Any videos on that for the Vertex?

It should be opposite - TX on 462.625 and RX on 467.625

Also click on "Help" then the "Index" tab - Help in most older software it doesn't work but in CE27 it still does. It give a brief definition of almost all the settings.

[VETCOMMS]

38 minutes ago, MarkInTampa said:

It should be opposite - TX on 462.625 and RX on 467.625

Also click on "Help" then the "Index" tab - Help in most older software it doesn't work but in CE27 it still does. It give a brief definition of almost all the settings.

Thx for that,  I will look tonight.   So am I not operating on a gmrs frequency pair?

[OffRoaderX]

11 minutes ago, VETCOMMS said:

So am I not operating on a gmrs frequency pair?

Not when you have it set backwards like you posted.. The "pair" is opposite on the repeater than it is on a radio..

On the repeater you TX on 462, RX on 467.

On your radio you TX on 467, and RX on 462.

[VETCOMMS]

15 minutes ago, OffRoaderX said:

Not when you have it set backwards like you posted.. The "pair" is opposite on the repeater than it is on a radio..

On the repeater you TX on 462, RX on 467.

On your radio you TX on 467, and RX on 462.

I tend to do things bass awkward.  Will get it corrected.   Now which column turns on the cool squelch tail beep and how many seconds do "most people" set it to?  And thx for helping walk this vertex newbie through repeater school. 

[MarkInTampa]

32 minutes ago, VETCOMMS said:

I tend to do things bass awkward.  Will get it corrected.   Now which column turns on the cool squelch tail beep and how many seconds do "most people" set it to?  And thx for helping walk this vertex newbie through repeater school. 

The squelch tail is set by going to "Common", select "Timer" and adjust "Repeat Hang On Time". Default is 2 seconds I think. The tail beep is set on the main screen channel setup under the option "Court Blip" (short for Courtesy Blip). It can be on or off for each channel.

Here is a link to the manual if you don't already have it...
https://www.motorolasolutions.com/content/dam/msi/docs/vertex-standard/manuals/vxr-7000/VXR-7000_OM_ENG_EU_E13671108.pdf

 

[VETCOMMS]

I made the frequency corrections, so thx for the guidance.

I have the nifty Surecom SWR meter and thought I'd run the antenna to the antenna side of the meter and the jumper to the TX side of the repeater.   I then key an HT to activate the repeater but the swr meter does not read. 

So NOW what is this grade school level repeater owner doing wrong? 

[WRQC527]

On 7/21/2024 at 8:23 PM, VETCOMMS said:

How do I tune the duplexer once I decide on my frequency pairs?

There's a lot of Youtube tutorials on tuning duplexers. It's more of a process than could be explained here, although folks will try. It also takes some specialized equipment, such as a vector network analyzer, although some people claim you can do it with a NanoVNA. I would suggest using an internet search engine to find such videos, and at least you'll know the process. No doubt there are people out there who could tune it in exchange for money.

[VETCOMMS]

I plan to have someone with the right equipment tune the duplexer.   What I was wondering was if I could connect my cheap Chinese Surecom SWR meter to read the TX power and SWR.

What I did notice is I get transit and receive with the courtesy beep but could not make out any voice on either radio.   It was just static and the courtesy beep.   

Could this be due to the duplexer being out of tune?

[OffRoaderX]

8 minutes ago, VETCOMMS said:

Could this be due to the duplexer being out of tune?

Yes.

[VETCOMMS]

Soooo, I have a ctcss tone on the repeater receive and a dcs tone on the receiver transmit.  

I recall in another of my posts about using inverted tones.  Do these tones have an I in the tone?  The reason I ask is the window that opens in the Vertex software only has numbers,  no I designation. 

[SteveShannon]

2 minutes ago, VETCOMMS said:

Soooo, I have a ctcss tone on the repeater receive and a dcs tone on the receiver transmit.  

I recall in another of my posts about using inverted tones.  Do these tones have an I in the tone?  The reason I ask is the window that opens in the Vertex software only has numbers,  no I designation. 

Yes, if they’re inverted they’ll have an I following the number usually. Of course it’s possible that the repeater manufacturer uses some other convention to indicate normal or inverted. 

[VETCOMMS]

So i figured out why the Surecom SWR meter wasn't reading anything.   The internal duplexer was hooked up to the RX connector on the back of the repeater.   So next time I'll open the case.  

So now the repeater works,  a bit off freq and surprised by the lower TX power.  Is that typical after the duplexer for a 40 watt Vertex?

[OffRoaderX]

1 hour ago, VETCOMMS said:

Is that typical after the duplexer for a 40 watt Vertex?

Yup! That's about the same as what I get.. Those small duplexers kill a lot of the RF electricities.

[VETCOMMS]

Sweet.  So it's time to tune the duplexer.   Anyone have a reliable,  well trained business that can tune it?

Buytwowayradios?

[BoxCar]

Contact the local police/sheriff's office and ask for the name of the local company that supplies their radios.

[WRYZ926]

Asking local public safety where they get their radios worked on is a good idea. 

We are lucky in that one of our club members retired from Sound Solutions Inc. and is still able to go in and use their equipment. Any business that deals with commercial radios and/or drive through systems, etc. should be able to help. It never hurts to ask.

[VETCOMMS]

Question on the vxr-7000.  I plan to have channel 1 as my repeater frequency pair.   For channel 2 I was going to program it for a repeater in the area with a different frequency pair.   When programming it do I select duplex and then when I try talking to that repeater, simply make sure the unit is in base station mode?

[gortex2]

You can't dop that. Your VXR is going to have a duplexer correct ? That is tuned for TX and RX channels. You can't flip them and use it the way you plan.