Bridge Comm GMRS Repeater

[WRWZ385]

Hi all

I am looking into putting a GMRS Repeater in my area. I don't have a ton of money or land to put up a tower and was thinking if a repeater from bridge comm  and good antenna would be worth it.

thoughts?

[WRUE951]

25 minutes ago, WRWZ385 said:

Hi all

I am looking into putting a GMRS Repeater in my area. I don't have a ton of money or land to put up a tower and was thinking if a repeater from bridge comm  and good antenna would be worth it.

thoughts?

you can save a ton of money and buy two Maxon 8402A radios, the repeater jumper cable and programing software.  And of course you'll need a Duplexer. These Maxon radios are the exact radios used in the Bridgecom repeater.  I use these radios for my repeater and i talk 70-80 miles..  I didn't use the repeater jumper as i installed and ICS Repeater controller using Open Repeater (open source software that works with an ICS controller)   Or you can go with the two Wouxuns KG1000 radios..  The Maxons would still be a little cheaper.  The programming software is fairly simple to use..    RFWiz.com and i believe buytwowayradios.com are Maxon Dealers.  

[Socalgmrs]

What are you wanting to gain by having a repeater?  Can you get the antenna up high enough to be over the surroundings?   How far can you see in all directions in your area? Height is might.  If those things are possible and you actually have a reason then go for it. I’d personally buy a pre set up 40w repeater with 2 40w Motorola radios  from eBay. Comes with the radios duplexer and power supply for $400 ish. Add in good coax and a good tall antenna in 9 or 12db gain  up as high as possible and see how it goes. 

[WRWZ385]

I am looking into a repeater for our CERT teams E-coms. I do have permission to put a small antenna up on a local business in town.

Town is relatively flat, but is densely populated.  My Tech background is zero when its comes to Radios   

[WRWZ385]

11 hours ago, WRUE951 said:

you can save a ton of money and buy two Maxon 8402A radios, the repeater jumper cable and programing software.  And of course you'll need a Duplexer. These Maxon radios are the exact radios used in the Bridgecom repeater.  I use these radios for my repeater and i talk 70-80 miles..  I didn't use the repeater jumper as i installed and ICS Repeater controller using Open Repeater (open source software that works with an ICS controller)   Or you can go with the two Wouxuns KG1000 radios..  The Maxons would still be a little cheaper.  The programming software is fairly simple to use..    RFWiz.com and i believe buytwowayradios.com are Maxon Dealers.  

I am very green when it comes to radios and this all sound complicated. What is a simple solution for someone with zero experience? 

[WRUE951]

16 minutes ago, WRWZ385 said:

I am very green when it comes to radios and this all sound complicated. What is a simple solution for someone with zero experience? 

Two Wouxun KG1000 radios, a duplexer and an antenna..  https://www.buytwowayradios.com/accessories/by-radio-brand/maxon.html   They will give you all the support you need and provide a bunch of 'how to videos to set up the KG1000's for repeater..  Bridgecoms are about $1000 bucks overpriced.   Honestly though,,,  two Maxons 8402A radios are just as easy setting up as the Wouxuns and they are by far a better radio..  Having no tech knowledge will be a problems no matter what set up you go with..  I would look for someone to help you before you dive into it..  

[SteveShannon]

19 minutes ago, WRWZ385 said:

I am very green when it comes to radios and this all sound complicated. What is a simple solution for someone with zero experience? 

The simplest solution is to purchase a product like the Retevis RT-97s or the very similar Midland repeater.  The Retevis is even available in an all-in-one kit with antenna and cable.  you can buy it, put the antenna up, screw the cable to the antenna and the radio, connect power, and be up and operating within a very short time.

Messing around with two radios connected as a repeater can be done and is an inexpensive way to get more power, but requires more support, plus the KG1000g has been shown to have issues with desense when used that way unless you find a way to isolate the two radios from each other. Notarubicon has a series of videos showing him setting up a repeater using the KG1000g.  

If you do decide to go the separate radio route my suggestion would be to go to a nearby ham radio club and ask for assistance.  Someone there will have the experience and the willingness to help you.  

[WRWZ385]

1 hour ago, SteveShannon said:

The simplest solution is to purchase a product like the Retevis RT-97s or the very similar Midland repeater.  The Retevis is even available in an all-in-one kit with antenna and cable.  you can buy it, put the antenna up, screw the cable to the antenna and the radio, connect power, and be up and operating within a very short time.

Messing around with two radios connected as a repeater can be done and is an inexpensive way to get more power, but requires more support, plus the KG1000g has been shown to have issues with desense when used that way unless you find a way to isolate the two radios from each other. Notarubicon has a series of videos showing him setting up a repeater using the KG1000g.  

If you do decide to go the separate radio route my suggestion would be to go to a nearby ham radio club and ask for assistance.  Someone there will have the experience and the willingness to help you.  

Thank you for the information

[WRDU469]

2 hours ago, WRWZ385 said:

I am looking into a repeater for our CERT teams E-coms. I do have permission to put a small antenna up on a local business in town.

Town is relatively flat, but is densely populated.  My Tech background is zero when its comes to Radios   

I am looking at the same. I think we are going to land on the Btech RPT50. It should be relatively simple to use in case I am not around to program/fix/update, etc. It has everything we need onboard and just need to hook it up to an antenna. The limited reviews and information I have found so far look promising. This stuff does not need to be complicated and I think the Btech solution might be well worth it for a CERT and ECOMS organization.

[WRYZ926]

I will echo what @SteveShannon said. Yes you can make a repeater from two mobile rails but there are some issues that can/will pop up. @OffRoaderX built a repeater using two Wouxun KG-1000G radios and ran into problems. He went with an actual repeater instead.

Now if you don't need a very wide coverage area, say 10 miles or less, then the Retevis or Motorola repeaters will work just fine as long as the antenna is up high and you use good coax cable.

If you want a purpose built ready to go out of the box repeater, then the Bridgecom repeater is the way to go. They will have it all programmed and ready to go for you. My local club is using a Bridgecom GMRS repeater and it has been very solid and reliable.

Another option is to find an old Motorola UHF repeater and have it reprogrammed for GMRS.