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Repeater Trouble; Having issues accessing a repeater
Topic Started: Sunday, 8. January 2017, 02:54 (492 Views)
commandosqueak
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Hi guys,

So as you know I recently passed my foundation exam for my radio license. To get me buy till I can purchase a decent rig I have got a UV-5R 5W HT. Now where I live happens to be in the middle of nowhere, lower slaughter to be precise. I would like to use the repeaters on UHF and VHF but living in the middle of nowhere access to them is difficult. The closest is GB3UK (Cleeve hill) which I can't get at all, it's about 10.7 miles out. The next two closest are two in Gloucester but again cant pick anything up from them as there are too many hills in the way. Then at 18.7 miles there is GB3EH (edge hill). Plus there are a couple of others including one in Swindon (GB3TD) which is an echolink repeater. Now I can faintly pick up TD but it is far to far away to transmit to it, however I can access it using the computer and echolink. I have a friend who lives about 7 miles north of me and the only repeater he can get is GB3EH. I can pick up GB3EH clear as a bell, no problems what so ever in receive.

My problem arrives when I want to transmit on that repeater. Using the Baofeng when I push the PTT button I can key the repeater but not relay audio. I tried several times but no luck, my friend was on the phone listening to the radio and told me. There was the odd occasion where the odd word would come out. I spoke to another ham and CT member and he told me the standard antenna on the Baofeng is :censor: . I did some research and tried a couple of the suggestions I found. First I tried adding a counterpoise to increase the ground plane. Made no difference so I then looked at different antennas. I tried a bigger rubber ducky which I got from Maplin. Still no luck.

I then built my own slim jim antenna specifically for that frequency. Hung it out the window on the gutter and even tried it up in the attic as high as I could physically get it. Still no luck. I then decide that 5 watts probably isn't enough power to hit the repeater so bought a small dual band base station capable of 5/10/25w. Obviously as a foundation I can only use 10w. So I used the slim jim on 10w and still the same. I can key the repeater but no audio. I did try on 25w just to see if it was that but again no difference.So power not making any change.

Spoke to the ham and CT member again and he suggested a Yagi, at the same time my friend listening to the radio said the same. So today I researched and built a Yagi designed specifically for that frequency. Tried on 5/10/25w but again exactly the same.

Thinking it may be a setting problem, I went through all the settings to make sure the correct frequencies are put in and the correct offset and tone. They were all correct and I checked the settings on different sites to make sure the info I had was right too. I then looked through the menu to see if there was anything that may be turned on or off that may stop the transmission but nothing there made a difference. So regardless of power or antenna I don't seem to be able to hit edge hill repeater despite keying it up. :headbang: :@ :hanged:

I know the radios are working correctly as I can talk from one to the other with no problems (simplex mode). Now the friend, who can also hear edge hill, can talk to it fine and lives 2-3 miles slightly closer to it. He even had a contact on there so we know there isn't a problem with the repeater itself. There is a hill between me and the repeater but I'm hearing the repeater loud and clear so don't think that is effecting anything. Could someone help me figure out whats going on or have any other suggestions to try. I'm determined to transmit on GB3EH, I see it as a challenge. One thing I will likely do is get an x30 collinear antenna and see if that makes any difference but need to wait for the student finance to come through first.
26CT2489 / M6IGG
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Radiomarko
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26 Charlie Tango 2266
If you are hearing the repeater fully quietening or strongly enough to not have much noise when its being heard, it's unlikely that it's a matter of a lack of power or radiated signal- unless your coax is high loss or poor SWR and you are losing a lot of power.

I think I read that you can open the repeater but it doesn't stay open or "latch", that may indicate that your radio is not sending the correct tone or you are not speaking for long enough. I'd check those things first. Next, borrow a different radio that does work ok with the repeater and try it at your QTH. Substitution often reveals the issue.

Good luck!
G7LJN, a wrinkly fan of old radios.
Back when I was a boy, we carved our own ICs out of wood.
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Turbo
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26 Charlie Tango 491

10watts is easily enough to open a repeater that close , its most likely the wrong tone your transmitting and have you checked your offset to make sure your not just transmitting on the output frequency of the repeater, you could always eliminate the question of wether or not it's down to lack of signal power by just popping up the road to where the repeater is and see if you can open it from nearby.
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commandosqueak
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Thanks for the advice guys. I am 110% I have the correct frequencies, offset and tone programmed in. As I can hit the repeater and I can listen to it loud and clear. I checked the details across a few different sites thinking the information provided may be incorrect but all seems to match. I will go for a walk shortly and get closer to see whether I can open it then. Something else I have noticed now I have slept and all refreshed is the repeater can be opened with a half second tone burst of 1750mhz as well as using the ctcss tone of 67hz. I don't know if my radio will do that though.
I don't have an swr meter for uhf vhf but I am ordering one today when I order the collinear. I am using rg58 coax provided by nervada radio. the slim jim I made has a two turn balun and clip on ferrite ring to prevent the coax from radiating, the yagi has a one turn balun and ferrite ring. Both antennas were tried without baluns and or ferrite rings and adding them made no difference.
26CT2489 / M6IGG
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Ranger
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There's a repeater app available that gives you direction & distance from your qth to any repeaters that maybe available, a very useful tool to use.

As mentioned,
Are you able to take the handy out and get much closer to the repeater to check all working correctly first?
This would help greatly to prove its not a set up error.

Keep us posted on progress.
T.
Edited by Ranger, Sunday, 8. January 2017, 17:05.
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commandosqueak
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Yeah I have an app called repeater book which is really good and lists all the repeaters by distance from you location.
I have a handy and will go for a drive tomorrow up the hill and test from there. I am almost certain that the issue is the hill in the way. If I can get from up the hill then i know that the hill is the problem.
26CT2489 / M6IGG
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commandosqueak
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Ok so I went up the hill which put me three miles closer to the repeater and nothing in the way so i had direct line of site (well kinda if it wanst so foggy) and I managed to hit the repeater loud and clear with 5 watts. So I have determined it is the hill in the way. I have an x30 on the way so hopefully that will radiate well enough to get over the hill. That confirms the radio is working and setup correctly.

What is everyone up to next weekend? I need some help moving a hill, buckets and spades will be provided. :rofl:
26CT2489 / M6IGG
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Paul moore
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Lower Slaughter, and upper,nice place had hols there 4years ago,lots of "peace and quiet"stayed in that big manor you will know the one.As for the hill forget the digging 3or4 tonnes of tnt whould make short work of it LOL. Could then make a large water garden :whistle:

Good luck

73
In the dark,No one can see me.But you can hear them scream,as death overcomes you.Be hold my name is leigen,because I am many.💀💀💀💀💀💀💀
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