It's not only useful for on-frequency range testing, I've used it to test harmonic range testing. I walk 50-100 yards away, transmit on 145.600 on one radio and listen to 291.2 on another radio (the harmonic). Lo and behold, the Quansheng UV-K5 (which is hooked up to the Surecom) sends my harmonic loud and clear up to about 100 yards, with no obstructions other than a fence. So the UV-K5 is dirty, but not so dirty that I'd avoid using it.
Great concept for “self-testing” range & coverage tests. I currently have a GMRS repeater (analog only Quantar) and a “Business Band” UHF repeater (analog / DMR / mixed-mode) pushing 6-8 watts into a 150watt TPL power amplifier. They are both located at the same site and have identical duplexers (TX/RX / Comprod BpBr) with approx. 50’ of 1/2” Heliax and Telewave 4-element folded dipole antennas both building mounted to the walls (mounted on 2” masts with the elements placed 4’ ABOVE the roofline) of an elevator mechanical room located at the very top of a high-rise building. There is a natural gas standby generator for the fire pumps, elevators and emergency systems of the building. All this and ZERO internet connectivity.. I was thinking of using a simplex repeater controller to alert me (using a small 100mw transmitter w/ dtmf audio input) hitting the analog side of either repeater (status alerting for AC utility power fail / high or low temperature / battery bank charging issues / cabinet tamper switches/ etc) . I can also use the simplex repeater functionality to do range tests from the field AND to leave repeating audio “beacon” type message alerts for SHTF / WROL (“SJW & Commie Explosions) etc.. Great concept for coverage tests... sounds so simple and easy,,. BUT I NEVER THOUGHT OF IT BEFORE! 🙄😆 Thank you!!!
They should build them right into the radios I heard the UV5R can be programmed to send SR112 remote codes. Will try it, next. Since all Ham operators seem to do is bounce constant radio checks back and forth, these provide precise one-party evaluations and actually reduce traffic on the airwaves. I transmit on FRS 3 from a Baofeng HT. receive on the repeater radio, then retransmit on FRS 10. I thereby receive channel 3 (by delay) hearing myself and anybody else heard on FRS 3. But I receive on nice, quiet FRS channel 10 (on my HT). My "echo" repeats are sent on 10. This way, I can hear my own signal quality on 10 while monitoring the clamoring throngs over on FRS3. Address them as well, if needed. Nobody, except myself, hears more than one of my original transmissions. I hear it all. I'm King of the Hill, man. Naturally, you need a fully wide-open UV5R or a BF-888, to receive on one channel, and to retransmit on another. No FRS/GMRS marketing toys, thank you. We're big boys here. If you can figure all that out and program it in, THAT'S why you buy these repeaters. BTW, hang a Parrot on a GMRS channel at your peril.
@1:20 you said the recorded message is re-transmitted on the same frequency. In fact it will do that but it doesn't necessarily have to. I set one up to enable 'phone is out' GMRS communications from my parents house to mine roughly 20 miles away. The Motorola Maxtrac 300's I used for the repeater/my base station/my mobile rig are programmed to RX and TX on different channels. My radios TX on the repeaters RX frequency(channel 'a') and it then rebroadcasts on the RX frequency(channel 'b') of my parents Vertex VX-231/my mobile/my base. Even if I were 50 feet from them they would not hear my initial transmission, only the rebroadcast recording. This makes it less annoying to someone monitoring the channel if they are in range of both myself and the repeater. Setting it up as I have, combined with using an odd frequency split and other measures, makes it impossible for people with 'bubble pack' GMRS HT's to access my repeater. Even the Midland MXT or Baofeng 50X1 mobile GMRS radios are not programmable for a custom repeater split. Only someone with a good bit of knowledge and similar gear(a ham or commercial radio)could analyze the TX's and get in.
@@radiotech2932 Simplex repeaters are legal on GMRS (but not FRS) if set up and operated properly. I had the repeating radio set to RX on one of the 8 dedicated GMRS only repeater inputs and TX on an allocated repeater output. Using a single shared GMRS/FRS channel for both RX an TX would not have been legal because it could potentially be operated by an FRS radio. It worked well for occasional use, but I've since upgraded to a true 1/2 duplex system with a second radio and the notch filter out of a Motorola GR1225 desktop repeater. If I had broadband internet available at the repeater location I would consider linking it RoIP, which is also legal on GMRS.
That's thinkin' 🙂 aka cross-band talk-around. Considered digital? Can these handle digital? Bubble packs are almost always FRS. Repeat the question. Oh, nevermind ;-)
@@HarryHamsterChannel Technically only brief text messages and GPS data on the simplex channels from approved handhelds is legal. It was a very specific carve out, with very limited allowances, petitioned for by Garmin and Motorola. There are obviously people using digital voice on GMRS frequencies though. When I lived in NJ you'd hear it on local repeaters all the time. GMRS is unfortunately becoming the new CB radio with people completely disregarding the rules.
@RadioTech Okay, I just received mine and out of the box it did the cutting short the recording and starting to transmit thing. I opened it up and removed the battery. It's now running from the power cable and seems to be fine.....fingers crossed. My plan is to pair it with a BF-888 on a PMR frequency (With a DCS set) and use it as a repeater using a dipole antenna on high ground over the farm to allow comms over the whole farm. This will be housed in an ammo can and that will have a 12v feed into it from a car battery.
With a duplex, the incoming message is resent with a very short delay, often a few milliseconds. This requires a separate transmitter & receiver (2 radios). With a simplex controller, the controller records the incoming message, then, after the message is finished, the controller sends the recorded message back out over the same radio that received it. Only one transceiver radio is needed with a simplex controller. The performance difference will be defined by the power & quality of the radio(s) and antenna(s) that you use. If you talk into the repeater with a handy talkie, and the repeater puts out over a 50 watt base station with a Comet antenna that is more than 10 feet long and mounted up high, the performance difference will be huge.
It's not only useful for on-frequency range testing, I've used it to test harmonic range testing. I walk 50-100 yards away, transmit on 145.600 on one radio and listen to 291.2 on another radio (the harmonic). Lo and behold, the Quansheng UV-K5 (which is hooked up to the Surecom) sends my harmonic loud and clear up to about 100 yards, with no obstructions other than a fence. So the UV-K5 is dirty, but not so dirty that I'd avoid using it.
Great concept for “self-testing” range & coverage tests.
I currently have a GMRS repeater (analog only Quantar)
and a “Business Band” UHF repeater (analog / DMR / mixed-mode) pushing 6-8 watts into
a 150watt TPL power amplifier. They are both located at the same site and have identical
duplexers (TX/RX / Comprod BpBr) with approx. 50’ of 1/2” Heliax and Telewave 4-element
folded dipole antennas both building mounted to the walls (mounted on 2” masts with the elements
placed 4’ ABOVE the roofline) of an elevator mechanical room located at the very top of a high-rise
building.
There is a natural gas standby generator for the fire pumps, elevators and emergency systems of the building.
All this and ZERO internet connectivity..
I was thinking of using a simplex repeater controller to alert me (using a small 100mw transmitter w/ dtmf audio input)
hitting the analog side of either repeater (status alerting for AC utility power fail / high or low temperature / battery bank
charging issues / cabinet tamper switches/ etc) . I can also use the simplex repeater functionality to do range tests from
the field AND to leave repeating audio “beacon” type message alerts for SHTF / WROL (“SJW & Commie Explosions) etc..
Great concept for coverage tests... sounds so simple and easy,,.
BUT I NEVER THOUGHT OF IT BEFORE! 🙄😆
Thank you!!!
They should build them right into the radios I heard the UV5R can be programmed to send SR112 remote codes. Will try it, next.
Since all Ham operators seem to do is bounce constant radio checks back and forth, these provide precise one-party evaluations and actually reduce traffic on the airwaves.
I transmit on FRS 3 from a Baofeng HT. receive on the repeater radio, then retransmit on FRS 10.
I thereby receive channel 3 (by delay) hearing myself and anybody else heard on FRS 3. But I receive on nice, quiet FRS channel 10 (on my HT). My "echo" repeats are sent on 10.
This way, I can hear my own signal quality on 10 while monitoring the clamoring throngs over on FRS3. Address them as well, if needed.
Nobody, except myself, hears more than one of my original transmissions. I hear it all.
I'm King of the Hill, man.
Naturally, you need a fully wide-open UV5R or a BF-888, to receive on one channel, and to retransmit on another. No FRS/GMRS marketing toys, thank you. We're big boys here.
If you can figure all that out and program it in, THAT'S why you buy these repeaters.
BTW, hang a Parrot on a GMRS channel at your peril.
@1:20 you said the recorded message is re-transmitted on the same frequency. In fact it will do that but it doesn't necessarily have to. I set one up to enable 'phone is out' GMRS communications from my parents house to mine roughly 20 miles away. The Motorola Maxtrac 300's I used for the repeater/my base station/my mobile rig are programmed to RX and TX on different channels. My radios TX on the repeaters RX frequency(channel 'a') and it then rebroadcasts on the RX frequency(channel 'b') of my parents Vertex VX-231/my mobile/my base. Even if I were 50 feet from them they would not hear my initial transmission, only the rebroadcast recording. This makes it less annoying to someone monitoring the channel if they are in range of both myself and the repeater.
Setting it up as I have, combined with using an odd frequency split and other measures, makes it impossible for people with 'bubble pack' GMRS HT's to access my repeater. Even the Midland MXT or Baofeng 50X1 mobile GMRS radios are not programmable for a custom repeater split. Only someone with a good bit of knowledge and similar gear(a ham or commercial radio)could analyze the TX's and get in.
Interesting, now I note you did this on GMRS however is this "legal"? Not being picky just curious...
@@radiotech2932 Simplex repeaters are legal on GMRS (but not FRS) if set up and operated properly. I had the repeating radio set to RX on one of the 8 dedicated GMRS only repeater inputs and TX on an allocated repeater output. Using a single shared GMRS/FRS channel for both RX an TX would not have been legal because it could potentially be operated by an FRS radio.
It worked well for occasional use, but I've since upgraded to a true 1/2 duplex system with a second radio and the notch filter out of a Motorola GR1225 desktop repeater. If I had broadband internet available at the repeater location I would consider linking it RoIP, which is also legal on GMRS.
That's thinkin' 🙂 aka cross-band talk-around. Considered digital? Can these handle digital? Bubble packs are almost always FRS. Repeat the question.
Oh, nevermind ;-)
@@HarryHamsterChannel Technically only brief text messages and GPS data on the simplex channels from approved handhelds is legal. It was a very specific carve out, with very limited allowances, petitioned for by Garmin and Motorola.
There are obviously people using digital voice on GMRS frequencies though. When I lived in NJ you'd hear it on local repeaters all the time. GMRS is unfortunately becoming the new CB radio with people completely disregarding the rules.
Very interesting piece of technology 👍
Is there an adapter for rj45 so i can use it with a base station
Yes. Theres almost every style of connector made for it.
Will it work while charging? Does it work with FRMS radios? What is a good roof mount antenna for the repeater?
Great video , can it be used on gmrs midland mxt 115 mobile
hi, a question, how many kilometers of gain did you gain with the surecom?
Do the math.
@RadioTech
Okay, I just received mine and out of the box it did the cutting short the recording and starting to transmit thing.
I opened it up and removed the battery. It's now running from the power cable and seems to be fine.....fingers crossed.
My plan is to pair it with a BF-888 on a PMR frequency (With a DCS set) and use it as a repeater using a dipole antenna on high ground over the farm to allow comms over the whole farm. This will be housed in an ammo can and that will have a 12v feed into it from a car battery.
cant you make it a duplex repeater by making the radio do tdr?
oh nvm CzechSixTv answered my question already 😂
What is the different using this simplex repeater vs a duplex repeater box where u need 2 radios. Is there a different on performance
Performance no if it's 25w simplex and 25w semi duplex from same site etc no difference.
With a duplex, the incoming message is resent with a very short delay, often a few milliseconds. This requires a separate transmitter & receiver (2 radios). With a simplex controller, the controller records the incoming message, then, after the message is finished, the controller sends the recorded message back out over the same radio that received it. Only one transceiver radio is needed with a simplex controller. The performance difference will be defined by the power & quality of the radio(s) and antenna(s) that you use. If you talk into the repeater with a handy talkie, and the repeater puts out over a 50 watt base station with a Comet antenna that is more than 10 feet long and mounted up high, the performance difference will be huge.
Good repiter