Hello
I have a problem with no audio being Tx when i key up my repeter system. I have an SWR of 1.7 and 29 watts . using 2 hand held radios, I Tx into the repeter and see the 2nd hand held receive full bars but no audio. I have checked and rechecked the ctcss tones, all are set right. has to be just to key up the receive repeater. I have turned off and on the ctcss on the TX repeater with the same results. I can Tx with one hand held with tones to the other just fine. How do you know if the Rx repeater is communicating correctly with the Tx repeater over the data cable? I think that is were I’m loosing the audio but it dose tell the Tx repeater to go into transmit so their is some type of coms going on.
Any help is appreated.
When you say repeater, are you talking about one of those horrible parrot things where you transmit, it stores the audio and then when you stop transmitting, it sends it back out? Most of these send no data of any kind, just audio. when they hear audio (like a Vox circuit) they start to record it. when the audio stops, they close the PTT contacts which puts the radio into transmit, and send out the audio. You’re going to have to open it up to get access to the wires, because with the moulded plugs, you cannot get fingers or tools or testing in. If it goes into transmit, it must have recorded something. Different brands of radio do have different levels but it usually means a bit distorted or a bit quiet. Never had no audio? If you have tones turned off, when it goes into transmit, does your other radio hear a very strong ‘silence’ or does it not receive anything? You get the full bars, but silence???
thanks for the reply
No I have two kg-1000 with a cable between them. have fallowed the manual and several youtube videos on how to setup. I just got through swaping the radios. ie TX to RX and RX to TX mode. problem stayed the same. When using the Transmiter to duplexer to SWR meter to Antenna , I can still reach a friend about 10 miles away simplex. He has only 10 watts max on a rubber duckey.
I get full bars but silence with ctcss turned off. with out ctcss the squelch has to to be set almost to max, that’s why i choose to use ctcss.
I assume you’re using some kind of logic device into the aux socket - so the audio and data lines go to the interface and then lines from that go to the other unit? If the interface uses screw or push-in terminals, you should be able to put it into transmit mode, and then while touching the shaft of a thin screwdriver touch it to the audio output from the interface terminal - you should hear a click or buzz when listening to the audio on another radio. If you hear this, then do the same on the input terminal from the receiver, and if this also clicks/buzzes, then no audio is coming from the receiver. Most interfaces just get a 5V line when the squelch is open, either RF, or tones. If the switching works for TX, that suggests the audio must be intact, especially if you have CTCSS enabled - my guess is somehow audio out is not linked to audio in - dodgy cabling maybe, but unlikely, but it could be relay switched inside the interface? I don’t know this model, but I’m pretty certain there has to be a DC switched interface somewhere between them? Could be wrong but I don’t think the repeater function is built in?
Yes i have used things like "signal link” and other interfaces. I was suprised that this radio only uses a patch cable may be a straight through. I havent ohmed it out. it is two Rj45 connectors on the ends. Their is one posted problem from another member and a youtube video "https://youtu.be/hISllcf3Kg4?si=sUJw2HcZ2AqSb8j6” that may be what Im experiencing to the extream. I was hopeing their was somthing in the settings I had over looked.
I watched that video and his explanation points to simple desense as the issue. The filter has been tuned as well as it can be - but my guess is simply it’s just unable to give you (and the video guy) the separation you need, The transmitter fires up and the receiver goes deaf. what kind of frequency split are you using? If it’s a simple, small 6 cavity unit - they do struggle with less than 10MHz split. If you can try another and with a couple of dummy loads on the unused ports, you could run twin antenna working and with some spacing of the antennas and a filter in each feeder, you might get a few more dB of isolation. Have you tried with the transmitters on low power. I’ve found that range on low power can be more than high power and increased desense? I have the exact same problem on a repeater I have here - A Kenwood 800 series. Fire it up on full power and I can only just get into it from my office, less than a mile away. It works just as well on low power. I tried using two separate filters and got only a tiny bit more isolation. Still single antenna, but using the second filter tuned to reject the transmit frequency. I got a bit better performance but not great. I can hear the repeater from ten miles away, but more than a mile is pushing it for normal repeater operation. I have one of those Retevis portable repeaters and that too cannot give brilliant performance - so the filter is the key issue I think. Just not good enough.
Thanks for your knowledge.
I removed the duplexer. I have plenty of property so I set up a second antenna at more then 2 wave length away( 57 feet horizontal and -3 feet vertical). I used a calculator (Antenna Isolation) and I should have more then 57db of isolation. I tested local and the setup is working. Now I have to distance testing some how.
again thanks for your help.
Confession I’m using a 40m inverted V wire antenna for the receive side. I have a VHF/UHF identical to the TX antenna if I have to change it out. Testing will tell.
well, it’s a bit of metal in the sky, I guess!