New 444.375Mhz Analog/DMR Repeater

[John Hogenmiller]

BCARS,

(NOTE: The DMR has no relation to the Allstar we have been adding to our analog repeaters. I think there was some confusion between the Allstar we've been working on over the last year and this DMR which came up next month. There can be ways in the future to connect them, but for now consider them unrelated efforts).

As discussed at the last meeting and the workshop, BCARS is hosting a DMR UHF repeater on behalf of Dave N3YFO and Dan KE3UC. This repeater is now online, but it is not operating at full capacity. It can hear well but the output is weak. We hope to improve this in the future by bumping up the output power and replacing the old RG8 coax with 1/2 hardline (the existing hardline needs one end repaired). I was able to activate it from parts of Bedford, sometimes with a handheld, other times needing my mobile antenna. At WB3JEK's QTH, I could get "full scale" by holding the handheld over my head, but at chest level the signal dropped to nothing.

If you would like to test the repeater out in its current state, you can do so with an analog 440 radio. It is as 444.375 with a +5Mhz offset, PL 123. I recommend you set the CTCSS for both Tone Encode and Tone Decode/Squelch.  When the repeater is transmitting in analog, it transmits a 123Hz tone.  When the repeater is transmitting in digital (DMR), it does not have the tone. If you set your radio up for CT squelch, you won't have to listen to the DMR noise.

On your radio:

Rx 444.375

Tx 449.375

CTCSS: 123Hz

If you can activate the repeater on analog, this means you'll be able to use it for DMR. If you can activate the repeater, but the tail/id is weak, hopefully that'll be improved in the near future. 

73s,

John/KB3DFZ