[KD0TLS] KE0NA: Finishing The TH-9000 Repeater

[KD0TLS via rec.radio.amateur.moderated Admin]

KD0TLS ham radio experience

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KE0NA: Finishing The TH-9000 Repeater

Posted: 06 Nov 2014 04:13 PM PST
http://kd0tls.blogspot.com/2014/11/ke0na-finishing-th-9000-repeater.html

This is Part Two of KE0NA's documentation on how to turn two mobile rigs
into a working repeater. Part One is here. Thanks again to Dave for his
painstaking work, both in building the repeater from a hazy concept, and
for his exceptional instructions for others to replicate the effort.
- KD0TLS (Todd)


Build a repeater from TYT- TH9000 Mobile Transceivers

Part 2 – Finishing the TH9000 RepeaterIn part 1, we saw how the TYT TH9000
(D) mobile 220 transceiver can be modified to bring the PC board signals
out to an external connector. In this article we will mount the two
transceivers in a 19 inch rack shelf, wire them for use with a repeater
controller, add supplemental transmitter cooling, shielding and apply
finishing touches.As an IT professional, I was familiar with 19 inch server
racks shelves. I thought a ventilated one would give me more mounting
options. I poked around and found Newegg.com had what I needed:
The location of the slot openings made it easy to mount the trancievers and
other items.Rough measurements showed that I had just enough room to use 1
½ inch aluminum angle bracket to mount the two radios side by side.Home
Depot had the angle bracket and replacement longer mounting screws (the
ones that came with the radios were too short). I also needed hardware to
mount the brackets to the vented rack shelf.Transferring the exact location
of the holes to drill onto the brackets was challenging, so I used a piece
of aluminum foil to make an impression off the sides of the TH9000s:The use
of a micrometer was also valuable when checking the distance from the edge
of the shelf to the center of one of the vent slots.When Todd, KD0TLS
provided the second radio (a new TH9000D), it was setup as the repeater
transmitter. I ordered a temperature controlled 12 volt cooling fan and
auxiliary heat sink for it. In order to bring the transmitter and receiver
DE-9 cable signals together, I used an electrical junction box and RJ-45
Ethernet cable modular jack faceplate for the controller interface:
I was concerned about shielding, so the plastic RJ-45 faceplate and DE-9
signal cables from both radios were covered with aluminum duct tape: Here
is the wiring used to bring the two DE-9 cable signals together in the RJ45
jack:This is a shot of the RJ45 controller interface jack after
“punching-down” all the connections:The auxiliary aluminum heat sink was
ordered from AmazonThe dimensions, 5.9" x 3.5" x 1.4" (L*W*T)’ matched
almost perfectly with the top of the TH-9000D tranciever Note order
description: Aluminum Heat Sink for Three Phase Solid State Relay (by
Amico)In order to improve heat transfer, I fashioned a metal “gasket” from
galvanized steel sheet and applied heat sink compound. A machine screw,
washer and nut held the back and a brass strip held the front of the heat
sink down. Note that the head of the back heat sink screw was ground down
to allow clearance for the DE-9 connector.The temperature controlled
cooling fan was obtained on eBay It was attached to the rack shelf with one
inch brass strap. In order to provide 12 volt power to both radios and the
fan, I build an Anderson Power pole distribution box from a Radio Shack
project box and a small proto-PC board:As one of the final touches to the
repeater, double-shielded RG-400u coaxial cables with type N bulkhead
sockets were added. This brought both transmitter and receiver connections
to a convenient rear location.
After applying labels, here is the final Aggrandizer repeater
configuration:
In part 3 of this series, the Aggrandizer repeater will be interfaced with
two external controllers (one built from a kit), mounted in a travel case
and put on the air!
73 for now,Dave – KE0NA

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Loose notes 11/3/14

Posted: 08 Nov 2014 07:59 AM PST
http://kd0tls.blogspot.com/2014/11/loose-notes-11314.html

Just a couple of things that don't merit an individual post, but are still
interesting:
The Gopher Radio Club's I-Gate, W0YC-10, has changed SSIDs and is now
W0YC-5. I had thought that the gateway was down again when W0YC-10 wasn't
showing up on the APRS propagation maps. I contacted N0YNT (Matt), who
referred me to N0BFG (Ryan), who explained the updated situation. Speaking
of N0YNT, Matt has been removed as Net Control Operator for the Sunday
Night Swap Net on the MARA 146.850- repeater. He was informed that it
was "a bad fit", and he was "not wanted", with no further explanation --
effective immediately. Kind of shabby treatment for a popular guy that was
just trying to help out in the first place, I guess. The politics are
getting weirder.KD0UDM (Neal) has a blog, too. Neal has set up an
experimental 33 cm repeater on 927.4875- and he has a very nice primer on
the 33 cm band plan. This is another neglected band with a dearth of
equipment available. Neal has previously operated experimental repeaters on
2M, 70cm, and 1.25M. EDIT: Neal has informed me that his repeater isn't
quite ready for prime time.It's somewhat possible that The Aggrandizer
(1.25M repeater) could be moved to the U of M in the coming months to
create a cross-linked, three-band repeater situation that hasn't been seen
in the metro since KG0BP (Chris) shut down his 444.850+ repeater and the
link to the 1.25M portion of the HandiHam network over a year ago (due to a
move). In an on-air conversation with KG0BP (Chris) a little over a week
ago, he indicated that his 444.850+ linked machine might be restored in as
little as a month's time. His tentative plans are to use a beam to increase
the signal to the north -- or as well as that can be done from Edina -- to
boost the HandiHam network's coverage on UHF. The UHF band just keeps
expanding here.