Retevis RT97 UHF Portable Repeater - Ham Radio Q&A
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 15 มิ.ย. 2019
- The Retevis RT97 is a UHF portable repeater with full duplex capabilities and 10 watts of output power. The RT97 is an all in one solution that gives you a portable repeater in a rugged, small package.
Retevis RT97 UHF Portable Repeater: bit.ly/Michael-RT97
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Really nice video...amazing that they can make a uhf repeater so small!
It's now FCC approved for part 95 (GMRS) now that the in/out was corrected. The output now says 10 watts, but after testing a few times with different equipment I found the output is actually about 4.5 watts. It still gets pretty good range with a good antenna.
Too bad it isn't a true 10 watt
@@ramrod175 I am being told the power drop from 10w is in the loss from the duplexer.
Jim why not start with the full 50 watts allowed by the FCC 10 watts is just pissin in the wind it is garbage unless you are buying it for some kid to play with very unprofessional.
@@rockytop441 it's hundreds of dollars vs thousands. Wattage really only seems to help break through stuff. Height is might. For the price and if set up with a good antenna up high they have great coverage. Pretty sure this is marketed more towards farms and campgrounds. If you want to cover half a state yes increase the power and budget. This model covers my whole city as long as your antenna isn't behind a brick wall.
@@ramrod175duplex power draw it's really 10 of you understand how radios work
Great job usual and well organized videos.
KB9VBR I really appreciate your passion for two-way communications
Very informative, thank you!
More interesting information. ..as usual.... 😉tks
Hi, WB8BRA here. Nice video. I built a 1 watt repeater on VHF with no duplexes but two 3 db gain antennas separated by 10 or 12 feet. The tower height was 80 feet. It was a permanent system or a portable system we used. I constructed the metal boxes and it was about 5 inches high, 14 inches long and 11 inches wide. I got the VHF engineering boards from this old company and put it all together. Timers, IDer, and etc, This repeater covered Shiawassee County here in Michigan very well. It was used for about two years, I got a 5 watts repeater with duplexes later, as permanent system then only used as a portable system. I also had a UHF system that I built with control circuits autopatch and etc. Of course this was back in the late 60's. My first repeater call was WR8REG since the FCC said you had to have a WR call for repeaters. The first FCC rules back then really sucked, and then they changed them later so I could us my own call. As you would say, I home brewed my own. Damn I loved this stuff and leaned a lot. Now we use what we call Rice Boxes.;;;;
Great info thank you
This seems like a neat product. Great video!
Looks nice
Thanks Michael, looks like a rugged unit👍
InstaBlaster...
So could you put a linear amplifier in line with this and boost your output power?
O, do you know where the programming software can be bought? and all if any cables?
you could fix that freq reverse problem in the software, just flip the freqs, u may need to switch the cables on the duplexer but should be fine.
I wonder if it would be possible to wire an ID-8 id'er to the transmit side to at least make the repeater fulfill the identification requirements.
Hi Michael, Cant this be ordered with custom programming, so you do not need to reverse program your portables and mobiles where the frequencies are reversed??
Thank you
Hello, we purchased a retevis rt97 repeater for work, there is very little information on its configuration and operation on the Internet. When the signal is relayed, a strong hum is added, the speech itself is almost inaudible, what could be the problem? What does setting parameters do?
you could set a timed with activity sensor radio separate from it to play a recording every 10 minutes the repeater was active
Did you ever figure out out to setup automatic id'ing for a full time repeater?
For remote control you could probably use a DTMF decoder connected to an electro-mechanical relay with the repeater power supply wired through the relay contacts, then you would need to hook the DTMF decoder to a separate receiver on a different frequency, then if you need to shut down the repeater in an emergency, you could then use a handheld radio (provided you are within range of the repeater) on the separate control frequency and press the required DTMF keys which would open the relay and cut the power to the repeater.
A much simpler option would be to plug the repeater power supply into a "smart plug" and then you could power the repeater on and off using a smartphone, but this would only work as long as the control operator (you) and the repeater site both have access to an internet connection.
For identification, you could setup a separate transmitter within range of the repeater hooked up to an automatic keyer on a 10-minute timer.
i use cross band with 2 radios using vox. very simple. im sure most serious hams have have dozens of radios which are gathering dust.
Sounds like a good unit except for the crummy reverse pair restriction it was designed with. Hopefully Retevis will correct this problem in the near future. Thanks for the helpful review!
Do you think there is enough room to slip an MMDVM in the case to make this digital repeater?
Anyway to incorporate a basestation and broadcast through it?
Does it have an fcc Id? Interested in figuring out a cheap part 95 repeater but I’m guessing this isn’t going to 95 accepted like you said.
Dear Friends - I am looking for a similar programmable repeater for P25 radios. Would you please recommend a similar product?
Sir is that one legal with out any identifier or morse code ? The RETEVIS RT-97?
I also know that without the duplexer if you try to transmit and receive in the same band, the transmitter is going to desensitize the receiver causing all kinds of qrm to the receiving radio that's why they use a duplexer when building a repeater. a simplex repeater now, uses one frequency for both transmit and receive, it records what YOU say into it using another radio, and then parrots it back, which I got annoyed with lol. my question though is how a repeater is legal without the repeater ide playback, or even the controller. and could i use a software id'er like echo station to control it in order to spit out the ID at every 10 minutes, my crossband repeater didn't have that feature either "it's off air until further notice btw"
Nice video, you listed enough con's to make me not want one (so good info) I personally think running two mobile radios in cross-band repeat mode separated by 50 feet to make a repeater is a much better option as far as power, frequency agility and on the fly adjustments, Thanks for the video!
The Problem with using walkie talkie and mobile transceivers is the receivers are not very selective and desense can occur. I have several repeaters and have experimented with baofengs, retevis and others and the receiver selectivity is not that great at a 5mhz separation. I have 5 old ritron desktop repeaters that I know are 30years ++ old and the receiver on these units are rock solid on selectivity and rejection on receive. One other thing transmit is important too repeaters are rated continuous duty on transmit. If by chance you do use a mobile radio I would set the transmit to the low power setting for setup as a repeater. If the repeater gets a lot of use especially running a net that mobile radio is going to get toasty if running high power. If you have 10 users at one time, then mobile radio will have to handle traffic for all 10 users on transmit with no breaks.
Is there anyway to modify connectivity to the RF deck? If so you may be able to fit a Raspberry Pi Zero in there with an ICS Controllers 1X interface board running the OpenRepeater software. This would solve the id issues along with offering a way to administer the repeater.
Exactly what I was thinking.... ICS 1x and Pi Zero W Makes for a very capable and inexpensive repeater controller
Thinking outside the box, would say, a "smart" outlet able to power cycle the device over a home wifi (via vpn, or alexa for example) satisfy the need for remote control? Always interested in your video's and really appreciate the detail and extra info you share! Wish this had part 95 certification as I too think this would be a great gmrs repeater!
That would certainly be an option. This video is two years old and I believe that Retevis has come out with a GMRS specific version that it Part 95 certified, or at least has the frequency splits in the right order.
Can you put a amp between the repeater and antenna
Did you have to pay extra import duties?
nice small repeater .I can say their is a GMRS version. RT97G . is pre set for the GMRS 8 repeater channels. you have to pick one when ordering. Their is a version with mic/spearer port allowing to use repeater locally as base. also allows ID unit to be installed. tunning duplexer is not hard with spectrum analyzer with sweep gen . also a good VNA can do it. the rated power on that is at the transmitter before the duplexer. so will be some loss an power at antenna. can program threw PC with programming cable. will run on 12/24 volt LiFePO4 battery just fine with solar. I set one up on GMRS that way. with low power need to use good coax for UHF . like 10 MM M & P copper foil copper braid coax. like hyper flex 10 . and keep length short. . also a high location is best with out large buildings or hills in way. UHF is line of cite. 73's
Do you know the IC2730a Icom? I want to turn something into a mobile repeater. I would prefer the simplicity of a point 600 offset. Not cross-band?
I'm looking for something to use in my Jeep for when I go hiking with my baofeng and my Jeep buddies. Where we go is far from town and repeaters.
I'm looking at an IC2730a but I'm looking for someone to guide me. I'm a newbie.
If I understand what a cross-band repeater does, it takes my baofeng signal and throws it at a far-away repeater which then sends it back to my Jeep retransmitting to my baofeng. I want to cut out the far-away repeater. I want my Jeep to be my local repeater.
From all the TH-cams I've listened to, I would have to chop a couple of diodes. Daunting to do on a brand new radio?
It might only be possible on the Icon IC2730a if it's the Korean or USA models. And how do I know this before ordering online?
In your video you can see that the transmitter connects to "high" and the receiver to "low" on the duplexer. Any chance you can try swapping them around, so that the uplink is the high frequency and transmit is the lower frequency?
Well u can get traffic with ur local gmrs repeaters that is why they swap it on these rt97
I wondered that also but then the duplexer would have to be retuned to that right? Sounds like the recent ones the offset is set up correctly. I'm still uncertain this would be legal for use on gmrs????
@@montebrown3925 i actually purchased these rt97 and it does comes with ctcss so u can change it in case there is a local repeater or someone else around with the same frequency so u don't Interfere with them
Thanks for the informative video! Can this repeater automatically scan between the 16 channels? For example on our farm we have channel 01 as a call up channel and then channels 2 to 4 are for various departments of the farm. So i am wanting to clarify would one unit handle this job, or would i need 4 units for the 4 channels in use?
This repeater doesn't have a scan capability
@@KB9VBRAntennas ok thanks. do you know of any other repeaters that have scan capabilities?
No I don't. The reason why repeaters don't scan a range of channels is that the duplexer, a series of filters that allow for simultaneous receive/transmit on a single antenna) needs to be precisely tuned for a certain frequency. If you go off frequency, their efficiency drops dramatically.
But there are repeaters, using a process called trunking, that can do something similar to that. These are common in large community public safety systems and can be quite expensive and complex.
A better option, and one that is more common in your situation, is to all use the same repeater channel and assign different PL tones or CTCSS codes for each department. This allows all departments to share the channel without having to listen to all the traffic. You just need the discipline to use the Monitor function on your radio to make sure the channel is clear before operating (again a common practice in multi CTCSS systems). RT97 doesn't support that feature, but a used Kenwood or Motorola repeater certainly would.
I love your videos. This has been a learning process and enjoy learning more. I'm in Mojave in California and have very low luck getting any activity. I'm about 40 miles away from the nearest repeater but I'm close to NASA deep space MARS center. I have been hearing strange technology sounds at random times.
Queation please , how long can this device be power or for how long. Does it has an internal fan for cooling
No cooling fan. The case is cast aluminum and radiates what little heat is created without an issue. Just don't put it in an area that gets hot and has little air circulation. I don't know what the "duty cycle" is but even after 1/2 hour of continuous use it does not even get warm.
ESTE REPETIDOR FUNCIONA COM OFFSET 4600 ??
Power Output tested? Receiver sensitivity tested?
If you hook up a BTECH AMP-U25 you can go from 4.99W out put to 20-40W out put
Quick tip
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when using a pocket knife i used to flip the blade over effectively using the back of the tip to just run down the tape junction but not enough to cut into whatever is below
I can see where this would be nice to have in emergency use for local area search and many other things. Also with the low power needed it would be great in a small airplane for search and rescue! 10 watts at 5000 feet would have a very good coverage! It would be nice to be able to change the input and output frequencies, but thinking that this could be used to pick up hand held radio to send to repeater input. Most hand held radio can hear repeaters but can't get back to them. I may be able to think of other things it can be used for after having some time to think about it.
So can you use a repeater for GMRS Freqs? I don’t know. Thank you
Yes, repeaters are allowed on the GMRS band. There are 16 channels that can be used for simplex, or these 16 can be combined into 8 pairs for repeater use.
Michael, thanks for showing us this product. $399 is out of my price range for now, but that looks like a keeper. I would be interested in the GMRS capabilities and limitations as you mentioned the GMRS possiblity. Thanks again, great video
$399 may be a bit high, but it is plug and play; so you do get that convenience. The only limitation for use on the GMRS band is its lack of certification. Otherwise I think it would be a great GMRS repeater.
Yes, its so good a keeper they can keep it. 😶
@@KB9VBRAntennas it receives low and transmits high. If you reverse the GMRS repeater input/outputs you are not going to make people happy, and that could easily generate a call to the FCC. A GMRS repeater needs to receive on 467Mhz and xmit on 462 Mhz.
@@pupdaddymail Exactly. If they would correct that limitation, and tx on 462.xxx while receiving on 467.xxx, then yes it would make an excellent portable gmrs repeater for emergency or use in remote areas. Im hoping Retevis, or someone else, will figure out how to correct that issue with this repeater.
Now if this were more customisable it would be useful for some of the business radio stuff I do, but I would need to be able to define the split. -6.5MHz is the main offset I would need (on the ham bands here it would need +1.6 or +7.6)
Can a TNC be added to take care of the ID function?
You could possibly do that. Unfortunately the repeater is all self contained and there are no ports to connect an accessory like a TNC. You'd have to do quite a bit of experimenting to find a way to access the audio chain in the unit.
Would this be okay to use as a GMRS repeater at a hunting cabin? and would it be legal?
They have a gmrs option for this repeater.
They do have a GMRS model.
That's nifty. I think a handy ham could program an arduino or r-pi to inject a CW ID for the repeater to transmit every 10 minutes while it's active. Probably a timeout too, if you wanted that. A VHF (2M) version of this would be good to see in the future. Good stuff, Cheers! Chris - NI7I
there are several companies that sell cw ider modules for around $40 US to just ID as needed..
I'm not sure I understand how the Duplexer works given the software allows frequency programming. So if the channel is changed, the filter does not properly work?
It doesn't make sense to me either. The duplexer is tuned to a particular frequency, so if you switch the repeater to a different frequency, then the duplexer would need to be adjusted. The only advantage I would see is if you wanted to set up the channels with different CTCSS tones, or leave one channel with tone and another channel carrier access.
@@KB9VBRAntennas After checking with the Retevis, the tolerance appears to be +/- 1 MHz, - I guess that works for GMRS or perhaps a small UHF range. It would be nice if a tool was provided to tune the duplexer.
duplexer separates the trans and rec audio or you can use 2 antennas and no duplexer just antenna separation verticle or horizontal there is a chart for the distance separation.
A Leixen UV-25D is a 20w full standalone cross-band (if you want) 2m/70cm repeater with its own battery, full local control just like a HT (which it is, and you can use it as one) for about $150, and it's smaller. For $50 you can hook two UV5Rs together with a cable.
My RT-97, UHF, just received by me, only has an output of about 5 watts on my
Watt meter, not the stated 10 watts as
was replied to my email today to Retevis and received back from Retevis to me. They stated that due to losses in the system, such as the split and the duplexer, there is this sysyem, effect resulting in a lower output from the repeater, such as the 5, not 10 watts that my meter shows. 73 de W2CH
That makes sense. All repeater transmitters loose power thru the duplexer on the way to the antenna. If it truly started out at 10W output, loosing 5W seems excessive. I wonder if it matters what the input voltage is. If the battery or PSU is a nominal 12V, what happens at 13.8 or 14.1V? If you see no difference in TX power at a higher voltage then perhaps that power board inside has a voltage regulation function. It was difficult to see if the internal duplexer was balanced as 3 cavities for RX and 3 for TX or 4 and 2 to help keep the TX from desensitizing the receiver.
If this is not legal for GMRS, then where can we purchase a GMRS repeater?
Speaking strictly for GMRS operation; if only your family is using the repeater under one sign call, then the repeater does not need to self identify.
A used r1225 is the best idea I've heard really. There are issues with them, but they're as legal as it gets (part 90) and ... well, they're the easiest route to get a sub 500 dollar repeater with duplexer - basically a system in a box. These ammo can tactical repeater things are pipe dreams.
You can buy GMRS repeaters all day long on ebay with all 8 repeater pairs programed in the radio.
Well, if it recieves low and transmits high, it 100% cannot be used for GMRS, because the repeater pairs are according to US standard rx high tx low. EDIT FOR CLARITY: this is for the repeater, not the radios connecting to it - which recieve low and transmit high (+5mhz offset)
Edit - I was looking at this because there's apparently a version that is gmrs legit - and that would mean it has to transmit on the low frequency, rx on the high. But who knows, maybe somebody at the FCC screwed up and didn't catch that? Who knows. I'm not going to find out because its way too weak and I can do better in the same price range.
I’m confused here, I just received my unit and it seems to be working properly. It’s receiving on 467 and transmitting on 462.
This video is a year old‚ maybe Retevis changed the split in their setup
I just got mine and it is setup correctly, I am just wondering about self ID.
That is how the offset is set on that repeater but they said the performance is the same
@@brandond1291 can u tell me abit of the performance and the range that u get n r u urban or open area . I want to purchase one but I live in apartments and lots of houses and powerchorus and small building so I don't k ow if I will get good range.
It receives on 462 and always a plus 5 to transmit on 467 a no brainer
Adding a repeater controller board for an other 100 bucks would not be hard.
I was thinking of ordering one, but there isn't anyone to call/Rep in US. I was told by a YT'er it has to be factor/company programed. Can it have a pl-tone, Digital ? and can it be field programmable. Do you think its worth it and is it the only thing needed?
You can download the programming software to change the frequencies on the unit. It will also hold up to 16 channels and can be set to DCS or CTCSS coded squelch. The problem concerns the duplexer which needs to adjusted with a service monitor or other suitable test equipment. That makes field programming a bit more difficult. Retevis will initially tune the unit for your preferred frequency when you purchase the unit- but if you wish to make changes‚ then you are on your own.
On a side note- I do have a friend that builds repeater and communication systems professionally. I'm wanting him to look at the unit and give my his opinion- but our busy schedules haven't lined up.
@@KB9VBRAntennas Hmm!!! I sold my Marconi when I sold the store, Seeing I'm not ready to spend another $20k I guess it would be best to have them set it up. Is there a contact number where I can call them, where to buy it, so I can talk to a person?
i wonder if you could have a remote radio key the repeater every 10 minutes and ID the repeater owner's call sign so users don't have to "know" the owner's ID
This is what I was wondering. You could get the auto-ID for $60 and hook it up to a Baofeng to ID. You could hook it into a WiFi enabled power port for $10.
Great little repeater for say a local marathon run, local event or support for Amateurs involved in Search and Rescue that needed temporary communications coverage. It would free up any permanent area repeaters. You could also daisy chain a series of these repeaters to provide a long distance link in the event of a national disaster from the incident site to a regional control centre
Search and rescue would be another excellent use, or like you mentioned as a local repeater for an incident command post or staging area. Once you start thinking creatively, there's a lot you can do with it.
10 watts in and 4 watts out suck hard a walkie talkie does 5 wats for Gods sake do the math man. Its not that hard get a full 50 watt repeater quit pissin in the wind.
can you swap the cables between the radio and the duplexer in order to have the "right" offset?
No, you'll have to figure out some way of swapping the actual TX and RX frequencies to do that, however, you will still need to switch the duplexer too.
I'm not sure, but I'll talk to a friend of mine who works on repeaters professionally and has the necessary equipment to tune a duplexer. I'll let you know what he says.
Why do u want to swap
my gosh man what a dumb question please sell your radio people like you do not belong on the air my God this is a 2nd grade autistic question.
It appears to be designed as a GMRS repeater by the lack of ID, reverse TX/RX and the 5 mhz offset. Too bad it's not type approved!
I would hesitate to use it for GMRS. If you reverse the repeater input/output you are going to attract attention, and that is likely to generate a call to the FCC.
@@pupdaddymail if it's not type approved, it's not legal. therefore I wouldn't use it for GMRS although it appears to be engineered for that purpose. I'm not getting fined or losing my license for that! That would just be stupid!
No GMRS radios would be able to talk to it because of the reverse tx/rx - GMRS repeaters transmit low / rx high - the opposite of what this does. Also - ham UHF repeaters are 5mhz + offset as well (but they don't HAVE to be).
Is 10 watts enough power for a GMRS repeater? Wouldn't you want the maximum allowed?
Not necessarily. It depends on the amount of distance you need to cover and the location of the repeater. If the area is small a lower powered repeater would be perfect. Or if the repeater is in a high spot‚ then 10 watts may be all that is necessary to give good coverage. Max power for the GMRS band is 45 watts so the difference between 10 watts and 45 is 6db or approximately 1 S-Unit on your meter.
@@KB9VBRAntennas I see. I just found out the local gmrs repeater here is 18 watts, but its antenna is 200' high. I'm wondering what the range of this RT97 would be with a good antenna at 50'.
You can model the coverage with a program like Radio Mobile: www.ve2dbe.com/english1.html
@@KB9VBRAntennas Wow. I tried it out. That is pretty amazing to be able to model that coverage. I can cover a pretty large area of the Chesapeake. Land, not so much.
With a dam good antenna you would be shocked at what 10watts of UHF will do
too cool now i want one but cant afford it LOL
yup ive built one cheaper with used parts.. LOL
Put it on a wifi controlled power socket and you can turn it on and off remotely.
It's got battery power.
Remote control to power is easy.
I was very disapointed in this unit. Within one week the rf unit had burnt out. After looking at the internals you could see that the parts were substandard. I would never get one of these again.
Question what was the range did u get and also what is the overall range around like if one person goes one way and the other opposite side
You were foolish to buy in the first place its 10 watts in but only 4 watts out get your money back and learn a little about radio electronics please.
Nice! Finally a Legal FRS and GMRS repeater! Got one!
He clearly stated it's not part 90 or 95 accepted so not legal, but it WOULD make a good repeater for the service. 73
So you can not use it for GMRS?
You could‚ but there are a couple of issues: first the repeater split is opposite than what it is standard convention in the US and second the item is not Part 95 type accepted for use on the GMRS band.
Its not part 95 or part 90 type accepted, and even if it was - no gmrs radios would be able to talk to it because of the pair reversal. GMRS specifies the repeater inputs 5mhz above what they transmit on. It's not just standard convention - it's defined in part 95.
@@notsure7874 It is now - the 97S
@@agates9383 Did they fix the problem with transmit and receive frequencies being reversed? Because it won't work with GMRS radios otherwise, but you can program ham radios ... to use the GMRS frequencies in a way that would likely cause interference.
If they did fix that - did they also add a duplexer? Because 2 antennas isn't going to cut it in the same band. It works for a crossband, but without crazy levels of vertical separation, it can't work duplex. The transmit antenna will saturate the receive antenna.
Then you need antenna height, or having a repeater doesn't gain you ANY benefit over simplex. Without a duplexer, that means you're going to have to separate the antennas VERTICALLY by nearly 100 feet, and then the LOWER of the 2 is the one that determines your range (for the most part).
And if you go with a duplexer with a single antenna, you need cable that doesn't turn into millions of diodes because "aluminum oxide" so you're looking at RG214 - silver tinned braid - at about 7 bucks / foot, with silver plated connectors, or heliax - but that sort of defeats the "portable" part. Then you need a decent antenna that you can push up on a pole too.
It's a cute idea, but in reality it just doesn't work out. I actually have one of the repeater controllers - and the idea of a "tactical repeater" just doesn't work. I really wish it did, but it doesn't. It ... CAN, but you're talking about spending a lot of money, and it's not going to fit in a tiny little box with little rubber duck antennas screwed onto connectors.
@@agates9383 If you really just want to extend your range between 2 HT's, it's a much better bet to get 2 of these collapsible cane poles for fishing - crappie rods - you can get them up to about 17 feet for 20 bucks or so. Mount a decent antenna on one, and carry that with a 20 foot coil of rg8x with each HT. Or toss a cord up over a tree limb and hoist an antenna. Boom - you just increased your range over flat ground with little obstructions to 10 miles or so. And you did it for under 100 bucks.
Can You get that repeater on VHF ?
They do make a VHF version, but the 5mhz duplexer split makes it unusable on the 2 meter amateur band.
KB9VBR Antennas Thanks for the info
what a dumb question did you read the rules for repaaters you are one of the stupid people that gets the 10,000.00 fine from the FCC
I do not know, Spend $ 400 for this 10w Repeater? Well I prefer to do the crossband with some cheaper mobile radio (TYT TH-7800) for $ 180. It is also not 100% portable but it depends on 110v power or 12v Cable
YV5CMJ 73s
This is a junk repeater its 10 watts in but only puts out 4 watts read the fine print.
Great, another repeater that doesn't cross the finish line.
Just get a used motorola R1225.. They're not like an outdoors type portable jobby, but thats a pipe dream anyway for the most part. Pretty sure they can run off a battery backup and have trickele charger all built in. I think it runs reduced power on battery, but you want to turn those down anyway. Max powa = burned out finals on those from what I hear.
They've got "most" of the boxes checked, and they're part 90 which is as legit as it gets really. Don't forget to use hardline or all silver plated superpricy feedline like rg214 too - intermod / desense etc ... lmr400 is no good for duplex.
Thanks for covering the overall details of the unit and especially the FCC requirements. It seems that there is *always* something lacking in the cheap chinese junk that is sold today. I would never spend $400 for this when I can get a used Motorola MOTOTRBO CM200D or a CM300D repeater for less and more power.
Can you please make a video so we can see the different
@@SuAmigoElilegal The best thing to do is to watch the Motorola videos and google all the Motorola specifications. Also if you read a lot of reviews on the Motorola equipment you will find that 99.9% of the buyers are extremely satisfied in the product features, performance, and most importantly the reliability and factory support. This is better than any video I can offer.
@@xoox870 I did watch some videos and I saw some devices rig for 89 dollars with 25 watt that I can possible use as repeater all I need is a interface or repeater that runs for like 45 bucks and use it as base stations. 25 watts should be waybbetter than 10 watts and I can def use uhf or vhf. Thanks for the info 👍
The GMRS version works Great ,plug and play, With a good gmrs antenna, and 35 to 60 ft height, 20 miles in my area ( coastal bend area of Texas) is not a problem.
Does it work on dmr?
No. The repeater is analog only.
@@KB9VBRAntennas Thanks
@@KB9VBRAntennas old info, as of today 9/15/22 they have DMR AND Analog/DMR
I don't think this would work for GMRS, unless I misunderstood you. The GMRS repeater TX frequencies are -5MHz.
Correct. GMRS repeater outputs are -5MHz.
With the current band plan..... If you swap input and output freqs on uhf, your output could be Keying Other Repeaters !!! That is why there is a bandplan !!!
Band plans are important and they help keep order on the airwaves. I did consult our region's coordinating body and used a shared/itinerant repeater frequency to minimize interference.
Uh, it doesn't put out 10 Watts!
I know the reasons behind the 2m and .7m splits. I have never liked the division of some states in high and out low on .7. I do wish that .7 would be in low and out high in all states. Other than the 147 pairs all ham repeaters are in low and out high. I do know why the 147 pairs are the way they are. I've been a repeater operator since the late 70's. Here in CO .7 is in low out high :-)
Anybody else get to this video from the one of the guy falling on the potato and it disappearing?
SO239 on a HAM sandwich rig??? 😂😂😂😂
Lol all the ham radios have so239's on em. It's nothing out of the ordinary.
SO239 used to be called UHF connection by the military 😄👍.
But don't forget that a good quallity SO239 conector will perform well at low UHF.
Wow you talk fast
Which is great. Too many TH-camrs drag it out necessitating cranking up the speed to 1.25 or 1.5
Some of us in Minnesota and Wisconsin do talk faster. I picked up the nickname "Turbo" for this reason while in the military.
Thanks for the review and information!
Looks like Retevis did a half-@$$ed job in designing this thing, particularly regarding the reversed input/output frequencies. Before I would spend even the suggested amount of money on it, they would need to correct that glaring defeciency. This is just sloppy on their part.
You should post your reading text somewhere closer to camera. It is obvious you are not talking sponteniously. Thank you.
Can you put this on FRS? Im totally kidding
Can or Should? LOL
You are not kidding because you don't know better no FRS repeaters its people like you that make radio have a stupid group in the corner.
I don't see any indicaton on the website that this unit is FCC approved for any radio service. If that is the case, its illegal to use it outside the Ham bands, but illegal to import it-The FCC slam would probably only be an issue for the Importer, but the user could also technically be charged criminally or civilly if Uncle Sam does not like your face. Caution is called for.
🖕🖕🖕🖕🖕!!!!!!!!!!!!
@@414RadioTech Ahh, a Man of few words...or sentences!
No thanks, I'll stick with my rock bound factory GE MVP repeater. Still ticking after all these years. As for ID, we have added the Comm Spec ID 8 board inside.
$400 ain't shit!!! That's a weekend of partying for many people....I know people that drop that on Clothes and stupid stuff.
Just buy yourself a cross band capable rig!
Honestly? How many amateurs don’t have a dual band HT these days... 35-40 watts output compared to 10.... Just as easy to set up, if not easier, coordinate your own frequencies without having to deal with the duplexer, and most are manufactured by a reputable company.... Not a bunch of cheaply made parts stuffed into a cable TV distribution box. I like the idea, but the product is lacking in several areas, and as such, the price is way to high.
Thank you for the video... but I felt you address this video for Ham and NOT GMRS. I read FCC doc as GMRS does not have to have repeater have call signs transmit every 10 mins. GMRS repeater are more for personal family use and do not need to be overly supervised if in a remote location. Please comment to me at jbe@adginc.net.
GMRS repeaters have to identify unless it's only your family under a single license using it. It's 15 min for GMRS though. You have to be able to remote shutdown on them in case it gets stuck in transmit or something.
WAY overpriced. You can put one together for 1/2 the price.
Possibly. But you can also eat at home for half the price of going out. I guess it depends on what the value of your time is worth.
I agree. For that price point and the way it's built it looks like a half done project that could have been awesome for a couple more dollars in materials and design.
$70.00 Two Baofeng UV5RTP
$72.00 VHF 30 watt duplexer that can handle
$52.00 Surecomm controller
$50.00 Misc parts to inject ID by preferred means (digital loop and splice into controller is mine)
Now I have a LEGAL repeater with better capabilities. It just won't look so slick.
Grey Lewis. No way can you build this for 1/2 the price which would be about $200. 6 cavity duplexers from China similar to what's used here is around $100. Then you have to integrate a transmitter and receiver that are well isolated from each other, interface them to a central control package with LCD display for setting CTCS, Frequency, etc. Then you have to purchase a solid Aluminum enclosure, well shielded cables and connectors, engineering time for writing custom code as well as machining time and this does not even include the proper test equipment to align the duplexers. $400 for this package is a very reasonable price.
Wow these Chinese electronics are getting expensive.
Wait till you-know-who's import duty hits.
James Bowie I don’t need political crap brought into it.
@@tullyman82 The 'political crap' is there whether you want it or not.
No one really gives a crap about that you do on ham radio, unless you tell everyone and your gadget is cooler than theirs - then you better watch out...
... or you interfere with an official service.
@@James_Bowie No. Government agencies don't care about their licensees.
Steve you just can't pass the easy 35 question test and you can miss 7 and still pass but you live in your moms basement so you will not get out to take the test. Stupid is as stupid does get your box of chocholates
I’m 45 miles from a club repeater, and even on a good day, my dual band yagi can barely reach it. For me the UHF/VHF scenario is a lost cause. From what I’ve read, upper frequencies communication is pretty much dead until you get into the digital modes which many older hams will not purchase new equipment to process the signals. Old analog VHF/UHF will be around for a while until all the old farts leave this life.
I have a solid 45mi radius around my pickup with 5/8 nmo and yeasu ft-2900 or the ft-3200DR.
Are you using the good LMR-400 Coax or cheap high loss coax? I would suggest higher elevation 10 to 15 feet can make a major difference but coax is the key LMR-400 low loss
A 10 watt repeater is like pissin in the wind buy the full legal 50 watt repeater now you have 40 to 50 plus mile range. If you buy a toy you get a toy if you want something powerful then buy 50 watts do not be fooled it is garbage.
IS ANYTHING "LEGAL" IN CANON LAW CONTROLLED U.S.A.? ASK THE PAPISTS.
@ 9.15 you used the words "morris code". There's no such thing as "Morris Code" if you are going to be educating others with your videos, at least know what you're saying or reading.
Not sure what you are getting at, as the I said Morse code, not Morris code.
@@KB9VBRAntennas listen to yourself. Watch your own video.
I just listened again and you have a speech impediment.
I just unsubscribed. Maybe you say 73s.....its seven, three.
Not seventy-three.
No need to respond ... -.-
Meh, I have the Upper Midwest accent. It must not be familiar to your ears. I'm sure others would say the same of your voice if given a critical listen.
@@jimmeeGray Wow, you're just an asshole aren't you. Giving him sh*t for the way he speaks? If you want to be a dick, talk to yourself and keep your comments personal.