Very practical video. Thank you. I see many of the prepper mindset not asking simple questions about power for communications. Their survival would presumably be dependent upon a boatload of AA batteries.
E'ven though I already had 2 cheap HT's and a good one (Japanese,) I still bought 2 cross-band HT's simply because setting one of them up on a high point in cross-band mode makes the others MUCH more capable. I think every ham should have at least 1 dual band (2m/70cm,) HT and 1 cross-band HT for emergencies.
Good video mate. The advantages of using CBRs are often overlooked. We use them frequently on RAYNET deployments with good results. As you mentioned using a mobile CBR in a car is a very useful procedure. Larry M3mpd.
I just read an article about a guy who used his mobile radio as a cross=band repeater. He was doing a public service event and his post was in a stand of Southern pines. It turns out that the needles in the Southrn pine are 1/2 wavelength of the 70cm band, and the branches are 1/2 wavelength of he 2m band. He set up his mobile unit as a cross-band repeater so that he could power his way out of the woods to the repeater
You cud hardly copy the Main repeaters signal downstairs because the CBR was not programmed to receive (semi duplex) the main repeaters downlink frequency, which incase wud then transmit back to your HT. In other words CBR set to 2 way crossband repeat, not 1 way crossband.
Interesting radio Gil, thinking on you saying two important things on radio prepping-receiving eg listening, and power usage, there are many commercial receivers some with SW that employ the hand crank or windup radio-apparently hours of reception from a minute of winding, this simple technology would seem perfect for prepping. I can’t find specifics on what frequencies can be monitored on the SW radios. Conclusion is a group of people could provide a lot of Watts 👍🏼
Great video, I like this idea. I have older dual band Alinco HTs that can cross band repeat too but I wouldn't want to ever leave them out in the field. Now a $50 -$60 Retivis I'd have no problem leaving it up in a tree somewhere for this purpose, probably quite good coverage with a dual band roll up j-Pole antenna added for fun. Several mobile transceivers cross band repeat too allowing you to park your car up a hill and have a temporary repeater with even more power.
Hi Gil. Regarding CTCSS tones making things difficult. That may apply to the average Joe buying a bubble pack radio but not to any half serious radio person. Tones can be discovered in seconds with some radios and/or an SDR.
Have you tested the TYT TD-8000d/e? It's very robust and the battery also is durable. As for the Faraday protection, I used to throw in everything electronic -- even flashlights. But I've read articles since then that said as long as your radios aren't turned on that they should be fine. Have you read or seen anything that would be to the contrary? Some people say to disconnect the batteries while others sayy you don't even need to do that -- just don't turn it on during an EM storm. When I worked for the Navy, I was told shipboard systems were all protected, especially weapons, but not HTs. So I'm still not sure what needs to be protected.
Hi, I have not tried it. As to EMPs, it makes no difference whether something is on or not. Not plugging in an antenna or power supply does mitigate the risk a bit but anything out of a Farraday cage can be fried.
i have 2 repeaters. one cross band in the car and one cross band/duplex repeater in my garden shed, both powered by solar power. the one in the car is a tyt th 9800 and the one in the shed is 2x uv5r's and a surecom repeater controller and a x50c antenna on the house roof
@@RadioPrepper the 9800 is ok for the price. I have had mine a few years now, Not the best of radios but air band is handy to listen to but I mainly use it in the car for repeaters but it will do what it says on the box. It will be a hard choice if I have to replace it
Thank you for this video; too many 'serious' Hams discount UHF/VHF in a SHTF scenario. Getting news and updates from out of state/country would be great, but I am orders of magnitude more concerned with keeping tabs on my family, friends, and neighbors. For my situation, I anticipate receiving AM/FM news, NOAA weather reports and FAXes will be much more important than HF, even HF NVIS signals. The ability to setup a small, inconspicuous repeater could be invaluable if communications go down.
@@RadioPrepper Check! I also gave a nice 2 meter to my very smart godson as a way of getting a radio into our friends home ahead of any 'unpleasantness'.
the interesting part is that this RT23 is not available to purchase in the entire planet. eham website says the radio "Is in production" but no idea where. Any model that is the most comparable possible? All new Retevis radios are huge in size this days
Hi Gil. I have no experience with VFH or UFH ham activity. I've wondered - with a non-digital mode 2m repeater (for example), couldn't it be taken down easily by a malicious person, very close to the repeater antenna, due to the FM capture effect? And if I maintained a public general use repeater and the grid went down - in a relatively short-term emergency... assuming I'd be safe and not compromised - I'd camp out at the site of the repeater if needed - fuel and hand-held generator with me. And I wouldn't go assuming that I could (or should) go home when I chose to leave the repeater (or had to). Let's meet on 20 sometime. France POURS in here in the early morning. 73!
It could be jammed yes. Not much you can do about that. I'd keep transmissions to a minimum. Keep an eye on my Twitter feed where I announce when I'm on the air!
Well, it's the only one I tested... It does work well. I thought about putting it in a sealed box with a big battery and solar charging system... The good news is, it's cheap, you can get two...
It certainly looks easy enough to use. I’ve seen a few vids of people doing that, in particular ‘guerillacomm’ did a good series on it. The Wouxun KG-UV8D also looks pretty easy to set up and use too, same price range too 👍🏻
Thank you for a great video! Just to clarify and help understand better as I am quite new to this concept of cross band repeater function for walkie talkies.. I have a question - let me explain this way; If we are 3 people/friends oustide situated as follows: A --------- C ---------- B - I am in position 'C' (in between possibly on a hill etc) with a Retevis RT23 - Person A has regular dual band walkie talkie (baofeng UV-5R for example). Person B also has regular dual band walkie talkie. - But say, A & B cannot communicate using VHF or UHF directly due to landscape for example. So in this case, assuming my RT23 is properly setup/configured as a cross band repeater as you explained in this video, where: - "person A" uses VHF for rx/tx - "person B" uses UHF for rx/tx THEN 'A' can talk to 'B' via my RT23 - ok got that - understood - no issue. But in this case, i) Does this mean the RT23 is NOW solely dedicated to be used in this repeater mode? (where I can only communicate with person A or B, or not even) OR ii) I can simultaneously use the RT23 to communicate directly with other radio users on other frequencies? (since the RT23 cross band repeater function, once setup, is running in the background and is always in effect servicing A and B). In short, I can use the RT23 as normal with anyone directly? (not just A & B when in cross band repeater mode) Please confirm - thanks
@@RadioPrepper ok so you suspect the RT23 is in a dedicated role in the case I described then? is this what you mean when you say I may a fourth radio to communicate with other users since the RT23 is occupied with dedicated repeater operation? thanks.
Can I program this radio with the FRS GMRS radio frequencies just like what can be done with the Baofeng UV 5R radios? Thus being able to use it as a cross band repeater between GRMS and VHF bands. If not...then what about the TYT TH 8000E radio?
Hi Julian, i bought this radio but can't find a way to enable tone when its on cross band mode. Thanks for the video and if you have a tip for my problem please reply.
Excellent video, thanks a lot for the great explanation ... What exactly do you mean (13:59) when you say that it is not designed to connect to another repeater? Can I talk to others through another repeater (while using it as a regular radio station, not as a repeater) or not? I didn't understand well. Thanks a lot, 73
@@RadioPrepper This gave me the idea of setting up the ultimate cross-band chain, going through every single amateur band up to microwave to send something over many miles
@Lumenatic You can use a UV5R cable to program the RT23. When I use it with Chirp, Chirp seems to be able to read from the radio, but cannot upload to it (perhaps I am doing something wrong), but the UV5R cable works fine when you use the dedicated RT23 programming software. I program mine this way.
@@RadioPrepper I've seen a guy who modified a dynamo-flashlight so that it would also output its 4-6v on USB (and not just charge the light's battery) and used it to charge a Baofeng UV-5R*; especially nice as a backup imho
Sure, if you can't run an antenna up there, which would be better.. BTW try to get General the same day, even Extra, there is no penalty for trying ;-) trust me on this, review General material too, it's just a tad more, not much. Let me know how it went!
I was interested because the shift is not 7.6 and its aparently not 1 vhf and 1 uhf repeater that transmit simultaniosly. Is it something like a simlex/crosband link?
hahahahahahaha. repetitor da bi radio treba biti posloženo sve kako spada a to košta kao jedan prosječan auto .ne može se imati repetitor od stanice od 50 dolara. ahaahaha. jada .aj sisi kupi jogurt i gledaj utakmicu kani se stvari koje su daleko iznad tvog poimanja .
![[FULL EP.16] เซียนพาลุย "เผือก-ฟรอยด์" กรี๊ดลั่น จนปูหนี | เฮ็ดอย่างเซียนหรั่ง | One Playground](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/FsqUvwS3b-Y/mqdefault.jpg)
Congratulations my friend, from Colombia, Bay,
Very practical video. Thank you. I see many of the prepper mindset not asking simple questions about power for communications. Their survival would presumably be dependent upon a boatload of AA batteries.
It is indeed often overlooked, as well as consideration of battery weight..
E'ven though I already had 2 cheap HT's and a good one (Japanese,) I still bought 2 cross-band HT's simply because setting one of them up on a high point in cross-band mode makes the others MUCH more capable. I think every ham should have at least 1 dual band (2m/70cm,) HT and 1 cross-band HT for emergencies.
Good video mate. The advantages of using CBRs are often overlooked. We use them frequently on RAYNET deployments with good results. As you mentioned using a mobile CBR in a car is a very useful procedure. Larry M3mpd.
Definitely. Good thing to have for the price.
I just read an article about a guy who used his mobile radio as a cross=band repeater. He was doing a public service event and his post was in a stand of Southern pines. It turns out that the needles in the Southrn pine are 1/2 wavelength of the 70cm band, and the branches are 1/2 wavelength of he 2m band.
He set up his mobile unit as a cross-band repeater so that he could power his way out of the woods to the repeater
Good story thanks.
Bonjour!! Hadn’t seen your videos in a long time. Glad.
Awesome, thanks Gil. Going to try one of these on a drone.
Or how about tethering one on a weather balloon up 200-300 feet to work an event or an emergency??
You cud hardly copy the Main repeaters signal downstairs because the CBR was not programmed to receive (semi duplex) the main repeaters downlink frequency, which incase wud then transmit back to your HT. In other words CBR set to 2 way crossband repeat, not 1 way crossband.
Interesting radio Gil, thinking on you saying two important things on radio prepping-receiving eg listening, and power usage, there are many commercial receivers some with SW that employ the hand crank or windup radio-apparently hours of reception from a minute of winding, this simple technology would seem perfect for prepping. I can’t find specifics on what frequencies can be monitored on the SW radios. Conclusion is a group of people could provide a lot of Watts 👍🏼
I should get one for testing, thanks.
Hi, yes. maybe the winder+battery could be a self contained unit that would connect to any Qrp radio.
Great video, I like this idea. I have older dual band Alinco HTs that can cross band repeat too but I wouldn't want to ever leave them out in the field. Now a $50 -$60 Retivis I'd have no problem leaving it up in a tree somewhere for this purpose, probably quite good coverage with a dual band roll up j-Pole antenna added for fun. Several mobile transceivers cross band repeat too allowing you to park your car up a hill and have a temporary repeater with even more power.
Exactly!
Yaesu FTM-300 Mobile, Dual Band, Dual Transceiver.
Hi Gil. Regarding CTCSS tones making things difficult. That may apply to the average Joe buying a bubble pack radio but not to any half serious radio person. Tones can be discovered in seconds with some radios and/or an SDR.
True, it is an easy concept to understand..
Thanks for this extremely interesting video.
Have you tested the TYT TD-8000d/e? It's very robust and the battery also is durable. As for the Faraday protection, I used to throw in everything electronic -- even flashlights. But I've read articles since then that said as long as your radios aren't turned on that they should be fine. Have you read or seen anything that would be to the contrary? Some people say to disconnect the batteries while others sayy you don't even need to do that -- just don't turn it on during an EM storm. When I worked for the Navy, I was told shipboard systems were all protected, especially weapons, but not HTs. So I'm still not sure what needs to be protected.
Hi, I have not tried it. As to EMPs, it makes no difference whether something is on or not. Not plugging in an antenna or power supply does mitigate the risk a bit but anything out of a Farraday cage can be fried.
i have 2 repeaters. one cross band in the car and one cross band/duplex repeater
in my garden shed, both powered by solar power.
the one in the car is a tyt th 9800 and the one in the shed is 2x uv5r's and a surecom repeater controller and a x50c antenna on the house roof
I have thought about getting the 9800, still on my list...
@@RadioPrepper the 9800 is ok for the price. I have had mine a few years now, Not the best of radios but air band is handy to listen to but I mainly use it in the car for repeaters but it will do what it says on the box. It will be a hard choice if I have to replace it
It's really for 6m for me.
Great video. Thanks!
Thank you for this video; too many 'serious' Hams discount UHF/VHF in a SHTF scenario. Getting news and updates from out of state/country would be great, but I am orders of magnitude more concerned with keeping tabs on my family, friends, and neighbors. For my situation, I anticipate receiving AM/FM news, NOAA weather reports and FAXes will be much more important than HF, even HF NVIS signals. The ability to setup a small, inconspicuous repeater could be invaluable if communications go down.
Absolutely, even having spares handhelds to hand out..
@@RadioPrepper Check! I also gave a nice 2 meter to my very smart godson as a way of getting a radio into our friends home ahead of any 'unpleasantness'.
FAXes?
the interesting part is that this RT23 is not available to purchase in the entire planet. eham website says the radio "Is in production" but no idea where. Any model that is the most comparable possible? All new Retevis radios are huge in size this days
I think there is a Wouxun model that does the same..
@@RadioPrepper yea, I saw the Wouxun but is not as small as that one. Well, I guess thats what we got. Thanks for the reply!
Thank you Radio Prepper for this informative video. But I do wish to know if there is a comparable radio that is still available?
Hi, I think there was a Wouxun radio with the same feature, but I can't remember the model..
Hi Gil. I have no experience with VFH or UFH ham activity. I've wondered - with a non-digital mode 2m repeater (for example), couldn't it be taken down easily by a malicious person, very close to the repeater antenna, due to the FM capture effect? And if I maintained a public general use repeater and the grid went down - in a relatively short-term emergency... assuming I'd be safe and not compromised - I'd camp out at the site of the repeater if needed - fuel and hand-held generator with me. And I wouldn't go assuming that I could (or should) go home when I chose to leave the repeater (or had to). Let's meet on 20 sometime. France POURS in here in the early morning. 73!
It could be jammed yes. Not much you can do about that. I'd keep transmissions to a minimum. Keep an eye on my Twitter feed where I announce when I'm on the air!
Hi Gil, in your learned opinion, is this the best HH for crossband repeating for both ‘direct’ & ‘two way’?.....Paul
Well, it's the only one I tested... It does work well. I thought about putting it in a sealed box with a big battery and solar charging system... The good news is, it's cheap, you can get two...
It certainly looks easy enough to use. I’ve seen a few vids of people doing that, in particular ‘guerillacomm’ did a good series on it.
The Wouxun KG-UV8D also looks pretty easy to set up and use too, same price range too 👍🏻
Thank you for a great video!
Just to clarify and help understand better as I am quite new to this concept of cross band repeater function for walkie talkies..
I have a question - let me explain this way;
If we are 3 people/friends oustide situated as follows:
A --------- C ---------- B
- I am in position 'C' (in between possibly on a hill etc) with a Retevis RT23
- Person A has regular dual band walkie talkie (baofeng UV-5R for example).
Person B also has regular dual band walkie talkie.
- But say, A & B cannot communicate using VHF or UHF directly due to landscape for example.
So in this case, assuming my RT23 is properly setup/configured as a cross band repeater as you explained in this video, where:
- "person A" uses VHF for rx/tx
- "person B" uses UHF for rx/tx
THEN 'A' can talk to 'B' via my RT23 - ok got that - understood - no issue.
But in this case,
i) Does this mean the RT23 is NOW solely dedicated to be used in this repeater mode?
(where I can only communicate with person A or B, or not even)
OR
ii) I can simultaneously use the RT23 to communicate directly with other radio users on other frequencies?
(since the RT23 cross band repeater function, once setup, is running in the background and is always in effect servicing A and B).
In short, I can use the RT23 as normal with anyone directly? (not just A & B when in cross band repeater mode)
Please confirm - thanks
I never tried but I suspect you do need a fourth radio.
@@RadioPrepper ok so you suspect the RT23 is in a dedicated role in the case I described then? is this what you mean when you say I may a fourth radio to communicate with other users since the RT23 is occupied with dedicated repeater operation? thanks.
The. Retevis RT-23 is no longer available. What current model would you recommend?
I know Wouxun has one, can't remember which..
Looks like they discounted this radio. Do you know of a new version or another brand that has the same functionality.
I know wouxun has one, can't remember which one..
I'm curious why the Retivis radio voice prompt is identical to a Baofeng. Same voice.
All these companies are either the same or share development.
Can I program this radio with the FRS GMRS radio frequencies just like what can be done with the Baofeng UV 5R radios? Thus being able to use it as a cross band repeater between GRMS and VHF bands. If not...then what about the TYT TH 8000E radio?
Yes you can.
Hi Julian, i bought this radio but can't find a way to enable tone when its on cross band mode. Thanks for the video and if you have a tip for my problem please reply.
It's Gil. Julian is OH8STN... I don't know sorry.
Moin ! Weight ? thenks
No idea..
I saw the comment that it can only be used to cross band repeat, is there any same band (UHF - UHF) hand held repeater recommended? Thanks!
Not that I know of.. Same-band repeaters need substantial filtering that does not fit in a handheld.
@@RadioPrepper Thanks for your reply, I guess the only way now is hooking up two radios through the repeater cable
Yes, but as far apart as possible, and good quality radios (good filters).
I tried to buy one of these after this video, but it's seemingly discontinued? Is there a new version?
I think there is a Wouxun model that does the same..
@Radio Prepper ok I'll do some digging, thanks!
Sorry, I can't remember the model..
Lille ? You moved to the North France, or you still live in the same place ? Aside, this repeater is very interesting, is it waterproof ?
I live in the South of France now. Unfortunately it isn't.
Very interesting! How did you build your EMP Container?
I buy metal cookie cans and eat the cookies, which leaves me with an EMP container ;-)
Excellent video, thanks a lot for the great explanation ... What exactly do you mean (13:59) when you say that it is not designed to connect to another repeater? Can I talk to others through another repeater (while using it as a regular radio station, not as a repeater) or not? I didn't understand well. Thanks a lot, 73
You can use it with repeaters like any other radio but you can't cross-band-repeat to a repeater.
@@RadioPrepper Thank you very much 👍🏼 📡
@@RadioPrepper This gave me the idea of setting up the ultimate cross-band chain, going through every single amateur band up to microwave to send something over many miles
Does this radio do full duplex? If so would also make a great AmSat radio.
Not sure, see the link in the description...
What are you doing for a SHTF power supply? It's would be interesting to get your take on that issue in a video. :-)
73 de OZ1QSQ
Right now I only have a 14W panel to charge 18650 cells; quite insufficient.
I like what you are doing very much. the rt23 can the speaker b disabled?
I think so... Not 100% sure..
Just turn the volume down ???
Dooes it have a dtmf remote control for turning on and of of the repeater function?
No.
@@RadioPrepper ok.,thank you
curiosity: how does this thing work having just 1 antenna?
Because it receives and transmits at the same time on different bands.
Probably. It works because it uses different bands.
Are there any hand helds that have the ability to act as a repeater within the same band?
Not that I know of... You can only do that with two handhelds using a repeater controller, far away from each-other.
Gil, thanks for all your information, good talk with diagrams. 73 de Dennis vk4oc.
Thanks.
Thank you for this nice and informative video. Can I use my Baofeng Programming cable to this RT23?
I think so... Not 100% certain though...
@@RadioPrepper Thank you. I'm hesitant to use my Baofeng programming cable for fear that it will damage the radio if i use the incompatible cable.
You can try, I don't think you could damage it.. I had two UV-5R break mic jacks, but it was a mechanical issue..
@@RadioPrepper ok thanks again. Good luck to your youtube channel.
@Lumenatic You can use a UV5R cable to program the RT23. When I use it with Chirp, Chirp seems to be able to read from the radio, but cannot upload to it (perhaps I am doing something wrong), but the UV5R cable works fine when you use the dedicated RT23 programming software. I program mine this way.
How can the unit have enough power to keep going under use for a long day or two?
You would need an external battery...
@@RadioPrepper I've seen a guy who modified a dynamo-flashlight so that it would also output its 4-6v on USB (and not just charge the light's battery) and used it to charge a Baofeng UV-5R*; especially nice as a backup imho
Sounds like a pretty good idea...
Thank you for the excellent video,can it be used as a ordinary transceiver ?
Absolutely.
Excellent,thankyou for your reply.
Keep these excellent videos coming.
Will do!
Sure, if you can't run an antenna up there, which would be better.. BTW try to get General the same day, even Extra, there is no penalty for trying ;-) trust me on this, review General material too, it's just a tad more, not much. Let me know how it went!
Worth a try. When I went for my Tech, I also passed General.. I thought "no way I'm gonna pass Extra.." Tried anyway and bam!
The worst radio that I ever bought! It's DEAF when attached to an aerial antenna. Very BAD RX when connected to aerial!
Very cool! 73 de K2CJB
Can I use same band repeater as UHF ?
It has to be cross-band, UHF to VHF and vice-versa.
Can it repeater uhf to uhf? Or cross band only?
Cross-band only.
@@RadioPrepper ah ok thankyou
Hi. Are there law restrictions for crossband repeaters in France?
Hi, I have no idea..
What repeater did you say at 10:20
The Lille repeater.
@@RadioPrepper thanks can you explain more about the differwnt frequency modes? Or link about even in French?
Oui, ce sera sans doute pour use autre vidéo..
I was interested because the shift is not 7.6 and its aparently not 1 vhf and 1 uhf repeater that transmit simultaniosly.
Is it something like a simlex/crosband link?
Non technical, unlicensed preppers with a little bit of knowledge using ad hoc repeaters with no thought to regulations or other users. Bad move.
hahahahahahaha. repetitor da bi radio treba biti posloženo sve kako spada a to košta kao jedan prosječan auto .ne može se imati repetitor od stanice od 50 dolara. ahaahaha. jada .aj sisi kupi jogurt i gledaj utakmicu kani se stvari koje su daleko iznad tvog poimanja .