Retevis RT97 UPDATE: Real World Range Test - How Far Can The RT97 Repeater Transmit In The Desert?
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 3 ส.ค. 2024
- Last year I did a full review of the Retevis RT97 repeater, but "some people" were not satisfied with the range testing I did - they complained that where I live is not "real world" enough for their needs, and they demanded a test of the RT97 mobile repeater in the mountains or desert to see how well the repeater works in less than ideal conditions. Hopefully this video will shut them up.
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#Retevis #RT97 #GMRS - ยานยนต์และพาหนะ
Some hunting buddies and I threw in and bought the RT97 after watching your first review. There is a ranger fire look out tower on one of the mountains in our hunting area (Kiamichi Mtns in SE Oklahoma). The rangers said we could place the repeater up there any time we wanted, and hook to their 12vdc power supply. We placed a 6db gain antenna on the metal roof (its new permanent location), and are getting about 150 square miles of coverage (A circle with about a 7 mile radius). Not bad at all for wooded, mountainous, terrain. Thanks for turning us on to this handy little repeater.
I spend a lot of time wheeling/camping in that area.
Holy shize - Randy left the house… Gahhhhhhd Dang!
Surprisingly, the repeater arrived today. So much for accurate tracking info from Amazon. Anyway, I connected it to a GMRS tuned J-Pole antenna that I have on top of a 25' mast, attached to the side of my house. I did a simple range test using 2 Baofeng UV-9Gs... as I drove North from my house. I was able to talk to my wife on her UV-9G, roughly 4 to 5 miles away. I live in PA where I'm surrounded by hills and trees, so I was pretty impressed with the results. I'm sure the line of sight was not very good. My next test will be to drive south and see how many fars I get in that direction. :)
Thanks for sharing..Can you let us know how far you were able to get? Thanks.
How many fars were you able to get?
Great (real world) demonstration, and a very nice repeater! 😎 There are no GMRS repeaters in our rural area, so I was also very curious about repeaters! I live in a similar remote "So-Cal" high desert location and have been seriously considering a GMRS repeater to connect with my other rural neighbors in our small remote community. There are numerous advantages to this type of (off-the-grid) communication, such as... Neighborhood watch, Wildfire updates, Head's-up warnings, Grid-down issues, "My dog is out again", "Has anyone seen my Horse, Pig, Cow, Chickens", etc. I plan to have a GMRS repeater in my neighborhood operational within the next couple of months. Thank you, Randy and Chris530 ~ "Your favorite viewer" ~ Roy @ Critter Ranch
Thank you for making another excellent practical video on this repeater!
Nice test Randy, great job, Thanks
Thanks Randy. This is very informative and is helping me to decide just which rout of a repeater I am going to put up.
big thanks to the real star of the show, Chris!
oh and you too Randy
That T-shirt is awesome!😁 No GMRS here but love your entertaining shows.👍🤓
Thank you! This have been the EASIEST accessory I’ve own. It’s a plus to my family, and friends emergency contact system. We are better prepared for earthquakes, hurricanes, and major storms. I should never have to worry about contacting my dad 17 miles away. The next time the cellular service goes out.
Gee that was a very good test . I bet you guys had a lot of fun. That little repeater seems to work very well. It seems that there are a lot of people testing the repeater both on GMRS and on the amateur band. It looke like it is a very popular device. Really good video. I would bet that would work well from the top of a camper. Or from the 9th story balcony of say a hotel on the beach.
Thank you for all the videos.
Thank you for the channel and great videos! You are costing me $ but I'm having fun and learning.
I bought a RT97 and run it out of my house thru a J pole up on the roof. Very easy set up. I also bought a couple of UV-9Gs. I was able to talk to the wife at home from a mountain where I work at 30 miles distance! I'm a technician class HAM and find GMRS a great way to augment comms and get family members involved w/o need for their own license. Keep up the great work!
Are you still happy with the RT97? I'm considering it as a cheap repeater to run at home as well. Wondering if it's still going strong at home after 2 months since this comment.
Love the Peacemaker poster !!!!!!!!!!!! Great show :D
Great info as always!!!👍👍👍
I love your informative videos. I will finally apply for a gmrs license to add to my other radio license that shall not be mentioned here 😂. gmrs is great way to get the family started with radios, besides it's other practical uses.
Great follow up using it like we would. In the mountains & deserts.
We love our RT97, great video!
May I ask how long its been in use and the range ..Thanks..
I went up on a hillside, I think about 7 miles away where I had line of sight with my repeater on the West side of the Valley and I could see Caldwell, Nampa, Meridian and beyond. Pretty much line of sight with the entire valley. TX to my brother at the farm was solid and clear with Baofeng UV-5R handhelds. I may relocate that repeater to that hillside with solar power. Thanks a bunch Randy!
Love these outside the house testing Videos Randy and The NotaRubicon Looks Good love the orange 6:36 @NotaRubicon Productions
I have this hooked up to a 26' tall ed fong antenna near the heart of downtown Denver and get really good range throughout the city. I am happy with it. Looking forward to showing it off at Ham Fests.
Ham Salads?
Repeater seems like a winner. Awesome to see Chris wearing a TNP shirt. I have the same shirt.
🦉 🦉 🦉
I enjoy your content and this is a great update, wonder how the duty cycle is? Does it time out if someone gets long winded ? Based on what it's designed to do hopefully people don't just get on it and chatter but I was just curious.
Every time I watch your videos, I picture sad “some people” hiding in their basement ham shack listening to REM it’s the end of the world. Keep up the great videos.
Very cool! I am glad the little rattlesnake was safely relocated to give birth to her neonates. This mobile repeater is looking more and more like a sound investment. Thank you and Chris530 for the testing!!!
Love it!
Thank you for this great informative video! Nice to see you and Chris "Wilson W. Wilson Jr." 530 the star of your channel out adventuring and showing the usefulness of the Retevis RT97 repeater in a real world shituation. Keep up the awesome as well as very entertaining videos!
Chris representing Nutn' Fancy!
This is a great channel! Thanks for all the GMRS information! Have you considered using a RT91 with a RT97 to boost the output power? I would love to see a video on that! Thanks for any consideration!
You cant use an external amp with a repeater IF you are using a duplexer (which is built into the RT97).. so the RT91 (or any external amp) would not work.
@@TheNotaRubicon I'm glad I found this channel. Thank you for the great info especially for someone completely new to this and has a lot of questions on this stuff.
Thanks!
Thank YOU!
Love your stuff Randy! Long time Lurker, first time commenter. Would love to see a real world test of two jeeps linking up their kg1000g units to set up a dual antenna repeater (you mentioned this could be done). And how “farrs” this transmits to a third kg1000g. Also: Don’t pin me or you’re off my youtube #2 bathroom break rotation list (there’s a survey ? here).
I have been watching your videos on GMRS with interest, so I acquired my license and now this Retevis RT97, now there is a RT97S, repeater is of interest to me as I already have a 60' tower with antennas on it for my related(?) hobby. My GMRS antenna would be at the very top, at 60'. I live near Detroit, and at the moment, to the best of my knowledge, we only have one 'normal' (open with registration) GMRS repeater in our area, about 10 miles from me. I am currently thinking that I would operate this repeater as an "open" repeater for all to use, if that makes sense so others can use and enjoy the hobby, learning experience, and for any emergencies that it could be used for. I would do this if it were within the law, of course. I suspect that the coverage would not be great, because of the low power output and antenna height, but it is a start. It doesn't seem that any repeater ID is used on the GMRS system of repeaters, but I think that a voice and location ID would be good to have. Now I am investigating the latest version of this repeater, the RT97S to see what the changes are about. Thanks again for your videos and plain, simple explanations of GMRS. XXXX699/ham
Dang that is slick
Would love to see a test with the Rt97p vhf dmr version
The number of fars depends largely if not mostly on antenna gain and how high you can stick it. More is better in both cases. I have had a conversation through my RT 97 GMRS with a 5W hand held from 67 line of sight fars and I'm certain I could do more. Mobile Antenna and repeater antenna selection is important.
Great video , how does it compair with your kg1000 repetor?
I live in a generally North-South valley that is 95 miles long. There was a repeater running here and it covered all that distance and maybe another 20 or so miles further North, but it is down and down for good because there was some sortta rack-rental discussion and he lost! ------------------- I bought the RT97 and will be running it within a couple of feet of the base of my BRC HP-500-U 11.7dB gain antenna, which will be approx 20 feet over the highest part of my all-metal roof. -------------------- This week promises some more snow and really cold temps very close to Zero --- so putting the antenna and repeater up may prove to be a little tough to do. We'll see ........... I'll report back when we've got a decent road test on it --- I admit that I am kinda worried about the 10W (maybe) output. Currently we run a bunch of Tid TD-5H HTs and some MXT275s and one MXT575. Yeah --- we're a club.
---> Thanks, Chris for a nice site and I remember running all over those same hills when I lived in SoCal.
December 26, 2023 Update. ---> the Retivis is still running strong and there are two repeaters now, including mine in this valley. We've had 75+ MPH winds, sleet, snow and rain but no problems with the antenna at all. Remember this is with no guy wires at all. My coverage seems to get better in Winter when the trees are bare and the footprint drops a bit in the full-leaved season. Interesting - I was told that trees eat our frequencies ... mebbee?
The repeater has had zero problems and it just keeps on trucking. I say it's a decently good product.
I like the tnp shirt
Wondering if you'll take a look at the upgraded version Retevis RT97S
I’m glad nobody stole your equipment while you were adventuring. Stools and cookie sheets like that are collectors items
Great video , how is your kg1000g repeater do you still use it?
That great. about the way we would be using a GMRS repeater. on battery. It does list 24V so should work on LFP battery for a long time. I may or may go with the Midland one. but I do trust Midland a lot since we have lots of radios from them and they work so well and many years. Thank you . would like to see some 24V testing of current draw compared to 12V .My off grid cabin is 24V . I do have a buck converter but direct is better. thank you, 😃
For the price a very good repeater. I have 2 in operation , ans there are 2 others in the region right now( Coastal Bend area of Texas) We are all getting 15-25 miles on them, depends on which one and it’s location, antenna height etc.
Thanks for the info..
its a good choice to talk in a small city like 4-6 miles with 6floor buildings?
Named after Notarubicon.
RT97 = Randy Trailing 1997, because that’s the last time he went off road.
When Randy puts on his glasses, then things are getting serious. I'm surprised that the power lines didn't give you any sort of interference. Does the RT97 have some built in filters? I've thought about buying it for the family since the LOS here is crap and no one in the family wants to take their ham license exam (don't blame them). The only other low power cheap solution I can think of is xband repeating between GMRS and MURS.
I may have to get one
Chris is the Chuck Norris of GMRS.
looks like oak hills/Hesperia area, up in my area
I hooked up a Retevis RT97 GMRS Repeater to a Comet ca-712efc GMRS antenna with a 15 Ft. Rg142 coax this morning and was pleasantly surprised to get an out of the box 1.01:1 match and 4.98W output. This repeater will be installed on a higher ridge and farther to the East. I'm certain it will give me better valley wide coverage. I may even do a video of my assembly and installation.
This Repeater is good choice to use in a small city 3-5 miles distance with 6 roof buildings?
Randy, I firmly believe you have a ham license and just won't admit it. ;-)
I think you are right. As radio obsessed as Randy is got to have that ticket.
I would love to see you try a repeater with two WTs.... Some say us possible
My RT97 performed quite acceptably for coordinating potty stops and lunch locations on a road trip a few weeks ago. The various vehicles used HTs hooked to mag mount 6dbi antennas, while RT97 was using similar antenna. That is, when we could get the party car to hear us calling over their loud music...
OK here it is people suck and not in a good way so people mostly only like to talk negative so here is is great video keep up the good work hope to see ya at Jeep Beach God Bless 🙌
Thank you for making this review/update! Great information! Do you have any information as far as "duty cycle" is concerned? Will it time out if a user is long-winded? I'd love to invest in this gear but I'm a little concerned that it may "burn out" after what would be considered normal/daily use. Looking forward to your thoughts. WRCC703
It has a fairly short duty cycle and is not intended for something like a club-repeater that will be used 24/7. It does have a time-out-timer so it will drop long-talkers, but if they key back up and start talking again for a very long time over very long periods, it could be an issue.
I want to set up a repeater in Casper Wy, I overlook a huge valley, if I started a club, what are the going rates for membership having one repeator.and with luck will grow..
just met Chris yesterday. cool person. the xts5000 is 4 watts
maybe yours is only 4 watts, but mine is 5, just like the spec says it should be.
Thanks for the video. Have you ever tested a Mojave Lunchbox? Curious about all of these portable repeaters. Keep up the good work!
I just got my RT97 straight from Retevis Headquarters Hong Kong China for a total (Unit $285.99 and shipping $60.99, NO TAXES!) price of $346.98. Retevis shipped it by DHL and that took about 3 long weary weeks checking the shipping details many many many times. Thank you for the video and the real life situation test. Looking forward to other real life situations to place the RT97 repeater through. OH, the downloaded program from the Retevis site is in Chinese, any way of switching this to ENGLISH!
How did you get free shipping?
When I went to buy, shipping show $55...
@@mkf350 ... Retevis was running sales at the time. The RT97 was marked down alot!. Paid it through my PAyPal account.
Are you familiar with any “packable” (maybe sectional, foldable, etc) decent antenna? I’m looking at purchasing this set up, but would like to make everything fit into a large 40 mm ammo can. I can’t seem to find any such thing.
Well good demo! I use repeaters all the time for storm spotting/ Skywarn. BTW, we have a number of folks get their GMRS License, then get their Ham ticket.
What sort of solar generator would we need to run this repeater for a 3 day jeep event?
I have a Motorola R 100 repeater from 1987 could you hook up a battery to it or thing you have
GMRs mobile antenna mobile antenna? Best for mobile or home use?
So it does what a TYT UV-8000E cross band dual band handy does, if you crossband repeat
Do the RPTR RX Fz uses GMRS 15-22 chs ?
yep.
it’s location, antenna, and gear - in a very distant 3rd.
How do you get xts5000 programming software?
Hello randy question ❓ When programming the frequencys is it narrow band or wide band .... Thank you..
GMRS is wideband.
I just go the RT97S but I cant get the programing software to work. Any sugestions? where can I find the USB drivers to download. The manufacturer is not helping at all. Cant find the downloads on their web site.
TNP shirt lol 5:40
Can you network repeaters to get more fars?
We want to see the new version with a controler plug
Perhaps the rt97 is suitable for cuddeback 🤔✌🏻👍🏻
Did you get the magnet mount from Midlands as well?
I believe that particular Mag Mount came in the box with my MXT575, but you can use any NMO type mag-mount.
What HT are you using?
I wonder how far it would go if you set it on top of a building?
Testing of the new DMR version?
those GMRS radio can do duplex? how does the repeater work, like the "normal" Ham one on 2m?
Yes it works just like a 70 cm amateur repeater only smaller, lower power, and about 20 Mhz higher in frequency.
Hola, me gustaría saber si ese repetidor puede quedar instalado en un vehículo de emergencias y que recomendaciones me puedes dar?
Yes, it can.
Question. Can this be used to increase the range of another repeater if I were to program in its tone in and out? I live up on the Blue Ridge Mountains and I can hear far away repeaters. The people on those repeaters can barely hear me and I'm trying to see if it's possible to increase my range to those repeaters...NOTE I'm currently using a UV9G as I don't yet have a mobile
I don't believe this repeater has that capability.
What? No butts were hurt in the filming of this video. You hoarding the cans of Butt Hurts for the coming Zombie Apocalypse? I feel cheated.
Thanks for the demonstration, never thought about using a repeater for small excursions. Always imagined a repeater with a duplexer being a large cumbersome thing to set up.
Nice...................
Chris is Wilson from home improvement…. “Hi-Dee-Ho Neighbor”
Thanks for the videos. I got a revetis repeater package. The first unit lasted 1 week, the second lasted 2 hours. They have replaced them. I was using their antenna, Retevis MA01 UHF Omnidirectional Base Station Antenna. I decided to check the antenna using an OHM meter and found the antenna is is grounded to the ground terminal. Could that be what was causing the fault? Many thanks for your expertise.
Probably!
I ordered mine off of Amazon a week ago. The damn thing is being shipped out of China, so I'm not scheduled to get it until the end of April or the beginning of May. *rolls eyes*
I ordered my RT97 as well as a bunch of RT1's directly from Retevis, they notified me when it was shipped and they 2 day air shipped the entire order and had very good customer service. Seems like Amazon isn't good at fast deliveries anymore.
Hi Randy yup i am getting about the same for distance however i have my antenna higher and my antenna is 6dbi gain so that may be helping me cut thru my area. sorry if i missed it in your video but what gain is the antenna you are using?
That is a 6DB gain MXT26A
@@TheNotaRubicon - ahh ok and you didn't have it as high as my antenna. just wondering what is the swr you get when using that cookie sheet?
It gets 1:02 to 1:05.. No cutting was needed.
@@TheNotaRubicon - ohh wow i didnt think it would be that low. Are you planning on doing in city (in town) test with the repeater too?
Already did some city tests.. You can see that here: th-cam.com/video/fqeuP6tPQL8/w-d-xo.html
I want one
Can you use encryption through the repeater from your xts2500s?
No.
I have the Wouxun KG-935G and a Baofeng UV-9G. I do a lot of field work and want to have a portable antenna for use on whatever vehicle I'm using while fielding. I'm investing in the midland 6db gain antenna; however I'm confused as to which magnetic mount base to get for it. Also, I was wondering if I'll need an adapter for connecting the antenna cable to the before mentioned radios?
You can use any "NMO" type magnetic mount - then pretty much any UHF/GMRS antenna including the Midland will screw right on to it.
HOLY CRAP THAT WAS FAST! Thank you so much for your help!!
Sorry for being persistent...but I'm concerned about what (if any) adaptor I'd need for connecting the antenna cable to the antenna socket on my radios.
@@MidianNiles most magnetic bases have a standard PL-259 plug, so to connect to the radios you will need a SMA (dont remember if its M or F on those radios) to female PL-259, which is called a SO-239 adaptor .
@@TheNotaRubicon Right'on and thanks again! I'm so frig'n glad I found your youtube channel. You've opened doors for me that I didn't think possible. PS --- I'm for sure 'not' one of the "experts" you refer to in your videos.
What is that stubby lil antenna Chris is using on his Wouxon?
It’s a Smily antenna…. Review on the way and affiliate link 👇
I have a question. If I were to use one of these repeaters for HAM radio set it up outside of my house then use a handheld radio inside my house could I communicate with a repeater that’s in a bigger city about 20 miles away? The reason I ask this is because on my handheld I can listen to repeaters that far away from me however when I try to transmit to one I never hit it. I have to go outside then I can hit one.
Thats not what a repeater is for. All you need to do is put a big antenna on your roof and connect to your radio.
what system does DEAD HEAD DAVE uses ?
I need the t-shirt...
More Impressive, than I expected, however, Sensei, I'm not sure it would be beneficial for my use in a suburban city environment, @ 5w, output. 🤔
Also hello to the real star 🌟 of this YT channel, "Chris 530", and his participation, with the testing! 👌👍👏
I get 11 miles or so depending on terrain from the heart of downtown Denver in all directions.
@Russ Dale nice. What antenna do you have?
A good 18 to 20 miles with mine from the boat to home about 40' high ant..love it..
💗
Does Chris know how to count to 3? He was asked for a three count repeatedly but never delivered.
Chris does not have time to get hung-up on details when he's busy birthing rattlesnakes and chasing wild buffalo out of the area to keep me safe.
Is this repeater plus the B-tech amp a thing? Is it allowed?
it's allowed, but it wouldn't work.
At 6:50 you switched to the repeater- How did the other user know to make the switch? Or.... was the other user on the repeater ch the whole time and thats why they didn't catch your first transmit?
He was listening to the repeater with no receive tone, and i was transmitting on the repeater's corresponding simplex channel.
@@TheNotaRubicon Awesome info! And thank you..... for not wasting my valuable time!
I have the new revetis 97s can anyone tell me how to change channels on it .i have tryed all I can seem to do is change the volume . if anyone has the 97s please advise
Not being a smart ass (well, maybe a little), but what does the manual say about how to change the channels, and what happens when you do what the manual says?
@@TheNotaRubicon Now Randy you dont think anyone would bother reading the manual do ya that is strictly for starting a fire in your fireplace.
Oh no I have been an amature (notapro) raido operator for a hundred years or so give or take 99 years or so and you coiled your antenna wire and that could make air planes fly and fire burn you fingers.