How to Operate through a Repeater
By Shorty,
K6JSI
If you want to change the channel steps to 20 kHz steps, be certain you
make the change when your VFO is on an
even channel.
For instance, you should have you VFO channel on 448.000, or
448.100, or 448.100, some
even channel. The
reason for this is that the VFO will place your channel ‘step’ in the
increment you choose on the ‘channel step’ menu from your present
channel. If you have your
VFO set for an odd channel, like 448.025, or 448.050, or 448.075, then
the new ‘channel step’ you program will begin with whatever is
‘in’ your VFO at that time.
Let’s say you have your VFO on 448.025 when you move your
‘channel step’ from 25 kHz to 20 kHz.
Your VFO would then begin counting 20 kHz from your starting
point of 448.025, which would result in your channel steps to be
448.025, then 448.045, then 448.065, and so forth, every click of your
channel step will increase or decrease you frequency by 20 kHz, which
would end up on a x25 channel, simply because you started on an un-even
x25 channel, and they will all be useless.
Be sure you start on an even channel, so you end up stepping your
channels at 448.000, then 448.020, then 448.040 and so forth.
That will work.
(1)
That the direction of the "Repeater Offset" is "UP" or plus (+), and not
"DOWN" or negative (-). The Repeater "Offset" in your radio usually
automatically moves your transmit frequency DOWN or UP from your receive
frequency that you set in your VFO display depending on whether you see
a little "Minus" (-) sign, or a little "Plus" (+) sign in your display.
That tells you if your Repeater "Offset" is turned ON, and it also
tells you which direction it is going.
(2)
The "Offset" needs to be 5.000 MHz, not 0.600 MHz. On the UHF Band
(440-450 MHz) the Offset is 5.000 MHz. On the 2-meter Band (144-148
MHz) the Offset it 0.600 MHz. So, it must be 5.000 MHz UP, or (+) i9n
this case.
(1)
the CTCSS is turned ON and there is a little "T" or "Enc" for Encode
displayed in your window; and
(2)
that it is set to the correct tone, which is 162.2 Hz in our case at
Loma Prieta. CTCSS Tone can be run in Encode, which means it is present
when you transmit (which is what we want); or Decode which means the
repeater must be sending CTCSS Tone for you to hear it (which we don’t
want). We don't normally send CTCSS out our repeater transmitters, so
you would not hear WIN System repeaters in Decode mode. You should
simply use Encode, or Tone, not Decode.
(1)
The correct receive frequency;
(2)
The correct Offset; and
(3)
The correct CTCSS (or PL) Tone.
That's all there is to it.
Shorty, K6JSI
March, 2001 |