Phased proposal for linking the 444.525 to other repeater systems.

Phase I:

1. 444.525 (main repeater) auto/auto DR-1. No physical connections to this repeater. 100 watts out of duplexer, GAsFET preamp and a soon-to-be-installed commercial Hustler 6 dBD antenna.

2. 444.075, Icom FR-6000 (IDAS and FM with auto-switch). 80 watts out into a GP-6 2/440 antenna (this is important). The FR-6000 is currently running its stand-alone controller, so it can’t do much right now. That’s because I have its Scom 7330 controller here at the house. This controller has three ports which are all equal in capability. Each port could be a full-function repeater.

Port #1: The FR-6000 repeater in full-duplex.

Port #2: A Yaesu FT-7800 radio configured for 2 meters only, connected to the GP-6, and configured for simplex operation.

Port #3: A Yaesu FT1-DR in AMS, tuned to 444.525, configured for simplex operation.

The advantage of the 7330 is that I can create paths between any of the ports. For example:

Configuration #1 Repeater only: Tx1<->Rx1

Configuration #2 Linked 525 and 075 repeaters: Tx1<->Rx1 (Priority 1), Rx1->Tx3 (Priority 1), Rx3->Tx1 (Priority 2). (I can also set priorities.) This configuration is intended to allow us to hold our Fusion net in digital (on 525) and analog (on 075) simultaneously. Note that by using the FT1-DR for the connection I avoid all the “fun” people have hacking the DR-1 to add their own controllers.

Configuration #3 2 meter remote base: Tx1<->Rx1 P1, Rx1->Tx2 P1, Rx2->Tx1 P2. We don’t have Internet current, so T/Rx2 is on a link frequency to my house where I can provided EchoIRLP.

Configuration #4 The Works (and this gets to be fun programming): Tx1<->Rx1 P1, Rx1->Tx2->Tx3 P1, Rx2->Tx3 P3, Rx3->Tx2->Tx1 P2. This would allow us to conduct the 525/digital and 075/analog fusion net while also linking. If linking to another repeater on 2 meters, it requires the 525 be digital only to avoid the hang time tail chase that would keep the repeaters bouncing back and forth.

There are two options linking - both analog. We could connect directly to either other repeaters using the 2 meter remote base or via IRLP.

Phase II:

I really hope Yaesu comes up with a good solution that makes this real easy. My plan is to follow their technical lead and not invent something new. But I have to admit this plan seemed like a much better plan a year ago.

Phase III:

Ultimately we have several machines we want to link locally that would either be FM-only or DR-1 auto/auto. For the first case, the FM machines would still hear and talk C4FM, following the mode of the Hub Repeater. The DR-1 Satellite Repeaters would also follow the mode of the Hub Repeater. The machines will likely be in Zimmerman and Oakdale (both DR-1’s). Plus there’s the potential for local coverage machines for better HT coverage (Dayton, Ham Lake, etc.). When we link to another repeater or network, all of these machines would be part of the link which would be consolidated by the Hub Repeater on our end. (Only one RF or IRLP transmission path to the remote repeater or system.)

Phase IV:

A Switching Center would allow us to support multiple links to other systems. Hopefully these links would support the client link’s operating mode FM or C4FM such that we would link digitally if both sides were able to, analog otherwise, and would support auto switching with our system’s operating mode determined by the Hub Repeater.