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How to use a repeater

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How to use a repeater
License neededAn amateur license; in the US, Technician or higher
TimeAn evening to find, program and listen; a minute for the first call
Skill levelBeginner
You will needA VHF/UHF FM radio, usually a dual-band handheld, and the repeater's frequency, offset and tone
On the air (US)
First callYour call sign, then "listening"
Calling one stationTheir call sign, then yours
IdentificationAt least every 10 minutes and at the end (§97.119)
EmergenciesAlways have priority (§97.101)

How to use a repeater takes a new ham from finding the local repeaters to a first contact through one, and covers the problems that most often keep a signal out. A repeater is an automatic station, usually on a hill or tower, that receives on one frequency, its input, and retransmits at the same moment on another, its output. The difference between them is the offset.[1] Its high antenna lets two handhelds talk across a town or region. Most amateur repeaters carry FM voice on the 2-meter and 70-centimeter bands. Customs differ by country; this guide gives US practice first.

Before you start

Step by step

  1. Find your local repeaters. RepeaterBook, an online directory with phone apps, lists more than 40,000 repeaters worldwide, kept up to date by volunteers.[3] Local club websites often have the latest tone, net times and linking details. In the US, volunteer frequency coordinators keep records of repeater frequencies; the ARRL passes on their contact details but does not coordinate.[4] In the UK, the Radio Society of Great Britain's Emerging Technology Co-ordination Committee (ETCC) publishes the main free list.[5] Start with the nearest or highest.
  2. Program the radio. Enter the output frequency, the offset and the tone, and save them to a named memory. Standard US offsets are 600 kHz on 2 meters and 5 MHz on 70 centimeters,[1] but some repeaters differ, so follow the listing. See How to program a handheld radio. Digital repeaters for DMR, D-STAR or System Fusion need a radio for that mode.
  3. Listen first. Listen for a few days, especially at commute times. Learn the regulars, their habits and when the club net meets. Don't kerchunk, keying up briefly without identifying just to hear the repeater respond;[6] a test with your call sign is fine.
  4. Make your first call. "CQ" is for simplex and HF. On a repeater, give your call sign followed by "listening".[1][7] Press the push-to-talk button, wait half a second so your first word isn't clipped, and say, for example, "W1ABC listening." To call one station, give its call sign and then yours: "K9XYZ, W1ABC."[1] Speak normally; talking too loudly makes FM audio break up.[8]
  5. Pause between transmissions. Many repeaters send a short beep or Morse letter, a courtesy tone, when a user stops; one UK repeater sends a Morse K.[9] Wait for it, then leave a second or two before replying. The gap lets others join, especially anyone with an emergency, and resets the time-out timer, which cuts off overlong transmissions.[6][10] Some time out after only a minute or so.[7] To join a conversation, give your call sign in a pause; see Operating etiquette.
  6. Identify. US stations give their call sign at least every 10 minutes and at the end of a contact, in English; the phonetic alphabet is encouraged.[11] The repeater's own ID covers only the repeater. In Canada, according to Radio Amateurs of Canada, stations must identify at the beginning and end of a contact and every 30 minutes,[6] and UK guidance asks for a call sign often enough to be identified.[10] See Station identification.
  7. Check into a net. A weekly club net is the easiest way to meet the regulars. Unless you are reporting an emergency, transmit only when the net control station asks.[12]
  8. Give way to emergencies. US rules give emergency communications priority at all times and on all frequencies.[13] If you hear emergency traffic, stand by and clear the frequency if asked. On many repeaters "break" is reserved for priority traffic, so learn the local custom. See Emergency communications.
  9. Try linked systems. On a linked network, what one repeater receives, all of them transmit.[8] Some links are permanent; others are switched on with access codes,[6] often sent as DTMF, signaled with pairs of tones from a radio keypad.[8] EchoLink lets licensed stations talk over the internet and reports more than 350,000 validated users.[14] AllStarLink links repeaters and hotspots by voice-over-IP, using software based on the Asterisk telephone system,[15] and IRLP links repeaters and simplex stations with its own software and hardware.[16] Each owner sets the connect codes, so read the club's instructions first, and leave longer pauses, because audio takes a moment to cross the internet.
Now and then during a contact, use your radio's reverse function to listen on the repeater's input. If you can hear the other station directly, move to a simplex frequency and leave the repeater free.

Why can't I reach the repeater?

  • You hear it, but it ignores you → The usual causes are a wrong offset, CTCSS tone or DCS code.[8] Check all three against a current listing, and make sure the tone is set to encode (often labeled TONE), not only decode.
  • You hear nothing → Check the frequency and squelch. With tone squelch (TSQL) on, a repeater that sends no tone stays silent.
  • You're out of range → VHF and UHF travel by line of sight, so height beats power, and a repeater's strong transmitter often reaches farther than your handheld can reply. Go outside, upstairs or uphill; see VHF and UHF range.
  • Antenna or power → The stock rubber duck is a compromise; a longer whip or a car roof antenna often helps most. Check the antenna is tight, the radio isn't on low power and the battery is charged. See Handheld antennas.
  • You're indoors or in a car → Walls, metal and car bodies block much of a handheld's signal; move to a window or use an external antenna.
  • Desense → A strong nearby transmitter can overload a receiver, yours or the repeater's, so it can't hear weaker signals. A band-reject filter can reduce interference to a 2-meter radio from a nearby commercial FM station.[17] See Receiver performance.
  • You get in, but sound distorted → You may be off frequency, too close to the microphone or in a poor location.[17]

Practice in other countries

In Germany and neighboring countries, repeaters use offsets of 600 kHz on 2 meters and 7.6 MHz on 70 centimeters.[18] UK 70-centimeter repeaters use several splits, including 1.6 and 7.6 MHz.[19] The traditional European access method is a 1750 Hz tone burst, a short whistle at the start of a transmission. CTCSS has been required for new UK repeaters since 2004, but 1750 Hz access is still allowed alongside it.[20] A 2007 German beginners' guide, reprinted by the retailer WiMo, described the tone burst as largely supplemented and replaced by CTCSS and DTMF.[18] A UK call takes the form "This is" your call sign, "listening through" the repeater's call sign, and mobile and handheld users have priority.[10]

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Technician question pool, section T2A, HamStudy.org.
  2. ↑ Amateur Radio Service, FCC.
  3. ↑ RepeaterBook, RepeaterBook.com.
  4. ↑ Frequency Coordinators, ARRL.
  5. ↑ UK Amateur Radio Repeaters, RSGB ETCC.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 Recommended Repeater Operating Procedures, Radio Amateurs of Canada, May 2021.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 How to Use a Ham Radio Repeater, Electronics Notes.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 Technician question pool, section T2B, HamStudy.org.
  9. ↑ GB3RF FM repeater, North West Repeater Group.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 Using Repeaters, RSGB ETCC.
  11. ↑ 47 CFR 97.119, eCFR.
  12. ↑ Technician question pool, section T2C, HamStudy.org.
  13. ↑ 47 CFR 97.101, eCFR.
  14. ↑ EchoLink, Synergenics.
  15. ↑ AllStarLink, AllStarLink, Inc.
  16. ↑ Internet Radio Linking Project, IRLP.
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 Technician question pool, section T7B, HamStudy.org.
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 Relaisfunk für Einsteiger, WiMo, September 2024 (reprint of an article by M. Wöste, DL1DMW, 2007).
  19. ↑ Repeater channels, RSGB ETCC.
  20. ↑ Accessing Repeaters, RSGB ETCC.
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