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Repeaters - Am I being optimistic?

G1ZmO

G1ZmO

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OK, so I now have my foundation licence and callsign (MM7PGV) but have heard absolutely nothing from any of the local repeaters from either my home location or higher up on the outskirts of town.
I've plotted the elevation and LOS to the 4 closest repeaters and there is terrain (not to mention buildings) blocking the LOS to every one.
In the pictures the left start point is my location and the right end point is the repeater.

Bear in mind that I'm only using a handheld UV-5RT with a Nagoya NA-771 antenna and tbh I'm not sure I want to go to the expense of building a 'shack' with a huge antenna.

I've only ever heard 4 CQ calls on the calling frequency and those have been while I was out in the woods (and before I got my licence so I couldn't respond)
I managed to hear (while standing on a chair) the GB2RS news on Sunday morning from my garden but never caught the presenter's location.

Am I being unrealistic in expecting to hear anything from the repeaters? (or maybe they are just very quiet)

Repeaters local to G74.png
 
No @Matt I just get a bit of static then nothing.
This is the closest repeater and the CHIRP programming entry.
It's all correct as far as I can see,
2022-06-01 17_50_14-CHIRP.png
 
Just drove up to a high point where there definitely is LOS (and is a few km closer). Got a few beeps then a short static burst then nothing.
 
G1ZmO said:
Just drove up to a high point where there definitely is LOS (and is a few km closer). Got a few beeps then a short static burst then nothing.
Click to expand...
So when you keyed up you didn't get the repeater to give you its identity call?
 
been thinking about your situation and you have a few options open to you .

first option to get you "on air" Take a Tour this is a free software where it turns your pc in a ham radio ...


second option is this 200CH Mini Dual Band VHF/UHF Vehicle Mobile Ham Radio Transceiver Walkie Talkie | eBay


www.ebay.co.uk

Dual Band VHF UHF NMO Whip Antenna for Car Truck Amateur Radio Marine VHF Radio | eBay

Frequency Range: VHF 136-174MHz, UHF 400-480MHz. Compatible with: Marine Boat VHF Radio, Ham Radio, Two Way Radio, Amateur Radio, FRS GMRS MURS Radio, Walkie Talkies;. Feature: Strong Magnetic Base Mounting; Antenna Length: 42cm; Antenna Cable: 5m RG58/U Cable;Cable Connector: UHF PL259 Male...
www.ebay.co.uk

with this mount you can use the antenna's you bought for the hand held


or you could down load this app to your phone and use that to access the repeters Ham Radio for your PC and Smartphone - HamSphereĀ®
 
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G1ZmO said:
No @Matt I just get a bit of static then nothing.
This is the closest repeater and the CHIRP programming entry.
It's all correct as far as I can see,
View attachment 114404
Click to expand...
looking at your settings i think you have them set around the wrong way mate ....

when you transmit (key up ) the radio needs to be set to 438.500 (with the tone burst ) then when you de key the radio needs to go to 430.900 to receive any signals coming from the repeater ... hope that makes sense :thumbsup:

Ham Radio Repeater Frequencies and Offset​

We know by now the Ham radio repeaters work on two different frequencies. They receive signals at one frequency, called the input frequency, and transmit at another frequency, which we call the output frequency.

The difference between the input and output frequencies is called the offset and is a critical element when communicating via Ham radio repeaters.

The offset can be either positive or negative. For the most commonly used 2m band, the offset is +/- 600 kHz. or +/- 0.6 MHz, while for the 70 cm band, the offset is +/- 5 MHz.

Confusing? I know. Let me explain with an example.

Suppose the transmit or output frequency of the repeater you are trying to access is 145.110 MHz, and it has a negative offset of 0.6 MHz. In this case, its receiving frequency will be 145.110 ā€“ 0.6 = 144.510 MHz.

That means, when you want to monitor this repeater, you will tune into 145.110 MHz. and when you want to transmit through it, you will tune in to 144.510 MHz.

Most modern Ham radios are programmed to automatically adjust the transmitting and receiving frequencies based on the offset.

This means that if you are tuned into receiving the signals from the repeater at 145.110, and you want to transmit through this repeater, your radio may automatically tune you into the repeater receiving frequency (144.510) as soon as you press the mic button.
 
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Yep @Matt thanks for the call earlier.
I've verified that I have it set correctly (as below) so I might have to search out a local ham guru to help me out here.
i.e. my radio is listening on 430.9 and transmitting on 438.5
This is what I get
GB3GL.png
 
ok when you key up you are getting into the repeater (sounds like ) so may be worth putting a call out or try it from your phone via the app :thumbsup:
 
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