*Yes and that's intentional.* (Muted out) I ID on the radio, not for RUclips. Being a super sexy RUclips star, the last thing I need is to be stalked at home. Even though my GMRS info is secured with GMRSRegistry.com, My business license is not and I don't need some enterprising person cross-referencing my FRN only to show-up to my home and suddenly they receive an "accelerated case of lead poisoning".
@@Commodiumall I have to do in order to determine your identity, physical location, eye color, food preference and astrological sign is to contact a reputable psychic, hehehe
GREAT VIDEO and thank you. This was very very interesting and so neat! Thank you taking the time out to make this video! From N4TUX Boyd Travis Kingsport, TN.
LOL! Another viewer mentioned "Ranger-Bands" which are damn fine EDPM rubberbands. The counterpoise I make from 10ga *silver tinned* silicone jacketed wire. Seal and heat shrink the far end. The radio connection is a tinned copper spade connector that's heat-shrinked after crimping. It's then optionally painted with a camo pattern. The length should be about 20.375" from the tip of the spade to end of the wire. *I do sell them as well.* But honestly, they can be made with any wire. It does have to be expensive silver tinned 10ga. I try to use the absolute best when making radio accessories/antennas when possible.
If you have any old 3.5mm camera av output the fuse or de-noising device works great for a passthrough filter if you want to build a 2 radio, dual frequency repeater, Mine was made by canon, I spliced in the 2.5mm end so you can do a group to group repeater from GMRS to MURS, no delay and no internal batteries and no Delay.. try it out I think I heard ya while messing with my antenna in SoMD..
I built one of these type of recorders, years ago, on a bread board, before they were called Parrot repeaters. A local Ham, no matter how many times he was told, could not grasp the concept ! And would continually double with himself ! After several attempts, he gave up and never came back ! So there's always that ! 😂🤣😂 I think he was an Extra !
@@Commodium Especially since many of today's Geniuses, sit in front of a Computer, day in and day out until they have enough answers memorized to pass a test ! Wanna hear an example of the Dumming down of America ? Listen to Amateur Radio ! 🫲🤨🫴
Question: Let's say you have a standard repeater with the +5MHz offset. Can that repeater also handle another tone/offset? In other words can one repeater do double duty?
Yes it could in theory. The hard part would be using “TOR” control for the transmit side. (Have to figure out which frequency to transmit on) A repeater controller with CAT control and suitable radio may be another way. A radio with dual watch or simply scanning two frequencies with the range limits of your duplexer would be very easy on the receive side of things.
Nice work man! This is the finest Chinese sh*tpeater I’ve ever seen “mcgivered” together. Though expensive, everything about this build is top notch as the use of tactical elastic instead of rubber bands is a brilliant move that only a seasoned practitioner would make. This a class act setup and I’ll definitely be assembling one of these myself using the Amazon affiliate links! Cheers! 🍻 Ps. Definitely subscribing and looking forward to more amazing content! 🤙
Thank you Sir for the video. Very interesting.l am new in the radio world and was looking for a repeater to increase the range of the Baofeng and found your video. I live in Mexico ,in hurricane area so is good idea to have an alternative way of communication. I want to know what's a counterbalance ? Something to balance the radio? Where l can find one? And the other question is do you have an horizontal line that goes between two trees or one tree and a roof house? And then put a line vertical to that horizontal line? May you make some drawing? Sorry for my English. Regards from Mexico
Greetings to my new friend in Mexico! 🇲🇽 the counterbalance (counterpoise) is a small tuned piece of wire added to a grounded screw on the radio. Certain antennas such as quarterwaves and 5/8 wave can benefit from an added ground plane. Other antennas it may make no difference or may even be detrimental. Experimentation will let you know if it helps the one you have. The horizontal wire you saw running through the tree (good eye catching that) is for my SDR radio i use for HF receiving. It’s a 250’ 14ga wire running to a balun with ground rod. I can hear stations all over the world on that. For HF transmitting I use a mix of almost a dozen different antennas depending on band and polarization.
I thought that 2 handhelds programmed and wired together with a 10$ connector cable was cheaper, but I do like this idea a lot I’ve dumped a lot of money into radio gear haha
It works as well as removing a phillips screw with an undersized flat-head. Yes it technically works, but def the wrong tool for the job. But it can work, just not well.
Not with these cheap chines radios. They desense each other something awful. The radios are great for the price but their intermod rejection is nonexistent.
Thanks for the video. Stupid question, but could you set this up on the national call frequency on simplex, to boost the range of anyone trying to "call" in the area?
I am not familiar with that specific radio, BUT if has external audio inputs/outputs and a way to remote activate the PTT function, I see no reason it wouldn’t technically work with any radio.
I use 10ga. stranded silver tinned wire. Heat-shrink cap on one end, spade connector at the other. Lengths vary, but 19-1/2" to 21-1/4" will work best.
It’s commonly referred to as a “pigtail” Certain antennas but not all, can benefit from having that wire for use as a ground plane. This is more beneficial for 1/4 wave style antennas.
I am intrigued by this, but I happen to live in an area with several GMRS repeaters. Could someone please reference several Use Case Scenarios in which a Simplex Repeater would be advantageous? (Two $18 UV-5R radios and the Surecom Mcbazel SR-628 Cross Band Duplex Repeater Controller would do the same thing in duplex.) Thanks in advance.
Lots of issues with a setup like that. It will work to a degree at really close ranges, but that defeats the purpose of a repeater. Here is why you don’t want to that. Mainly desensitization. Even if you crossband, the UV-5R front end isn’t filtered enough to block adjacent RF. Look up every RUclips video on “UV-5R repeater” and you will see everything from straight cross over cables to the Surecom. And you never see them linking two operators at distances measured in miles. And there is a reason for that. It just doesn’t work. Even if you add a duplexer for in-band or diplexer for crossband, (which helps) but that still doesn’t fix how leaky the radios are. Could you use a duplexer/diplexer and wrap the radios in tin foil? Maybe 🤔 But then that brings us to the next issue. Passive intermod distortion or “PIM” that’s why you shouldn’t use LMR-400 or any foil/braid combo shielded coax. So by the time you pull out the tin foil, duplexer, hardline coax or rg-213, you may as well use two commercial mobiles, toss em in a wheeled case with big battery and a real controller. However that is a bit of $ to put together. So if you want a super simple “camp repeater” that can actually increase double your range or more, the simplex parrot repeater is the way to go. It is definitely not perfect. But super simple and cheap
That is a small length of 10ga wire. It acts as a counterpoise or ground plane for the antenna. Handhelds are designed to use you holding them as part of the antenna system. Being hoisted up into a tree without an operator, the antenna needs a counter-balance or ground plane to operate as efficiently as possible. The abbree antenna I used in the video requires it on lower VHF 2m but not on the UHF 70cm. If you have watch the "How far can you talk" video I have, it will go a little more in-depth on counterpoises. Thanks!
These I make. I use 10ga *silver tinned* silicone jacketed wire. Seal and heat shrink the far end. The radio connection is a tinned copper spade connector that's heatshrinked after crimping. It's then optionally painted with a camo pattern. The length should be about 20.375" from the tip of the spade to end of the wire. I do sell them as well. And honestly, they can be made with any wire. It does have to be expensive silver tinned 10ga. But I try to use the absolute best when possible. @@shawnstimson239
Morse is definitely a useful skill. There are whole sets of people that love or hate it. But I personally think that if you have an interest in learning anything new, you should go for it. Regardless what anyone’s opinions are, do whatever you wish to pursue.
Yes as shown in the video it will work with any radio with the kenwood “two prong” style cable. Surecom has other cables compatible with other radios. And if all else fails, you can build your own cable if you know the “pinout” for the radio. For custom cables you would need to identify the mic+, speaker+, ground, and PTT. With those four pins properly identified a custom cable and be made for any radio that uses a “low” PTT signal. For more advanced users, a cable with a transistor, relay, or even better and opticoupler can be made for radios that use a “high” PTT signal. But if you have those skills, you would most likely be using a more advanced repeater controller in the first place.
Awesome stuff. Questions: 1) how is the surefire powered when up in the tree? does the Kenwood cable power the surefire? and 2) does the ptt on the baofeng need to be depressed while up in the tree while hooked up to the surefire?
All great questions! #1 the repeater controller has in internal battery. It charges via a USB cable. Even though it's only 900ma, it will last a bit longer than the handheld radio. #2 As far as the PTT control goes, the controller itself will initiate the PTT via the kenwood style cable. So no need for VOX. Basically connect it together via the cable. Setup any CTCSS tones you want to use (always a good idea for a repeater) then throw it in a tree or up on a pole. Dead Easy!
@@Commodium bad the heck ass...i'm gonna give this a test run this weekend at the lake. i knew you mentioned the internal battery; just was unsure if that was what was relied on for the video. possibly, a USB battery brick could be integrated for longer term but this is fun. thanks.
Food for thought... If you have a two-port USB Brick (or splitter), and the radio has a USB-C charging port (5RM among others) you could use the power brick to extend the battery life of both the repeater controller and radio for a few more days of use. @@stewartjas68
@@Commodium You definitely want a tone on the repeater receive radio. I had a microwave tower start tripping the radio on and off and by the time I got back to the car. It had fried the SureCom SR-112. This will work with FRS radios. Amazing when local kids start hearing themselves on the radio. They cleanup their act quickly.
Here's a dumb idea. You can string that repeater up high, then use your ht on the ground nearby to increase range and not have a long antenna cable connected to you radio. Freedom of movement at your campsite with your repeater high in a tree by you.
You can cross link the RX/TX on the dual jacks of the Baofeng and put the radio into VOX mode, and you have the same thing basically. Needs two of the cables with the dual jack, soldering iron, and a couple resistors that need some attention with a meter.
Commodium is correct, Baofengs and other Chinese direct conversion handhelds can't be used as repeaters, both in the same band or cross band desintetization will kill the intended use. Simplex repeaters are the way to go.
@@carlosroig5315 That's what a feed line is used for. One feed line off one of the radios to move the antenna away a bit. It does work with no issues. You can use cheap coax you find at the truck stop or nice stuff, you just need the sma adapter. If you have the HT right next to each other - that's when you get desense. With a feed line you can keep them together and just move one's antenna a bit further away.
Cheap coax from the truck stop? Like RG58 from Loves? On UHF frequencies? I mean sure you could make a crossover cable with resistors to attenuate the audio. And yes you could attempt to lessen the desense with a chunk of RG58 and add about 12ft of vertical separation. But the coax loss is probably helping more than the distance 😂 Stick the whole thing together with some well chewed bazooka joe bubble gum. But by the time you do all of that and add a second radio and solder the cable “ish” thing together separate the antennas, you’ll have the same cost and more time in that than the simple simplex parrot repeater. And the parrot repeater would give you much much better results. But this video isn’t about a “proper” repeater. This is about a quick cheap and dirty “emergency” repeater.
Not a bad quick setup, but with the repeater itself being $60 I think I'd be better off on gmrs just linking a couple of cheap mobile units. I can see some good use though for 2m to test range from my property to my mobile unit. I still may get one for that and just park it on gmrs for the rest of my family most of the time. Add in the 30watt solar panel I got and a cheap buck converter to keep everything charged it hopefully would run for a year or so before something in the cheap chinese bundle broke.
Linking a couple mobiles for GMRS works nicely. If doing an in-band repeater with them, it makes a huge difference having a duplexer with filters. Those get real pricey real fast for anything above 25watts. The transmit radio can swamp-out and de-sense the receive radio. Even with spacing the antenna. Sure it works without one, but missing a good chunk of additional range. And if you already have the mobiles, have the skills, duplexer be damned, do whatever suits your needs. That's what gets me frustrated with "radio experts" always want to be nay-sayers. And eventually these surecom repeaters fail. I have found it's always the batteries that crap out. But they are easily replaced with more cheap chinese junk and your off to the races again. Thanks so much for watching and sharing your thoughts!
@@Commodium Thanks for the advice. I don't have a gmrs mobile and will do some research. I just want to put something up cheap on the other side of my property(acreage) where it's 50' higher elevation than the house. I eventually plan to put up a 40' tower over there(no tall trees) but will just use a pole for now. 25 watts of output is fine as the difference between that and 50 is pretty negligible. As far as interfere, I've seen entire hf bands wiped out by a 100 watt signal a mile away so no surprise and will have to get some decent filters. What I'd really like to do is use a Raspberry Pi Zero with rtl-sdr for receive then link a mobile for transmit, but I'd have to get some time to put it together. The surecom would just be a quick solution and hacking some new batteries together wouldn't be a problem. Agreed with the experts, better to have something up than spending thousands to try and do it commercial grade so I can talk to a couple of extra unappreciative crotchety old hams 2 counties away in fm. I can do that on 20, 40 and 80m for a lot cheaper lol
If you set the repeater radio on FRS channels it would do it. Some “self appointed radio policeman” would cite you about 10 paragraphs saying why you shouldn’t, or else… But there isn’t anything in the realms of practical physicality that would prevent someone from using any unlocked radio and a simple repeater controller from making a “FRS Repeater” However the DC overlords would certainly frown upon it.
No I didn’t forget at all. It was 100% on purpose not to ID on video. Maybe I did off camera. Maybe I didn’t. It will remain one of the greatest mysteries the world has ever known. Especially on LMR frequencies too. I wonder if I even have an LMR business license with dozens of frequencies all over the spectrum? Maybe??? Or I could be some radio bandit…? Another mystery to unravel.
@Commodium the correct answer is yes as long as I stick to the gmrs repeater channels which are ch 23 to ch 30 and don't exed the 50 watts and i.d every 10 minutes when I'm on the air
@@chris2crazzy 10 min is for HAM, 15 for GMRS. Why the difference? I can’t answer, but I’m sure there is guy sitting behind a desk in DC that never touched a radio in his life that can. Or a rather over nourished fella in his basement that will chime in. Assuming he can pull himself away from the comment section of notarubicon or r/GMRS. But yes you are correct. Keep it to the GMRS repeater channels with the proper split and ID as required. Should meet the requirements.
@@Commodium I built a repeater like this, but using an old smartphone and on it the app called ZELLO. Zello has a feature called (echo). Through a cable, I connect the radio to the smartphone, and Zello does its part, picking up the radio's voice and then repeating it. 73
brasuela? oh my dear,, it is right there ,, south america,, right next to uruguay ,, betwin Atlantic Ocean and Peru... It used to be called of Brasil,, but now we are a communist country like Venezuela... LOL hahahah,, You also can call it Brasuba (Brasil + cuba) , or Brasambique (brasil+moçambique) ,, you can call it simply of Communist country, the bigger here in south america. meanwhile, our president is sending millions of dollars to communist countries like, cuba, moçambiqueetc, claiming it's humanitarian aid, while our people here suffer in poverty, with never-ending construction projects that are merely a means of embezzling public funds... that's why I now refer to this country as "Brasuela," as it has become a dictatorial country just like its neighbor, Venezuela. Our president is incompetent, and the dictator here is a minister of the Supreme Federal Court (STF); he's the one pulling the strings. On January 8, 2023, he arrested around 300 people and sentenced them to 17 years in prison simply for protesting. Over 200 people, including children and the elderly, are still in prison to this day! Doesn't the media outside show this? I'm appalled!😵💫
DIdid not hear you ID on the radio at all.
Charlie
*Yes and that's intentional.* (Muted out) I ID on the radio, not for RUclips. Being a super sexy RUclips star, the last thing I need is to be stalked at home. Even though my GMRS info is secured with GMRSRegistry.com, My business license is not and I don't need some enterprising person cross-referencing my FRN only to show-up to my home and suddenly they receive an "accelerated case of lead poisoning".
Radio Police on patrol.....
sad HAM alert!
@@jkg6211😂
@@Commodiumall I have to do in order to determine your identity, physical location, eye color, food preference and astrological sign is to contact a reputable psychic, hehehe
Now if you have discovered how to crossband repeat a baofeng, you are a genius! I want to see that.
I am interested to see your follow up videos.
Not only will it crossband, but it will crossband with using a single radio! That video is coming up next.....
@@CommodiumI want to hire you out get that website going
Exactly what I was looking for, since I am not a genius on Ham radios this is simple enough. Thank you
You are welcome! Glad I could help!
GREAT VIDEO and thank you. This was very very interesting and so neat! Thank you taking the time out to make this video! From N4TUX Boyd Travis Kingsport, TN.
You are so welcome!
You had me at 'tactical elastic banders'.
Just include the word “tactical” and you can add $10 to it on Amazon 🤣
@@Commodium I know. I've joked about that same thing quite often. Good job
Do you need an ITAR license to buy those?
I was going to build this but all I have is rubber bands so the search continues for tactical elastic banders...
@@ailivac I guarantee they have a NSN number!
nice short and sweet video. good info. thanks !!
Glad it was helpful!
This is pretty bad ass. Good to know for a quick comms enhancement for shtf.
Yes certainly not an ideal or perfect solution. But for a cheap, quick, and no fuss repeater it doesn’t get any easier.
"Knot of Chinese schitt" -- that got my subscription
Thank you!!!
I need to know where to get the counterpoise and the tactical elastic restraint.
LOL! Another viewer mentioned "Ranger-Bands" which are damn fine EDPM rubberbands.
The counterpoise I make from 10ga *silver tinned* silicone jacketed wire. Seal and heat shrink the far end. The radio connection is a tinned copper spade connector that's heat-shrinked after crimping. It's then optionally painted with a camo pattern. The length should be about 20.375" from the tip of the spade to end of the wire. *I do sell them as well.* But honestly, they can be made with any wire. It does have to be expensive silver tinned 10ga. I try to use the absolute best when making radio accessories/antennas when possible.
If you have any old 3.5mm camera av output the fuse or de-noising device works great for a passthrough filter if you want to build a 2 radio, dual frequency repeater, Mine was made by canon, I spliced in the 2.5mm end so you can do a group to group repeater from GMRS to MURS, no delay and no internal batteries and no Delay.. try it out I think I heard ya while messing with my antenna in SoMD..
Sounds interesting. Have to send me some info and details on that.
I built one of these type of recorders, years ago, on a bread board, before they were called Parrot repeaters.
A local Ham, no matter how many times he was told, could not grasp the concept !
And would continually double with himself !
After several attempts, he gave up and never came back !
So there's always that !
😂🤣😂
I think he was
an Extra !
A piece of paper doesn’t increase knowledge or intellect.
@@Commodium
Especially since many of today's Geniuses, sit in front of a Computer, day in and day out until they have enough answers memorized to pass a test !
Wanna hear an example of the Dumming down of America ?
Listen to Amateur Radio !
🫲🤨🫴
Very Neat - Thanks for the video - Would love to a 50mhz setup
Ham bands or low band vhf? It can be setup for either. I have built low band vhf systems using these and similar controllers
Question: Let's say you have a standard repeater with the +5MHz offset.
Can that repeater also handle another tone/offset?
In other words can one repeater do double duty?
Yes it could in theory. The hard part would be using “TOR” control for the transmit side. (Have to figure out which frequency to transmit on) A repeater controller with CAT control and suitable radio may be another way. A radio with dual watch or simply scanning two frequencies with the range limits of your duplexer would be very easy on the receive side of things.
Nice work man! This is the finest Chinese sh*tpeater I’ve ever seen “mcgivered” together. Though expensive, everything about this build is top notch as the use of tactical elastic instead of rubber bands is a brilliant move that only a seasoned practitioner would make. This a class act setup and I’ll definitely be assembling one of these myself using the Amazon affiliate links! Cheers! 🍻
Ps. Definitely subscribing and looking forward to more amazing content! 🤙
Glad you enjoyed the build. Tactical elastic banders are essential.
Well done video
Thank you!!
Thank you Sir for the video. Very interesting.l am new in the radio world and was looking for a repeater to increase the range of the Baofeng and found your video. I live in Mexico ,in hurricane area so is good idea to have an alternative way of communication. I want to know what's a counterbalance ? Something to balance the radio? Where l can find one? And the other question is do you have an horizontal line that goes between two trees or one tree and a roof house? And then put a line vertical to that horizontal line? May you make some drawing? Sorry for my English. Regards from Mexico
Greetings to my new friend in Mexico! 🇲🇽 the counterbalance (counterpoise) is a small tuned piece of wire added to a grounded screw on the radio. Certain antennas such as quarterwaves and 5/8 wave can benefit from an added ground plane. Other antennas it may make no difference or may even be detrimental. Experimentation will let you know if it helps the one you have.
The horizontal wire you saw running through the tree (good eye catching that) is for my SDR radio i use for HF receiving. It’s a 250’ 14ga wire running to a balun with ground rod. I can hear stations all over the world on that.
For HF transmitting I use a mix of almost a dozen different antennas depending on band and polarization.
I thought that 2 handhelds programmed and wired together with a 10$ connector cable was cheaper, but I do like this idea a lot I’ve dumped a lot of money into radio gear haha
Yeah... You'd think that would work good!? But, it doesn't really.
It works as well as removing a phillips screw with an undersized flat-head. Yes it technically works, but def the wrong tool for the job. But it can work, just not well.
Not with these cheap chines radios. They desense each other something awful. The radios are great for the price but their intermod rejection is nonexistent.
Thanks for the video. Stupid question, but could you set this up on the national call frequency on simplex, to boost the range of anyone trying to "call" in the area?
You can set it up on any frequency the attached radio is capable of. So yes you could
@@Commodium Thanks. 👍
Hi..Can repeater work with CB radio.I would use Dragon sy101.?
I am not familiar with that specific radio, BUT if has external audio inputs/outputs and a way to remote activate the PTT function, I see no reason it wouldn’t technically work with any radio.
Very good !
Thanks!!!
Thanks ! Well done.
Thank you!!
👍👍👍 ❤Thanks ... great demo !
Glad you liked it!
What did you use for the counterpoise (counterbalance)?
I use 10ga. stranded silver tinned wire. Heat-shrink cap on one end, spade connector at the other. Lengths vary, but 19-1/2" to 21-1/4" will work best.
Great vid!!
What is an extra wire you put on the back of the radio for?
It’s commonly referred to as a “pigtail” Certain antennas but not all, can benefit from having that wire for use as a ground plane. This is more beneficial for 1/4 wave style antennas.
So this would work with a quansheng ukv5 too then?
Yup! Sure will!
I am intrigued by this, but I happen to live in an area with several GMRS repeaters. Could someone please reference several Use Case Scenarios in which a Simplex Repeater would be advantageous? (Two $18 UV-5R radios and the Surecom Mcbazel SR-628 Cross Band Duplex Repeater Controller would do the same thing in duplex.) Thanks in advance.
Lots of issues with a setup like that. It will work to a degree at really close ranges, but that defeats the purpose of a repeater. Here is why you don’t want to that. Mainly desensitization. Even if you crossband, the UV-5R front end isn’t filtered enough to block adjacent RF. Look up every RUclips video on “UV-5R repeater” and you will see everything from straight cross over cables to the Surecom. And you never see them linking two operators at distances measured in miles. And there is a reason for that. It just doesn’t work. Even if you add a duplexer for in-band or diplexer for crossband, (which helps) but that still doesn’t fix how leaky the radios are.
Could you use a duplexer/diplexer and wrap the radios in tin foil? Maybe 🤔
But then that brings us to the next issue. Passive intermod distortion or “PIM” that’s why you shouldn’t use LMR-400 or any foil/braid combo shielded coax.
So by the time you pull out the tin foil, duplexer, hardline coax or rg-213, you may as well use two commercial mobiles, toss em in a wheeled case with big battery and a real controller.
However that is a bit of $ to put together.
So if you want a super simple “camp repeater” that can actually increase double your range or more, the simplex parrot repeater is the way to go.
It is definitely not perfect. But super simple and cheap
Any special licensing for this ? Thanks
Not at all. Any licensing requirements are for the operation of the radio. Not the repeater controller.
@@Commodium licensing requirements are for TRANSMITING.
What is the green cable attached to the radio?
That is a small length of 10ga wire. It acts as a counterpoise or ground plane for the antenna. Handhelds are designed to use you holding them as part of the antenna system. Being hoisted up into a tree without an operator, the antenna needs a counter-balance or ground plane to operate as efficiently as possible. The abbree antenna I used in the video requires it on lower VHF 2m but not on the UHF 70cm. If you have watch the "How far can you talk" video I have, it will go a little more in-depth on counterpoises. Thanks!
I second this question. What did you use to make, or otherwise source your counterbalance/counterpoise?
These I make. I use 10ga *silver tinned* silicone jacketed wire. Seal and heat shrink the far end. The radio connection is a tinned copper spade connector that's heatshrinked after crimping. It's then optionally painted with a camo pattern. The length should be about 20.375" from the tip of the spade to end of the wire. I do sell them as well. And honestly, they can be made with any wire. It does have to be expensive silver tinned 10ga. But I try to use the absolute best when possible. @@shawnstimson239
does this count being able to understand CW
Morse is definitely a useful skill. There are whole sets of people that love or hate it. But I personally think that if you have an interest in learning anything new, you should go for it. Regardless what anyone’s opinions are, do whatever you wish to pursue.
Will this work with the Talkpod A36SE GMRS Two Way Radio and the other Baofeng GMRS Radios?
Yes as shown in the video it will work with any radio with the kenwood “two prong” style cable. Surecom has other cables compatible with other radios. And if all else fails, you can build your own cable if you know the “pinout” for the radio. For custom cables you would need to identify the mic+, speaker+, ground, and PTT. With those four pins properly identified a custom cable and be made for any radio that uses a “low” PTT signal. For more advanced users, a cable with a transistor, relay, or even better and opticoupler can be made for radios that use a “high” PTT signal. But if you have those skills, you would most likely be using a more advanced repeater controller in the first place.
@@Commodium Thank for the reply Commodium..
How long of a recording can it do?
I’ve not tried to time it out, but the documentation says 180 seconds of total record time including any stored messages
@@Commodium that’s a decent amount of time
@@lawrence1md They do a decent enough job for what they are. Be interesting to strap the whole contraption to a drone and range test....
Different tools for different jobs. Nothing wrong with this option
Nope, great for a quick temporary field installation or beginner just trying it out
I like it 👍
Thank you!
The rubber boingy things are actually a strain relief device for when you are stressed out.
There are many different directions in which that comment could be steered….
What is the wattage of the device?
NM I just answered my own question. LOL
Awesome stuff. Questions: 1) how is the surefire powered when up in the tree? does the Kenwood cable power the surefire? and 2) does the ptt on the baofeng need to be depressed while up in the tree while hooked up to the surefire?
All great questions! #1 the repeater controller has in internal battery. It charges via a USB cable. Even though it's only 900ma, it will last a bit longer than the handheld radio. #2 As far as the PTT control goes, the controller itself will initiate the PTT via the kenwood style cable. So no need for VOX. Basically connect it together via the cable. Setup any CTCSS tones you want to use (always a good idea for a repeater) then throw it in a tree or up on a pole. Dead Easy!
@@Commodium bad the heck ass...i'm gonna give this a test run this weekend at the lake. i knew you mentioned the internal battery; just was unsure if that was what was relied on for the video. possibly, a USB battery brick could be integrated for longer term but this is fun. thanks.
Food for thought... If you have a two-port USB Brick (or splitter), and the radio has a USB-C charging port (5RM among others) you could use the power brick to extend the battery life of both the repeater controller and radio for a few more days of use. @@stewartjas68
@@Commodium You definitely want a tone on the repeater receive radio. I had a microwave tower start tripping the radio on and off and by the time I got back to the car. It had fried the SureCom SR-112. This will work with FRS radios. Amazing when local kids start hearing themselves on the radio. They cleanup their act quickly.
Yes absolutely. The follow up video has tone management and setup. Should be posted soon. @@2148aa
Use ranger bans in place
Those things are great!!!!
Yeah right! I use them for everything
Hummmm... I wonder, pit that on my dgi drone with a smaller antenna, run it up about 500+ feet and try.
Sounds like an experiment to me
Here's a dumb idea. You can string that repeater up high, then use your ht on the ground nearby to increase range and not have a long antenna cable connected to you radio. Freedom of movement at your campsite with your repeater high in a tree by you.
Pretty much the idea, yes
You can cross link the RX/TX on the dual jacks of the Baofeng and put the radio into VOX mode, and you have the same thing basically. Needs two of the cables with the dual jack, soldering iron, and a couple resistors that need some attention with a meter.
Hmmm the word of the day: *Desensitization*
Commodium is correct, Baofengs and other Chinese direct conversion handhelds can't be used as repeaters, both in the same band or cross band desintetization will kill the intended use. Simplex repeaters are the way to go.
@@carlosroig5315 That's what a feed line is used for. One feed line off one of the radios to move the antenna away a bit. It does work with no issues. You can use cheap coax you find at the truck stop or nice stuff, you just need the sma adapter. If you have the HT right next to each other - that's when you get desense. With a feed line you can keep them together and just move one's antenna a bit further away.
@@Commodium Feed line for one HT :)
Cheap coax from the truck stop? Like RG58 from Loves? On UHF frequencies? I mean sure you could make a crossover cable with resistors to attenuate the audio. And yes you could attempt to lessen the desense with a chunk of RG58 and add about 12ft of vertical separation. But the coax loss is probably helping more than the distance 😂 Stick the whole thing together with some well chewed bazooka joe bubble gum. But by the time you do all of that and add a second radio and solder the cable “ish” thing together separate the antennas, you’ll have the same cost and more time in that than the simple simplex parrot repeater. And the parrot repeater would give you much much better results.
But this video isn’t about a “proper” repeater. This is about a quick cheap and dirty “emergency” repeater.
How about Solar power ?
Sure. A 10 or even 25w solar panel with dual usb (one for radio and one for controller) would probably run a rig like that for very long time.
Outstanding
Thank you!!
Not a bad quick setup, but with the repeater itself being $60 I think I'd be better off on gmrs just linking a couple of cheap mobile units. I can see some good use though for 2m to test range from my property to my mobile unit. I still may get one for that and just park it on gmrs for the rest of my family most of the time. Add in the 30watt solar panel I got and a cheap buck converter to keep everything charged it hopefully would run for a year or so before something in the cheap chinese bundle broke.
Linking a couple mobiles for GMRS works nicely. If doing an in-band repeater with them, it makes a huge difference having a duplexer with filters. Those get real pricey real fast for anything above 25watts. The transmit radio can swamp-out and de-sense the receive radio. Even with spacing the antenna. Sure it works without one, but missing a good chunk of additional range. And if you already have the mobiles, have the skills, duplexer be damned, do whatever suits your needs. That's what gets me frustrated with "radio experts" always want to be nay-sayers.
And eventually these surecom repeaters fail. I have found it's always the batteries that crap out. But they are easily replaced with more cheap chinese junk and your off to the races again.
Thanks so much for watching and sharing your thoughts!
@@Commodium Thanks for the advice. I don't have a gmrs mobile and will do some research. I just want to put something up cheap on the other side of my property(acreage) where it's 50' higher elevation than the house. I eventually plan to put up a 40' tower over there(no tall trees) but will just use a pole for now. 25 watts of output is fine as the difference between that and 50 is pretty negligible. As far as interfere, I've seen entire hf bands wiped out by a 100 watt signal a mile away so no surprise and will have to get some decent filters. What I'd really like to do is use a Raspberry Pi Zero with rtl-sdr for receive then link a mobile for transmit, but I'd have to get some time to put it together. The surecom would just be a quick solution and hacking some new batteries together wouldn't be a problem. Agreed with the experts, better to have something up than spending thousands to try and do it commercial grade so I can talk to a couple of extra unappreciative crotchety old hams 2 counties away in fm. I can do that on 20, 40 and 80m for a lot cheaper lol
So, this appears to be a simplex repeater. Correct?
Yes simplex single channel/frequency "parrot repeater"
The UV-5R has dual watch. Could that be leveraged to listen on one channel and transmit on another? Effectively providing a repeater offset
Almost pissed my self when you said knot of Chinese shit haha great video thanks
Lol well I mean it is 🤣 But it works
Parrot repeaters.
Yup
Parrot repeaters
Yup
Looks like FRS could also use this repeater.
If you set the repeater radio on FRS channels it would do it. Some “self appointed radio policeman” would cite you about 10 paragraphs saying why you shouldn’t, or else… But there isn’t anything in the realms of practical physicality that would prevent someone from using any unlocked radio and a simple repeater controller from making a “FRS Repeater” However the DC overlords would certainly frown upon it.
I've never heard of a counterpoise being called a counterbalance before.
Simplex repeater controllers have been around for a long time.
Those Aubree antennas are not great
No they aren’t. Kinda the point. Just t show what can be done on the cheap to make something work. But certainly not ideal at all.
Did someone forget to ID
No I didn’t forget at all. It was 100% on purpose not to ID on video. Maybe I did off camera. Maybe I didn’t. It will remain one of the greatest mysteries the world has ever known. Especially on LMR frequencies too. I wonder if I even have an LMR business license with dozens of frequencies all over the spectrum? Maybe??? Or I could be some radio bandit…? Another mystery to unravel.
Oooooh more better Goodness! Chineseium, tastes like pollution, yum
Something like that
Is this legal lol...
Just as legal as anything else people do with radio 🤣
@Commodium the correct answer is yes as long as I stick to the gmrs repeater channels which are ch 23 to ch 30 and don't exed the 50 watts and i.d every 10 minutes when I'm on the air
@@chris2crazzy 10 min is for HAM, 15 for GMRS. Why the difference? I can’t answer, but I’m sure there is guy sitting behind a desk in DC that never touched a radio in his life that can. Or a rather over nourished fella in his basement that will chime in. Assuming he can pull himself away from the comment section of notarubicon or r/GMRS.
But yes you are correct. Keep it to the GMRS repeater channels with the proper split and ID as required. Should meet the requirements.
I know its a cheap Baofeng, but my OCD cringed when you put the radio face down on dirty concrete, and proceeded to twist the radio
The Baofengs like it rough....
WOW great info and nonsense turorial
😱
That's what we here in brasuela call of "PARROT REPEATER" ( _Repetidora Papagaio_ ) .
👏👏👏👏👏👏👏
🇧🇷
73 de *PX7G6946*
👀👂
Yes it sure is!
@@Commodium I built a repeater like this, but using an old smartphone and on it the app called ZELLO.
Zello has a feature called (echo).
Through a cable, I connect the radio to the smartphone, and Zello does its part, picking up the radio's voice and then repeating it.
73
Where is Brasuela?
brasuela? oh my dear,, it is right there ,, south america,, right next to uruguay ,, betwin Atlantic Ocean and Peru... It used to be called of Brasil,, but now we are a communist country like Venezuela... LOL hahahah,,
You also can call it Brasuba (Brasil + cuba) , or Brasambique (brasil+moçambique) ,, you can call it simply of Communist country, the bigger here in south america.
meanwhile, our president is sending millions of dollars to communist countries like, cuba, moçambiqueetc, claiming it's humanitarian aid, while our people here suffer in poverty, with never-ending construction projects that are merely a means of embezzling public funds... that's why I now refer to this country as "Brasuela," as it has become a dictatorial country just like its neighbor, Venezuela.
Our president is incompetent, and the dictator here is a minister of the Supreme Federal Court (STF); he's the one pulling the strings.
On January 8, 2023, he arrested around 300 people and sentenced them to 17 years in prison simply for protesting. Over 200 people, including children and the elderly, are still in prison to this day!
Doesn't the media outside show this?
I'm appalled!😵💫
Did you say _”tacticool antenna”?_ 😀
*73 de AF6AS in **_“DM13”_** land*
That is an affirmative 🤣