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The Repeater-Builder Article Ideas "Wish-List" Compiled, HTML'd and maintained by Mike Morris WA6ILQ

Here are some manuals we would like to acquire scans of:   (anonymous donations are fine)
In many cases the RSS / CPS manuals were available only as part of the RSS / CPS package.
If you have a paper copy we'd like to borrow it, scan it and return it.

• Motorola RSS / CPS manuals:
  
  
• Syntor and Syntor X-9000 (the X9000 was called a "Programming Guide")
  
  
• Motorola RSS / CPS manual for the R1225 (manual 68-80904Z93, part of the HVN9054 kit)
  
  
• Motorola MTR-2000 / MTR-3000 service information, especially a schematic of the AC power supply for the 100 watt stations.
  Also we'd like to scan the MTR2000 RSS / CPS manual 68P81096E15
  
  
• Motorola Professional Series CPS manual (HT750, HT1250, HT1550, CDM mobile)
  
  
• Motorola hardware manuals:
  
  
• Motorola Tek-10 - manual number 6881112A62
  
  
• Motorola Tek-10 - manual number 6881112A62
  
  
• Motorola Tek-48 - manual number 6881121A46
  
  
• Any other Motorola Tek-series manuals, schematics, or both.
  
  
• Motorola Lookout Repeater Manual... model numbers included the N1100A, B & C N1102A, B & C, N1106A, B & C and N1116A, B & C (one was 68-81036A20)
  
  
• Motorola Rework and Repair Technical Reference manual, part number 6680309B53
  
  
• Mike WA6ILQ is looking for a hard copy of the old (1970s / 1980s vintage) Part 99 RACES rules - one or two of the revisions had a list RACES frequencies... one was 145.30 MHz, another was 145.66 MHz. Part 99 was folded into Part 97 at one point, and the "Part 99" number has been reassigned.
  
  

Here are some ideas for articles that we'd like to see...
If you think that something belongs on this list that isn't, just let the page maintainer know.
And if you want to write up something that isn't on the list, well, feel free to!

In no particular order...

• An overview article on the any of these series: Motorola APX, XTL, XTS, CDM and Jedi (i.e. one article per series)
  
  
• A photo article on rebuilding a Stationmaster or Super-Stationmaster - disassembly, repair, reassembly, painting.
  
  
• How about an article on how to brain-wipe / move a 146-174 Maxtrac and make it think it's a 136-150 MHz radio? The RF stages will reach down to 144-148 but the firmware will be confused enough to not control the deviation and power very well.
  
  
• Ditto on the GM300.
  
  
• How about an article on how to fix an Error 58 on a GM300? (actually any RSS errors)
  
  
• Modifying a DB-224 (or 228) folded-dipole base station antenna from the VHF commercial to amateur frequencies... this will require cutting the dipoles and splicing (welding) additional length into them, and then rebuilding the harness.
  
  
• Same thing on UHF... Modifying a DB-404, 408, 411 or 414 folded-dipole base station antenna from the UHF commercial to amateur frequencies...
  
  
• Modifying (or even making from scratch) a harness for a multi-element folded dipole base station / repeater antenna?
  (we have the harness dimensions on the Antennas page)
  
  
• How to accomplish frequency changes in cavities or even duplexers...
  for example from 39 MHz to 52 MHz? Has anyone been successful at converting any of the VHF cavities or duplexers to the 222 MHz band?
  How about 800 MHz cavities or duplexers to 900 MHz or even 1200 MHz?
  
  
• An overview of the theoretical side of simulcasting, the advantages and disadvantages, then the hardware implementation of it including the equipment used, the adjustments of the audio delay lines, etc. Then a description of the gotchas and what it can sound like... (maybe some .wav or .mp3 files?)
  
  
• The theory of diversity reception, with descriptions of practical applications (for simplicity's sake, picture utilizing an available second antenna on the existing tower at the current site)
  
  
• Something on simplex repeaters and mobile extenders - how they work, and maybe some MP3 files of what they sound like.
  
  
• An introductory article (or two, or three) on the Radio Mobile Deluxe software, including how to install it and the necessary map files (and where to get them), how to place a repeater on a map, how to specify the station parameters (i.e. sensitivity, power, antenna gain, antenna elevation, etc), how to generate a coverage map at 2m, UHF and 900 MHz, how to place a second repeater at a different radio site, how to place a point-to-point link between them, how to figure path loss on the link, and how to show combined coverage of the two sites combined.
  
  
• A getting-started article on repeater jammer hunting, including beam construction, hunting tips, tricks and techniques, plus a section on how to stay on the right side of the FCC rules on donating your tracking services.
  
  
• A step by step photo procedure on how to install connectors on Heliax... on small diameter 1/4" Superflex, 1/2", 7/8", and 1-5/8" standard Heliax.
  
  
• We've got the GE MASTR II series pretty well covered, but have next to nothing on the MASTR IIE series.
  How about something on moving a GE MASTR IIE station from commercial to amateur frequencies and interfacing it to a repeater controller?
  What LBI (manual) part numbers are the correct ones? (And, if you want paper copies, who do you order them from?)
  What knowledge would someone familiar with the IIe radios wish they had before they got into them?
  What info is needed so that listings on ebay make sense?
  An interfacing article would be very welcome: how to get muted receiver audio out of the 2E, along with COR and PL decode, and how to insert transmit audio into the exciter, along with PTT and how to control the transmitter CG encoder.
  
  
• We need an article on moving a GE MASTR III station from commercial to amateur frequencies and interfacing it to a repeater controller.
  What LBI (manual) part numbers are the correct ones? (And, if you want paper copies, who do you order them from?)
  What knowledge would someone familiar with the III radios wish they had before they got into them?
  What info is needed so that listings on ebay make sense?
  An interfacing article would be very welcome: how to get muted receiver audio out of the M3, along with COR and PL decode, and how to insert transmit audio into the exciter, along with PTT and how to control the internal CG encoder.
  
  
• Moving an 800 MHz MICOR station to 900 MHz - covering the mods needed to the receiver, the exciter, the interstage filter, the PA deck and the output filter.
  
  
• Moving an 800 MHz MASTR II, IIe or III station to 900 MHz - covering the mods needed to the receiver, the exciter, the PA deck and any interstage or output filters. Plus any quirks in programming the IIE and III onto whatever 902/927 MHz channel pair...
  Yes, we know that covering the II, IIE and III will probably take three articles...
  
  
• How about an article on spacing adjacent 2m channels at 15 kHz versus 20 kHz in the 146 and 147 MHz portions of the band? Oregon and eleven other states run 20 kHz, southern California (where I live) and others run 15 kHz. Supposedly the 20 kHz spacing results in more usable repeaters in the band. I've been told that there are those that feel very strongly towards their preference, to the point of loud arguments at coordination meetings. If anyone would like to write a comparison article, please take this as an invite to do so. Just keep it calm and technical and let your facts do the arguing. There is a PDF of a Ham Radio Magazine article from 1985 on the "Technical Information" page that can get you started.
  
  
• Articles on the Kenwood TM-231, TM-241 / TM-441 / TM-541 series. This series when linked to a Doug Hall interface box seems to be a popular remote base setup at low-RF-level sites. An interfacing article on how to get muted receiver audio (i.e. repeat audio) out of these radios, along with COR and PL decode, and how to insert transmit audio into it, along with PTT and how to control the transmitter PL encoder.
  
  
• APRS 1: More and more 2m repeater owners are adding 144.39 MHz receivers to their systems and piping the received information to the nearest iGate for findu access - and this is run in parallel and has zero affect on the voice traffic on the main channel - those voice users have no idea it's even there. If there is an IRLP node on site it's easy to add IGate functionality (it's just one more task for the Linux OS to run) - and just a bit more difficult if the internet access is linked in. The only shared resource is the antenna. An article on the RF side of things - how to add a third port to the duplexer, etc. would be welcomed.
  
  
• APRS 2: How to collocate an IGate with your club repeater?
  
  
• Articles about interfacing repeater controllers to repeaters or individual mobile radios. Self-contained repeaters such as the Yaesu or Kenwood often have built-in controllers but external ones offer a lot more capabilities. Check both the repeater and controller pages here on Repeater-Builder to see if we already have an article that deals with your combination, and if not, send something in.
  
  
• Articles about test equipment modifications and repair. This is limited to those brands and models that we currently have information on, in the Test Equipment section. Repeater-Builder is not a test equipment site but we do want information and manuals for equipment made by companies whose business was or is primarily communications test equipment, such as Aeroflex, IFR, and Motorola.
  
  

If you think of a topic that needs to be added to this page (even if someone else would have to write the article on it), send an email to us and let us know... the address is "article-ideas at repeater dash builder dot com". Please put "Repeater-Builder Article" in the subject line.

Potential authors please see this web page: The writer's guidelines. Don't worry about your writing/spelling ability - that's what editors are for. If you can tell someone else how you modified a radio, can push the button on a digital camera, can compose and send an email and know how to attach a file to it, consider yourself as qualified.

Naturally, all authors will retain the copyright to their own work. The web site copyright is superceded by any author's copyright. We wouldn't need to copyright the site except that mooching/freeloading idiots were taking all the articles on a given radio (i.e. GE MASTR IIs) and selling CDs on eBay. It took involving the legal system to get it stopped. No, we are not kidding.

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This page originally posted on Monday 13-Feb-2005

This web site, and the information presented in and on its pages is © Copyright 1995 and (date of last update) by Kevin Custer W3KKC and multiple originating authors.