Welcome to:

"Repeater Builder ®"
So, you want to build a repeater?

Repeater Builder is an informational help site owned by Kevin Custer W3KKC.
This is the largest repeater information site in the world!

This site is dedicated to the memory of Robert W. "Bob" Meister WA1MIK.

Donations are appreciated for the continued availability and upkeep of this site. At the time we last updated this paragraph we have over 12,100 publicly-accessible files occupying over 17.5 GB of server space. About 54% are PDFs, about 33% are JPGs and GIFs, and about 9% are HTML files. All of this is freely downloadable information, and our server transfers (i.e. downloads) over 250 GB per month! The repeater-builder web group (mailing list) that is associated with this web site has over 5,500 members worldwide and is a tremendous resource of technical knowledge on repeaters and repeater-building, be they amateur, commercial, GMRS, public safety, CAP, or ... Click here to go to the mailing list (it will open in a new tab). The list has a web interface or you can receive individual emails or daily summaries. The contents of the information pages at this web site are totally dependent on donations of information. If you have expertise on a particular piece of equipment, or detailed knowledge on a topic, please consider contributing an article or two to this web site. If you see an error please let us know. This web site is privately owned and operated; all financial support comes from donations from individuals. There is little advertising on this web site except for a few small amateur-owned companies that manufacture boards and parts of interest to the repeater community, and a few Google ads like the one above that help pay the hosting fees.

Please help support this site -- we accept donations using PayPal.
We also accept donations using a credit or debit card via PayPal.
Thanks!

Remember seeing something you are interested in but can't remember where?
Use the		Search Engine to find it!

Type your search terms in the box above to search this site.
Due to the fact that we are using the free Google search there will be advertisements in the Google search results.
with the "Sponsored" ones on the top.

The Main Modification and Information Index
Everything here was donated by somebody in the spirit of sharing.
What information do you have to contribute?

Want to see your name in print on this web site?? Click here for our "wish-list" and a list of some articles we need !! Don't see an article on what you came here for?? Want to write an article for this web site? Click here

Manufacturer:   (If you don't see the brand you're looking for, see the "Other Manufacturers" listing at the end.)

• Advanced Computer Controls   (ACC)   Now out of business, support is available through other sources.
• Advanced Electronic Applications   (AEA)   We have a number of AEA equipment manuals here.
• Aerotron-Repco   Now out of business, here's a collection of Aerotron-Repco manuals.
• Alinco   Information on Alinco radios and equipment.
• Arcom   Information on Arcom Repeater Controllers and related products.
• Astron   Information and modifications for Astron linear and switching power supplies.
• Bendix-King   Information on Bendix-King two-way radio equipment.
• CES   Information on CES two-way radio accessories.
• Communications Specialists and Selectone   Information on audible and sub-audible tone encoders and decoders.
• Computer Automation Technology   (CAT)   Now out of business, here's information on CAT repeater controllers.
• Connect Systems Inc.   (CSI)   Information on CSI communications products.
• Creative Control Products   (CCP)   Now out of business, here's some information on CCP equipment.
• Daniels Electronics   Information on Daniels Electronics equipment.
• E. F. Johnson   Information on E. F. Johnson two-way radio equipment.
• Ferritronics   Now out of business, here's some information on Ferritronics Tone Squelch products.
• General Electric  /  Ericsson  /  M/A-Com  /  Tyco  /  and now Harris   Including conversion articles, the "MASTR Index" of LBIs, and other information.
• GLB Electronics   Now out of business, here are manuals and information on their products.
• Glenayre Electronics   Now out of business, we have some information on Glenayre paging equipment.
• Granger Associates   Now out of business, here's some information on Granger radio equipment.
• Hamtronics   Now out of business, here are mods, info, and manuals on Hamtronics equipment.
• Helper Instruments   Information on Helper Instruments Company
• Henry Radio   Information and modifications for Henry Radio mobile and station / repeater amplifiers.
• Icom   Information and modifications for Icom two-way radio equipment (commercial and amateur).
• ICS Controllers   Information and modifications for ICS repeater controllers.
• Kendecom / ACS / MCS   Now out of business, here are mods and info on Kendecom repeaters.
• Kenwood   Information on Kenwood two-way radio equipment (commercial and amateur).
• Kyodo   Information on Kyodo base and repeater stations.
• LDG Electronics   Information on LDG Electronics products.
• Link Communications   (Link-Comm)   Information on the RLC series of repeater controllers.
• Maggiore "Hi-Pro" Repeaters   Now out of business, information on Maggiore "Hi-Pro" repeater products.
• Masters Communications   Quality return loss bridges, USB radio adapters, and other projects and kits.
• MFJ   Information on MFJ equipment and accessories.
• Micro Computer Concepts   (MCC)   Information on MCC repeater controllers.
• Midland   Information on Midland two-way radio equipment.
• Molotora   Information on Dingbat products.
• Motorola   Information on Batwing products.   For Motorola branded test equipment by General Dynamics and others please look here.
• NHRC Repeater Controllers   Now out of business, here is information and modifications for NHRC controllers.
• Pacific Research Solutions   Information on Pacific Research Solutions repeater controllers and related products.
• Pion and Simon Electronics   Now out of business, here is information on Pion and Simon Electronics equipment.
• Pyramid Power Supplies   Information on Pyramid regulated power supplies.
• Radio Shack   Information on Radio Shack amateur transceivers, test equipment, weather receivers and more.
• Ramsey Electronics   No longer selling kits. Their web site is gone. Here is all of the information we have on Ramsey radio and test equipment products.
• RCA   Information on RCA two-way radio equipment.
• Regency / RELM / Wilson   Information on Regency, RELM, and Wilson equipment.
• Repeater Builder (the company)   Custom Repeaters and Products for the repeater builder or owner.
• Ritron, Inc.   Information on Ritron two-way radio equipment.
• Samlex America   Information on Samlex Desktop / Benchtop and Rack Mount Power Supplies aand Battery Chargers.
• S-Com Controllers   Information on S-Com repeater controllers and accessories.
• Solid State Communications   (SSC)   Now out of business, here is all of the information we have on Solid State Communications equipment.
• Spectrum   Now out of business, here is all of the information we have on the Spectrum repeaters.
• Standard (a division of Marantz)   Now out of business, here is all of the information we have on Standard equipment made prior to the merger with Yaesu / Vertex in 1998.
• Tait   Information on Tait two-way radio equipment.
• Uniden   Information on Uniden and Bearcat two-way radios and scanners.
• Vega / Cetec-Vega / Telex-Vega   Information on Vega radio equipment including their line of tone encoders and decoders.
• VHF Engineering   Now out of business, information on some VHF Engineering products.
• West Mountain Radio   Products for DC Power, Amateur Radio, and R/C Hobbies.
• Western Radio   Now out of business; was also known as WR Communications.
• Yaesu, Yaesu / Vertex and Vertex / Standard   Information on Yaesu, Yaesu / Vertex, and Vertex / Standard equipment.
• Zetron   Information on Zetron controllers and tone panels.
• Other Manufacturers' Equipment   Information, manuals and mods for equipment made by manufacturers not listed above.   If you can't find it anywhere else, check here!

Other Pages on Various Repeater Related Topics:

• Antenna System Information   The antenna system is made up of everything that connects to the antenna connectors of the repeater receiver and transmitter.
• Backup and Alternative Power   Equipment modification and setup articles plus reference material.
• Construction Projects   Repeater-related construction projects. (Note that there are some homebrew antenna projects at the bottom of the Antenna System Information page above)
• DMR and D-STAR   Information on digital communications equipment and operation, including MotoTrbo.
• Downloads   Various downloads (software, powerpoint files, data files).
• IRLP   The Internet Radio Linking Project is a worldwide community of radio/repeater systems. Here's an overview page with a lot of links.
• Packet Radio / APRS notes   (will open in a new window)   Many new users of packet radio - be it for message handling or for APRS were disappointed with the results and gave up. It worked on strong signals, but failed on weaker signals. WA6ILQ fixed the issues that a few local hams in his area had with problems in level, deviation, preemphasis / deemphasis, tone twist, and impedance matching. Rather than rewrite John Ackermann N8URs excellent writeup we've just provided a pointer to his page.   And Steven Smith WA8LMF has provided a downloadable Packet TNC Test CD Image File that is an excellent test tool  (that link will open in a new window).
• Repeater Equipment Suppliers   Antennas, Controllers, Duplexers, Feedline, Power Amplifiers, Preamplifiers, Repeaters, Voters, and more.
• Repeater Jamming and how to solve it / deal with it   Information on catching indentifying repeater jammers.
• Repeater Linking   Information on linking repeaters together.
• Repeater-oriented articles, by Peter Policani, K7PP   These articles were published on his own site that has since left the web. Peter gracioiusly gave Repeater-Builder permission to host certain relevant articles here.
• Repeater related groups   Links to several groups, mailing lists and email reflectors relating to repeaters.
• Radio Mobile is a free and powerful computer-aided tool that models the coverage of an antenna. It was witten by Roger Coudé VE2DBE. You can use the program by visiting the site and creating a free account. It's free to amateur radio operators. It is used to plot antenna patterns and to predict the performance of radio systems from 20 MHz to 20 GHz. RM lacks easy to understand documentation. The best place for beginner info is the web site at http://www.g3tvu.co.uk/Radio_Mobile.htm or at http://www.pizon.org/radio-mobile-tutorial (both are offsite links and will open in a new window).
• A Sample Set of Repeater Radio Site Rules   Here's a sample of what to expect when you rent space at a commercial 2-way radio site. Here's another set from N9ZIA (offsite link).   And another one.
• A customizable tower site lease agreement DOC file   Here's a sample tower site lease agreement you can download and fill in with your specific information when you are looking to rent space at a commercial site. Lawyer-approved. Provided by Martin Flynn W2RWJ.
• Amateur Radio Club Repeater Operation Rules   Here are some samples from various radio clubs: (several are offsite links)
  The Target System     WB1GOF Repeater Rules of Conduct     K5QHD Repeater Usage Rules and Guidelines     Mount Diablo Amateur Radio Club Repeater Operation Rules     The Great South Bay Amateur Radio Club of New York     Interstate Repeater Society of New Hampshire Repeater Conduct     The Caravan Amateur Radio Club of Albuquerque New Mexico Repeater Rules & Etiquette     The KB1AEV Repeater System     Arlington Radio Public Service Club     Rocky Mountain Radio League (near Denver, Colorado)     Condor Connection Guidelines from a open linked 220 Mhz system that runs from Phoenix west to San Diego and north into Oregon     Private system policies and rules from a now‑defunct linked private system (this is presented here only as a set of ideas that others can borrow from).
• Technical Information   Various technical articles and reference material, including a glossary page of terms used around repeaters.
• Test Equipment   Manuals (PDFs) and articles for communications test equipment, such as IFR / Aeroflex, Bird, Cushman, Helper, Motorola, and a few others. There are also some articles on home-brew test equipment.
• The Two-Way Directory Site   This web site was run by Rik Rasmussen WA4BAN until mid-2022 when he retired. This directory of the Land Mobile (commercial 2-way radio) industry had over 1600 links plus a interesting commentary page (scroll down to the "Two Way Radio Web Log").
  Note that the pointer is an offsite link to a snapshot page at the Wayback Machine and the information is a little dated but very useful.
• VoIP   Information on Voice over Internet Protocol controllers and linking practices.

Services:

• Custom-Built Repeaters   Motorola and GE repeater conversions by Scott Zimmerman N3XCC.
• Custom Repeater Products   Specialized repeater products by Scott Zimmerman N3XCC and Kevin Custer W3KKC.
• Bob Meister's Manuals Page   Manuals for lots of stuff two-way radio related!
• Repeater Elmers   Personal repeater help via email from several Elmers.
• Where To Purchase Repeater Equipment   Repeaters, Controllers, Duplexers, Antennas, Voters and more!   Updates welcome!

The R-B Group / Reflector / Mailing List:

• Don't forget the web group that is associated with this site:
  https://groups.io/g/repeater-builder   The largest (over 5,500 members) quality ad free technical repeater email reflector / mailing list.
  Click here for more information.

Miscellaneous stuff that doesn't seem to fit anywhere else:

• FCC Rules and Rule-Related Articles   The current FCC rules Part 97 (amateur radio service), as well as other rule-related articles and resources.
• Some mobile radio installation resources, a few from the vehicle manufacturers:
  If anyone discovers a new one, from any manufacturer, domestic or foreign, please forward a copy to us.
  • Chrysler   This is a scan (local copy) of a handout at an older Dayton Hamvention that was written expressly for hams, with a number of excellent mobile radio installation points.
  • Ford     This guide covers Ford, Lincoln, Mercury, Aston Martin, Volvo, Mazda, Jaguar, Lincoln and Land Rover. This is a local copy of Ford's "Mobile Radio Installation Guide", a document that used to be at the www.fordemc.com web site but that site went away.
  • General Motors Radio Telephone / Mobile Radio Installation Guidelines   (local copy)
    It's dated 2002, if anyone has a newer edition please email it to the page maintainer.
  • Icom has their own installation guide. It's oriented towards the commercial user but makes some valid points. (offsite link)
  • Motorola has a manual that covers repeater site guidelines (more info on that manual is in the fourth paragraph here).
    Appendix G, of that manual, "Mobile Installation Standards and Techniques" covers mobile installations.
  • The ARRL has a writeup on mobile installations. (offsite link)
  • Urgent Communications, a LMR trade publication, had a mobile installations notes article in the April 2000 issue. If anyone has a newer edition please email it to the page maintainer.
• Text to CW   (offsite link)
  Convert any text to a MCW audio stream, or to an an MP3 file (and you can create a WAV file from an MP3).
• Repeaterisms   Click to see what they are!
• The Two Way Radio Keys Page   A lot of mobile radios are locked into their mounts. Do you need to know what key fits your mobile radio? Look here!
• Other Offsite Links   Other modifications and related information located at other web sites.
• The Repeater Builder's Check List   A reference list when acquiring parts to build a repeater and some construction notes, initially by by W7FDF and added to by several other contributors.
• A bit of ham radio / electronic humor!!
• Highest Repeater in the USA? Possibly!
• Visit the Awards page.   See a few of the awards this site has received.

Legal and other important stuff......

GENERAL DISCLAIMER - - This site and its entire contents is for informational purposes only!
If you chose to follow any link or procedure outlined herein, you do so at your own risk.

Note that the repeater operational rules and regulations vary from country to country. What is legal in one place will in many cases get you in trouble elsewhere. The staff of this web site and authors of the articles assume no responsibility for anything YOU do.

Our authors are not looking over your shoulder as you do surgery on a radio. We and they cannot, nor will not, be responsible for any possible damage to radio equipment, to yours or anothers personal property, to yourself or to others caused by modifications that you or someone else may make to any equipment as a result of your reading of the contents of any web page at this web site, or any web site we link to.

The Repeater Builder's site does not evaluate the accuracy of materials created by persons beyond its control or supervision. Therefore, although this site links to many additional web sites, the Repeater Builder's site is not responsible for the availability of, completeness of, or the accuracy of any materials contained within those web sites.

The terms Repeater Builder^®, Repeater-Builder^®, Repeater Builders^®, Repeater Builder Dot Com^®, and Repeater Builder's Technical Information Page^®, are registered trademarks of Kevin Custer and are registered in the United States under the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

All trademarks, trademark names, service mark names, trademark images and logos used on this web site are done so with an educational or informative intent. All trademarked names belong to the owner and no violation or infringement is intended.

Photographs, images, drawings, diagrams, PDF files, HTML files, articles, and notes were submitted to, or received by, Repeater Builder anonymously unless otherwise indicated. Copyright is retained by the original author or submitter, if known.

Click here for information on the "fair use" doctrine and U.S. copyright law

This site and its contents are protected under US copyright laws. You may reproduce the contents of this site (partial or full) for your own personal use, but you may not reproduce it in quantity or sell the contents (partial or full) for any profit without written consent of the originating author(s).

Links to this index page are allowed from other private web sites, but you are not allowed to link to this site (or any pages or files contained within) from public auction sites like eBay, or any other public web site without prior arrangements from the site owner and the article author. Besides, links to specific pages or files will break sooner or later when we move things around or rename them. So it's best to link to the index page and provide directions to get to a specific page.

This site and its contents are the intellectual property of Kevin Custer and the contributing authors. The information contained within it cannot be used for any form of personal gain by anyone outside of the originating authors or those given permission to do so (in writing) by Kevin Custer.

Note: The appearance of any email addresses, phone numbers or fax numbers on any web page that is a part of this web site is intended solely for the convenience of persons wishing to contact us regarding this Internet web site or the information contained here. Permission to use such information for the purpose of email, fax or telephone solicitation by others is absolutely and specifically denied.

This web site, and the information presented in and on its pages is owned and/or © Copyrighted 1995 - current by Kevin Custer W3KKC and multiple originating authors.

Read this disclaimer!!

Contact Information - Click Here

This page was initially created and Copyrighted © 20 March 1995 by Brian L. Fritz and Kevin K. Custer.