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Yaesu / Vertex VX-5000 Repeater Setup and Modifications Compiled from a comment thread on the repeater-builder mailing list by Mike Morris WA6ILQ

This writeup discusses wiring an external repeater controller to the Yaesu-Vertex 5000 repeater using the existing DB25 connector.   These connections are unnecessary if you are using the chassis mounted RJ telephone style connector to interface your controller.   The squelch-gated audio is already present on the RJ connector.   If you don't mind using two cables, one DB25 and one RJ, you don't even have to do the mods listed here.

DB25 on Vertex VXR5000:
Pin	Description
2	+13.8V DC out from repeater power supply (connect this pin to your controller's DC power input pin)
3	Transmitter Audio In (from controller transmit audio out)
6	Receiver repeat audio (unsquelched discriminator audio) to your controller audio input (1Vp-p... perfect for RLC or other controllers that can internally gate the receiver audio). May need de-emphasis in your controller.
11	Receiver Carrier Detect output (an active low open collector capable of sinking about 100ma - needs a pullup resistor)
12	Transmitter PTT input (from your controllers PTT out - ground to activate)
13	Vertex "BASE Logic" - see text below (add a jumper to ground to activate)
16	Receiver CTCSS tone detect (an active low open collector capable of sinking about 100ma - needs a pullup resistor)

Here are a couple of simple modifications for PL and COR logic...

For an "active low" COR logic (for example, for an Scom, RLC or NHRC controller) install a 10K pull-up between Vertex pin 11 and Vertex pin 2 (+13.8VDC). You can install this resistor inside the Vertex on the board that contains the DB25, inside the shell of the cable that plugs into the Vertex (preferred), inside the controller, or your controller may already have a pullup or a pullup option on a DIP switch.

Once you have a functioning pullup resistor on the Vertex output pin (pin 11) then it is then connected to the controller COS input.

Vertex pin 16 (CTCSS TONE DET) is an active low open collector connection just like the COS pin. Handle it the exact same way. Once you have the pullup installed PL decode is "active low" and can be connected to the controllers PL decode input pin.

If your controller already has the pullup resistors (some do, some don't) then you don't have to get inside the VXR5000 at all or have to squeeze 1/4 watt or 1/10 watt resistors into a connector shell.

These operations on the DB25 board takes about 10 minutes and doesn't involve messing with any sensitive parts. If you chose to put the pullup resistors inside the unit then the easiest way to do it is to remove the DB25 board from the unit (a couple of screws and two connectors). Personally I'd leave the Vertex unmodified if I could and if the controller didn't have a pull-up option I'd put them inside the shell of the cable I was plugging into the Vertex.

With the Vertex software, setup the the unit in "Duplex base station" mode. In this mode, the Vertex internal controller runs the show. Here's the really cool part! If you add a jumper between Vertex pin 13 ("BASE Logic") and ground INSIDE THE DB25 PLUG THAT GOES INTO THE VERTEX, it tells the Vertex to have the receiver and transmitter to work independently so that your external controller can take over. Yaesu calls this the Base (or SIMPLEX) mode. This allows you to have the Vertex revert back to a standalone repeater just by unplugging your controller plug. This is a really nice option if your controller dies or you just want to take it off-line for some reason. The repeater just keeps on working.

Just keep in mind that the Vertex internal logic doesn't have any IDers. Just a hang time (also called a carrier delay) and time-out timer. One suggestion - program the the Vertex internal controller for a 1-second carrier delay, and your normal controller for a longer value - maybe 3 seconds. Then tell your users that if they hear the short delay that they have to voice ID the repeater as well as themselves.

RX Audio Gating

Again, the repeat audio out on DB25 pin 6 of a stock VX-5000 repeater is not squelch gated (sometimes referred to as squelch muted). The COR follows the incoming signal but in stock form the receiver audio is constantly on. This is not good if your controller can't mute it (as is the case with the ACC 85 and 96 models).

One way to modify the repeater slightly to send squelch muted audio to the DB25 connector:
Look at the CTRL 1 or CTRL 2 schematic for the Vertex. The audio signal passes through each one but eventually goes to a capacitor and on to the audio amp driver. Once you find the right CTRL board, look at the top left of the schemtic. You should be able to find the RX audio section where it is transformer coupled and sent out the RJ45 jack.

What you want to do is remove the cap which removes the un-squelched audio from the DB25 pin 6. Then jumper from near the transformer to the wiring that ends up at the DB25. This mod is almost identical to the TX audio mod described in the manual (if they are still doing it).

Better yet, leave the original cap alone and patch the squelched audio to a spare pin on the DB25, then use that pin as your controllers audio input instead of pin 6.

Finally, label the repeater as having a squelched audio mod.

Acknowledgements:

Pinout information and controller modification by Craig Garcia, WB6LZV   craig (dot) garcia (at) amd (dot) com.

Gated audio modification by Doug Otoupal, N5HYD   otoupal (at) astro (dot) as (dot) utexas (dot) edu.

Information edited from discussions on the Repeater Owners Reflector (repeater-builder at yahoogroups).

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Edited text, artistic layout and hand-coded HTML © Copyright 2005 Mike Morris WA6ILQ
This page updated 2005-Jun-20 (typo correction)
Updated again 2010-Sept-25 minor wording clarification

The information presented in and on these conversion pages is © Copyrighted 1995 - 2003 by Kevin Custer W3KKC and multiple originating authors.