[RadioShack] Repeater Question

[Jay Eimer]

That was a good explanation of CTCSS (PL) tones.  Now for a tip - the Pro-92
scanner (but not the newer GRE ones) has PL decode capability.  So does some
amateur equipment.  My Yaesu FT-2600 2m mobile can "search" for the active
PL tone - but only if the repeater is repeating it (some don't), and it
takes it 20 seconds of so to go through all of them, and I have to set it in
that mode.  And they have to be transmitting continuously during the search.
And I can't hear while it's doing its thing.

On the other hand, I can program in the repeater freq and set PL mode on
the -92, and it tells me the tone on the 4th line of the display in less
than the time it takes for it to stop scanning on the channel!

Very handy.

Jay
AD5PE
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Neil Kollipara, KC8YFF" <kc8yff at yahoo.com>
To: <radioshack at mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Thursday, October 30, 2003 4:29 PM
Subject: Re: [RadioShack] Repeater Question


> Hey Sean (my brother's name), thanks and that was VERY helpful. I was
trying to find out where I could change the PL Tone and I couldn't find out
where. I found CTCSS. If I turn it to the proper PL tone, will I hear the
little beep after I release the PTT key?
>
> Thanks and 73!
>
> Neil, KC8YFF
>
> W8OKN <W8OKN at charter.net> wrote:
> More than happy to help.
>
> Some repeaters, probably about 1/2 to 2/3 of them, have what is known as a
> tone. It is a PL tone. This means private line, I believe.
>
> It is also known as CTCSS tone. This is done to prevent interference from
> other repeaters. For example, suppose you have a repeater in northern
> Michigan on the same freq. as a repeater in the Detroit area. They could
> interfere with each other. When someone in northern Michigan keys up the
> northern repeater, there is a chance, when the band is open, for that
person
> to also key up the Detroit repeater. When this happens, it is really
> obnoxious. Often you end up hearing half of a bunch of conversations.
>
> So, the repeater coordinators started requiring a PL tone on many
repeaters.
> This is a tone that the human ear does not hear. It is SUB audible. It
> cannot be heard.
>
> The repeaters up north usually have a different PL tone freq. than the
> repeaters down state. The PL tones are registered and coordinated just
like
> frequencies for repeaters are. Many of the northern PL tones are around
> 110.9 hertz. Many of the southern ones are 100 or 103.5, and it varies.
> There are some in the state that are 141.2, etc. It all depends. As you
> move from state to state traveling, the tone frequencies change so that
Iowa
> does not interfere with Illinois, etc.
>
> The PL tones are listed on the internet and in the repeater directories.
> You can also ask the local hams what the tone freq. is. They will tell you
> in most cases, as long as it is not a closed repeater, which I detest.
>
> Does this help? The PL tones are programmable from the menu system on your
> HT or mobile radio.
>
> Sean
> W8OKN
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Neil Kollipara, KC8YFF"
> To:
> Sent: Thursday, October 30, 2003 8:56 AM
> Subject: RE: [RadioShack] Repeater Question
>
>
> > Ok, I have no idea what that means. Can you tell me?
> >
> > Tnx,
> > Neil KC8YFF
> >
> > PS-- I've only been a ham for 3 mos. :-)
> >
> > "M. Walton" wrote:
> > Neil,
> >
> > Do you have the proper PL tone set in your radio?
> >
> > Mark
> > K3MRK
> >
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: radioshack-admin at mailman.qth.net
> > [mailto:radioshack-admin at mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of Neil Kollipara,
> > KC8YFF
> > Sent: Thursday, October 30, 2003 8:17 AM
> > To: radioshack at mailman.qth.net
> > Subject: [RadioShack] Repeater Question
> >
> >
> > TO ALL:
> >
> > Hi this is Neil, KC8YFF, owner of the Radio Shack reflector. I have a
> > quick question. Whenever I try to get into this one specific repeater I
> > can't get into it. Once I did, but now I can't. I can't even talk on the
> > repeater, although I can hear people talking on the repeater. Whenever I
> > push the PTT button I don't hear the repeater tone after I release the
> > key. This also happens on my HT.
> >
> > Thx and 73,
> > Neil KC8YFF
> > radioshack-owner at mailman.qth.net
> > kc8yff at yahoo.com
> >
> >
> >
> > ---------------------------------
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>
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