[SMCARA] Fw: Need Help With Motorola Repeater

[Frederic Clarke]

At one stage of the game, Navy MARS had an MSF5000 repeater at the Naval 
Academy (W3ADO). It was a real problem child and a challenge to 
interface (if this one was on the 745 machine, the audio interfacing 
probably was solved). It required lots of TLC and it was decommissioned 
after a short time. It was difficult to get access to the repeater, as 
it was  in the ham station, W3ADO, in the 7th wing of Bancroft Hall 
(main residence of midshipmen).

I wound up with the test panel and the duplexer. In any event there is a 
lot of information on repeaters on the Repeater Builder website 
(www.repeater-builder.com/msf/msf-beginners-guide.html). The site is a 
great resource for anything related to FM and repeaters in particular. 
Finding an RIB is a bit of a challenge, however it is possible to build 
your own. Also the programming software only runs on MS-DOS not Windows, 
so another hurdle.

K3HKI used an MSR-2000 repeater for over 20 years and then a GE that 
wasn't too reliable. Finding repair parts, especially for the PA, is a 
real problem with repeaters that are 30 years old! New commercial 
repeaters, such as the Bridgecom, have a good reputation, but don't have 
the many years of reliablity data. Local experience with the Bridgecoms 
is good. Putting up a repeater with old technology gear may be a 
challenge! The club was offered an MSF5000 and we decided against it.

Since we are approaching saturation on lightly used repeaters in 
Southern MD (except for the N3PX Linked System), I am wondering if we 
need another? Anyway, have fun and visit repeater builder if you haven't 
already discovered it.

73 Tom/W4OKW


On 10/3/2020 1:06 PM, Rob Hoyt via SMCARA wrote:

>   Good Afternoon SMCARA! See Jeff's email below asking for assistance with a Motorola Repeater. If anyone can assist, please email Jeff directly.
> 73, Rob - N2OMC
>     ----- Forwarded Message ----- From: Acree, Jeffrey D CIV USN (USA) <jeffrey.acree at navy.mil>To: n2omc at arrl.net <n2omc at arrl.net>Sent: Wednesday, September 30, 2020, 06:33:18 PM EDTSubject: Need Help With Motorola Repeater
>   
> Rob,
>
>    
>
> Thanks for your help with my MSF 5000 repeater restoration project.  It is a Motorola C93CXB 7106BT 350 Watt “Digital Capable” Analog VHF Repeater.    It was previously the W4KGC King George 146.745 MHz repeater.  Repeater-builder.com appears to be a good information source for MSF 5000 information, but provides no help regarding sources of supply.  Per repeater-builder, one needs the following items to reprogram the radio a “digital capable” MS 5000 radio.
>
>    
>
> 1.       Motorola part number RVN4077 Radio Service Software RSS.
>
> 2.       Motorola RLN4008 Radio Interface Box (RIB) for MSF 5000 series.  (May not be required.)
>
> 3.       Interconnect cable to connect the computer running RSS to the Motorola radio.
>
>    
>
> These items are no longer available from Motorola.  If I can get the above items, there are some other nice-to-haves like a programming manual and service manual, but those would be useless without the software (as will the transceiver).  Any help you can provide would be sincerely appreciated.  Rather than try to establish the capability myself, it may be more efficient to bring the radio to someone else for programming.  That would be fine as well and I am happy to pay for that service.
>
>    
>
> Please also let me know what I need to do to join the club reflector.
>
>    
>
> Thanks!
>
>    
>
> Jeff Acree
>
> P-8A ESM SME
>
> Jeffrey.acree at navy.mil
>
> Cell: 540-834-9549
>    
>
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