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[cscotthendry]

Hi AllIf this works well it may start a trend at other places in Australia

 

Mark

Once word gets out, I reckon it will get lots of use and not just by recreational pilots. I wouldn't be surprised to hear the odd airliner on it.

 

Maybe you could get an entry in the ERSA

 

 

[Kyle Communications]

Hi Scott

 

The costs are not really a issue I can write them off on the business anyway. Thankyou for the offer. I own a few UHF CB repeaters around here and write those off as they are public service stuff etc The major costs is actually the hardware itself the licensing is quite low. I pay many thousands of dollars a year to the govt fellas for current licencing now. I was going to use the A200 I have here but I think I will use the Tait T373 I just need to get a crystal made once I get the frequency allocated

 

 

[cscotthendry]

Hi ScottThe costs are not really a issue I can write them off on the business anyway. Thankyou for the offer. I own a few UHF CB repeaters around here and write those off as they are public service stuff etc The major costs is actually the hardware itself the licensing is quite low. I pay many thousands of dollars a year to the govt fellas for current licencing now. I was going to use the A200 I have here but I think I will use the Tait T373 I just need to get a crystal made once I get the frequency allocated

 

[Kyle Communications]

That is a interesting idea as well. A ERSA entry would make more people aware and then more will test their radio and hopefully we will end up with better radios in the airspace....has to be better for safer operations

 

 

[eightyknots]

That is a interesting idea as well. A ERSA entry would make more people aware and then more will test their radio and hopefully we will end up with better radios in the airspace....has to be better for safer operations

This idea might become contageous: they'll want one in every state! ....perhaps even a few in New Zealand

 

 

[johnm]

CSCOTTHENDRY & KYLE COMMUNICATIONS

 

Great idea and good support Kyle

 

If you get bogged and need money - I'll chip in $ 50

 

I reckon you have put the avistion authorities safety boffins to shame !

 

Great safety idea - cscotthendry .............. please take a good rest before you hatch another one

 

 

[cscotthendry]

I've been in direct contact with Mark and things seem to be progressing nicely. I'm also proposing that his repeater be marked on the relevant nav charts, so that will be another help.

 

The repeater will not only help us find out how good our transmissions are, but it will let us find out how far we can reach with our radios. The repeater will be on the sunshine coast and if you get a response from (say) near Byron Bay, that says something about your signal strength.

 

 

[frank marriott]

Just to make it clear to ME.

 

I gather the proposal you are doing is a discrete freq that repeats your transmission so you can hear for yourself the quality of your own transmission

 

Am I on the right track

 

This is not an opinion against the idea just that is a novel idea and I just want to clarify in simple terms that I am on the right track.

 

FrankM

 

 

[kaz3g]

No offense to anyone but Gliders seem to have very poor radio transmissions and use. I can only speak for my flying area.

I notice that gliders and other plastic parrots often have radio problems and much I bellieve is due to the lack of a decent ground plane but our friendly Tecky from Kyle will no doubt be able to comment on that.

 

kaz

 

 

[frank marriott]

Kaz

 

Ground independant antenna with the installation does the trick

 

No doubt Kyle and others will explain the process in more detail as I retired from electronics in 1990 and not up with the current things now on the market.

 

Suffice to say I have a "plastic" aeroplane and two radios which work well and no metal ground plane.

 

I would suggest that the installation by someone with current knowledge might help.

 

FrankM

 

 

[Kyle Communications]

Hi Frank

 

basically it is just like the radio in your aircraft with a tape recorder inside it. When it hears something on the frequency it is sitting on say it is 127.500 then it records what it hears when the squelch opens when the squelch closes it then waits say 1 secong and replays exactly what it heard in full then stops transmitting waiting for the next time the squelch opens

 

 

[frank marriott]

Thanks

 

I was on the right track but was not sure.

 

FrankM

 

 

[Kyle Communications]

Just to update things on the simplex repeater.

 

I ordered a new Icom IC-A110 to use for this as it is easier to interface to the simplex repeater unit. It is a base/mobile unit and it will fit in a nice Icom case with power supply so will be a good package to stick in the corner of the shipping container at the repeater site. The simplex module is now wired and programmed and all seems to be working although I am setting the levels in and out for it at the moment. These are programmed into the module using special digital filters internally in the module. I got it all going last night but found if the modulation into it is high it becomes a bit intermittent for retransmit of the audio hence the necessity to set all the levels. This unit is normally used for FM not AM ...I think this is why it is a little more critical. I should have this done today or tomorrow. I will put a dummy load onto it and set it on 118.8 here and see how it goes with the on air signals. If all is ok next week I will apply for the licence and when that comes through I will site it up at Ocean View and see how it performs

 

Mark

 

 

[cscotthendry]

Brilliant!

 

Thanks Mark.

 

 

[Kyle Communications]

I have finally finished fitting , programming and initial testing of the simplex repeater. Its been a bit of a mission doing it with AM radio rather than FM I had a lot of issues trying to get the levels correct and to get a fixed muted audio level. I gave up in the end and am using the headset port in the radio and made some mods to get it to work and sound correctly. Just finished some testing here tonight on the bench by recording the ATIS and letting it play back....sounds pretty good...it sounds transmitting back exactly the same as how the radio receives it. I will play a bit more with on air radio calls tomorrow I have to be quick once the mute opens and switch the radio into a dummy load before it starts to transmit other wise they will hear themselves come back I will try to not let that happen.. I will test it for a few days and then if all goes well I will apply for a frequency. That will probably take 2 weeks or more and I will get everything up at the repeater site...I have a airband side mount dipole that can be mounted on the top of the container .You cant see anything as it is all mounted inside the radio

 

Mark

 

 

 

[cscotthendry]

Mark:

 

You realise of course, that you're now the "expert" on this and that everyone who wants to implement this is going to be ringing your phone off the hook. ;-)

 

Just sayin'...

 

Can't wait to try this thing.

 

 

[eightyknots]

I have finally finished fitting , programming and initial testing of the simplex repeater. Its been a bit of a mission doing it with AM radio rather than FM I had a lot of issues trying to get the levels correct and to get a fixed muted audio level. I gave up in the end and am using the headset port in the radio and made some mods to get it to work and sound correctly. Just finished some testing here tonight on the bench by recording the ATIS and letting it play back....sounds pretty good...it sounds transmitting back exactly the same as how the radio receives it. I will play a bit more with on air radio calls tomorrow I have to be quick once the mute opens and switch the radio into a dummy load before it starts to transmit other wise they will hear themselves come back I will try to not let that happen.. I will test it for a few days and then if all goes well I will apply for a frequency. That will probably take 2 weeks or more and I will get everything up at the repeater site...I have a airband side mount dipole that can be mounted on the top of the container .You cant see anything as it is all mounted inside the radioMark

You'd better patent the whole concept!

 

Soon there will be a worldwide market for this (I can see a worldwide usefulness, that's for sure). I used to work in marine two-way radios (for coastal based communications, it is VHF FM (not AM)); I could see it being useful in the marine sphere as well as in aviation.

 

 

[Kyle Communications]

Hi Hank

 

Its not anything you can patent really. Its just knowing what pieces of electronics are around and being able to think how to put them together. I first dealt with simplex repeaters well more than 10 years ago. it was on the UHF CB band it was a way to extend your range out on western properties without having to run a licenced repeater that you had to apply and pay a licence for. This way you just needed to put a radio with a simplex repeater module on a small hill say 20 or 30 km away from the homestead then you could talk around 60km from the homestead...other than that the simplex distance is really only around 20km due to the curvature of the earth..the signals are parallel lines of force and after 20km they spew out off into space...this is known as the radio horizon...Hank you know this of course but for others who don't know just supplying the info. The simplex repeater idea became very popular but the SMA in theose days now the ACMA banned their operation...probably because they couldn't work out how to make any money from them.

 

I have been out most of the day so will be doing some testing this arvo

 

Mark

 

 

[Kyle Communications]

I am currently uploading a video to youtube to show the operation of the repeater. The IC-A110 is the repeater I have this connected to a RF manual switch. One side is to a antenna and the other side is to a dummy load. The video starts with the switch to the dummy load which of course there is no signal to the repeater. Once I switch it to the antenna because the squelch opens it starts to record what is said. I put it onto the ATIS and I get a 90% fully quietened signal here I leave it on the antenna for around 30 sec then switch it to the dummy load. The squelch then closes it waits 1 second then start to transmit on the same frequency but because I have it on a dummy load now the signal does not go out to air but it is heard locally in my workshop on the A200 I have here in the workshop which is what I listen too most of the time. It obviously has to be on the ATIS freq to hear the A110 transmit

 

Mark

 

 

[Kyle Communications]

[Kyle Communications]

I have finally got a response from AirServices this afternoon about the frequency allocation. It is not what I would like but there are certain Co-channel, adjacent channel and intermodulation issues with all frequencies they basically put all the frequenies at a site and nearby radio sites into a computer program and it does a whole heap of maths for these parameters and spits out frequencies that will comply. At this stage 131.375 mhz has been selected and submitted to the ACMA. I now have to wait until I get the licence invoice from the ACMA before anything can actually go on air.... maybe 2 or 3 weeks until that happens seeing it will be over xmas/new year. So all things being equal we may have it up on site and working sometime mid January

 

Mark

 

 

[cscotthendry]

Oooh, can't wait to try it out...

 

 

[Kyle Communications]

Hi Everyone who has been monitoring this thread. I finally have the licence back today from the ACMA so all is ready to install the repeater onsite except....its me who isn't ready yet. Hopefully in another week or so I can get up to the site. I have to see my surgeon next wednesday so will find out then what he will let me do after he sees the xrays and bloodtests and ECG I will get on this monday. The way I feel at the moment I think he will pass me for some light work and hopefully be able to drive the next week. When that happens I will get up to the site and get the antenna mounted and stick it on air. It may need some tweaking as a lot of times what you setup in the workshop does not translate perfectly sometimes when it all goes to site with other radios transmitting etc. Just thought I would keep you all updated

 

Mark

 

 

[cscotthendry]

Mark: that's great news mate. The cooling off period hasn't yet expired on my offer to help. Let me know if you want me.

 

 

[Kyle Communications]

The bandpass cavity arrived from my mate down the Gold Coast this afternoon. I will see if I can get it installed later this week or on the weekend. A couple of pics to show the unit in the rack tray and the size of the cavity

 

Mark