EYRG.net
East Yorkshire Repeater Group, a radio amateur group dedicated to providing repeater services including training to the East Yorkshire Region.
Mar
08
Following the installation of GB7RRthe FIRST UK Hytera Repeater on the DMRplus Hytera network last week, saw another FIRST on 25th Feb in the UK with the addition of a DMR / D-Star Bridge between the GB7RR Repeater and the UK DCS005 Reflector Module V now DMR & D-Star users can communicate with each other the Bridge in both directions i.e. DMR To D-Star & D-Star To DMR, Number translation takes place within the Bridge, for further information on the Hytera DMRplus network including how you could link your Motorola Repeater to this developing network you can contact the Repeater Team at gb7rr@gb7rr.co.uk
Feb
05
The Yaesu System Fusion DR-1XE repeater kindly sponsored by LAMCO of Barnsley was installed on Sunday 1st February by Clive G3GJA and Lyndon M0LDR. Until the change of NoV is received allowing digital output the repeater will only transmit analogue FM.
The repeater's firmware does not provide a Tx hang with a 'K' after access so you must leave a gap between overs to allow other stations to call in. Apparently the ETCC has asked Yaesu for a firmware change to suit UK conditions.
The repeater now has CTCSS on transmit, so tone squelch can be enabled on your receivers. The frequency is the same as that needed to access, 88.5Hz.
The higher power of the Yaesu equipment allows us to utilize the full 12.5dBw ERP allowed by the NoV for the first time. Losses in the duplexer, combiner, isolator and feeder losses have previously restricted the power to less than half of that allowed. The receiver also appears to be more sensitive, needing only 0.5mW into my colinear at home to open the repeater.
The picture below shows the combiner and isolators at the top, 4 duplexer cavities below and further down the Yaesu box. Below that is the switched mode power supply and the UPS.
The Yaesu repeater is powered from 13.8v so a low noise switched mode power supply was installed. A 750VA battery powered uninterruptable mains supply was also installed to provide some resilience for the rather flaky rural mains supply. The battery should run the repeater in Rx mode for 55mins and 18mins continuous Tx.
73 Clive
The repeater's firmware does not provide a Tx hang with a 'K' after access so you must leave a gap between overs to allow other stations to call in. Apparently the ETCC has asked Yaesu for a firmware change to suit UK conditions.
The repeater now has CTCSS on transmit, so tone squelch can be enabled on your receivers. The frequency is the same as that needed to access, 88.5Hz.
The higher power of the Yaesu equipment allows us to utilize the full 12.5dBw ERP allowed by the NoV for the first time. Losses in the duplexer, combiner, isolator and feeder losses have previously restricted the power to less than half of that allowed. The receiver also appears to be more sensitive, needing only 0.5mW into my colinear at home to open the repeater.
The picture below shows the combiner and isolators at the top, 4 duplexer cavities below and further down the Yaesu box. Below that is the switched mode power supply and the UPS.
The Yaesu repeater is powered from 13.8v so a low noise switched mode power supply was installed. A 750VA battery powered uninterruptable mains supply was also installed to provide some resilience for the rather flaky rural mains supply. The battery should run the repeater in Rx mode for 55mins and 18mins continuous Tx.
73 Clive
Feb
05
As you may have noticed, the EYRG website has just undergone a bit of a change.
It sees us move onto updated software that's faster and a newer design that should be able to help you get where you are going a lot easier.
There are two new big changes, one of which is the new 'Resources' section, and the other is being able to pay your subs entirely digitally.
Resources
This new section is designed to help you get to useful information quicker. The resources section allow us to categorise papers, news and other things a little better than before.
In terms of sharing and distributing radio configuration files, this couldn't be any easier with new version management options and more. The resources section at the moment are mostly public, allowing anyone to publish and post their own resources, while you can make use of it now I may pull resources and fiddle with things until it is secure for what we need.
Additionally it allows the committee to keep you informed, minutes from meetings that have been made public can be published along with any research or learning material we have produced can be accessed freely with this new system.
Digital Subs
This is something I've wanted to get working since the introduction of the new website, but never had any easy way of doing it. Thanks to the upgraded site software, we can now take digital subs, which go directly to our account.
The system records you, uses your website provided details as contact info, and is even capable of repeat billing. As a little gimmick/incentive your account will instantly update with a shiny 'Subscriber' badge under your name.
This system has also enabled us to offer a cheaper £5 option that covers 6 months for those who don't want to fork out the full £10 for audio a year.
You can subscribe any time at the following link: http://eyrg.net/account/upgrades
We do still accept postal subscriptions if you wish, please note the address...
It sees us move onto updated software that's faster and a newer design that should be able to help you get where you are going a lot easier.
There are two new big changes, one of which is the new 'Resources' section, and the other is being able to pay your subs entirely digitally.
Resources
This new section is designed to help you get to useful information quicker. The resources section allow us to categorise papers, news and other things a little better than before.
In terms of sharing and distributing radio configuration files, this couldn't be any easier with new version management options and more. The resources section at the moment are mostly public, allowing anyone to publish and post their own resources, while you can make use of it now I may pull resources and fiddle with things until it is secure for what we need.
Additionally it allows the committee to keep you informed, minutes from meetings that have been made public can be published along with any research or learning material we have produced can be accessed freely with this new system.
Digital Subs
This is something I've wanted to get working since the introduction of the new website, but never had any easy way of doing it. Thanks to the upgraded site software, we can now take digital subs, which go directly to our account.
The system records you, uses your website provided details as contact info, and is even capable of repeat billing. As a little gimmick/incentive your account will instantly update with a shiny 'Subscriber' badge under your name.
This system has also enabled us to offer a cheaper £5 option that covers 6 months for those who don't want to fork out the full £10 for audio a year.
You can subscribe any time at the following link: http://eyrg.net/account/upgrades
We do still accept postal subscriptions if you wish, please note the address...
Jan
28
EYRG takes delivery of Yaesu Fusion DR-1XE repeater
Today, 27th January 2015 the East Yorkshire Repeater Group took delivery of a Yaesu Fusion DR-1XE repeater kindly sponsored by LAM Communications of Barnsley. This will be used to upgrade GB3HS on 145.65MHz with an improved analogue and a new digital Fusion service for the coverage area which covers East Yorkshire, North Lincolnshire and large chunks of West Yorkshire and North Yorkshire. The recent change of site and antennas for GB3HS now allows a 5w handheld to be used in the centre of Hull and in Grimsby.
Left to right: Richard G4YTV (EYRG Committee), Clive G3GJA (EYRG Chairman) accept the repeater from Lee M0LAM (Lam Communications)
Please remember that subscriptions for 2015 are now due; £10 or including ATV £15. Please note the new address for the Treasurer: Lyndon Reynolds, 49 Westborough Way, Hull HU4 7SW.
73 for the from the EYRG Committee.
Jan
01
Now for the second big announcement to start the New Year with!
Barsley based amateur radio retailer LAMCO have announced on Facebook that they are sponsoring the installation of a Yaesu DR-1 xe Digital Fusion Repeater that will be used to replace the PRF10 currently in use by GB3HS at high Hunsley.
This will NOT affect current users of the GB3HS analogue service and the repeater will perform much as it does now but it will allow those users with Yaesu Fusion equipment to use a digital repeater. It will also support cross mode contacts.
There will not be an Internet connection as that functionality is still in development.
The Group will continue to support D-Star on GB7HU and no changes are planned for that service.
The announcement from LAMCO is reproduced below:
LAM Communications Ltd
+++++++++++Breaking News++++++++++++
We are very proud to announce that we are sponsoring the supply of a brand new Yaesu System Fusion Repeater to The EAST Yorkshire Repeater Group which will eventually be operating on the Hull GB3HS on 145.650MHz.
The System Fusion Repeater will be active in early 2015 in time for the new Yaesu FT-991 and the Yaesu FT-2DR hand set....
https://www.hamradio-shop.co.uk/product-category/c4fm-digital-fusion/...
Barsley based amateur radio retailer LAMCO have announced on Facebook that they are sponsoring the installation of a Yaesu DR-1 xe Digital Fusion Repeater that will be used to replace the PRF10 currently in use by GB3HS at high Hunsley.
This will NOT affect current users of the GB3HS analogue service and the repeater will perform much as it does now but it will allow those users with Yaesu Fusion equipment to use a digital repeater. It will also support cross mode contacts.
There will not be an Internet connection as that functionality is still in development.
The Group will continue to support D-Star on GB7HU and no changes are planned for that service.
The announcement from LAMCO is reproduced below:
LAM Communications Ltd
+++++++++++Breaking News++++++++++++
We are very proud to announce that we are sponsoring the supply of a brand new Yaesu System Fusion Repeater to The EAST Yorkshire Repeater Group which will eventually be operating on the Hull GB3HS on 145.650MHz.
The System Fusion Repeater will be active in early 2015 in time for the new Yaesu FT-991 and the Yaesu FT-2DR hand set....
https://www.hamradio-shop.co.uk/product-category/c4fm-digital-fusion/...
Jan
01
There are two big announcements regarding GB3HS to start the New Year with! In this post the move.
Yesterday, GB3HS was moved from Cave Wold (Weedley Farm) to the commercial High Hunsley site, commencing operation at 1500 hrs.
So far the performance of the site has met expectations with much improved coverage towards York, Grimsby, Lincoln and Bridlington. There’s just over 17w going into the feeder so allowing for some loss in the feeder it’s close to the allowed 25w erp and that is putting a massive signal of -60dBm (224µV!!) into my receiver at home, some 12km away.
Viking Radio is putting -10dBm into the repeater's receiver port but there’s no sign of the mixing issue that caused us grief when we last used the other side of the farm in the 1990s. With a fixed antenna system there should be no degradation in high winds, which was just audible at Cave Wold.
We are using a pair of stacked wideband dipoles for transmit and a wideband dipole at the top of the mast for receive. There’s just over 40dB isolation between the two antennas at 145MHz which is more than enough with the 74dB notches in each leg provided by the cavities. We will now concentrate on getting another two cavities tested and tuned that will allow single antenna working. The attached photo shows the repeater in its new location.
My thanks to Andy G0VRM and Richard G4YTV who helped me move the repeater.
Please use this forum to...
Yesterday, GB3HS was moved from Cave Wold (Weedley Farm) to the commercial High Hunsley site, commencing operation at 1500 hrs.
So far the performance of the site has met expectations with much improved coverage towards York, Grimsby, Lincoln and Bridlington. There’s just over 17w going into the feeder so allowing for some loss in the feeder it’s close to the allowed 25w erp and that is putting a massive signal of -60dBm (224µV!!) into my receiver at home, some 12km away.
Viking Radio is putting -10dBm into the repeater's receiver port but there’s no sign of the mixing issue that caused us grief when we last used the other side of the farm in the 1990s. With a fixed antenna system there should be no degradation in high winds, which was just audible at Cave Wold.
GB3HS installed at its new site
We are using a pair of stacked wideband dipoles for transmit and a wideband dipole at the top of the mast for receive. There’s just over 40dB isolation between the two antennas at 145MHz which is more than enough with the 74dB notches in each leg provided by the cavities. We will now concentrate on getting another two cavities tested and tuned that will allow single antenna working. The attached photo shows the repeater in its new location.
My thanks to Andy G0VRM and Richard G4YTV who helped me move the repeater.
Please use this forum to...
Oct
21
It looks as though the 5.7GHz wireless LAN link that provides an Internet connection to the Weedley radio site from my QTH has been fixed at last.
The link started dropping out but always seemed to recover from a reboot at the Weedley end. The dropouts became increasingly more frequent and the cause proved difficult to locate due to their intermittent nature and because the fault cleared as soon as you started to work on it. We also noticed that the head unit would not work on its original frequency and would only link some 200MHz lower.
A process of elimination has isolated cause to be the switched mode wall-wart power supply that feeds 24vdc to the power-over-Ethernet injector. This is the power source for the 5GHz wireless head unit. Having replaced that it was found that the link could be put back on its original channel, well away from all of the mush radiated from the numerous links used by the three wireless Internet companies operating in Hull.
It's now stayed up for a week so hopefully it will stay up. All that grief for a £4.70 power unit!
73, Clive, G3GJA
The link started dropping out but always seemed to recover from a reboot at the Weedley end. The dropouts became increasingly more frequent and the cause proved difficult to locate due to their intermittent nature and because the fault cleared as soon as you started to work on it. We also noticed that the head unit would not work on its original frequency and would only link some 200MHz lower.
A process of elimination has isolated cause to be the switched mode wall-wart power supply that feeds 24vdc to the power-over-Ethernet injector. This is the power source for the 5GHz wireless head unit. Having replaced that it was found that the link could be put back on its original channel, well away from all of the mush radiated from the numerous links used by the three wireless Internet companies operating in Hull.
It's now stayed up for a week so hopefully it will stay up. All that grief for a £4.70 power unit!
73, Clive, G3GJA
Apr
04
Things have moved on since I last posted. Some 23cm ATV repeaters have now been approved and following discussions with Noel G8GTZ we have today applied for a move to Weedley and a change of mode to DVB-S. The predicted coverage map is based on a 10w TX which is about as much as you can get out of the existing PA when using DVB-S before the regeneration of sidebands becomes unacceptable.
We have decided not to take up Phil's kind offer of the use of the Octon site for the following reasons:
1. There is only one active ATV operator near the site and even then it's doubtful whether he would a get line of site path because Octon is to far north of the edge of the hills above Driffield.
2. Octon is too far away from the population centres in the south of the county. This is the same issue that blights Aldbrough causing EY to give good coverage to tens of square miles of empty fields. ATV needs big signals to cope with the wide bandwidths and it's not unusual to need in excess of 20 microvolts to get a usable analogue transmission. That's not compatible with a repeater that's more than twenty miles away.
3. The high ground of the Wolds to the south restricts coverage in that direction protecting the radar at Claxby and reducing the signal from Claxby getting into the receiver. There is no geographical screening to the south at Octon (unless you're in Driffield!) which would not help persuading the CAA to approve the move.
4. We want to use the existing Internet connection at Weedley to stream the receiver's output onto batc.tv
Noel has told us not to hold our breath as it's going to take some time. However, if all goes to plan ATV is set for a big boost in the area with DVB-S inputs on 70cm and 23cm, streaming and a much better service area. We also plan to link in the 3cm co-sited ATV repeater...
We have decided not to take up Phil's kind offer of the use of the Octon site for the following reasons:
1. There is only one active ATV operator near the site and even then it's doubtful whether he would a get line of site path because Octon is to far north of the edge of the hills above Driffield.
2. Octon is too far away from the population centres in the south of the county. This is the same issue that blights Aldbrough causing EY to give good coverage to tens of square miles of empty fields. ATV needs big signals to cope with the wide bandwidths and it's not unusual to need in excess of 20 microvolts to get a usable analogue transmission. That's not compatible with a repeater that's more than twenty miles away.
3. The high ground of the Wolds to the south restricts coverage in that direction protecting the radar at Claxby and reducing the signal from Claxby getting into the receiver. There is no geographical screening to the south at Octon (unless you're in Driffield!) which would not help persuading the CAA to approve the move.
4. We want to use the existing Internet connection at Weedley to stream the receiver's output onto batc.tv
Noel has told us not to hold our breath as it's going to take some time. However, if all goes to plan ATV is set for a big boost in the area with DVB-S inputs on 70cm and 23cm, streaming and a much better service area. We also plan to link in the 3cm co-sited ATV repeater...
Mar
31
This weekend the GB7HU D-Star repeater in Hull has changed frequency to 439.4875 MHz and joined the other digital repeaters.
For the last few years the repeater has "borrowed" the frequency pair from it's little-used analogue repeater GB3HU, and discussions are now underway to re-instate it. The frequency change has allowed the group to install a DB6NT UHF pre-amplifier and vastly improve the receiver sensitivity and move to single antenna system - Thanks to Clive G3GJA for his hard work!.
For the last few years the repeater has "borrowed" the frequency pair from it's little-used analogue repeater GB3HU, and discussions are now underway to re-instate it. The frequency change has allowed the group to install a DB6NT UHF pre-amplifier and vastly improve the receiver sensitivity and move to single antenna system - Thanks to Clive G3GJA for his hard work!.
Jan
25
Over the next month or so GB7HU will QSY away from the analogue allocation borrowed from GB3HU on 433.075 MHz to join the other Digital Voice Repeaters on 439.4875 MHz.
For further details see the ETCC web page - http://ukrepeater.net/my_repeater.php?id=228
73 de Andy
For further details see the ETCC web page - http://ukrepeater.net/my_repeater.php?id=228
73 de Andy
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