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Repeater Terminology Common terms
and phrases you should know when operating on a
repeater autopatch - a device that interfaces a repeater to the telephone system to permit repeater users to make telephone calls. Often just called a patch or phone patch. This is for personal telephone calls from a mobile when no land line is avaliable. Not to be used instead of a regular telephone. This ties up the repeater and others can hear your convestations! Many repeater systems are set up with a 911 number for emergencies! Check with your repeater owner or club.break - the word used to interrupt a conversation on a repeater ONLY to indicate that there is an emergency. It is best to say....break, break, break so you can be assured of being heard. Many new operators use this as a carry over from the CB band...do not use this unless there is an emergency! If you want to "break in" to a conversation, just say your call sign or a part of it between transmissions...simple as that!carrier - operated relay (COR) -a device that causes the repeater to transmit in response to a received signal. When the repeater detects your carrier on it's input frequency, (your transmit frequency), it activates it's transmitter. If the repeater receiver does not detect your carrier, then it will remain in it's present state.channel - the pair of frequencies (input and output) used by a repeater. The word "channel" is rarely used in ham radio with the exception of the 60 meter band. closed repeater - a repeater whose access is limited to a select group (see open repeater). control operator - the Amateur Radio operator who is designated to control the operation of the repeater, as required by FCC regulations. You are also the control operator of your station. courtesy beep - an audible indication, beep or beeps from the repeater's transmitter, that a repeater user may go ahead and transmit. Very handy under noisy conditions..when you hear the beep...you know the other operator is waiting for your reply. This is not to be confused with the "Roger Beep" which is not used on Ham radio! We use the word "over" when we are waiting for the other station's reply. coverage - the geographic area within which the repeater provides communications. Note that many repeater coverage maps you will see on the internet are not the actual coverage area due to terrain. Most repeater maps are drawn with a circle to indicate the included coverage area for that repeater. crossband - transmitting on one band and receiving on another. CTCSS - abbreviation for continuous
tone-controlled squelch system, a series of subaudible tones that some
repeaters use to restrict access. Also called "PL" tones. Many repeaters
require these tones to be programmed into your radio when accessing them.
(see closed repeater) They are automatically transmitted
from your radio when you key your microphone if you have programmed them.
If you can not access a local repeater, then chances are that it is using
CTCSS or "tones" or you are out of range. Check with the repeater
owner/operator for the proper tones. digipeater - a packet radio (digital) repeater. DTMF - abbreviation for dual-tone multifrequency, the series of tones generated from a keypad on a ham radio transceiver (or a regular telephone). These tones are sometimes used to access various functions of certain repeater systems. duplex or full duplex - a mode of communication in which a user transmits on one frequency and receives on another frequency simultaneously (see half duplex). Just like during a telephone conversation. duplexer - a device that allows the repeater transmitter and receiver to use the same antenna simultaneously. frequency coordinator - an individual or group responsible for assigning frequencies to new repeaters without causing interference to existing repeaters. full quieting - a received FM signal that contains
no noise other than background noise picked up by the microphone. A "dead"
FM carrier with no audio and no noise on the signal due to it's
strength is considered to be a full quieting signal. When using a
repeater, if the other station has no noise on his signal when
talking to you and your getting a good signal strength on the
repeater, his transmission is said to have a "full quieting"
signal. hand-held - a small, lightweight portable transceiver small enough to be carried easily; also called HT (for Handie-Talkie, a Motorola trademark), or walkie talkie. hang time - the short period following a transmission that allows others who want to access the repeater a chance to do so; a courtesy beep sounds when the repeater is ready to accept another transmission. ID - ***Station
identification*** - Your station call sign when
transmitted over the air. input frequency - the frequency of the repeater's receiver (and your transceiver's transmit frequency when using a repeater). intermodulation distortion (IMD) - the unwanted mixing of two strong RF signals that causes a signal to be transmitted on an unintended frequency. key up - to turn on or activate a
repeater by transmitting on its input frequency. ie, keying your
mic. Kerchunking - a term used in ham radio that refers to the act of transmitting a momentary signal to check, hit or activate a repeater without identifying. In many countries, including the U.S., such an act violates amateur radio regulations. See "ID" machine - a repeater system. magnetic mount or
mag-mount - an antenna with a magnetic base that
permits quick installation and removal from a motor vehicle or other metal
surface. Mic gain - used to adjust the amount of
audio going to the transceiver from the microphone
output. NiCd - a nickel-cadmium battery that may be recharged many times; often used to power portable transceivers. Pronounced NYE-cad. open repeater - a ham radio repeater whose access is not limited and only to be used by licensed ham radio operators. output frequency - (as pertaining to repeaters) - the frequency of the repeater's transmitter. over - a word used to indicate the end of a voice transmission and the station talking is turning the frequency back "over" to another station. (Note that since many repeaters use courtesy beeps, this may not be needed but is good practice) Repeater Directory- a publication that lists
repeaters in the US, Canada and other areas. separation, offset or split - the difference (in kHz) between a repeater's transmitter and receiver frequencies. Repeaters that use unusual separations, offsets or splits, such as 1 MHz on 2 m, are sometimes said to have oddball splits. (Sometimes referred to as "shift") simplex - a mode of communication in which users transmit and receive on the same frequency. (Never have a simplex conversation with another station on a repeater input OR output frequency) This may create interference with the repeater or it's users. See the band plan and use only approved simplex frequencies. time-out - to cause the repeater or a repeater function to turn off because you have transmitted for too long. Many repeaters are set for 3 minutes. Some transceivers use the same function. timer - a device that measures the length of each transmission and causes the repeater or a repeater function to turn off after a transmission has exceeded a certain length. Some transceivers use this function. tone pad - an array of 12 or 16
numbered keys that generate the standard telephone dual-tone
multifrequency (DTMF) dialing signals. Resembles a
standard telephone keypad. ***ID*** You
will hear from time to time someone ID his station by using, Basic Repeater Operation for the Tech class ham. How it all works! |