Systems Saber not willing to transmit on some repeaters

[oh2lna]

I programmed last night a Systems Saber model one for some local repeaters. Created 13 personalities, all with 1750 Hz single tone access. I didn't enable any inhibit tx / smart ptt bells and whistles on those conventional personalities. And couldn't find a corresponding radio wide option anywhere either.

The repeater channels that have the CTCSS on RX and TX enabled are working properly. The ones which are just sending the CTCSS for repeater access and having the RX as a normal CSQ behave quite odd indeed. With those I can either open the repeater with 1750 Hz tone or the 118.8 Hz CTCSS, but then my TX is inhibited as long as the repeater is open. The situation is the same on the three remaining simplex channels as well, but there it is of course more like an useful option.

Have I missed something that should have been obvious in here?

[Tom in D.C.]

What you describe is called Busy Channel Lock Out (BCLO) but I don't know
if it's a feature on the Systems Saber. If it's available I've never used in on
my standard Sabers. It is, however, a standard feature on current Vertex
radios. It just keeps you from talking over/interfering with someone who has
grabbed the channel ahead of you. Once the repeater "drops" I assume you
can transmit okay and re-key the repeater.

[Hartley]

Hi - it's called "TX inhibit on busy" and it's located on the same screen as the frequencies. (F4-F8)

73 DE Hartley

[oh2lna]

Once the repeater "drops" I assume you can transmit okay and re-key the repeater.

Yes, though there usually is a significant delay before that happens (on the repeater side that is). And re-keying the repeater up causes it to CW out its callsign again and again. Someone might consider that a tad irritating on long lasting QSOs.

I guess have to try find the Busy Channel Lock Out feature somewhere in the codeplug then.

[Tom in D.C.]

Like Hartley said above, it's called "TX inhibit on busy" in Motorola
language. I was not able to remember the correct phrase when I wrote
"BCLO", which is the phrase used by other manufacturers for the same
operation.

[oh2lna]

Like Hartley said above, it's called "TX inhibit on busy" in Motorola
language.

Oh. That option vanishes the second I change the RX squelch from CTCSS to CSQ. It doesn't sound too promising then. I reckon there isn't any way to to circumvent this, is there?

[oh2lna]

That option vanishes the second I change the RX squelch from CTCSS to CSQ.

I found the work around last night. It was surprisingly simple actually.

When there is a personality that has CSQ both on RX and TX, but it still refuses to send into a repeater, do the following:

Code: Select all

(1) Enable RX CTCSS. The TX inhibit feature appears in the screen.
(2) Turn the TX inhibit from sidetune (what it probably was) to the off setting.
(3) Disable RX CTCSS back to CSQ.

It was really that simple, but figuring that out definitely wasn't.