Batboard

OK - So I'm in Iraq and they toss me this GR500 repeater using 2 x GM160 radios and tell me to set it up. I follow the instructions they handed me to the letter but of course it's not working because this is my life. Basically I can get the RX radio to receive because I can hear it if I turn the volume up and talk into my handheld. If I attach a handmike to the TX radio it will talk to my handheld which is programmed to listen to the repeater. But, I can't talk from handheld to handheld through the repeater. I CAN talk from handheld to handheld if I put one in the talkaround channel and by-pass it (but that isn't a very impressive feat)

I want the repeater to RX on 408.875 and TX on 415.500. There is NO duplexor in this system. So, I programmed the RX radio with RX: 408.875 / TX: 415.500 and set it to RX ONLY. I think I also tried omitting the TX freq altogether since it didnt seem relavent. I programmed the TX radio to RX/TX simplex on 415.500. The handheld will key the RX radio but the TX radio wont key up. I set it to TX only - no change.

This thing is using a basic RICK(HLN3333B) and I dont have software for it so I am using 100 series software and programming the radios individually. Any advice would be appreciated.

The R.I.C.K. does not use "programming" except it does have some DIP switches that have to be set correctly to match your requirenment.

Do a Search here, the DIP switch settings are here,..somewhere..!

Do I have the frequencies setup right for the 2 radios? Should the RX radio be on RX only and the TX radio be on TX only? The DIP switch on the RICK is setup for unidirectional repeater. Are there any special settings in the RSS I need to ensure the radios have for this to work? On the RICK I have Repeater Enable ON and have tried Setup ON and OFF. The RX radio keys up from my handheld but the COR light on the RICK does not light up. Is it supposed to? Again, the TX radio does not key up at all.

what kind of antennae system are you using? you are using a duplexer right? and is it tuned for those frequencies? please tell me you didn't "Y" the 2 antennae connectors on the radios togather. or are you using 2 separate antennaes?

Nope. The system has NO duplexor. I am using two separate antennas.

I'm not familiar with the GM160 model of radio. Read your RX radio and go into the radio wide screen (F4->F2 from main menu) & see if it has the option to program the accessory connectors pins...should be "F9". If so, you will need to program pin 8 as either "CSQ detect" or "PL/DPL & CSQ det", and active state as "low". This causes pin 8 to go low upon receiving a signal...this in turn lets the RICK know a signal is being received (the COR light should light up on the front panel) and it'll put a low onto pin 3 of the TX radio, causing it to transmit. The audio flows from Pin 11 (detector audio) of the RX radio, through the RICK, into Pin 2 (tx audio) of the TX radio.

Todd