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A USERS GUIDE TO OPERATION ON B.C.R.G REPEATERS
Updated 23/09/04
This document has been prepared and updated where necessary by the committee of BCRG, as a guide to users, in terms of operating procedures and technical requirements. It is not an attempt to explain the mysteries of repeater logic systems.
ACCESS
To access the repeaters, the requirements are :-
A burst of 175Ř Hz tone +/- 25 Hz, of approximately 25Ř to 5ŘŘ milliseconds in length, followed immediately by 4 or 5 seconds of speech.
Note, if your tone-burst is not set to give at least 1 kc's peak deviation, or is off frequency by more than +/- 25 Hz, or is shorter than 25Ř milliseconds, then it is unlikely to access the repeater.
GB3BC and GB3SG will also accept a CTCSS tone of 94.8Hz at a minimum of 25ŘHz deviation instead of the 175ŘHz tone-burst.
TALK-UP This function is disabled at the present time, however when it works :-
GB3BC and GB3SG both require, immediately following the tone-burst, 4 or 5 seconds of speech to latch it. If you fail on your first attempt, you will probably notice that, if your 175Ř Hz tone-burst or CTCSS tone is set up correctly, the repeater will give a short burst of transmitted carrier, before closing. It is therefore likely that your talk-up audio was not adequate. On a subsequent attempt you will need to speak longer and louder. The majority of operators find that your callsign given once normally and again phonetically, plus something like “Listening BC” or “Testing access BC” is sufficient.
RESET
Having successfully accessed the repeater, you can then continue to communicate through it. You will notice that when you have completed your “over”, and stopped transmitting, the repeater will respond with a 'K' (BC) or 2 pips (SG). This resets the time-out timer (more of that later), The small gap before the 'K' (BC) and between the pips (SG) is to allow other users to make a call. So, after the station you are communicating with has finished transmitting, WAIT FOR THE 'K' (BC) or the SECOND PIP (SG), before replying.
TIME-OUT
GB3BC limits all “over(s)” to a duration of Four MINUTES. If you continue to transmit for longer, the repeater will go into TIME-OUT mode, sending 4 “T's”, and then closing down, thus “cutting you of”.
After time-out, for “175Ř Hz access users”, the full access procedure is required to continue operation.
After time-out for “CTCSS users”, you will still be cut off, but your through audio will be re-instated immediately after the time-out “T's” have finished, providing your carrier and audio are still present. If the repeater drops carrier when you stop transmitting, the full access procedure will again be required to continue operation.
PRIORITIES
Repeaters primarily exist to aid communications between MOBILE stations, whether in a vehicle, a vessel, or on foot. That does not mean that fixed stations should not use repeaters, but PLEASE GIVE PRIORITY TO /M OR /MM STATIONS.
IDENTIFICATION
Your license requires that you give your callsign at the beginning of a period of transmission, every 15 minutes during a period of transmission, and at the end of the period. Please remember though, that a mobile station, monitoring the repeater, could very easily come into, and go out of, range of the repeater, in a much shorter time.
Therefore, out of courtesy to mobile operators we ask that you give YOUR OWN CALLSIGN at least once during each transmission you make.
BREAK IN
DO NOT use the word “BREAK” to interrupt a QSO to make a call, unless you accompany the word with your CALLSIGN. Your license requires that your first transmission on a frequency requires identification with a call-sign. If you wish to make a call, use the gap before the 'K' (BC) or between the 2 pips (SG), giving the callsign of the station you wish to contact followed by your call-sign, is the method that causes the least disruption to the QSO in progress.
ABUSE
The policy of the Bristol Channel Repeater Group, on the matter of abuse, is clearly defined. DO NOT ACKNOWLEDGE, OR RESPOND IN ANY WAY, TO ILLEGAL USE OF THE REPEATERS. You may feel tempted, on occasions, to reply to a station who is being obscene, offensive, or by general misconduct, abusing the repeater. PLEASE do NOT RESPOND, by acknowledging the presence of the abuse. By and large, you are favouring the abusers with the response they want. It is far better, to totally ignore any such transmissions.