Repeater in a Box: What We Learned and how we Succeeded

Our repeater in a box quit at about a hundred feet up on that hill. Eight-plus trips up and down, several weeks, and a good bit of frustration later, we found it. And every fix that really mattered turned out to be something we took OFF the build. JUMP TO MARKS 00:00 It Quit at 100 Feet 00:41 Why We Kept Going 01:27 The Video I Promised You 02:36 What Chasing It Cost Me 04:01 Simplify, Subtract, Test One Thing at a Time 05:00 Step 1: Take the Box Out of the Equation 05:40 Step 2: Pull the Tones, Prove Each Radio 06:27 Step 3: Real Coax, and the Problem Comes Back 08:46 Step 4: The Relay Box and Over-Modulation 12:34 Antenna Spacing: Horizontal vs Vertical 13:31 TALK Power: How Low, and When to Turn It Up 14:25 The Troubleshooting Checklist (Free Download) 15:39 The Moment It Worked 16:44 The Pigtails: No Crimp, Just Heat Shrink 18:58 Build It, Test It, Don't Give Up Last video I told you the clean version was coming, the one where everything works. This is that video. It just isn't clean. This is the process we went through, in the order we went through it, including the part where I did it wrong. I have avionics and IT behind me, and I still stopped troubleshooting and started chasing the golden goose. That disorder is what dragged this out. Not the radios, not the coax, not the box. 📋 FREE DOWNLOAD: The deployment troubleshooting checklist I wish I'd had in my pocket on that hill. Print it, fold it, put it in your kit. https://drive.google.com/drive/folder... WHAT WE COVER The method that finally broke it open: simplify, subtract, test one thing at a time, and write down every step Taking the box out of the equation and proving both radios on simplex Pulling the tones out so programming stops being a variable The pigtails, and why a connector you bought is not a connector that was built right. No crimp sleeve. Held together with heat shrink. It pulled right off. The backup relay box we bought for testing that turned out to be defective Over-modulation on the LISTEN side, which is the one nobody talks about, and exactly how to set that volume by ear on site Coax, connection count, antenna spacing (horizontal vs vertical), and TALK power THE PART THAT MATTERS MOST In our PACE plan, this box sits in the Contingency slot. That's where you go when your Alternate is gone. But a Contingency you have never proven isn't really a layer. It's a hope. This video is how this box earned its spot. The more we bleed in training, the less we bleed when it counts. August 19th cost us an afternoon on a hill and some pride. That is cheap. Finding those same problems the first time we actually need this box is not. YOUR HOMEWORK If you have a box built, or anything like it, and it's sitting in the garage, take it out this week. Take a buddy, take the checklist, and go find out what's wrong with it while nothing is riding on it. If something breaks on your build, tell us what it was in the comments. We read them all, and odds are somebody else is stuck on the exact same thing. Don't give up on it. You've got a team behind you now. THE FULL SERIES Your Radio Doesn't Have a Range Problem. It Has a Hill Problem →    • Your Radio Doesn't Have a Range Problem. I...   The Repeater You're Counting On Isn't Yours (the build) →    • The Repeater You're Counting On Isn't Yours   Up and Down the Hill: Troubleshooting Our Repeater Build →    • Up and Down the Hill: Troubleshooting Our ...   This video 🛒 COYOTE FIELDCRAFT SHOP 3D-printed radio mounts, docks, and field gear, made and shipped by us: https://coyotefieldcraft.etsy.com I know these videos run long, but I think this information is worth your time, and I'd rather you have it than have it short. Take care of yourself. Take care of others. There are people counting on you. #HamRadio #GMRS #Preparedness #RepeaterInABox #PACEPlan