On a sunny spring day, I decided to go for a drive to fix my 70cm (440MHz) amateur radio repeater. The repeater controller is based off Allstar/Asterisk node and there is an IP problem that required some diagnosing and tweaking. Join me on my road trip up to the site.
I'd recommend using good quality analytical tools: service monitor, antenna analyzer, and Bird Meter.
If you watched the video you'd see that the issue he was fixing was actually an IP/networking issue and not RF, though.
Oh come on, man! I mean, yeah... sure, I really meant to say the most important tool you can bring are the Service Manuals. Either way, there is more than IP/Networking/RF Linking to a repeater. In fact, I'd surmise that the first fail points are Fans and then Control Units. But hey, I am no expert just an amateur.
Point was, in this case those pieces of equipment wouldn't have helped fix the issue at hand. Yes, they are vital to the installation or upkeep of a repeater but this video was about changing out a network switch so he could remotely manage it, no Bird Meter needed.
I do have a service monitor, a HP8924C.... it weighs like 59 pounds! Lucky all our sites are drive to sites. I want to get a HP8920B but they are expensive still. I don't run fans in my repeaters as they don't need them. They have huge heatsinks capable of dissipating the heat and have 100% duty cycle. The only fans I think are in the power supplies! Antennas fail more regularly than equipment in the rack. Mother nature at her finest does that
I went to mountain tops and many other locations in NH for years working on VHF/UHF comms for emergency services (Police/Sherrif/EMS) and never once ever have I seen a fan fail that was the reason for the trouble call. I think in over 30 years working electronics or being around electronics, I cannot recall ever having a fan fail that was the source of the failure of any system or sub-system. I guess our experiences must be different.
Gee...no Emergencey stuff I worked on was Motorola LOL. Just kidding..almost everything was Motorola. BTW: I have been formally trained at their campuses in FL and IL. Have worked decades on this stuff. Again..I guess you experiences were different
Was the problem Port Forwarding ? That can be a big time problem when trying to control it remotely. Enjoy.
Nope, the issue was related to packet collisions from the VOTER board on the Ethernet port. The issue is resolved by lowering the negotiation rate to 10M and the switch I had before wasn't a managed switch with the ability to do that.
Good job OM. Nice scenery on the way to the site. Bottom line is, you fixed the problem. It not always about the radio........... 73
Nice video. I misread your call sign and first audio wasn't French Canadian Love the country scenery. I sure wish I could have made it ashore while active duty. The site looks VERY tidy. The sites I've worked it are, well, NOT tidy and often just plain stupid and/or dangerous. Thanks for the trip and a peek under the skirt! 73 j
I used to work on repeater sites years ago. One was on top of a 850' tall prominent building. That required security clearance then a trip up the elevator into a revolving restaurant. Yes the entire dining area rotated around for a 360° view. Finally a trip up the service elevator to the roof where only a 6" ridge stopped one from being blown off. Rather nerve racking. Another one was located on top of the highest hill in several counties. The issue was one of the big 3 auto manufacturers owned the 4800 acres of land as it was their proving grounds for prototype vehicle testing. You can imagine how strict their security was to the point you could not drive on their property unless it was in a vehicle they produced. Lucky for me and the club as I worked there and knew the right people hi hi. Those were fun times as both locations had magnificent views.