[App_rpt-users] Transmitter steering

[David McGough]

Hi Tom,

AllStar nor RTCM's implement this functionality, as far as I know.

Honestly, I'm not sure that this type of system would be a good fit for a 
ham radio repeater system--all it would take is one mischievous Kerchunker 
to greatly impair the systems operation (by "locking out" all but the site 
the Kerchunker is closest to). The Kerchunker might not even realize that 
Emergency Comms were in progress on a distant repeater, which they 
couldn't hear.

Just being curious, what kind of repeaters are you currently running, and 
how many, over how big an area?

73, David KB4FXC



On Mon, 20 Jul 2015, Tom Hayward wrote:

> On Mon, Jul 20, 2015 at 10:54 AM, Sam Nabkey <sam.nabkey at gmail.com> wrote:
> > Not sure what you mean by transmitter steering?
> 
> Sam,
> 
> Transmitter steering uses voted receivers to choose the best (single)
> transmitter. Here is a good explanation:
> http://www.signalharbor.com/ttt/00oct/
> 
> More below...
> 
> On Mon, Jul 20, 2015 at 11:00 AM, David McGough <kb4fxc at inttek.net> wrote:
> >
> > Hi Tom,
> >
> > Do you mean for a multi-site system, steering the activated transmitter to
> > the site where the loudest received signal originates from???  If so,
> > isn't that more applicable for scenarios where you've got a central
> > dispatch center and have clients (cars, etc.) only calling the dispatch?
> > For ham applications, I'd think you'd want to blanket the whole region
> > with a transmitted signal (basically simulcast)?
> 
> Yes, this is what I mean. You are right that this is not a typical ham
> application. The primary use of our repeater is in support of search
> and rescue. Usually, everyone participating in the search will be in
> the same general area, and therefore only the nearest receiver and
> transmitter site need be used. It would be advantageous to reuse the
> same repeater pair at every site, and the same tone, so users don't
> have to figure out which repeater is best. Currently, our transmitters
> do not have a timing reference input, nor do we have a fleet of
> GPSDOs. Simulcast may be a stage two plan, but at this point I'm
> looking at transmitter steering, since it will satisfy 99% of our use
> case.
> 
> Tom KD7LXL
>