Portable Repeater Build, Part 1

I have been wanting to build a repeater for quite some time. Thanks to your informative video I should be able to build one now. Thank you for this video, it will be a big help

Nicely finished build, I'm also doing similar for gmrs. Only thing I didn't see you address in the video or comments is those USB connectors going into the solar/battery are not waterproof. I think on my build I'll put a 12v Lifepo4 battery inside the box and use a solar battery maintainer on the outside, adds a little bulk inside but the only thing out in the elements this way is the solar panel, which is waterproof on it's own. I've also found simpler components that eliminate a couple of the antenna connections inline, then use a longer bit of cable outside the box to separate the antennas by a few more feet. Keep tinkering!

Thanks for doing this. Can’t wait for a follow-up video.

Very innovative ! Great project!

I like your video. My experience with doing this very sameproject was a jolt to my brain. 3 or 4 trys and i found my sweet spot. Now i did mine for gmrs . I used a much bigger box. I put a 10 ap hour lipo battery in and a bigger solar charger. Now most of the rest isthesame . I did find the charge cables to be a problem . Did away with them that have the chip and lights. Plain jane usb cable and no more issues. Also i used very different antennas . AND THE ANTENNAS wanted to be about 6 to 8 feet part. I will be doing a whole new set in a couple months. I hope that works for how you plan to use it. Oh oh i found that i am getting approximately 10 to 15 miles coveage in a circle around where i set it up depending on weather its an ht or mobile rig . Mobile rgs clearly get better rsults.

Excellent video. Wanting to do the same and thank you for the parts list.

This build was what I was looking for. Thanks 73’s

Thank you for listening to my feedback On the Amazon Links And putting Descriptions on each amazon link Looks great and so much easier to Tell what link is for what Grest video as well very entertaining and Informative 23:42

My compliments on how well the repeater looks, Great Job!

Good Job..... thanks for you ,,, this is A65PP UAE ,,,, 73 brother

This content is gold.

Great build i would suggest a 90 degree Adapter to make the antennas stand up if your using on a table But not needed of mounted on a wall

Enjoyed the build. Will enjoy part II. If not already videotaped and edited, would enjoy hearing what (if anything) you would have done differently on this build. I am learning on the go (on the fly) so i appreciate all the wisdom i can glean (or is it gleam?). Anyway thanks.

I have one of those battery banks. While it will charge to full via sunlight, it takes about 4-5 days if the battery isn’t being drained by something else. Thank you for the video though. It’s great. We build, test, then improve.

Nice build watching from Philippines

Great build. Sadly, I tried this and found that the radios tended to override each other. Granted, I was pushing max output and my channels were closer than I would prefer. I look forward to your follow up to see what you learned in this process that I might glean more success in my efforts to have back-county SAR radio capability. Thank you!

add more solar power and add cables for the antennae plus gnd kits - then you can mount them higher for more coverage and less interference - generally a good idea just needs some tweaks and users can use liberty to dial it in #yuasa

08:40 Sure, I'd be happy to help explain the wiring for 3.5mm and 2.5mm audio connectors. These connectors are commonly used for headphones, microphones, and other audio devices.

I didn't hear you mention that you are going to have to hang that repeater box. Those radios work on vertical polarization and natural counter poise. The one antenna can be upside down, as long as it is vertical. You will kill almost all of your distance if you keep them horizontal. Just reminding you is all.

Great job !!!