The ARTS Club repeater, like several other repeaters in the local area, is a Yaesu System Fusion machine which supports both FM analog communications and FM Digital (C4FM) communications. Today the repeater is set up to  transmit only in a FM Analog format. This means that both FM analog and digital FM (C4FM) signals that it receives are repeated on the repeater downlink frequency of 147.180 MHz in FM analog format only.

 

On October 18th, we enabled the transmission of C4FM digital signals from the repeater by turning on a feature called Automatic Mode Select (AMS). In this mode, the repeater will automatically transmit in the receiving (uplink) signal format. So, if you transmit on the uplink frequency in FM analog mode it will repeat your transmission in FM analog mode; nothing new here. If you transmit on the uplink frequency in C4FM digital mode, it will repeat your transmission in C4FM digital mode; this is a slight change in how it operates today.

 

Note, if you do not have a Yaesu System Fusion radio, you may want to turn on PL encoding on your receiver so that it requires a PL Tone of 79.7 hz to open the squelch on your radio. Otherwise, you will hear C4FM digital signals being transmitted, which will sound like digital/buzzing noise on an analog radio. If you hear this it does not mean the repeater is malfunctioning, just remember to turn on your receiver PL Tone and you will not be bothered by it. This is the same PL Tone required to access the repeater, so you will need to have PL turned on for both transmit and receive on your radio to use the repeater in  analog mode.Some of the common indicators on radio menus for this mode include CTCSS, TSQ, or ENC/DEC. Consult your operator’s manual or another club member for assistance. 

• Important - regardless of what mode you are using, analog or digital, you should look at the signal meter on your radio before transmitting as you may not be able to hear that the repeater is in use if your receiver PL Tone Squelch has been turned on or if you have a radio that is listening only for a digital signal.

For those of you using Yaesu Fusion digital mode communication the repeater will support both the DN mode which transmits both voice (using 6 KHz  bandwidth), and data (using another 6 KHz of the available 12 KHz bandwidth). The data portion of the signal includes items like your GPS location coordinates as many Fusion radios calculate the distance and direction between your station and stations you are receiving.

 

The repeater will also support VW digital mode which provides higher quality audio by using the full 12 KHz for audio. A few other items to note if you are using a Yaesu System Fusion radio in digital mode:

• In digital mode your radio will transmit your call sign as part of the digital data stream in both DN and VW modes. You should set up your call sign on your Fusion radio. However, you should still follow the practice of identifying yourself every10 minutes, as repeaters you use may also link to other repeaters or nodes that are transmitting analog signals.

• You may want to leave Automatic Mode Select (AMS) turned on. This way your radio will automatically switch to the mode it is receiving so you can hear the other station regardless of the mode they are transmitting in.

 

Our repeater is a shared resource open to the HAM Radio Community; you are not required to be an ARTs Club member to use it. Be courteous and enjoy our hobby as it evolves with new technologies. Hope to hear you on the repeater soon; don’t just be a listener – engage in conversations!