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How to: Icom Repeater System

by Preston Moore, N5YIZ
March, 2007

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This guide will show you how to construct a repeater system

using two Icom IC-F200 series mobile radios. The firmware in
these radios can be configured to allow basic repeater control
(COS, hang time, etc.) without the need for external hardware.
These instructions are written for an in-band VHF or UHF
repeater, but a cross band system can be made with slight
modification.

You will need the following:

(2) Icom IC-F200 series radios (IC-F210, IC-F211, IC-F221, IC-

F210S, IC-F211S, IC-F221S, etc.)
(2) Icom OPC-617 Accessory Cables (clones are available at
http://www.prestonmoore.com/opc-617.html)
(2) DB-9 male connector assemblies (connectors and hoods)
(1) 5-conductor cable (6 to 8 inches in length)

You will also need the appropriate programming software and

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cable.

STEP ONE:

Prepare by determining which radio will be used for transmit

and which one will be used for recieve.

STEP TWO:

Prepare the Transmit radio by first removing the bottom cover.

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With the front of the radio towards you, locate the jumper location
labeled as "F" below the square shielding. Place a solder blob at
this location to close the connection.

STEP THREE:

Plug an OPC-617 Accessory cable into the connector "J6" and

route the wire out the rear of the radio as shown below. You will
need to cut the plastic "filler" with a razor knife in order for the
cable to exit the radio. The modification to the TX radio is
complete. Replace the bottom cover.

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STEP FOUR:

Install an OPC-617 in the RX radio in the same manner as the

TX radio. It is not necessary to close solder jumper "F" in the RX
radio unless the repeater will be used in a crossband
configuration.

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STEP FIVE:

Prepare the repeater interface by connecting the 5-conductor

cable to the DB-9M connectors following the diagram below.

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STEP SIX:

Plug the two "pigtail" OPC-617 cables into the repeater

interface. Power the radios and prepare for programming.

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STEP SEVEN:

In this example, we will be setting up a repeater with the

following characteristics:

UHF Uni-directional repeater on GMRS Channel 8

(462.725/467.725)
PL tone of 162.2 encode/decode
Repeater "hang-time" of 2 seconds
30 second TOT
25 watt output

We will start by programming the TX radio first. In the "LMR

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> Memory CH > Free" selection use the following screen shot as a
guide and make the appropriate changes:

click to enlarge

Move to the "LMR > Common > Common" section and make
adjustments as follows:

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click to enlarge

Move to the "LMR > Common > Expert" section and make the
following changes and then write the changes to the radio:

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click to enlarge

In the RX radio make the following changes in "LMR >

Memory CH > Free" section:

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click to enlarge

I change the squelch level in "LMR > Common > Set Mode" to 70
because I feel the factory setting is too high.

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click to enlarge

RX radio "LMR > Common > Common" make the following:

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click to enlarge

RX radio "LMR > Common > Expert" make the following changes
and write to the radio:

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click to enlarge

The repeater is now configured and ready to use!

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CAT Repeater controller cables NOW

AVAILABLE! CLICK HERE FOR INFO

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CLICK HERE FOR IGNITION CONTROL

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http://www.repeater-builder.com/icom/icom-kd7sqm.html

CY-F121S / CY-F221S repeaters

CLICK HERE FOR THE ICOM IC-F200 SERIES SERVICE MANUAL

6. This section is for configuring an Icom F221 UHF radio for use with a home station using a
KPC-9612 VHF/UHF TNC.

To hookup the Icom F221 UHF radio to the KPC-9612, you will need the accessory cable OPC-617

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from Icom. The cable costs about $50. To connect the OPC-617 to the Kantronics 9612, you will
need to make a small cable with a DB-9M for the radio side, and a DB-15M for the TNC side. Here's
the pinout:

OPC-617 DB-9M-------KPC-9612 TNC

Pin 3 Det. AF output-----RXA Pin 2
Pin 4 Mod input----------TXA Pin 3
Pin 5 PTT----------------PTT Pin 1
Pin 8 Det. AF ground----Ground Pin 9,10, or 11

In programming the radio, besides setting the UHF frequency and name, you will need to set
external PTT by choosing EPTT instead of the default FTSW.

Get your soldering iron hot and sold BEAD F on the F221, near the OPC-617 connector, which
allows data flow.

Source: http://www.nwaprs.info/9600bauduhfaprs.htm

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It appears the E.F. Johnson / Transcrypt 7600 series mobile radios are basically the same as the Icom
IC-f420 units. I assume the Icom
OPC-617 is equivalent to the Johnson 585-7600-027 cable. Click here to check out the 7600 series
service manual to see for yourself.

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