also kind of a separate question — when i do finally get on there, is there like a standard way to join a conversation thats already going? i dont want to step on anyone or be rude about it. my elmer mentioned waiting for a pause but i wasnt sure if thats actually what people do or if theres more to it.

i looked up the repeater on repeaterbook and it shows a 100.0 Hz CTCSS tone for the input. i programmed that into my baofeng (yeah i know, i know) and set it to transmit that tone but still nothing. i did a radio check the other day and one guy came back and said my audio sounded a little off but at least i know the signal is getting in there.

my main question is actually about the linking stuff — this repeater apparently connects to some kind of network, IRLP or maybe echolink, i cant remember which one. does that change anything about how you use it? like do you have to wait longer between transmissions or something? i dont want to be that guy who steps on people mid-conversation without realizing it.

also is there like an unwritten rulebook for repeater etiquette that someone can point me to? i feel like im missing something obvious here.

I thought maybe I had the CTCSS set wrong so I checked like four times and it looks right. the repeater does have a courtesy beep after people finish talking so I know its actually there and active. I tried timing my transmission right after the beep like ive seen mentioned online but still nothing. could it be my antenna or output power maybe? I'm set to high power which I think is 8 watts. live about 6 miles from where I think the repeater is located based on the club page. just feeling a bit lost and dont want to embarrass myself more than I already have lol

also i noticed sometimes people just start talking over each other on the repeater and i wasnt sure if thats normal or if theres supposed to be like a pause between transmissions? someone mentioned a courtesy beep but im not totally sure what that means. just trying to figure out the etiquette before i make a fool of myself. any help appreciated

my radio is a baofeng uv-5r and i found the repeater on repeaterbook but the listing just says 100.0 for the tone. do i put that in as the transmit tone or both transmit and receive? i dont want to be keying up and causing problems if i dont have it set right. also someone mentioned something about waiting a couple seconds after the repeater tail before transmitting — is that a real thing or just superstition

i looked it up and i think the issue might be the CTCSS tone? the repeater listing says it needs a 100.0 Hz tone to access it. i went into the menus and i think i set it but honestly the Baofeng menu system is a nightmare. i set the T-CTCS to 100.0 Hz but left R-CTCS off, is that right? or do i need both on? also whats the difference between T and R anyway, i kind of get the transmit part but why would i need a receive tone.

and also kind of a separate question — whats the proper way to just check in or make sure youre getting out? like do i just say my callsign and wait or is there some specific thing i should say, dont want to be that guy who does something weird on a busy repeater

also a bigger question — when is it okay to just start talking? like do i wait for someone to call CQ or whatever, or do i just key up and say my callsign? i listened for like 20 minutes the other day and it was totally quiet. i dont want to be rude or step on anyone but i also want to actually use the thing. any help appreciated, still figuring all this out

also i noticed sometimes people just start talking after a kerchunk and sometimes they wait for a specific beep or something. is there like a standard way people are supposed to do this or does every repeater have its own rules? i dont want to be that guy who does something annoying without knowing it.

also someone told me i should wait a few seconds after the squelch tail before keying up again — is that actually a thing or were they just messing with me? and whats the deal with linked repeaters because someone mentioned this machine ties into some kind of network on weekends and i have no idea what that means for how i should operate on it.

sorry if these are dumb questions im just trying to not be that guy who annoys everyone on the local repeater lol

i looked up the repeater on repeaterbook and it shows a tone of 100.0 hz. so i programmed that into the radio as the transmit tone. still nothing. then i read somewhere that some repeaters also need you to set a receive tone? or maybe i dont need that? honestly at this point ive been messing with chirp for like two hours and im going in circles. also is there like... a right way to break into a conversation or do you just wait for a gap and say your callsign? dont want to be that guy who does something embarrassing on his first real transmission

talked to a guy at the club meeting and he said something about making sure the tone is set on transmit not receive but honestly i wasnt sure what he meant and didnt want to seem dumb asking again. is there a difference? and do i need to set a tone to hear the repeater too or just to get through to it? also is there like... a proper way to call on a repeater or do you just start talking? i dont want to step on anyone

My radio shows a bunch of tone options and i looked up the repeater on the repeaterbook site and it says 100.0 Hz. So i set that and i can hear people fine, but i kerchunked it once just to see if i was hitting it and somebody came back pretty quick saying who just kerchunked the machine. I felt terrible and just stayed quiet.

So like, what is the actual right way to get on a repeater for the first time? Do i just call CQ or is that weird on a repeater? And does the tone go on transmit only or both? I dont want to make people mad again before i even really get started here.

someone at the club meeting mentioned CTCSS tones and i think thats my problem but im not totally sure how they work or how to program them into my radio. i have a baofeng uv-5r (i know i know, everyone says get a better radio but its what i could afford to start). the repeater directory shows a tone of 100.0 hz but i dont really know where to go from there in the menu system. also is there some kind of protocol for getting on a repeater for the first time, like do you just start talking or is there something you're supposed to say first?

so my question is — do i need to program that 100.0 tone as a transmit tone, a receive tone, or both? i honestly dont fully understand what CTCSS even does. i read something about squelch but now im more confused than before. also is it considered rude to just call CQ on a repeater or is there some other way youre supposed to announce yourself? i dont want to be that guy who annoys everyone before i even figure out how to get the thing working lol

also not totally sure about the etiquette here — like do you just start talking or do you say your callsign and wait? i dont want to step on anyone or come across as rude. been listening for about two weeks just trying to figure out how it works before jumping in.

I found the repeater directory shows a tone of 141.3 Hz, but I'm not sure how to set this up on my Baofeng UV-5R. The manual isn't very clear about the difference between TX tone and RX tone. Do I need to set both? Any help would be appreciated!

73,
KJ7ABC

also there's one repeater that i got into and said my callsign and nobody responded and i wasnt sure if thats normal or if theres some kind of etiquette thing i was missing. like do you just wait? say your call again? i dont want to be that guy who annoys everybody on the repeater but i also dont know what i dont know if that makes sense

my buddy who got his ticket a few years back said maybe im transmitting simplex on the output frequency instead of setting up the offset correctly? i honestly dont fully understand what that means. the repeater is listed as 146.940 with a minus offset. does that mean im supposed to be transmitting on 146.340? i feel like i have one of these things wrong and its driving me crazy because i just want to say hi and get some practice in

also quick side question — is there like a standard thing you say when you first get on a repeater? i dont wanna just start talking and be that guy who does it totally wrong

• How do the setup costs compare?
• Which system do you find most user-friendly?
• Any recommendations for a medium-sized club (about 50 members)?

Now we're considering adding voice over IP (VoIP) techniques. VoIP links are a convenient way to connecting distant repeaters that would otherwise be unreachable by VHF/UHF radio propagation. The question is whether to go with AllStar, EchoLink, or IRLP. What's everyone's experience with these systems?

i asked a guy at my club and he said maybe i have the tone on the wrong side — like im encoding when i should be decoding or something? i honestly got a little lost. also not sure about the etiquette here, like do i just say my callsign and wait? or do i say something specific. i dont want to be that guy who annoys everyone on the repeater lol. any help appreciated

my question is — is the 100.0 tone the one i need to transmit, or is that the tone the repeater sends back to me? ive read a couple different things and now im more confused than when i started. also is there like a standard thing you say when you first get on a repeater? i dont want to be that guy who does it wrong