Shelter

[KI4JGT]

I want to put a repeater tower on a hill. I don't have the money to run coaxil up the hill from my house. What to do? Is there a shelter I can put my equipment in while it runs outside? And I'm on a budget so I need the cheapest there is

[K9KJM]

A nice weatherproof outdoor radio equipment cabinet. For sale at most larger swapfests for a song nowadays.  (Under 100 bucks)
OR just build one. All that is needed is to keep the rain off and the mice and bugs out.......... Some simple sheet metal over a standard indoor rack mount cabinet would do it.
I would run a "Wanted" ad right here on Eham for an outdoor cabinet........    Motorola, GE, etc all have supplied them years ago for repeaters and base stations.

[N3BIF]

....kinda like buying a yacht and using kite string for the anchor. If you want to have a repeater on the cheap you will have a cheap repeater.  Sorry,

[N0IU]

My first question is how much thought have you put into this project? My guess would be almost none.

So let me get this straight. You are going to invest in a tower and commercial grade antenna. Then you are going to invest in a commercial grade transmitter, commercial grade amplifier, receiver, controller, cavity duplexer and a commercial grade power supply just for starters.

And now you want to put all this equipment in the cheapest type of shelter you can find?

Go to this site and see what is really involved in building a repeater:
http://www.repeater-builder.com/rbtip/

Scott N0IU

[WB2WIK]

If you live someplace where it doesn't get too hot or too cold (that is, above about 90F in summer or below freezing in winter), a regular outdoor "tool shed" (from Sears, etc) will work fine.  If it does get very hot or very cold, or both, you'll need to add ventilation, insulation, and possibly some source of heat in winter.  No matter what you do, varmints will still get in (insects, mice, etc) and the area will require cleaning and service.

What's better than a "Sears tool shed" is an aluminum traffic control signal enclosure.  I used one of those for many years for a hilltop repeater.  They're not only weatherproof, they're also bulletproof -- literally.  And they can be bolted down to a concrete pad to make them extremely theft resistant.  All of those things are considerations for "outdoor equipment" installations.

Coaxial cable, even very good hardline, is usually cheaper than running outdoor electrical service to remotely located radio equipment.  Electrical code almost anywhere will demand that service be installed in conduit with weatherproof junctions, etc, and copper wiring has become pretty expensive...

WB2WIK/6

[W0FM]

Your first step should be checking with the local repeater frequency coordinator to see if there is even a repeater pair available in your area.  Many areas have a shortage of available pairs.  Hopefully, you have already done this.

As others have said, there is a LOT more to putting up a repeater.  Building it on the cheap doesn't buy you a thing if you can't get the frequency pair coordinated.  


73,

Terry, WØFM