Repeater Controllers and Repeater Systems
Repeater Controllers and Repeater Systems
The RC210 was designed to make interfacing to just about any radio/repeater (either Amateur or Commercial) as easy as possible. Fully adjustable RX & TX audio levels as well as Active High/Active Low selection for COS and CTCSS logic levels make it a snap!
No. All new RC210s, whether kit or fully assembled & tested, come with all the latest upgrades already.
The RC210 is a 3 Port design. Each Port may be used with a repeater, half/full duplex/simplex link or Remote Base radio.
No. The RC210 was designed to work with external CTCSS units, whether they're part of the repeater/radio being used or an independent unit (such a Masters Communications).
PC boards prior to Version 3.1 had 2 separate ground connections (Analog Ground and Digital Ground) to eliminate the possibility of digital noise appearing on the audio signals of the RC210. As such, on these earlier boards, both grounds MUST be connected or the controller will malfunction.
On newer boards (Version 3.1 and later), there is only one actual ground connection, even though there are still 2 ground pins on the power connector. Either one may be used
This was changed because the added ground plane on the top and bottom of the pc board have eliminated the threat of digital noise being superimposed on the audio signals.
When you first power up (or otherwise start up) the RC210, Port 3's green COS LED should flash for about 1 second. During this time, other LEDS may or may not be on and that doesn't matter.
After the flashing stops, Port 1's RED LED should be lit while Port 1 transmits out the Startup Message and (optionally) runs Macro 1. When that is complete, the controller will speak "Ready" and Port 1's transmitter will drop. At this point, the RC210 is ready to use.
While not absolutely necessary, it suggested that Port 1 always be used for a repeater.
This is due to the fact that the RC210 sends its Startup Message only out Port 1 and that message includes the currently installed version firmware.
Entered DTMF commands are, by default, evaluated when the COS signal disappears (this means when the user unkeys). If you have your controller configured to require tone for DTMF and you're not supplying a tone signal input for that Port, your commands will never be evaluated and appear not to work.
Or you may be using a Site Prefix and are not entering that first.
If your controller uses the older processor (ATMega128), the onboard DVR time cannot be extended. If your controller uses the newer processor (ATMega2561), depending on the DVR integrated circuit installed, might be capable of twice the amount of time
That means that your COS and/or CTCSS Polarity Jjumper settings on the RC210 board are backwards. That is to say they're set opposite of what they should be. See page 7 of the RC210 Hardware Manual to determine the proper settings.
Due to leakage in some transistors used in the RC210, some LEDs may glow dimly at times. This is nothing to worry about and won't affect operation at all.
Both the A/D (Analog) inputs, as well as the Alarm (Logic) inputs are protected against overvoltage up to 50 volts DC. However, do not apply either a negative or AC voltage to any input!
As of version 3.0 of the pc board, we added some filtering to reduce digital noise that might have been superimposed on the RC210's audio. Shortly after we released the version 3.0a pc board, the manufacturer of the MT8806 Audio Crosspoint Switch IC that is used, changed ownership. For whatever reason, something changed in the part and the filtering network we added (consisting of R49 and C40) provided a time constant that allowed parasitic devices on the IC's substrate to "fire", causing the IC to draw massive amounts of current. This causes the IC, which in normal operation runs cool to the touch) to heat up to the point it will burn your fingers. If this happens, the IC is damaged and needs to be replaced.
The fix to prevent this from happening is simple - replace R49 with a wire jumper and the time constant no longer exists. This significantly reduces the chance these parasitic devices will fire.