WYOMING SURVIVAL: TYT UV8000E Repeater Function

Originally written by my friend T1P and posted on his site, Wyoming Survival. -NCS

First off I do not recommend using a repeater for tactical use . If you have been following my writings you know I am all about lowering your RF signature. Using a repeater expands your RF signature and is a big NO NO in the tactical realm.

Now having said that there could be some situations where you need to setup your own repeater and thats what I’m going to discuss today. Some examples could possibly be Search & Rescue, hunting party, or even out camping. First off what is a repeater?

From Wikipedia: In telecommunications, a repeater is an electronic device that receives a signal and retransmits it. Repeaters are used to extend transmissions so that the signal can cover longer distances or be received on the other side of an obstruction.

We will be dealing with a cross band repeater.

From Wikipedia: Crossband (cross-band, cross band) operation is a method of telecommunication in which a radio station receives signals on one frequency and simultaneously transmits on another for the purpose of full duplex communication or signal relay.

The radio we will be using is the TYT UV8000E. It is a 10 watt dual band radio that have a cross band repeater feature which makes it a great addition to your comms plan.

On this radio we are mainly concerned about 2 menu options. First is menu 6 and then menu 11. Menu 6 gives you both frequencies on top and bottom of the screen at the same time. You want menu 6 selected to “ON”

Next is menu 11. Menu 11 says TURN. You want that selected to “ON” also. With those 2 options selected on MY radio the cross band repeater is working. Then all you need to do is have your radios programmed to the TX/RX frequency that is punched into the TYT radio.

Using the picture below we will say our TYT UV8000E Repeater on the mountain has the frequencies of 151.820 on the top line and 462.5625 on the bottom line. The car to the left of this picture would have 151.820 programmed into thier radio and the car on the right side would have 462.5625 programmed into theirs. All they have to do then is talk as normal and the repeater will relay from their frequency to the other frequency and vice versa.

This is a pretty simple repeater setup that would be a great addition to your comms kit.

By NC ScoutPublished On: December 14, 2021Categories: AP Staff, Comms3 Comments

About the Author: NC Scout

NC Scout is the nom de guerre of a former Infantry Scout and Sergeant in one of the Army’s best Reconnaissance Units. He has combat tours in both Iraq and Afghanistan. He teaches a series of courses focusing on small unit skills rarely if ever taught anywhere else in the prepping and survival field, including his RTO Course which focuses on small unit communications. In his free time he is an avid hunter, bushcrafter, writer, long range shooter, prepper, amateur radio operator and Libertarian activist. He can be contacted at [email protected] or via his blog at brushbeater.wordpress.com .

3 Comments

Eric December 14, 2021 at 09:45

There are other radios that do the same thing. The Wouxun KG-UV8D https://amzn.to/3oRXm1W has both 1 way ad 2 way cross band repeat. Some mobiles will also do this, such as the Kenwood TM-V71A https://amzn.to/3DY4RJ0 – Which have the benefit of more power than the handhelds will provide. It can also run for a longer time off of a car battery.
Joe December 14, 2021 at 10:42

“Using a repeater expands your RF signature and is a big NO NO in the tactical realm.” Unless that is the point.
Tunnel+Rabbit December 14, 2021 at 11:33

Wish I could afford a nice cross band repeater at this time, but I do have access to several. If absolutely necessary, one could always resort to the old Boafeng trick. Of course it would be for only a temporary situation. The advantage here would be that the transmitting Boafeng could be on a directional antenna, but we’d need 4 Boafengs. The advantage there is that two separate RX/TX frequencies could be used.