Table of Contents
Repeater Record Custodian (RRC)
Repeater owners, trustees, control operators, and keepers can claim and manage their repeater listing on Repeaterbook.com to help keep information accurate and up-to-date. To do this, the individual claiming the repeater must have permission from the person legally responsible for its operation. Additionally, only registered members of RepeaterBook.com are eligible to participate.
In many cases, we automatically assign registered members to Repeater Record Custodian (RRC) status if their call sign matches the repeater's. For repeaters in the U.S. and those outside the U.S. with alternative call signs, individuals can manually claim the repeater, with admin verification.
If you'd like to assume the role of RRC, you can use the “Claim Repeater” link found in the menu banner on the repeater's details page.
As an RRC, you have the ability to manage various settings, including:
- DMR talk groups – YouTube
- Operational status
- Access tones (CTCSS, DCS, Color Code, NAC, etc.)
- Signal parameters (e.g., Height ASL, AAT, Output Power, Antenna Gain, and Radiation Pattern)
- Web links
RRCs also receive automatic notifications of any updates or changes made to the repeater, including notifications related to propagation reports.
These changes can be submitted via the “Submit Update” option on the Repeater Details page.
Edit Lock
When a well-engaged Repeater Record Custodian (RRC) is actively managing a repeater, they have the option to enable Edit Lock. This feature removes the ability for anyone who isn't an RRC or admin to submit update requests for the repeater. While this does not prevent admins from making updates if the need arises, it restricts regular users from submitting changes through the request form.
RRCs may occasionally receive email requests to verify the repeater's information. It's important for RRCs to respond to these requests; otherwise, the Edit Lock may be removed and open the repeater to community change requests again. This feature is designed for highly engaged RRCs to ensure the repeater's data stays current.
On the repeater's details page, under the “Submit Update” menu, there is an RRC Management link. This allows RRCs to manage their roles, including adding or removing other RRCs. One RRC can be designated as the Primary RRC, while others serve as auxiliary RRCs. All RRCs receive notifications of any updates or changes to the repeater’s information.
Primary RRC
The primary RRC is the only RRC who can toggle the edit lock status.
RRC Edit Mode (Beta)
Starting in October 2024, a new feature is being rolled out that expands the ability of Repeater Record Custodians (RRCs) to manage their repeater's listing, allowing them to edit more data than ever before.
To access this feature, RRCs must be logged in and viewing a repeater for which they are assigned as an RRC. Under the Submit Update menu, select RRC Edit Mode On. After selecting this, the menu item will change to RRC Edit Mode Off to reflect the action the button will perform, not the current mode. You’ll know that the edit mode is active when pencil icons appear next to some data fields in the repeater's listing.
Clicking a pencil icon will open a pop-up edit window. Make sure your browser allows pop-ups from RepeaterBook; otherwise, the feature might not work correctly.
Once you’ve made your edits, click the “Close Window” button. The pop-up will close, and the details page will refresh, showing the updated information.
Updatable Data
Information that can be edit includes:
Uplink Tones and Downlink Tones
These are the analog and digital “PL” tones. You can change the uplink and downlink tones. You can also click a box to “Hide Tones.” Why would you hide the tones instead of just removing them completely? Admins are the only users who can see the tones. If they need them to verify the operational status of the repeater, especially if it hasn't been reviewed in a year or so, they need the tones to key the repeater and verify its existence. The tones are not displayed anywhere else on the website and are not exported. When they are hidden, they are hidden.
Use
The use status of a repeater—whether Open, Closed, or Private—determines who is allowed to use it:
- Open: The repeater is free for anyone to use without any restrictions.
- Closed: The repeater is limited to a specific club or group. Permission is usually required from the group before using it.
- Private: This is the most restrictive status, typically meaning the repeater is privately funded. Membership, often paid, is required to use the repeater.
These statuses help users understand the accessibility and usage policies of the repeater.
Operational Status
The operational status of a repeater—whether On-Air, Off-Air, Testing, or Archived—is a key data point that sets RepeaterBook apart from other repeater directories. After all, a listing is only useful if the repeater is actually available for use.
- On-Air: The repeater is operating normally.
- Off-Air: The repeater is temporarily off-air.
- Testing: The repeater is on or off the air intermittently or is having some technical issue affecting transmit and receive.
- Archive: A repeater marked as Archived is out of service, either permanently or for the long term. However, archived repeaters can be reactivated and returned to service at a later date without needing to create a new record. Repeaters that remain in the archived status for two years are permanently removed from the database.
Operating Modes
In the past, any repeater that wasn't digital was automatically considered an FM Analog repeater. However, that is no longer the case. Now, all repeaters must be assigned a specific operational mode, even if it's just FM. At least one operational mode must always be active.
For example, if a repeater currently shows FM and is being changed to Yaesu System Fusion, the FM mode must not be deselected before activating the new mode. If the FM mode is deselected before adding Yaesu System Fusion, the repeater would temporarily have no operating mode, which is not allowed. To prevent this, the system will show an error message if an RRC tries to remove FM without selecting a new mode. The RRC must first enable the new mode (e.g., Yaesu System Fusion) before deselecting FM.
This process ensures that a repeater always has at least one operational mode assigned.
Analog FM
The repeater's operational mode can be toggled on or off by checking or unchecking the corresponding checkbox. Additionally, the bandwidth of the signal can also be selected. The two bandwidth options are:
- Wideband: 25.0 MHz, which is the standard bandwidth for most repeaters and amateur radio equipment.
- Narrowband: 12.5 MHz, which is less common but still used in some cases.
These settings allow for greater flexibility in defining the repeater's operating characteristics and ensure that the repeater conforms to the correct signal bandwidth.
DMR
The repeater's operational mode can be toggled on or off by checking or unchecking the corresponding checkbox. Additionally, you can add the color code (CC) and the DMR ID. The DMR ID must be a repeater ID issued by RadioID.net—it cannot be a personal ID assigned to an individual user. You can also select the IPSC (Interconnected Packet Switched Network).
The DMR ID is essential to fully utilize other features RepeaterBook can provide for the listing.
When the DMR ID is entered, RepeaterBook queries RadioID.net in real-time to retrieve the information entered by the record holder on that site. This includes displaying details like the IPSC and talkgroup information.
Selecting the correct IPSC is important. If the selected IPSC is BrandMeister, RepeaterBook will query BrandMeister to show the currently connected talkgroups to the repeater.
RRCs can choose an IPSC from a dropdown menu of known IPSCs. If the IPSC is not BrandMeister, the IPSC is typically the common name of the server or group hosting the repeater's talkgroups (e.g., PNW-Digital, TGIF, DMR-Texas, etc.). If the IPSC is not listed, please email the admin to have it added.
Talkgroup data cannot be manually entered on RepeaterBook. All talkgroup information is hosted by RadioID.net or BrandMeister. When your information is updated on those sites, it is automatically transferred to RepeaterBook in real-time.
D-Star
The repeater's operational mode can be toggled on or off by checking or unchecking the corresponding checkbox.
Additionally, you can add the Controller Area Network (CAN) to access the repeater.
M-17
The repeater's operational mode can be toggled on or off by checking or unchecking the corresponding checkbox.
Additionally, you can add the type of D-Star node is available.
- Repeater: Stand-alone repeater
- Gateway Repeater: Internet connected repeater
- Hotspot 24/7: Multi-mode, low-powered personal simplex node, continuously available
- Hotspot <24/7: Multi-mode, low-powered personal simplex node available less than continuously available
- DVAP 24/7: Digital Voice Access Point is a personal hotspot.
- DVAP <24/7: Digital Voice Access Point is a personal hotspot.
P-25
NXDN
Tetra
Yaesu System Fusion
The repeater's operational mode can be toggled on or off by checking or unchecking the corresponding checkbox.
An additional button is present to add or remove Digital Group Identifications (DG-IDs), used for groups. DG-ID info from John Kruk