VE6DOK Search
Start Here

All Project Sites Results

Repeaters Explained

Get Started

Repeaters Explained

What a repeater is, how to set your radio to use one, and why it sometimes doesn’t work. Written for new operators with a handheld or mobile radio.

A radio on a hilltop that passes your signal along

A handheld radio on its own might reach a few kilometres, less with buildings or hills in the way. A repeater is a radio station sitting somewhere high, on a tower, a building or a hilltop. It listens on one frequency and instantly re-transmits what it hears on another, with more power and a much better antenna. Suddenly your little handheld is heard across the city, or across the region.

The four settings that matter

  • Output frequency: what the repeater transmits on, and what you listen to. Repeaters are listed by this number.
  • Offset: how far your transmit frequency is from the output. On 2 metres it’s usually 600 kHz up or down; on 70 cm it’s usually 5 MHz.
  • Tone (CTCSS): a sub-audible tone your radio sends to open the repeater. Without the right tone, the repeater ignores you.
  • Mode: most repeaters are analogue FM. Some are digital (DMR, Wires-X/C4FM, D-STAR), and some are both.

Most modern radios fill in the offset automatically. The tone is the setting people most often miss.

How to make your first call

  • Listen first, for a few minutes, to hear how people use that repeater.
  • Press, pause half a second, then speak: “VE6XYZ listening.” Let go and wait.
  • Leave a gap between overs. The pause lets someone with emergency traffic break in.
  • Keep it short. Most repeaters time out after about three minutes of continuous talking.

Why it sometimes doesn’t work

  • Wrong tone or offset: you hear the repeater fine, but it never answers.
  • Weak signal in: you can hear the repeater’s big signal, but it can’t hear your small one. Try a better antenna, more height, or stepping outside.
  • Terrain: coulees, hills and buildings block VHF and UHF. Moving a few metres can make the difference.
  • The stock antenna: the rubber antenna that comes with most handhelds is a compromise. A better one is the cheapest upgrade in ham radio.

Local example: the VE6DOK repeater in Lethbridge is on 442.075 MHz with a +5 MHz offset, and no tone is needed. It runs both FM and Wires-X, so you can use it with a regular FM radio or a Yaesu digital radio.

Where to go next

Last updated October 2026.