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Cross-band Repeat

Radio

Cross-band Repeat

Use the dual-band radio in your truck or RV as a personal relay, so a small handheld can reach a repeater it could never hit on its own.

What it does

Many dual-band mobile radios have a cross-band repeat feature. The radio listens on one band and retransmits on the other, at full mobile power and through a proper outside antenna. Your handheld talks to the mobile on, say, 70 cm, and the mobile passes it on to the repeater or another station on 2 m, and back again.

The classic example is the campsite or the job site. A 5-watt handheld inside a trailer or down by the river won’t reach the repeater, but the 50-watt radio in the truck with a roof antenna will. Cross-band repeat lets you walk around with the handheld and still be on the air through the truck.

Setting it up

  • Check your radio: look for “cross-band repeat” in the manual. Many Yaesu, Kenwood and Icom dual-band mobiles have it; some need a simple modification.
  • Pick your two frequencies: one is the frequency you actually want to use, such as a local repeater. The other is a link frequency between your handheld and the mobile, chosen in a quiet part of the band that isn’t used by a repeater or a net.
  • Use tones on the link: set a CTCSS tone on the link frequency so only your handheld can key the mobile. Without it, noise or another station can bring up your relay.
  • Turn on the timeout timer: it stops the mobile from transmitting forever if something gets stuck.
  • Watch the heat: repeating is a lot of transmitting. Use medium power if you can, and give the radio airflow.

Rules and responsibility

  • You are the control operator for everything the mobile transmits, so stay within reach of the handheld and be able to shut it down.
  • Identify on both frequencies. Many radios do it automatically, but check.
  • Don’t leave it running when you’re not using it. An unattended relay that gets keyed by something else is a problem for everyone on that frequency.
  • Stay off frequencies coordinated for repeaters and links.

A local example

From a campsite out of range of town, set the mobile’s 70 cm side to the VE6DOK repeater on 442.075 MHz with the +5 MHz offset, and put the link on a quiet 2 m simplex frequency with a tone. Your handheld now reaches Lethbridge from wherever the truck can.

Where to go next

Last updated October 2026.