I've read the manual and online resources about repeaters and it doesn't
give me the answers I'm looking for.
This HT is billed as having a 'dual VFO'. I assume 'VFO' means Variable
Frequency Oscillator (although the manual doesn't spell it out). I think
basically this means that it can reference and increment and decrement 2
frequencies seperately, so that it can do stuff like operate on one channel
while scanning other channels in the background and stuff like that. Also,
I think having dual VFO enables it to use repeaters that use 2 frequencies
(uplink and Tx) because obviously a repeater can't transmit on the same
frequency that it's listening on, because it would just amplify itself.
The manual for this HT says that there are 6 frequency bands that are
designated for use by repeaters in North America:
145.1-145.5 (uplink frq is 600k down),
145.6-145.8 (uplink frq is 600k down),
146.0-146.4 (uplink frq is 600k up),
146.6-147.0 (uplink frq is 600k down),
147.0-147.4 (uplink frq is 600k up),
147.6-148.0 (uplink frq is 600k down)
and the manual says that the HT is pre-programmed, at the factory, with
these split-frequencies and they are activated by turning the 'Auto Repeater
Shift' (ARS) function on.
All of the repeater bands are properly set, with the correct, 600k, split
(up or down as the case may be) --- except for 145.6 to 145.8 which is
simply not there, and when tuned to this band the unit operates in simplex
mode even with ARS turned on. All of the other repeater-designated bands
(when ARS is turned on) show the split frequency icon and operate in the
proper split frequency mode when tuned to those other designated repeater
bands.
When I tune to the 'missing' repeater band and put in a split, it doesn't
'stick', as soon as I tune away and come back it is gone. I've read the
entire manual and I can't see any way to set a repeater split over a range
of frequencies. I can program single 'odd split' frequencies as laid out on
pg 42 of the manual, but that consumes 2 memory channels, works only for a
single dual frequency, and to do the whole (145.6 to 145.8) band would
consume all my memory slots. If both VFO A and VFO B are tuned to the same
band I can 'link' them together and tuning one up or down moves the other up
or down also, but this is obviously meant to be temporary because this
setting disappears as soon as one of the VFOs is tuned outside of the band.
So my question is: how can I recover the 'missing' repeater-set
band(145.6mhz to 145.8mhz), which is supposed to be factory set to a
negative (repeater uplinks on a frequency less than it transmits on), 600khz
split?