There is no set rule about spacing of input and output frequencies for all radio repeaters. Any spacing where the designer can get sufficient isolation between receiver and transmitter will work.
In some countries, under some radio services, there are agreed-on conventions or separations that are required by the system license. In the case of input and output frequencies in the United States, for example:
- Amateur repeaters in the 144–148 MHz band usually use a 600 kHz (0.6 MHz) separation, in the 1.25-meter band use a 1.6 MHz separation, in the 420–450 MHz band use a 5 MHz separation, and in the 902–928 MHz band use a 25 MHz separation.
- Systems in the 450–470 MHz band use a 5 MHz separation with the input on the higher frequency. Example: input is 456.900 MHz; output is 451.900 MHz.
- Systems in the 806–869 MHz band use a 45 MHz separation with the input on the lower frequency. Example: input is 810.1875 MHz; output is 855.1875 MHz.
- Military systems are suggested to use no less than a 10 MHz spacing.
Same band frequencies
Same band repeaters operate with input and output frequencies in the same frequency band. For example, in US two-way radio, 30–50 MHz is one band and 150–174 MHz is another. A repeater with an input of 33.980 MHz and an output of 46.140 MHz is a same band repeater.
In same band repeaters, a central design problem is keeping the repeater's own transmitter from interfering with the receiver. Reducing the coupling between transmitter and input frequency receiver is called isolation.
Duplexer system
In same-band repeaters, isolation between transmitter and receiver can be created by using a single antenna and a device called a duplexer. The device is a tuned filter connected to the antenna. In this example, consider a type of device called a band-pass duplexer. It allows, or passes, a band, (or a narrow range,) of frequencies.
In general, isolating the receiver from the transmitter is made easier by maximizing, as much as possible, the separation between input and output frequencies.
There are two legs to the duplexer filter, one is tuned to pass the input frequency, the other is tuned to pass the output frequency. Both legs of the filter are coupled to the antenna. The repeater receiver is connected to the receive leg while the transmitter is connected to the transmit leg. The duplexer prevents degradation of the receiver sensitivity by the transmitter in two ways. First, the receive leg greatly attenuates the transmitter's carrier at the receiver input (typically by 90-100 dB), preventing the carrier from overloading (blocking) the receiver front end. Second, the transmit leg attenuates the transmitter broadband noise on the receiver frequency, also typically by 90-100 dB. By virtue of the transmitter and receiver being on different frequencies, they can operate at the same time on a single antenna.