In telecommunications, a repeater is an electronic device that receives a signal and retransmits it.

Repeaters are used to extend transmissions so that the signal can cover longer distances or be
received on the other side of an obstruction.
Some types of repeaters broadcast an identical signal, but alter its method of transmission, for
example, on another frequency or baud rate.
There are several different types of repeaters; a telephone repeater is an amplifier in a telephone
line, an optical repeater is an optoelectronic circuit that amplifies the light beam in an optical fiber
cable; and a radio repeater is a radio receiver and transmitter that retransmits a radio signal.
A broadcast relay station is a repeater used in broadcast radio and television.

Contents
[hide]

1Overview

2Types
o

2.1Telephone repeater

2.2Optical communications repeater

2.3Radio repeater

3Data handling
o

3.1Analog repeater

3.2Digital repeater

4Telephone repeater

5See also

6References

7External links

Overview[edit]

When an information-bearing signal passes through a communication channel, it is progressively

degraded due to loss of power. For example, when a telephone call passes through a wiretelephone
line, some of the power in the electric current which represents the audio signal is dissipated as heat
in the resistance of the copper wire. The longer the wire is, the more power is lost, and the smaller
the amplitude of the signal at the far end. So with a long enough wire the call will not be audible at
the other end. Similarly, the farther from a radio station a receiver is, the weaker the radio signal, and
the poorer the reception. A repeater is an electronic device in a communication channel that
increases the power of a signal and retransmits it, allowing it to travel further. Since it amplifies the
signal, it requires a source of electric power.
The term "repeater" originated with telegraphy in the 19th century, and referred to
an electromechanical device (a relay) used to regenerate telegraph signals.[1] Use of the term has
continued in telephony and data communications.
In computer networking, because repeaters work with the actual physical signal, and do not attempt
to interpret the data being transmitted, they operate on the physical layer, the first layer of the OSI
model.

Types[edit]

Telephone repeater[edit]
This is used to increase the range of telephone signals in a telephone line. They are most frequently
used in trunklines that carry long distance calls. In an analog telephone line consisting of a pair of
wires, it consists of an amplifier circuit made of transistors which use power from a DC current
source to increase the power of the alternating current audio signal on the line. Since the telephone
is a duplex (bidirectional) communication system, the wire pair carries two audio signals, one going
in each direction. So telephone repeaters have to be bilateral, amplifying the signal in both directions
without causing feedback, which complicates their design considerably. Telephone repeaters were
the first type of repeater and were some of the first applications of amplification. The development of
telephone repeaters between 1900 and 1915 made long distance phone service possible. However
most telecommunications cables are now fiber optic cables which use optical repeaters (below).

Submarine cable repeater

This is a type of telephone repeater used in underwater submarine telecommunications cables.

Optical communications repeater[edit]

Main article: Optical communications repeater
This is used to increase the range of signals in a fiber optic cable. Digital information travels
through a fiber optic cable in the form of short pulses of light. The light is made up of particles
called photons, which can be absorbed or scattered in the fiber. An optical communications
repeater usually consists of a phototransistor which converts the light pulses to an electrical
signal, an amplifier to increase the power of the signal, an electronic filter which reshapes the

pulses, and a laser which converts the electrical signal to light again and sends it out the other
fiber. However, optical amplifiers are being developed for repeaters to amplify the light itself
without the need of converting it to an electric signal first. Some repeaters have been powered
by light energy transmitted down the fiber with the signal.

Radio repeater[edit]
This is used to extend the range of coverage of a radio signal. A radio repeater usually consists
of a radio receiver connected to a radio transmitter. The received signal is amplified and
retransmitted, often on another frequency, to provide coverage beyond the obstruction. Usage of
a duplexer can allow the repeater to use one antenna for both receive and transmit at the same
time.

Broadcast relay station, rebroadcastor or translator: This is a repeater used to

extend the coverage of a radio or television broadcasting station. It consists of a
secondary radio or television transmitter. The signal from the main transmitter often
comes over leased telephone lines or by microwave relay.

Microwave relay: This is a specialized point-to-point telecommunications link, consisting

of a microwave receiver that receives information over a beam of microwaves from
another relay station in line-of-sight distance, and a microwave transmitter which passes
the information on to the next station over another beam of microwaves. Networks of
microwave relay stations transmit telephone calls, television programs, and computer
data from one city to another over continent-wide areas.

Passive repeater: This is a microwave relay that simply consists of a flat metal surface
to reflect the microwave beam in another direction. It is used to get microwave relay
signals over hills and mountains when it is not necessary to amplify the signal.

Cellular repeater: This is a radio repeater for boosting cell phone reception in a limited
area. The device functions like a small cellular base station, with a directional antenna to
receive the signal from the nearest cell tower, an amplifier, and a local antenna to
rebroadcast the signal to nearby cell phones. It is often used in downtown office
buildings.

Digipeater: A repeater node in a packet radio network. It performs a store and

forward function, passing on packets of information from one node to another.

Data handling[edit]
Repeaters can be divided into two types depending on the type of data they
handle:

Analog repeater[edit]
This type is used in channels that transmit data in the form of an analog
signal in which the voltage or current is proportional to the amplitude of the

signal, as in an audio signal. They are also used in trunklines that transmit
multiple signals using frequency division multiplexing (FDM). Analog
repeaters are composed of a linear amplifier, and may include electronic
filters to compensate for frequency and phase distortion in the line.

Digital repeater[edit]
The digipeater is used in channels that transmit data by binary digital
signals, in which the data is in the form of pulses with only two possible
values, representing the binary digits 1 and 0. A digital repeater amplifies
the signal, and it also may retime, resynchronize, and reshape the pulses. A
repeater that performs the retiming or resynchronizing functions may be
called aregenerator.

Telephone repeater[edit]
Before the invention of electronic amplifiers, mechanically coupled carbon
microphones were used as amplifiers in telephone repeaters. After the turn
of the century it was found that negative resistance mercury lamps could
amplify, and they were used.[2] The invention of audion tube repeaters
around 1916 made transcontinental telephony practical. In the
1930svacuum tube repeaters using hybrid coils became commonplace,
allowing the use of thinner wires. In the 1950s negative impedance gain
devices were more popular, and a transistorizedversion called the E6
repeater was the final major type used in the Bell System before the low
cost of digital transmission made all voiceband repeaters
obsolete. Frequency froggingrepeaters were commonplace in frequencydivision multiplexing systems from the middle to late 20th century...

See also[edit]

12-channel carrier system

ADSL loop extender

Cellular repeater

Complementary ground component

Fiber media converter

PLC carrier repeating station

Repeater insertion in integrated circuits

Signal strength

Transponder

Wireless Distribution System

Wireless repeater

References[edit]
1.

Jump up^ Loring, A. E. (1878). A Hand-book of the Electro-Magnetic

Telegraph. New York: D. Van Nostrand. pp. 5354.

2.

Jump up^ Sungook, Hong (2001). Wireless: From Marconi's Black-Box to

the Audion. MIT Press. p. 165. ISBN 0262082985.

External links[edit]

The Bell system technical journal: Repeaters and Equalizers for the SD
Submarine Cable System

Amateur Radio Repeaters in India

Amateur Radio Repeaters in Europe