DeoVindice
P25 Underground
Just for background: I'm a partner in a mine services company with clients across Arizona and New Mexico. Cell service on most sites is poor to nonexistent; we've had a business itinerant license for a while that has served us well for on-site communication at various mines but there is a need for wide-area communications as well. Our principal area of activity is also home to a number of small ranches that we have a very good relationship with, and they have a similar requirement for area communications. We've discussed purchasing and installing a repeater for shared use (as traffic volume is low, segregating ranch and mine traffic into TGs is logical). Tower access is available via a friend's site; it's not a mountaintop high site but regional coverage is acceptable, it's already built, and tower rent will be minimal. There's also potential to reuse a duplexer and other infrastructure from a public safety system that is being decommissioned. Originally we used analog UHF but have migrated to P25 UHF as comparative testing showed it to have superior performance in rough terrain, and secondhand public-safety-grade subscribers are readily available. Cheap Chinese radios have been demonstrated to not survive ranch/mine use.
I'm very comfortable programming portables and mobiles but repeaters are new to me, which is why I'm looking for guidance here. Mixed-mode analog/P25 is desirable as there's plenty of good analog gear; plan there would be to use transmit steering for interop. Crypto passthrough is a requirement for client confidentiality. The two main candidate units are a Quantar and an EFJ 2600. What has my attention about the EFJ is that it can be set up for VoIP - we'd all love to be able to remote into the repeater via cell phone from anywhere, or vice versa, to coordinate parts and supplies.
This brings me to my main questions: what VoIP system is best suited to this application, and what are the licensing implications of such a system? I'm considering WIA as a frequency coordinator and am familiar with the ULS.
I'm very comfortable programming portables and mobiles but repeaters are new to me, which is why I'm looking for guidance here. Mixed-mode analog/P25 is desirable as there's plenty of good analog gear; plan there would be to use transmit steering for interop. Crypto passthrough is a requirement for client confidentiality. The two main candidate units are a Quantar and an EFJ 2600. What has my attention about the EFJ is that it can be set up for VoIP - we'd all love to be able to remote into the repeater via cell phone from anywhere, or vice versa, to coordinate parts and supplies.
This brings me to my main questions: what VoIP system is best suited to this application, and what are the licensing implications of such a system? I'm considering WIA as a frequency coordinator and am familiar with the ULS.
