General question about Kenwood OTAP

[G4RKY]

Hi everyone,

My first post on here so please be gentle if I step out of line!!

I'm about to build a brand new Kenwood system, that I need to change the frequencies of 300+ radios every 2nd week. OTAP would be great for me!

However, the system will be DMR, not Nexedge. We're using NX-3300's.

My question is this. As there is currently no Kenwood OTAP for DMR, is it possible to have one channel in NXDN mode for OTAP only and use this with the KPG-180 package to re-program the DMR channels on the 3300's?

I had a search through here first and couldn't find anything, so apologies if this has already been asked.

Kind regards and happy new year to all!

Matt

 

[mmckenna]

Not with the NX-3xxx radios. They will only do one digital mode at a time. Since it sounds like you have them set up for DMR, you won't be able to put an NXDN channel in them unless you wipe the radio.

If you were using purely NXDN, or an NX-5xxx radio that does allow NXDN and DMR at the same time, then, yes, you could do that.

 

[mmckenna]

I'll add….

With Kenwood producing DMR radios, and recently buying up Radio Activity for the DMR Tier 3, I suspect that at some point down the road you will either see KPG-180 updated to support DMR, or a DMR specific product.

But, no, at this time, not possible with those products, not the way you have them set up.

 

[G4RKY]

I'll add….

With Kenwood producing DMR radios, and recently buying up Radio Activity for the DMR Tier 3, I suspect that at some point down the road you will either see KPG-180 updated to support DMR, or a DMR specific product.

But, no, at this time, not possible with those products, not the way you have them set up.

Many thanks for the info and rapid reply.

I'm not sure if I'm going to have any of the NX-5000s on the fleet yet but i do believe the radio active repeaters are being supplied. I'll know more next month or so when it all gets delivered.

I'm sure I'll have many more questions once I get my hands on the CPS and start to make the codeplugs!

Thanks again and happy New Year!

Matt

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[mmckenna]

I see you are in the UK, so it would be interesting to see the RadioActivity units and if Kenwood dealers are using those local to you. Look like interesting units.

Here in the USA, Kenwood is selling the TKR-Dx10 DMR repeaters as of now. I haven't seen the RadioActivity models on any of their pricing (yet).

 

[mtindor]

I'm about to build a brand new Kenwood system, that I need to change the frequencies of 300+ radios every 2nd week. OTAP would be great for me!

I have to ask out of curiosity. You have to change the frequencies in the radios every month? In an effort to thwart scanner listeners I'm guessing? Interesting.

Mike

 

[slicerwizard]

I assume it's as new channels or sites are added.

 

[Cameron314]

May not be the best system design if you have to reprogram every couple weeks...

 

[G4RKY]

I have to ask out of curiosity. You have to change the frequencies in the radios every month? In an effort to thwart scanner listeners I'm guessing? Interesting.

Mike

Hi Mike

No nothing that exciting! It's a system that moves around the World from country to country. So in each location the licensed frequencies change and often the size and direction of the duplex split!

The tuning screws on the duplexers get quite worn as they are brass!!

Matt


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[G4RKY]

May not be the best system design if you have to reprogram every couple weeks...

Sadly I don't get to choose!

But if the rumours elsewhere on here are true about a Kenwood Tier III system then great! OTAP with that will be good for me!

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[G4RKY]

Hi Mike,

No its not about listeners or anything that interesting!

This system moves to a different country around the World every 2nd week and so the licensed frequencies are different.

Sometimes, the duplex split and direction also changes!

The brass tuning screws on the bandpass duplexers are becoming delicate!

Regards

Matt

 

[kayn1n32008]

Hi Mike,

No its not about listeners or anything that interesting!

This system moves to a different country around the World every 2nd week and so the licensed frequencies are different.

Sometimes, the duplex split and direction also changes!

The brass tuning screws on the bandpass duplexers are becoming delicate!

Regards

Matt

Automotive racing?

 

[G4RKY]

Automotive racing?

Almost right, its Bikes!

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[kayn1n32008]

Almost right, its Bikes!

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That would have been my second guess.

Pretty sure I have listened to you guys when in Alberta. Usually IC asks us what 440-450MHz amateur frequencies we want protected, because everyone on the tour is from Europe and is looking for allocations in that range. Its tough here because the 406-430MHZ and 450-470MHz is heavily used for voice and SCADA, that it is hard to find frequencies to use province wide for the Tour event. They end up putting folk in 440-450MHz and above 470MHz(one year above 500MHz)

 

[mtindor]

Hi Mike,

No its not about listeners or anything that interesting!

This system moves to a different country around the World every 2nd week and so the licensed frequencies are different.

Sometimes, the duplex split and direction also changes!

The brass tuning screws on the bandpass duplexers are becoming delicate!

Regards

Matt

Matt,

Very cool, and absolutely not the answer I expected. Sounds like fun!

Mike

 

[racingfan360]

However, the system will be DMR, not Nexedge. We're using NX-3300's.

Hi Matt,

Just curious....Is there a particular reason why you have chosen to go DMR and not NXDN, given your need for OTAP? What is constraining you to go DMR, if indeed there is a constraint?

Jim

 

[G4RKY]

Hi Jim,

The reason for opting for DMR instead of NXDN is because effectively, with DMR you get 2 repeaters in one box and frequency pair. This is important for us.

Up to now, we were using 3 DMR and 20 FM repeaters so, we needed 23 duplex pairs ( i.e. 46 frequencies) to operate them to get enough channels for our system. To license all these frequencies in all the different countries around the world that we visit costs a fortune when you add it up over a year!

So with the change to all DMR this year, we will need only 13 duplex pairs (one of our systems must remain on FM due to their special requirements of a mixed audio feed from a number of sources that caused the AMBE coder to spit its dummy!!) so with DMR on the remaining 12 duplex pairs we get 24 slots available with half of the equipment and therefore half the weight for shipping.

Ultimately, we will move to a Tier III system, and hopefully be able to think about reducing the number of channels again at that point depending on a usage study which will take place later on.

Regards,
Matt

 

[racingfan360]

Ok thanks Matt: I suspected you might say something like that.

I was going to suggest having a think about using the radios in NXDN Very Narrow 6.25khz mode, but with 3.125khz channel offsets to squeeze all the capacity into the [smaller number of] licensed bandwidth/frequencies. NXDN actually works quite well for this. However, what it wouldn't help resolve is the number of repeaters required, and thus the shipping weight/cost benefit you get with DMR.

Jim

 

[G4RKY]

Matt,

Very cool, and absolutely not the answer I expected. Sounds like fun!

Mike

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