• To anyone looking to acquire commercial radio programming software:

    Please do not make requests for copies of radio programming software which is sold (or was sold) by the manufacturer for any monetary value. All requests will be deleted and a forum infraction issued. Making a request such as this is attempting to engage in software piracy and this forum cannot be involved or associated with this activity. The same goes for any private transaction via Private Message. Even if you attempt to engage in this activity in PM's we will still enforce the forum rules. Your PM's are not private and the administration has the right to read them if there's a hint to criminal activity.

    If you are having trouble legally obtaining software please state so. We do not want any hurt feelings when your vague post is mistaken for a free request. It is YOUR responsibility to properly word your request.

    To obtain Motorola software see the Sticky in the Motorola forum.

    The various other vendors often permit their dealers to sell the software online (i.e., Kenwood). Please use Google or some other search engine to find a dealer that sells the software. Typically each series or individual radio requires its own software package. Often the Kenwood software is less than $100 so don't be a cheapskate; just purchase it.

    For M/A Com/Harris/GE, etc: there are two software packages that program all current and past radios. One package is for conventional programming and the other for trunked programming. The trunked package is in upwards of $2,500. The conventional package is more reasonable though is still several hundred dollars. The benefit is you do not need multiple versions for each radio (unlike Motorola).

    This is a large and very visible forum. We cannot jeopardize the ability to provide the RadioReference services by allowing this activity to occur. Please respect this.

SSTV for Commercial/Public Safety Use

Status
Not open for further replies.

k7bpg

Member
Joined
Sep 11, 2016
Messages
27
Location
Oregon
Hello,

I am trying to figure out a way to monitor a couple of my solar radio sites without having to have microwave or cellular links available for cameras. I found Kenwood's System, and it seems like it would work and looks easy enough to setup. I was wondering though if any one else has used similar equipment or other equipment to accomplish sending images over the air much like SSTV on the Amateur side of radio, but on the commercial/Public Safety side.

Main reason I want to be able to view my sites is during the winter to check on the snow level. Helps when judging how to get to a site when you can have a better "picture" of what your getting into beforehand. Sites are also on public land so it would be good for keeping an eye on things that way as well.
 

ka3aaa

Member
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Jan 27, 2008
Messages
1,284
Location
middletown, pa.
Any good ccd web based camera system will do just what you want it to do once its set up. One of the clubs i belong to has 20 cameras scattered around and all are web viewable from one site.
 

k7bpg

Member
Joined
Sep 11, 2016
Messages
27
Location
Oregon
Unfortunately I do not have any service, either cellular or microwave, for internet at the sites I want to put some cameras at. Wasn't sure if there were other ideas out there for pushing images over radio like you can with SSTV. Kenwood option looks good, but still looking for other options as well if they exist.

Also wondering if I could just push sstv over vhf or uhf commercial freq as well.
 

TampaTyron

Beep Boop, Beep Boop
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Feb 1, 2010
Messages
1,091
Location
Phoenix, AZ
In the commercial radio industry we dont use anything like you describe. They are IP (over fiber/microwave/vsat/DSL/cable/network or analog (typically over customer microwave or rarely T1). Try it and let us know if it works.....TT
 

k7bpg

Member
Joined
Sep 11, 2016
Messages
27
Location
Oregon
TT

I laughed a bit when you said rarely over T1. My entire radio system rides on T1 circuits still. New ip based microwave is coming, but in public service money is tight. I am thinking of putting in a small ubiquity link to my solar site from a larger hub site. Would be cheaper and more straight forward at this point I think.
 

mmckenna

I ♥ Ø
Joined
Jul 27, 2005
Messages
23,615
Location
Hiding in a coffee shop.
I've seen the NXDN system in use, I assume that is what you are referring to.
It would work fine for what you need, but you'll need a frequency and the equipment. May not be a cheap solution. Might be cheaper to do cellular, if it's an option. Or, consider something like ViaSat or whatever name they are working under now for a basic IP link. For a short term solution until your microwave system goes in, it might be a solution.

The amateur SSTV on a Part 90 frequency might be an option, however you'd need to put some work into it to make it send periodic photos, or it would drain your battery system quickly.

Using Ubiquity for a public safety radio link would be something to carefully consider. No protection if you are using 2.4GHz or 5.8GHz frequencies.

On the other hand, if you were going to use Ubiquity just for the video system, that might be a good solution. I had a coworker that was doing that on some of his property.
 

k7bpg

Member
Joined
Sep 11, 2016
Messages
27
Location
Oregon
Ya, the nxdn solution was what I was looking at. Once I started to see the prices though, made me start rethinking the idea again. Almost $3k just to get one camera setup going with all the equip plus new freq.

The ubiquity would be stand alone just for the camera. Definitely no public safety traffic. Both sites are also deep in back country, one on locked private timber land. So it wouldn't be too accessible to malicious people trying to tap off the signal.

Thanks for the info, helps in my search for ideas.
 

k9wkj

Member
Joined
Feb 18, 2015
Messages
426
Location
where they make the cheese
reminds me of what India did with one of their spacecraft
it is expensive to setup telemetry links for everything they wanted to keep track of
on the spacecraft
so they used a high end camera to watch the dials and a analog link back to earth
saved money, was simple and easy
 

mmckenna

I ♥ Ø
Joined
Jul 27, 2005
Messages
23,615
Location
Hiding in a coffee shop.
Ya, the nxdn solution was what I was looking at. Once I started to see the prices though, made me start rethinking the idea again. Almost $3k just to get one camera setup going with all the equip plus new freq.

The ubiquity would be stand alone just for the camera. Definitely no public safety traffic. Both sites are also deep in back country, one on locked private timber land. So it wouldn't be too accessible to malicious people trying to tap off the signal.

Thanks for the info, helps in my search for ideas.


Yeah, those NXDN units are pricey.

I've got a remote site where 3 UHF repeaters are spread out to provide coverage. Each repeater is linked via IP. At each site we have a solar panel, batteries, the repeater and a Meraki radio to link into the network. No cameras, though, but we've tossed the idea around.
With properly designed solar system, battery sizing and a line of sight, it's a cheap solution for non-public safety use.
One of our sites is not in the line of sight of any of the others, so adding a smaller site with a smaller battery/solar panel to just drive two Meraki radios back to back has worked.
 

bharvey2

Member
Joined
Mar 12, 2014
Messages
1,842
Depending upon the distance and terrain, wi-fi IP might work and could probably be had for reasonable cost. If it's dedicated to your camera video traffic. the usual wireless IP security should be adequate.
 

vagrant

ker-muhj-uhn
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Nov 19, 2005
Messages
3,149
Location
California
If you just want the occasional snapshot, I remember this project someone did with a Raspberry Pi.
Raspberry Pi (security) Slow Scan Television Camera

There are cameras that will attach directly to the Pi as well. I believe his python script is more for security/movement, so you would just change that to a time based one, should you prefer that. Actually, this one might be better - H.A.C.K. | rpi-sstv

A search may find something more up-to-date and easy to build, but a Pi solution would seem inexpensive to me.
 

Project25_MASTR

Millennial Graying OBT Guy
Joined
Jun 16, 2013
Messages
4,163
Location
Texas
Yeah, those NXDN units are pricey.

I've got a remote site where 3 UHF repeaters are spread out to provide coverage. Each repeater is linked via IP. At each site we have a solar panel, batteries, the repeater and a Meraki radio to link into the network. No cameras, though, but we've tossed the idea around.
With properly designed solar system, battery sizing and a line of sight, it's a cheap solution for non-public safety use.
One of our sites is not in the line of sight of any of the others, so adding a smaller site with a smaller battery/solar panel to just drive two Meraki radios back to back has worked.

We've thrown the idea around as well for our Capacity Plus/Connect Plus/Privacy Plus (soon to be replaced by P25) SMR thing…working on upgrading the T1's to circuits which can handle data currently (have a 36 mile Mimosa backhaul running right now…but no redundancy yet).
 

mmckenna

I ♥ Ø
Joined
Jul 27, 2005
Messages
23,615
Location
Hiding in a coffee shop.
I'm working on a project to upgrade our VHF systems. Part of it will include some microwave point to point stuff to pick up remote receivers and the like. The stuff is getting cheap, plus we don't have to deal with AT&T wireline. Trying to pull one of our IP network engineers to IWCE to start looking at this stuff.
 

Cameron314

Member
Joined
May 30, 2003
Messages
253
I'm working on a project to upgrade our VHF systems. Part of it will include some microwave point to point stuff to pick up remote receivers and the like. The stuff is getting cheap, plus we don't have to deal with AT&T wireline. Trying to pull one of our IP network engineers to IWCE to start looking at this stuff.

Here you go, if you ever think MW is getting too cheap give these guys a ring. https://aviatnetworks.com/
 

mmckenna

I ♥ Ø
Joined
Jul 27, 2005
Messages
23,615
Location
Hiding in a coffee shop.
Oh yeah, talked to them before. Nice stuff and would have been great for one application I had that never materialized, but for most short haul stuff, too expensive.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top