Long Range wireless Speaker mic

[otobmark]

There are many BlueTooth RSM that work <30m which is fine for intended purpose. I want something that can handle >300m. I know I can rig something with chip transceivers but not feeling very “Heath Kit” at the moment. The purpose is so we can send whatever subscriber radio we have up on a Drone to increase range. Airborne transceiver not a repeater. And yes we have used chinese cross band HT’s for testing but final solution needs to be better and work on P25 TRS

 

[mmckenna]

Would something like a mobile extender/Pyramid repeater work? I'm not aware of any RSM's that will work 300 meters or more, but if it was a straight line of sight, it might.

 

[DeoVindice]

Would something like a mobile extender/Pyramid repeater work? I'm not aware of any RSM's that will work 300 meters or more, but if it was a straight line of sight, it might.

A Wireless Pacific X10DR is probably the closest to fitting the bill. Provided you have line of sight they'll actually reach quite far. I have one on a control station and have been reasonably happy with it.

 

[otobmark]

Would something like a mobile extender/Pyramid repeater work? I'm not aware of any RSM's that will work 300 meters or more, but if it was a straight line of sight, it might.

If it was light enough. I remember I believe was a kenwood vehicle repeater about size of paperback book—weight unknown. But you are right what I’m describing is a vehicle repeater only the vehicle is a drone. We have tethered drones with lift capacity but the forward strike teams may only have small drones which don’t like the almost 1 1/2 lbs APX8000. I thought about using thin wires to the drone but If there is enough wind the drag would be a problem. The tethered drones use wire tether for data and power and have the power to handle it. For reasons I don’t know, our tether systems seem to top out at 200’ AGL. I send my small drones up 400’. Traveling compact and light presents lots of challenges for sure.

 

[otobmark]

A Wireless Pacific X10DR is probably the closest to fitting the bill. Provided you have line of sight they'll actually reach quite far. I have one on a control station and have been reasonably happy with it.

how heavy is vehicle unit? Looks like a cube with an antenna.

 

[DeoVindice]

how heavy is vehicle unit? Looks like a cube with an antenna.

Few ounces, I'd estimate. It's a combined transceiver and drop-in charger.

 

[mmckenna]

Trunking capability makes it a bit harder. There are Pyramid repeaters that will handle it. The X10DR would be the easy choice.

If you were using a drone with more capacity and didn't need trunking, something like a Kenwood NXR-1700 repeater and a flat pack duplexer would be 2-3 pounds.

 

[WB5UOM]

Maybe its just me, but I dont think anything mentioned is going to work well for long. How is it going to be powered and for how long is that going to last dc supply wise?

 

[speedway_navigator]

You need a P25 version of the DMR single frequency repeater.

 

[DeoVindice]

You need a P25 version of the DMR single frequency repeater.

That's actually the primary reason I'm enthusiastic about a possible conventional P25 TDMA implementation.

 

[RFI-EMI-GUY]

There are many BlueTooth RSM that work <30m which is fine for intended purpose. I want something that can handle >300m. I know I can rig something with chip transceivers but not feeling very “Heath Kit” at the moment. The purpose is so we can send whatever subscriber radio we have up on a Drone to increase range. Airborne transceiver not a repeater. And yes we have used chinese cross band HT’s for testing but final solution needs to be better and work on P25 TRS

I would suggest something like a Pyramid SVR200U/V (UHF/VHF). It is the size of a small book. The casing is relatively heavy so you would want to ditch the case. In doing so, you will need to add a heatsink where the casing had screws for heat transfer. Also turn the power down. You can wire it up to any subscriber radio that will allow you to access the usual TX/RX/PTT signals including COR/COS. Then on the ground, utilize a VHF or UHF radio. This would be far more reliable than the X10DR which requires the docking base for interface, pairing and charging and will be inconveniently airborne should it fail to pair up. You will need to provide a weather housing of plastic and perhaps some foil tape if you have EMI from motors getting into it. If your drone has the lifting capacity it would be mechanically easy to mount a stock SVR200.

One of the advantages of the SVR over any other cobbled up crossband repeater is that it had portable priority interrupt. Without that feature, you will have a tough time talking back (half duplex) to the airborne subscriber while it is repeating traffic from the donor site.

 

[otobmark]

I would suggest something like a Pyramid SVR200U/V (UHF/VHF). It is the size of a small book. The casing is relatively heavy so you would want to ditch the case. In doing so, you will need to add a heatsink where the casing had screws for heat transfer. Also turn the power down. You can wire it up to any subscriber radio that will allow you to access the usual TX/RX/PTT signals including COR/COS. Then on the ground, utilize a VHF or UHF radio. This would be far more reliable than the X10DR which requires the docking base for interface, pairing and charging and will be inconveniently airborne should it fail to pair up. You will need to provide a weather housing of plastic and perhaps some foil tape if you have EMI from motors getting into it. If your drone has the lifting capacity it would be mechanically easy to mount a stock SVR200.

One of the advantages of the SVR over any other cobbled up crossband repeater is that it had portable priority interrupt. Without that feature, you will have a tough time talking back (half duplex) to the airborne subscriber while it is repeating traffic from the donor site.

Used ones are cheap enough ($60 or less). Hadn’t thought about recasing (3D printed). Product is depracated but I thought I saw it weighs 18 oz.—minus case who knows. Radio 22 oz. 40oz payload. Loose case maybe 30 oz. Mavic might lift it. Matrice for sure but they are bigger and more expensive than I’d like. An old phantom 4 could do it if we still have any but they don’t fold up. If top tier radios supported cross band repeat it would be sweet (if pigs could fly). Good info from everyone. Now to find out how bad I want this. When our State police abandoned Low Band I saw tubs of vehicular repeaters (dumped) at radio shop. Thanks all

 

[RFI-EMI-GUY]

If you get a later SVR200 you will find it to be narrowband capable with a jumper and software settings. So for Part 90 you would be legal. If on VHF MURS, you can have wideband and gain performance. The software is still available. The hardware plentiful, so deprecated? Not really. I grab them up for $25 at hamfests and on line auctions. If you have a drone that will lift 40 plus OZ and has enough battery to run the show, try one out. There are tethered drones that will get you unlimited runtime. What about a balloon as a platform?

 

[RFI-EMI-GUY]

If it was light enough. I remember I believe was a kenwood vehicle repeater about size of paperback book—weight unknown. But you are right what I’m describing is a vehicle repeater only the vehicle is a drone. We have tethered drones with lift capacity but the forward strike teams may only have small drones which don’t like the almost 1 1/2 lbs APX8000. I thought about using thin wires to the drone but If there is enough wind the drag would be a problem. The tethered drones use wire tether for data and power and have the power to handle it. For reasons I don’t know, our tether systems seem to top out at 200’ AGL. I send my small drones up 400’. Traveling compact and light presents lots of challenges for sure.

You may be thinking of the VERTEX VXR-1000V/U. They are a bit smaller and lighter, and show up from time to time. The software might be an issue. I don't know it they have portable priority interrupt feature. If they do, they would be fine. As with the SVR200's they are analog despite what ads say about P25. They support a P25 subscriber, period. There are P25 SVR's, but you are adding an unnecessary layer of complexity that will cost you weight and success.

VXR-1000V VHF Motorola Vertex Standard Multi-Channel Vehicular Mobile Repeater | eBay

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[TampaTyron]

Another vote for X10DR or Moto makes a long range RSM for their mobile radios.

We have some industrial/power transmisison customers who use either of those at substations at the edge of coverage. They also use Pyramid veh repeaters as well.

All depends on budget, need, and ability to understand what you are doing (Pyramids have a learning curve vs long rage mic).

TT