MCC7500 Unselected Audio through a headset

[Uniform12979]

Hello All! Long time site user, first time poster...

We have a unique situation where our dispatchers have their selected AND unselected audio going into the same headset. They normally do not conduct phone business and therefore have a handset for when they do. Many years ago our radio shop technicians had set up the system to accommodate this unusual setup by utilizing a Zetron 4000 series telephone/radio headset interface box and connecting the selected audio into the radio input and the unselected audio into the telephone input. They advised that Motorola does not make a headset interface that would allow for both selected and unselected to be received by the same device. In the past year or two these Zetron boxes have started going bad, and I have been told that they are not produced anymore by Zetron.

So.. i guess my question is are any of you aware of any other dispatch centers sending selected and unselected audio to the same device? And if so, how are they doing it?

PS - I have tried talking my staff into just sending the unselected audio to a speaker, but just the mention of it almost caused a mutiny!

Thanks!

Jim

 

[xmo]

A lot of dispatchers want audio from several resources to all go to their headset. They can do that by putting the resources into a multi-select group.

They do have to remember to use instant transmit to talk to a individual resource or simply go back to a single select while they are conversing with a field unit.

 

[PACNWDude]

+1 on what XMO said above. Training for this method must include checking for multi-select......often a green border for selected resources (at least for 7.16/7.18 systems). Multi-select and then single select method will work if all dispatchers are trained for this type of use case.

Also, as a former Zetron engineer, Zetron was recently sold/bought for $45 million, they have been on the ropes for a while, discontinuing many of their "box product" line. I currently administer a Motorola system, and have to use modified Avaya Hook/Off-hook switch boxes to get the same function between radio and telephone inputs. This was a solution engineered by a former co-worker who has since retired, and supposedly copied the Zetron headset jackbox, to modify the Avaya boxes.

There are also many Zetron 6300 IP interface devices connecting much of the United States, sending audio via RoIP to MCC7500 consoles spread across the country, a combination of Motorola and Zetron hardware, hacked together, with Astro and Trbo equipment at various sites.

I sympathize with the speaker solution, we had an incident where consoles were moved, and whomever connected the cables between the Motorola Voice Processor Modules (VPM's) and the speakers forgot that the cables are directional. Some passed unselect audio, others did not. Luckily the end connectors are a different color to help troubleshoot.

Good luck on your solution. dispatchers never like any change, no matter how small it may be.

 

[Uniform12979]

Thanks for the suggestions. The use of multiselect is not viable as they already use multiselect for their primary selected talk groups (each dispatcher is responsible for several talk groups and they 'simulcast' their responses to an individual talk group to all talk groups they are responsible for - we would not want their broadcast going out over all talk groups on the system - as we have a several dozen that are monitored as an unselected resource), using a multiselect would also make the foot pedal unavailable, and taking a hand off their keyboard to single select a resource for quick transmit isn't always possible or practical.

 

[NVAGVUP]

Simple solution- Modify config file in Elite Admin. Edit> Resources>Audio.

Set Select Audio AND Unselect Audio to come through Select Speaker. (For The resources you want to always be rx'd in headset) Set Min Vol at 7 (So all resources are heard equally in ear) Because you are using console headset jack (And no telephone off hook) the select and unselect audio for those resources will always be heard in ear. Make sure resource has individual volume control so dispatcher can lower or mute an undesired resource.

If you need different configs for different OP's, you build separate config files.

 

[xmo]

"Simple solution- Modify config file in Elite Admin. Edit> Resources>Audio. Set Select Audio AND Unselect Audio to come through Select Speaker..."
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I thought about that. I believe it would have worked fine with Centracom-II. In a hardware based system there was a dedicated 'select' speaker, an 'unselect' speaker, and 'monitor' speakers.

With MCC7500, speakers are destinations. There is no such thing as a 'select' speaker. There are 8 possible individual speakers. Select audio is a logical entity. It can be routed to one of those destinations (speakers). By default, people tend to use speaker #1 for select audio.

Select audio can alternatively be routed to the headset as a destination in "headset behavior properties"

Likewise, unselect audio of a resource can be routed to one of the speakers as a destination - so yes, you can have both selected resource audio and unselected resource audio come out of one speaker.

Unfortunately, when you set up your resources it says: "From the Unselect Audio drop-down menu, select the speaker to which the audio is routed" If headset were a choice - there wouldn't be a problem doing what they want but I don't think the 'simple solution' will work with MCC7500.

I do think a creative technician could devise a solution by making a short D15-M to D15-F adapter cable that opens the headset jack audio path from the VPM and breaks out a hardware route for audio into the headset jack.

Then make another similar adapter for the speaker cable to bridge the audio. A connection between the two would bring the VPM speaker audio into the headset jack.

Then set the select and unselect audio destinations to the same speaker as suggested. The headset earpiece audio would be identical to the speaker audio.

 

[com501]

Other solution: Find some Zetron boxes on eBay. Cheaply acquired, should last until you retire.

 

[NVAGVUP]

"Simple solution- Modify config file in Elite Admin. Edit> Resources>Audio. Set Select Audio AND Unselect Audio to come through Select Speaker..."
----------------------------
I thought about that. I believe it would have worked fine with Centracom-II. In a hardware based system there was a dedicated 'select' speaker, an 'unselect' speaker, and 'monitor' speakers.

With MCC7500, speakers are destinations. There is no such thing as a 'select' speaker. There are 8 possible individual speakers. Select audio is a logical entity. It can be routed to one of those destinations (speakers). By default, people tend to use speaker #1 for select audio.

Select audio can alternatively be routed to the headset as a destination in "headset behavior properties"

Likewise, unselect audio of a resource can be routed to one of the speakers as a destination - so yes, you can have both selected resource audio and unselected resource audio come out of one speaker.

Unfortunately, when you set up your resources it says: "From the Unselect Audio drop-down menu, select the speaker to which the audio is routed" If headset were a choice - there wouldn't be a problem doing what they want but I don't think the 'simple solution' will work with MCC7500.

I do think a creative technician could devise a solution by making a short D15-M to D15-F adapter cable that opens the headset jack audio path from the VPM and breaks out a hardware route for audio into the headset jack.

Then make another similar adapter for the speaker cable to bridge the audio. A connection between the two would bring the VPM speaker audio into the headset jack.

Then set the select and unselect audio destinations to the same speaker as suggested. The headset earpiece audio would be identical to the speaker audio.

Thanks for applying some critical thinking to this! I didn't run through all aspects.

As you reference. In the OP example, the concept of select and unselect audio have been thrown out the window.

I think I might have a plan B. Feel free to shoot holes in this solution. (No soldering iron or circuit trace cuts!)

DISCLAIMER- This will only work if OP does NOT utilize analog telephone interface connections. (Phone audio in, phone audio out, off hook)

Per above, program (via Elite Admin) the select and unselect audio routing for headset to an unused speaker port (EX SKR 8) for the resources OP wants rx'd via headset. (If all ports are used, I will address that later)

Build a patch cable from SKR 8 audio output pair and connect to phone input pins on VPM. (I would used CAT 5 to minimize hum possibilities)

Install a jumper wire between off hook sense and ground. (The VPM will think you are on a phone call) All audio on phone audio in will be heard in headset earpiece)

Caveat- The dispatcher will now need to use the phone headset volume control on headset jack vs radio rx vol.

All other resource speaker routings will stay the same.

Caveat #2- If OP/VPM is using speaker 8 port, they will need to build a breakout box/y config. Port 1 of junction box would feed speaker. (All pins/wires from VPM would be utilized) Port 2 would involve audio output wires only and jumper back to phone audio input. This might also be a good config to utilize in case the dispatcher either

1. Unplugged headset from jack (Local mic would be used for TX)
2. The off hook<-> gnd connection were removed @ VPM

(Leave local speaker volume turned down on speaker when not in use)

From the tx side, mouthpiece audio would be live at phone output pins during radio rx (But since they are not connected to a phone system, no harm) When a dispatcher transmits, TX audio will route to which ever resource utilized (Instant TX on resource or whatever resources are selected)

Might be tough to follow, but pick apart this approach in the event I missed something.