Motorola bases still available

[radioman2001]

Looking to replace some old tone remote controlled VHF analog simplex bases, what is still available MTR2000, MTR3000 or do I have to go to the GTX8000. Only need low power of about 25 watts, tone control and/or IP control would be a plus and not interested in Mototrbo stations their analog audio just sucks.

 

[Firebuff880]

what is still available MTR2000, MTR3000

These are MOTOTRBO repeaters so I am a little confused by your post. But the MTR3000 is still available mostly used as they are beyond EOL. These two repeaters were replaced by the SLR product line.. For the power you need - SLR-5700.

 

[radioman2001]

No used this is for PS, and the MTR2k and 3K were/are analog conventional and simplex with Trbo upgrades available. Our sister agency has over 100 of them. I will check out the SLR-5700 but if it's Trbo based, don't want it.

After looking it up, no good, Trbo based, guess it's back to Harris Mastr III

 

[Project25_MASTR]

These are MOTOTRBO repeaters so I am a little confused by your post. But the MTR3000 is still available mostly used as they are beyond EOL. These two repeaters were replaced by the SLR product line.. For the power you need - SLR-5700.

The MTR2000 is the analog only predecessor to the MTR3000. The MTR3000 is still under support as it was only fully phased out about 6 months ago (VHF/UHF was phased out for the SLR8000 18 months ago IIRC but 800/900 wasn't available until mid-2018). What made them unique was the optional TX/RX relay for simplex operation (same PN as the one optioned on the Quantar).

Radioman2001, your money would honestly be better spent on an APX Consolette (current gen is APX8500 based). Up to 16 configurable channels via tone or full zone via ACIM (no more SB9600 interface or tone board, all software configurable in the consolette now).

 

[jeepsandradios]

As others said MTR3000, SLR8000 or GTR8000. Depending on your situation the APX is OK, but most of my sites a mobile radio would not suffice. The APX does give some basic nice features for a simplex analog system but again its a mobile in a box.

I swapped in a MTR3000 about 6 months ago for our VHF SAR repeater to replace a MTR2000 with a bad PA.

I am guessing a MIII is along the same price as a GTR

 

[radioman2001]

The site is a 10 channel simplex, VHF, CS, tone remote control through 3 RF combiners to antenna's wireline connected to a Zetron 50 or so channel console. GTR's were a bit pricer than the Mastr III, which we presently have about 100 of them in the field. Was looking for something physically a little smaller than the M III, and maybe a little more efficient on the power requirements too (standby, RX and TX amps).

Mobile radios were considered, but it might just be me as I don't believe in mobiles as a front line base radio in PS.

 

[Project25_MASTR]

The site is a 10 channel simplex, VHF, CS, tone remote control through 3 RF combiners to antenna's wireline connected to a Zetron 50 or so channel console. GTR's were a bit pricer than the Mastr III, which we presently have about 100 of them in the field. Was looking for something physically a little smaller than the M III, and maybe a little more efficient on the power requirements too (standby, RX and TX amps).

Mobile radios were considered, but it might just be me as I don't believe in mobiles as a front line base radio in PS.

Thousands of dispatch centers across the country rely on mobile based control stations to interface to their infrastructure. In fact, Motorola's MCC5500 console didn't even have the ability to interface directly to a core like it's Centracom predecessor and MCC7000 successor do and can only rely on control stations (consolettes) to interface to trunking systems. The mobile based setups also offer flexibility that you don't get with the older repeater based setup as you can purchase multi-band capable now and the ability to interface to digital and/or trunking if needed for future use.

 

[kayn1n32008]

Looking to replace some old tone remote controlled VHF analog simplex bases, what is still available MTR2000, MTR3000 or do I have to go to the GTX8000. Only need low power of about 25 watts, tone control and/or IP control would be a plus and not interested in Mototrbo stations their analog audio just sucks.

Not sure if you are hung up on it having to be Motorola, but Codan should be on your radar if you are looking at MSTR3/MTR3000/GTX8000 infrastructure.

Codan MT-4e base station/repeaters


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[kayn1n32008]

The site is a 10 channel simplex, VHF, CS, tone remote control through 3 RF combiners to antenna's wireline connected to a Zetron 50 or so channel console. GTR's were a bit pricer than the Mastr III, which we presently have about 100 of them in the field. Was looking for something physically a little smaller than the M III, and maybe a little more efficient on the power requirements too (standby, RX and TX amps).

Mobile radios were considered, but it might just be me as I don't believe in mobiles as a front line base radio in PS.

If efficiency is a consideration you really want to look at the Codan MT-4e.


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[domes]

The site is a 10 channel simplex, VHF, CS, tone remote control through 3 RF combiners to antenna's wireline connected to a Zetron 50 or so channel console. GTR's were a bit pricer than the Mastr III, which we presently have about 100 of them in the field. Was looking for something physically a little smaller than the M III, and maybe a little more efficient on the power requirements too (standby, RX and TX amps).

Mobile radios were considered, but it might just be me as I don't believe in mobiles as a front line base radio in PS.

That explains a lot. All the Turbo/DMR station/repeaters are CB-linear transmitters and as such, require reasonably linear antenna systems to maintain bias on the class-A power amp. Otherwise they will drop in ERP and distort the modulation - in either analog or digital mode. A duplexer & 3dB gain maybe 6dB antenna (depending on design) are OK but high gain or non-linear combiners can be a problem. No doubt you have state-of-the-art dual isolators in your combiners that are not linear.

I think Kenwood/EFJ is the only manufacturer that still makes a PS grade "real FM" - non-linear - station. The current model is only a couple years old so it will be available & supported for some time. The VHF model, NXR-5700 is built as a station, 50 watt and only occupies 1.5" rack space. That's without Power Supply and you would also have to use external dc/tone control but it has an IP port to connect to other stations or IP Console. The NXR-5700 is NXDN-digital and Analog but NXDN is not "DMR" and doesn't "modulate or demodulate" like analog/DMR and doesn't share those components with analog so in analog mode it is basically a plain old FM radio as we once knew it. KW also makes DMR radios with required linear amp so don't use that one on your antenna system.

 

[62Truck]

so you're a public safety professional, looking for public safety repeaters for public safety agencies...but you have to ask that question on a hobby website?

I guess as long as you can breath and have a pulse the MTA will hire just about anybody.

 

[radioman2001]

Quote"
I guess as long as you can breath and have a pulse the MTA will hire just about anybody.

Why you want a job, and I think you believe that there are no professional radio people who post on RR. I don't need to prove anything to you or anyone else, but I have in the past gotten info to work on a solution from other PROFESSIONALS here. You would be surprised who posts or lurks on this board.

Quote"
Thousands of dispatch centers across the country rely on mobile based control stations to interface to their infrastructure.

As control stations yes, not the actual base station.

 

[Project25_MASTR]

Quote"
I guess as long as you can breath and have a pulse the MTA will hire just about anybody.

Why you want a job, and I think you believe that there are no professional radio people who post on RR. I don't need to prove anything to you or anyone else, but I have in the past gotten info to work on a solution from other PROFESSIONALS here. You would be surprised who posts or lurks on this board.

Quote"
Thousands of dispatch centers across the country rely on mobile based control stations to interface to their infrastructure.

As control stations yes, not the actual base station.

Break it down into its most basic form, it transmits for a period of time and receives for a period of time and is controlled via wireline.


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[radioman2001]

I am sure a lot of people have heard this before "Failure is not an option" no matter the cost.( I added the last part.)

While others may have used mobiles as actual base stations I don't believe it's the right way to go. We take a 100w 100% continuous duty stations and turn them down to 25 to 30 watts. Other than possibly a lightning strike, the equipment will probably not fail in it's lifetime. We took about 100 Mastr III out of service after 30 years still working, but they just were not narrow band capable.(Type accepted yes, but not narrow capable) The parts bins are full of NOS stock of every component you can imagine for those stations. That's the type of reliability I want, and maybe I won't get it in today's products.

 

[kayn1n32008]

I am sure a lot of people have heard this before "Failure is not an option" no matter the cost.( I added the last part.)

While others may have used mobiles as actual base stations I don't believe it's the right way to go. We take a 100w 100% continuous duty stations and turn them down to 25 to 30 watts. Other than possibly a lightning strike, the equipment will probably not fail in it's lifetime. We took about 100 Mastr III out of service after 30 years still working, but they just were not narrow band capable.(Type accepted yes, but not narrow capable) The parts bins are full of NOS stock of every component you can imagine for those stations. That's the type of reliability I want, and maybe I won't get it in today's products.

If failure is not an option, Codan IS your solution. Options for internal and external PA’s from 30-well north of 100w.


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[domes]

Just a note: The KW repeater is rated for 100% continuous duty in V & UHF. "Continuous Duty" usually doesn't mean the same thing in V & U to some manufacturers as it does in the upper bands. But these are the stations KW uses for their trunk systems that have a continuous control channel that transmit 24/7. They are a 1.5", pancake design with a built in fan that draws air front to back over the heat sink so you can stack them. The current version has been available for about 2 years and we have 6 - UHF trunk sites that have Ch1 TX'ing 2 years non stop. We have several other trunk systems with the previous generation transmitting non-stop since 2012. You won't burn them up.

BTW. At some risk, I confess to being a recovering analogaholic. I go back to when we used to transmit on megacycles and sometimes relaps with that term. I used to work in a GE/Ericsson/Com-net/MA-Com shop up to the MA-Com transition (did I forget a name). I am quite familiar with the first generation of MIII's.

 

[radioman2001]

I thank everyone for suggestions, I too am analogaholic but not necessarily because I want to. The RR industry like the aircraft industry wants to keep it simple as analog. As has been presented here there are different designs and capabilities, and from personal experience (over 45 years) I prefer the name brands, but not against trying others. We do have a large multi state IP connected radio shop channel in NXDN using Icom 5000's. Some of the explainations about how audio and PA control make sense in what we have seen when trying these products.
The last time we bid for new stations I was overruled and we kept with the Mastr III. Now while the older stations were rock solid and gave us very little problems I can't say the same for the newer ones. Out of the group we bought we had one PA failure right out of the box, with 4 others in the last 5 years, and this is running a 110 watt PA at only 40-50 watts. We had to upgrade some of our RTL's with conditioned lines due to the new stations not being as sensitive to the PTT hold tone (2175hz) resulting in dropouts.