MOTOTRBO/NXDN4800/9600--The Need to Receive is NOW!

[W4UVV]

I currently maintain an 80,000 record database for Virginia. I am fortunate to have a comm tower/monitoring antennas and a good ground wave reception range. I frequently monitor the vhf/uhf bands using both RS(GRE) radios and currently a number of 996XTs. I update the database both from off air monitoring as required/desired and weekly FCC updates for Virginia.

I configured a nice DSD monitoring configuration almost 2 years ago. From my location in central Virginia during that time I have logged approximately 40 new MOTOTRBO users most of whom I have identified. CSX and Norfolk Southern RR since January have modified their licenses for NXDN operation statewide. NS RR has been beta testing NXDN for the past 2 years at its' locomotive repair facility in Roanoke, VA and currently is being used at its' coal terminal facilities in the Norfolk, VA area. A monitor friend in Roanoke configured a DSD system last year and reported excellent reception of the 4800 baud NS NXDN signal.

It is true currently most MOTOTRBO users are private sector licensees like it also used to be true most P25 users were Phase 1. But that is changing too. Virginia has 95 counties and 35 independent cities. The few larger cities and counties are P25 Phase 1 trs and a few new trs licenses being Phase 2 with more expected in the future. But a number of smaller public service (i.e., police,fire,ems,) local government, educational entities typically in smaller cities and counties are obtaining new licenses or modifying existing licenses for MOTOTRBO and/or NXDN operation. Interestingly some larger metro area educational facilities are going MOTOTRBO. So to characterize most MOTOTRBO/NXDN users generally as taxis or tow truck drivers is not correct.

MOTOTRBO and NXDN systems are an attractive cost effective option to these smaller radio system users. All MOTOTRBO users I monitor are not "private", i.e., encrypted. Within a they are a smaller percentage but in my monitoring area are becoming equal in numbers to analog users. When viewed totally nationwide they number in the hundreds if not the thousands and increasing.

The reality is the requirement to receive MOTOTRBO and NXDN transmissions is here now and is not going to diminish in the future. Licensees are growing in number and no longer can be disregarded or ignored.

It is all relative. If you no longer can receive the Sheriff, PD, FD, VFD or EMS of interest it makes no difference what the new transmission mode is. The new reality is it is MOTOTRBO and NXDN. Many radio systems are MOTOTBRO and NXDN and the monitor's scanner cannot decode them.

So the first manufacturer who recognizes such and incorporates these user selectable scanner options will have an unique advantage in the marketplace.

Are you listening Uniden and Whistler?

John

W4UVV

 

[N8IAA]

Well, Uniden didn't listen. Whistler will be rebadging the GRE line: 500/600/800. Don't expect to much out of them in the beginning.

The most logical way to monitor Mototrbo and NXDN is to get the appropriate radios and set them up. Scanner manufacturers won't be adding that for awhile. Don't forget that some of the TRBO agencies may go encrypted. There is one near me that did. So getting a TRBO radio, other than for ham, is worthless.
JMTCW,
Larry

 

[W4UVV]

Someday they will have to listen

Well, Uniden didn't listen. Whistler will be rebadging the GRE line: 500/600/800. Don't expect to much out of them in the beginning.

The most logical way to monitor Mototrbo and NXDN is to get the appropriate radios and set them up. Scanner manufacturers won't be adding that for awhile. Don't forget that some of the TRBO agencies may go encrypted. There is one near me that did. So getting a TRBO radio, other than for ham, is worthless.
JMTCW,
Larry

I know well the mindset. Wi Fi and apps are an attempt by Uniden to appeal to a younger scanner market. Instead of wi fi and apps Uniden should have incorporated a GPS into their models.

I also know it is a simple procedure when installing MOTOTRBO or NXDN to select "private". But I have encountered no MOTOTRBO and only one NXDN 4800 "private" user to date. My ground wave monitoring area typically is 50-75 miles. Most of the real time posted comments during Uniden's new model You Tube video presentations were extremely critical of Uniden not incorporating DSD open source MOTOTRBO and NXDN4800/9600 baud user selections. One day it will come as weekly I see via FCC updates for VA of some new and existing licensees modified for typically analog and/or MOTOTRBO and analog and/or NXDN.

99% of interested scanner monitors are not going to purchase a separate MOTOTRBO or NXDN hoping to get the correct programed chip. However, if someone was successful it could be a lucrative niche market until the time arrives when Uniden and Whistler recognize loss of customers. I certainly would do it now if I had the technical knowledge and means to do it.

In VA, now, today here's a few: Orange Co. SO is MOTOTRBO; Charles City Co. SO is MOTOTRBO; Washington Co. SO is MOTOTRBO; Prince George CO, Montgomery CO and LOUDOUN CO. school systems are MOTOTRBO; Christopher Newport University Security is MOTOTRBO; Radford University Security is NXDN; Norfolk Southern and CSX are NXDN system wide in VA and eventually in any other state their systems operate. The pressure will continue and increase over time as more city and county law enforcement, FD, VFD, EMS and Local Govt. go MOTOTRBO or NXDN.

I have had previous financial successes in the satellite communications industry by filling a need in the niche market of satellite teleconferencing technical services down linking and systems installation and repair. So for the right person at the right time, which is now, such an effort would be financially rewarding.

John.

 

[W8RMH]

As stated many times here MOTOTRBO is proprietary, the software is licensed/owned by Motorola. The scanner manufacturers would have to buy those rights from Motorola and they ain't selling. They market these systems as secure/not monitorable by scanners and is included in the user's contract. They will never give this up, so you are wasting your time.

 

[ka3jjz]

One should also remember that DSD handles both modes. It's something of a challenge, as I understand it, to set up, though. The plus side is that any scanner with a discriminator mod will do it - no need to buy a new USD500 or USD600 radio.

Sheesh - you want a little cheese with your w(h)ine?

Mike

 

[KC9NSA]

TRBO aka DMR is open source. There are some trunking features that are proprietary to Motorola. Vertex and hytera make similar DMR radios.

Have a read.
FAQ

 

[mikegilbert]

As stated many times here MOTOTRBO is proprietary, the software is licensed/owned by Motorola. The scanner manufacturers would have to buy those rights from Motorola and they ain't selling. They market these systems as secure/not monitorable by scanners and is included in the user's contract. They will never give this up, so you are wasting your time.

What? MotoTRBO is off-the-shelf DMR. Connect Plus, Capacity Plus and IP Site Connect are Motorola-only features.

The voice codec is plain-jane DMR.

**edit** KC9NSA beat me to the punch.

 

[fredva]

I believe many of the systems W4UVV is talking about are smaller counties which have conventional setups and don't utilize trunking. So proprietary trunking wouldn't be as big of a concern.

 

[W4UVV]

The subject of discussion was the use of DSD OPEN SOURCE SOFTWARE!

As stated many times here MOTOTRBO is proprietary, the software is licensed/owned by Motorola. The scanner manufacturers would have to buy those rights from Motorola and they ain't selling. They market these systems as secure/not monitorable by scanners and is included in the user's contract. They will never give this up, so you are wasting your time.

The subject of discussion was the use of DSD open source software not MOTOTRBO/NXDN proprietary software. The fact is the voice codec is open source domain and can be incorporated as additional scanner user selections.

John

 

[mtindor]

TRBO aka DMR is open source. There are some trunking features that are proprietary to Motorola. Vertex and hytera make similar DMR radios.

Have a read.
FAQ

And, the vast majority of of TRBO transmitters around my area are part of Capacity Plus / Connect Plus systems, obvious Motorola proprietary features. So what good would it do me for a scanner to support TRBO?

All NXDN and TRBO require is discriminator audio, already available in modern day scanners, and firmware support. The only thing that can hold back scanner manufacturers at this point is the issue of not being able to support the large number of TRBO signals out there that are using Moto proprietary trunking features. I tend to believe that's the holdup. And if it is, you can't blame the scanner manufacturers for that.

Mike