Each dept. has their own tone set and their own self contained paging system that dispatch accesses via landline.
The dept. I'm with currently has 4 talkgroups, which dispatch monitors 3/4.
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Patching Analog VHF Simplex to Trunked P25 for VFD Voice Paging
- Thread starter Deziel0495
- Start date
Each dept. has their own tone set and their own self contained paging system that dispatch accesses via landline.
The dept. I'm with currently has 4 talkgroups, which dispatch monitors 3/4.
Easy enough to wire it up to P25 as well; just run the interconnect output audio to the connector in the back of the radio.
If it's a Motorola APX mobile, that's the J2 connector on the backside:
pin 23 for mic+
pin 14 for gnd
pin 16 for ptt
The interconnect should key up the radio and give it the audio just the same as it does for the paging radio.
If it's a Motorola APX mobile, that's the J2 connector on the backside:
pin 23 for mic+
pin 14 for gnd
pin 16 for ptt
The interconnect should key up the radio and give it the audio just the same as it does for the paging radio.
Reviving this topic.
We're once again looking into this and would like traffic from both P25 trunked and VHF simplex passed back and forth over each system. This will allow us to hear VHF voice pages over P25, and hear our P25 operations over our VHF pagers.
I was in contact with our 911 provincial coordinator who also manages the P25 system for the province. He is only aware of 1 other fire dept having a similar setup. He wasn't sure on the equipment needed or the process to set it up and just said I should reach out to that dept specifically for more info.
I have never received an email back from our dispatch center with their thoughts so I may have to try again.
To be continued....
We're once again looking into this and would like traffic from both P25 trunked and VHF simplex passed back and forth over each system. This will allow us to hear VHF voice pages over P25, and hear our P25 operations over our VHF pagers.
I was in contact with our 911 provincial coordinator who also manages the P25 system for the province. He is only aware of 1 other fire dept having a similar setup. He wasn't sure on the equipment needed or the process to set it up and just said I should reach out to that dept specifically for more info.
I have never received an email back from our dispatch center with their thoughts so I may have to try again.
To be continued....
As said in the past the console patch is the simplest. IT can be done with 2 mobiles but thats not the best route.
So referencing back to one of my earlier photos... Would I be correct in saying that since the audio out and tone are pigtailed together, whether the micropatch receives audio via phoneline or by audio in it's going to include the tone when it sends the audio out? If that is the case, maybe not the best approach as we don't want it sending tones each time there is a key up on the P25 radio.
I'm thinking that a gateway such as the RSP-Z2 as someone suggested may be the best route. I see that they also have a wide selection of radio interface cables, even for the radios we already have. But then lies the issue of incorporating in the micropatch to allow dispatch to continue on how they normally do. I'm just thinking out loud at this point. To be continued...
Is the P25 trunked? How is the P25 coverage in your area? (Especially indoors)
Yes, P25 trunked. We have near 100% mobile coverage in the province, obviously less with portables. In our fire district we have only identified 2-3 dead spots within some of the larger buildings, especially the basements of these buildings. However you move 4-5 feet in either direction and reception came back.
Could use a P25 Page Group, either directly, or to trigger the relay on VHF. Using it directly sounds like it is not the best option, since coverage is spotty.
Using a PG relay could be done with a Unication G4, coupled with an amplifier charger. Connections on the amplifier can be used to trigger the VHF, and supply the audio.
The PG would have to be configured by the system administrators, including mapping it to the tower/site that covers your dispatch location. The downside to the PG, is if the P25 goes into site trunking, then there is no way to for dispatch to alert your department. A few radios could be programmed to transmit in the PG, so an authorized officer could alert the department.
What sort of backup alerting option is in place, currently?
Our dispatch center uses IamResponding.
- Joined
- Aug 17, 2010
- Messages
- 1,321
while any type of hard patch will work, whether a JPS system or some random repeater controller, the 2 BIG things are can you get permission from the owners of each system and can you absolutely guarantee that never will the analog and P25 talkgroups be patched elsewhere? if you hard patch them and someone puts up a patch at a console you will lock down both channels until someone realizes what caused it. been there, done that or at least i had to diagnose it when someone acted against my advice. while your chief can likely ok the VHF side, whatever agency controls the P25 system(not just your talkgroup) has to ok the other side or you risk serious repercussions. either way this is NOT a job for a tinkerer or even someone that is just a basic radio tech, level have to be set properly and some means setup to handle a wait time for channel grant and busies. without that you WILL miss parts of the VHF out to P25.
Our plan currently is to setup 1 way audio, P25 trunked to VHF so the audio can be heard on our VHF pagers. P25 System admin had no issues with us setting this up as it's not going to affect the trunked system. I'm still working out the details on the best route to go but this is what I have mapped out so far.
P25 radio = XTL1500
VHF radio = CM200
We already have the HLN6863 accessory cable with our XTL1500's. My thought process was to purchase something like this and wire it into the accessory plug.
1 pin to #13 (channel activity) which would go to the COS terminal on the interconnect
1 pin to #21 (RX filtered audio) to the audio in terminal on the interconnect
P25 audio would be passed to the interconnect, then passed on to the VHF radio. We may need to re-program the interconnect to allow it to pass audio.
Would there be any advantages/disadvantages of bypassing the interconnect and going straight to the accessory plug on the VHF radio?
As always your input and guidance is appreciated.
P25 radio = XTL1500
VHF radio = CM200
We already have the HLN6863 accessory cable with our XTL1500's. My thought process was to purchase something like this and wire it into the accessory plug.
1 pin to #13 (channel activity) which would go to the COS terminal on the interconnect
1 pin to #21 (RX filtered audio) to the audio in terminal on the interconnect
P25 audio would be passed to the interconnect, then passed on to the VHF radio. We may need to re-program the interconnect to allow it to pass audio.
Would there be any advantages/disadvantages of bypassing the interconnect and going straight to the accessory plug on the VHF radio?
As always your input and guidance is appreciated.
12dbsinad
Member
- Joined
- Mar 15, 2010
- Messages
- 1,953
Make sure to turn the power down on that CM200 or you'll for sure smoke the PA. I'd see about adapting a cooling fan to blow some air across the heat sink as well.
"1 pin to #13 (channel activity) which would go to the COS terminal on the interconnect
1 pin to #21 (RX filtered audio) to the audio in terminal on the interconnect"
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It seems to me that the channel activity and filtered audio connections on the interconnect are inputs to allow the interconnect to pass radio traffic onto the landline during a phone call and not capable of what you envision.
You need two things - first, assuming the same VHF radio is intended to transmit the pages as well as to re-transmit the P25 traffic, you need a priority logic to ensure that the page audio is not covered up by P25 audio.
Second, you need busy channel lockout to avoid re-transmitting P25 if the VHF frequency is in use for interoperability or otherwise..
A competent radio shop should be able to assist you.
1 pin to #21 (RX filtered audio) to the audio in terminal on the interconnect"
-----------------
It seems to me that the channel activity and filtered audio connections on the interconnect are inputs to allow the interconnect to pass radio traffic onto the landline during a phone call and not capable of what you envision.
You need two things - first, assuming the same VHF radio is intended to transmit the pages as well as to re-transmit the P25 traffic, you need a priority logic to ensure that the page audio is not covered up by P25 audio.
Second, you need busy channel lockout to avoid re-transmitting P25 if the VHF frequency is in use for interoperability or otherwise..
A competent radio shop should be able to assist you.
Hmmm. I've never thought of that possibility. The manual for the interconnect is kind of vague when it comes to the audio in terminal and where the audio gets sent. Audio out is going to the VHF radio, you would think that any audio in would also be sent out as well, and not to the landline.
It's rare that we're already on a call and another call drops. Not impossible but rare. Likely not a bad idea to have something in place.
The only use for our VHF radio is paging. All interop and otherwise goes through the TRS.
So I do the exact same thing with our SAR Talkgroup. XTL1500 wired to a CM200 back to back. No interface box just cable. Its been on the air for 5 years with no issues. COR/RX audio out of XTL and into Mic High and PTT on CM200. For antenna the XTL is on a mag mount and the CM200 is on our DB208
Perfect! This may be the best route to take, bypass the interconnect altogether as it sounds like it may not do what I'm hoping it will.
We do something very similar. 800 MHZ XTL1500 ( Mutual Aid #x TG) connected to XTL2500 (VHF) to neighboring county for interop. Each talkgroup is earmarked for a specific county. Allows our county rural responders (800) to communicate with neighbors as some of their service areas extend into other counties.
I used the old Moto RICK, but Raven also makes a definable interface to do the same.
I highly recommend getting a TG setup just for your pages. Have the XTL1500 set on tha TG, with no scanning. Having the dispatchers multiselect your main TG and your paging TG, only for dispatches, should not be difficult.
Hopefully we can do that in the future. I'm told our dispatch center is not setup for paging over the TRS, and it sounds like they have no plans to do so.
We're going to leave things alone for now as for paging, but crossband the XTL1500 to rebroadcast over VHF so we can have radio traffic on our pagers again.
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