I am looking for an SDR that has a trunking suite, is there one available that covers Motorola Type II?
and what do they go for usually?
and what do they go for usually?
SDR with Trunking suite?
- Thread starter SKYNET156
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SDRs at this time (remember, the technology is pretty new to consumers) are not really well suited to scanner type applications. They are more oriented towards weak signal or crowded band conditions, something not really an issue with FM type (scanner) communications. Also they are very well designed to capture wide pieces of spectrum, directly digitize it, and record it to hard drive for later processing, again not really needed in the scanner world.
Essentially when you think SDR think any mode but FM. And most of the DDC or the Sound Card SDRs on the market today have an upper frequency limit of 60 MHz or less. Also, while SDRs have the potential to have better performance than a traditional superhet at lower cost, for the most part that is not the case today. You may, in many cases, get superior performance, but in general, today, SDRs are a little pricier than their superhet cousins. The exception to that is sound card based SDRs, they are a very low cost option, with performance limitations that can be minor compared to the cost savings.
That does not mean that SDRs cannot or will not be applied to the types of applications you are asking about. The extreme instantaneous bandwidth (IBW) of SDRs makes them potentially perfect for trunked monitoring. One could watch the entire band at one time while demodulating every trunked frequency, at one time, activating the frequency selected by the group. You would be able to simultaneously monitor multiple groups on a system, and multiple conversations at the same time.
But, what can be had today? Not too much that fits your description. And nothing that is a true DDC SDR, all are a hybrid SDR, using SDR technology in the final IF stage after a traditionally superhet front end. Potentially this is a very good thing, if the best possible designs for both section are adopted it can allow performance that is absolutely top shelf. It is not "wrong" to call such a radio "SDR", but it is not quite correct, either. A true DDC SDR will have no mixer anywhere in the design. Hybrid SDRs are called DSP radios by most manufacturers, but some do try and leverage the "SDR" technology by including the name. Of interest WinRadio calls their radios using this technique "SDR" but in the description calls the stage that does the demodulation "DSP", using both naming conventions.
The AOR AR-2300 is a hybrid SDR, but because of the very wide IBW I would still lean towards calling this an SDR, vs a DSP, it covers 40 kHz to 3.15 GHz, and has an APCO-25 adapter. But no trunking option that I know of. And a price tag of over $3500 USD.
WinRadio makes several hybrid SDR radios that do include trunking and APCO-25 though. Both the WR-G305 and the WR-G315 are termed "SDR" radios by WinRadio, both have APCO-25 options, and both have Trunking options. Both can be had as "i" or "e" models, meaning internal to the PC or external. Both cover 9 kHz to 1800 MHz and the G315 is expandable to 8599 MHz. Both can monitor essentially any mode of modulation in common use. The G315 is a "professional" level receiver with some impressive performance, the G305 is more aimed at the hobbyist. The G305e comes in at about $650 plus a couple hundred more for the software options you want, and the G315e price depends on the options your order with it, but figure at least $3000 to get what you want.
There are others out there, but I do not have that information close to hand at this time.
Really, the WinRadio G305/315 models are the only ones I can see doing what you want, and as I said before I hesitate to call them "SDR".
If you want a superior performance communications receiver any of the options listed above would be good, and an honest DDC SDR would be potentially better yet. But, for scanner applications with trunking and that kind of thing you are better off looking at something a bit more traditional.
T!
Essentially when you think SDR think any mode but FM. And most of the DDC or the Sound Card SDRs on the market today have an upper frequency limit of 60 MHz or less. Also, while SDRs have the potential to have better performance than a traditional superhet at lower cost, for the most part that is not the case today. You may, in many cases, get superior performance, but in general, today, SDRs are a little pricier than their superhet cousins. The exception to that is sound card based SDRs, they are a very low cost option, with performance limitations that can be minor compared to the cost savings.
That does not mean that SDRs cannot or will not be applied to the types of applications you are asking about. The extreme instantaneous bandwidth (IBW) of SDRs makes them potentially perfect for trunked monitoring. One could watch the entire band at one time while demodulating every trunked frequency, at one time, activating the frequency selected by the group. You would be able to simultaneously monitor multiple groups on a system, and multiple conversations at the same time.
But, what can be had today? Not too much that fits your description. And nothing that is a true DDC SDR, all are a hybrid SDR, using SDR technology in the final IF stage after a traditionally superhet front end. Potentially this is a very good thing, if the best possible designs for both section are adopted it can allow performance that is absolutely top shelf. It is not "wrong" to call such a radio "SDR", but it is not quite correct, either. A true DDC SDR will have no mixer anywhere in the design. Hybrid SDRs are called DSP radios by most manufacturers, but some do try and leverage the "SDR" technology by including the name. Of interest WinRadio calls their radios using this technique "SDR" but in the description calls the stage that does the demodulation "DSP", using both naming conventions.
The AOR AR-2300 is a hybrid SDR, but because of the very wide IBW I would still lean towards calling this an SDR, vs a DSP, it covers 40 kHz to 3.15 GHz, and has an APCO-25 adapter. But no trunking option that I know of. And a price tag of over $3500 USD.
WinRadio makes several hybrid SDR radios that do include trunking and APCO-25 though. Both the WR-G305 and the WR-G315 are termed "SDR" radios by WinRadio, both have APCO-25 options, and both have Trunking options. Both can be had as "i" or "e" models, meaning internal to the PC or external. Both cover 9 kHz to 1800 MHz and the G315 is expandable to 8599 MHz. Both can monitor essentially any mode of modulation in common use. The G315 is a "professional" level receiver with some impressive performance, the G305 is more aimed at the hobbyist. The G305e comes in at about $650 plus a couple hundred more for the software options you want, and the G315e price depends on the options your order with it, but figure at least $3000 to get what you want.
There are others out there, but I do not have that information close to hand at this time.
Really, the WinRadio G305/315 models are the only ones I can see doing what you want, and as I said before I hesitate to call them "SDR".
If you want a superior performance communications receiver any of the options listed above would be good, and an honest DDC SDR would be potentially better yet. But, for scanner applications with trunking and that kind of thing you are better off looking at something a bit more traditional.
T!
Sdr
Very well written, Thank you!!
Very well written, Thank you!!
KA1RBI
Member
Sorry to say - I'm not an expert on /\/\oto marketechture (i.e., buzzwords) - is Smartnet the same as type II or something different?
In any case, this app claims to slurp an entire Moto Smartnet (that is, all of the voice chans plus the 3600 trunk CC) all at once:
https://www.cgran.org/wiki/Smartnet
Whereas this app claims to slurp an entire P25 LSM trunk system (all voice chans at the same time) plus the trunk CC:
Yahoo! Groups
I can personally confirm that the second claim, at least, is valid ;-)
Best Regards
Max
ka3jjz
Wiki Admin Emeritus
You can look up most any term you see used here on RR on this wiki entry - just click on the desired term
Category:RR Glossary - The RadioReference Wiki
best regards..Mike
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