single channel audio recorder

[speedway_navigator]

Dealer friend has a client who wants to record his users along with date and time stamping for legal CYA reasons.
Do you guys have any solutions?

He's going to use a mobile dedicated for this, my first thought is a raspberry Pi or something similar could handle the recording but don't know about
time stamps and saving files for archiving and retreaval.

 

[dave3825]

Conventional or trunked channel? Digital or analog?

 

[speedway_navigator]

simplex DMR with the audio coming off the rear accessory jack.

 

[dave3825]

What is the device with the jack? Radio or scanner? I’m not up and up on sound card recording but know there are a few programs that would work. I don’t have the name at the moment. Not sure if they time stamp or not. A cheap sdr dongle and free software can achieve the same if you looking to not tie up a radio.

 

[buddrousa]

A 996p2 proscan and a small pc

 

[speedway_navigator]

Freescan does a nice job of logging, never did any recording but it has that option.

 

[TampaTyron]

RadioPro Dispatch by CTI or some similiar software is how I have done it in the past for cheap (outside of Eventide or RedBox). Maybe OmniTronics dispatch? Not sure if the DApage system integration guys handle recording........... TT

 

[MaineGuy]

A cheap PC, cheap USB SDRs, and sdrtrunk software ( does more than trunking ).

You can run it 24/7 for just your one channel or system.

The file names and mp3 metadata are customizable to have most anything you need for logging.

Maybe two of them for maximum reliability.

Add two cheap UPS's and you're good to go.

 

[speedway_navigator]

One of my many projects for last winter was to play with SDRs, I've owned one for years. I did move it from one shelf to another, that's a start.

 

[Ubbe]

If for legal reasons it must always work 24/7 so I would advice against any home made PC type of solution. Use a standalone recorder that saves to a digital memory with time stamps. There are $100 dictaphone type of recorders with external audio jack that can be powered from an external power supply and that can store thousands of hours of audio and perhaps even ones that erase the oldest recordings if memory gets full.

If only having audio out from that mobile radio I assume that it doesn't need to store user ID and recognition of persons talking are done manually by human ears.

Usually the legal reason audio logging specify that identification are needed and then a scanner like TRX-2 or BCD536 can be used to store both user id and audio to its SD card. If that mobile radio are used for transmitting then additional gear are needed to share the same antenna that use a PTT relay to disconnect the scanner and also a RF high level protection that usually are a +10dBm one inserted in the coax to the scanner.

/Ubbe

 

[buddrousa]

Ubbe I have a mini-PC not online Power backed up connected to a BCD996P2 been running for 2 years logging
1. Audio
2. Date and Time
3. Frequency
4. User ID's

 

[Project25_MASTR]

I'd go with the Digital Loggers recorder. They have an up to 16 line appliance but cheap is a relative term without defining a budget.

Call Recording Server

 

[MaineGuy]

Getting the data - not just timestamped audio - is valuable.

If you can get unit ID, and maybe talkgroup / channel / etc if you use something like that - can make call identification far easier.

Storing the audio files with associated data in a database ( local, cloud, or both ) that can be searched is also a very nice feature.



( ps: I'd like it if each dispatcher / console position in the RCC had their own unit ID too )

 

[Ubbe]

Ubbe I have a mini-PC not online Power backed up connected to a BCD996P2 been running for 2 years logging

Yes, it can work but in my profession I have seen too many cases where customers have had their own home made solution using a PC and when the time came to retrive some data, that the police might need, it was found that their PC had stopped working a long time ago.

I have installed several recorders that looks like a telephone deskset, I believe they are sold by a Dutch company but their name eludes my now, and costs something like $1000-$1200 that runs unattended for 10-15 years and are so easy to handle that even dispatch girls can fetch the needed data and store on a DVD disc, it has it's own DVD writer built in, or email the file to those who needs it.

So I absolutely recommend a solution not including a PC if the data are crucial to the owner.

/Ubbe

 

[Whiskey3JMC]

Freescan does a nice job of logging, never did any recording but it has that option.

simplex DMR with the audio coming off the rear accessory jack.

Freescan doesn't support DMR. Go with Proscan, it'll do everything your friend's client is looking to do

 

[buddrousa]

Ubbe you are all about do it yourself?

 

[W0JJK]

I second DLI USB Recorder.

We use one with a All in One PC as the server with the supplied software. You can search it from remote computer on the same network.

The only thing you won't see is the ID of the transmitting radio.

 

[MaineGuy]

DLI seems very phone oriented. Time, date and ( not useful ) caller ID seems to be the only data stored. Maybe that's enough.

It seems like the bigger limitation is - does this need to be vendor supplied and supported - by a qualified vendor?

Will your radio techs or IT group maintain this ?

There must be something available from the major vendors. With a price to match.

 

[jbt935]

Yes, it can work but in my profession I have seen too many cases where customers have had their own home made solution using a PC and when the time came to retrive some data, that the police might need, it was found that their PC had stopped working a long time ago.

I have installed several recorders that looks like a telephone deskset, I believe they are sold by a Dutch company but their name eludes my now, and costs something like $1000-$1200 that runs unattended for 10-15 years and are so easy to handle that even dispatch girls can fetch the needed data and store on a DVD disc, it has it's own DVD writer built in, or email the file to those who needs it.

So I absolutely recommend a solution not including a PC if the data are crucial to the owner.

/Ubbe

Hello sir, please let me know if you remember the name of the possible Dutch company. I am interested in it. Am trying to figure a way to record audio from a Hytera HM682 base station that uses both slots for uhf simplex using DMR\Mototrbo. Radio identification would be nice, but not critical. Audio is main concern. I can set up the base station as receive only if transmitting would cause problems. Thank you very much.

 

[n7maq-1]

Kenwood NX-5x00 and EFJ radios can record audio off the air, it is time stamped along with the RID.