The Wolfsburg Radio in Helos

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TinEar

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Does anyone have info on this radio? Last night there was a helo airborne tracking of a vehicle on the AA County system. One helo had to return to the base for fuel and he asked a second helo to cover for him until he returned. He asked the second helo if he had the channel in his radio for AA County that they were using (11H, TG1840). The second helo said he had the new Wolfsburg 2000 radio and therefore had "everything." I can't find anything but obscure references to Wolfsburg radios.
 

wadeless28

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Al,
You probably know this already but here is Al Henney's article about the Wulfsberg radio in the MSP Helicopters.

http://henney.com/chm/links/trooper.htm

This material is dated but it explains the conventional Wulfsberg Systems C-5000 that MSP has (or had).

I did go to the Wulfsberg site to get some information a while ago it showed all of their models.

Cool radios no doubt. And no doubt they are expensive.

Mike
 

TinEar

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Thanks Mike. I went to that reference and remembered reading it a long time ago. I was using the wrong spelling for "Wulfsberg" is why I couldn't find it.
 

ResQguy

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Try here: http://www.wulfsberg.com/
Wulfsberg Electronics Flexcomm™ II transceivers include the RT-5000 series of FM/AM synthesized multi-band radios. Each radio contains a frequency synthesized Main receiver/transmitter capable of operating from 29.7 to 960 MHz.

credit to: Wulfsberg Electronics
 

TinEar

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And credit to you too ResQguy. That reference brought me right to the 2000 model that I wanted to learn about. Nice piece of equipment. I've got to have one. That dual color display is really neat. No wonder the helo pilot said he could go to any freq or talkgroup that was required.
 

Dispatcher308

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Hey you may want to have one but you might wanna save more then your pennies for that beauty. I heard they go close to the price of a new car.
 

colheli

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We used to use Wulfsberg products in our helicopters. The RT-9600s, Flitefone 40s, RT-138s, and even a couple RT-450s. I was not impressed with them. They are good radios, but can be a nightmare to maintain. The FlexComm II stuff might have addressed the problems we had with them, but we have since moved on to using Technisonic radios. www.til.ca Technisonic has some issues, too. But we already are seeing much greater mean time between failure with their products.
 

TinEar

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There's some nice equipment there also colheli. I picked out a TAF-550 (I hate those half-rack radios but two will fill it out nicely) and a TRM-U225 for my radio room. I wish.

Mo, I would imagine it has to be preprogrammed. In this case I know it was because he mentioned seeing the OPS1 designator for the channel which would have had to be preprogrammed.
 

n4voxgill

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If you want a "real" radio check out this Mason Spy Radio
Mason Spy Radio MPR-5
$ 4500.00 US Please visit: www.torontosurplus.com for further details.
This spy radio operates from 200 KHz to 10.6 GHz is very compact - the receiver is removable from the rest of the unit for covert operations. The whole unit features a phoneline coupler, built-in spectrum analyzer, frequency display and accessories. This is a very cool and collectable radio. It comes with all the goodies and works very well.
$ 4500.00 US

Check out www.torontosurplus.com for some unique items.
 

n3bxv

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Question for the masses-- If the MSP helicopters can access the AACO talkgroups directly, why do they still use the VHF patch for fire or do they?
 

ResQguy

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Last I checked, the MSP AS-365's do not yet have the newer style radios that include trunking, therefore the need to use a patch channel. Medstar's EC135's however use the Technisonic TDFM-6148, and have pretty much every COG jurisdiction loaded in them. Pretty cool.
 

wadeless28

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I think ResQguy is right, I believe they are still using the C-5000's. It would seem the cost is prohibitive for now. But I would think you would see a phase in approach when the change over does happens.

Mike
 

ericm

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msp_air06.jpg


Fust one of the photo's I took while riding Trooper 2.

For more.... http://www.police-scanner.info/photos/maryland_air/
 

TinEar

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What a beautiful set of pictures! Thanks Eric. I'm not sure which radio that is showing in your pics but I'm still overwhelmed. I had also always wondered where the FLIR was located - and now I know.
 

tolley

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Trooper 6 stationed at Easton has trunked radio capabilities and routinely communicates on the UES system. I am not sure what kind of radio they have.
 

mm

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the P/C2000 radio is only a 2 band panel mount radio that uses any 2 of the following either the motorola XTS 3000 (V,U/800) in early series radios or all later series radios using the XTS5000 modules, VHF, UHF low, UHF HI or 700/800.

So to do all of the public safety band in the P2000 series, not including low band, it takes 2 complete P2000's.

The VHF and UHF versions all use external 10 watt power amplifiers while the 700/800 uses the raw power of the XTS3000/5000 module.

Since the entire P/C2000 line is based on an XTS3000 or XTS5000 in a modified chassis they require Motorola CPS to load everything, however when we designed the radios it was important not to use any of the CPS programming cables.

As a result we reprogrammed a Xlinx processor to MMIC all of the Motorola RIB and serial programming cables.


These radios run anywhere from 19K to 25 K depending on if there is a single band module installed or a dual band, by dual band I don't mean a dual band moto radio but 2 of the XTS modules of your choice.


The RT5000 XCVR ,C5000 control head is an older remote mount radio that was initially designed in 1990 but upgraded in 1995 with a new transmitter design and again in 1999 to add/include motorola P25 modules of the XTS3000 series and later the XTS5000 series was added in addition to the forementioned AM, FM modes of the main transceiver.

All of the initial 1999 versions of the RT5000D radios were designed for the US Customs service using XTS3000 VHF modules in the original synthesized guard receiver slot.

The first radios were made to provide communications for the Salt Lake City Olympics and later Michigan State Police took the first order for true P25 trunking radios using some of the rare XTS3000 800 MHz only P25 trunking radios and later on the design was changed to exclusively use the early versions of the XTS5000 radios in addition to the main AM, FM transceiver.


The main RT5000 analog only radio is a 29.7 to 960 MHz analog only radio that does AM, FM narrow(12.5 KHz), FM standard(25KHz), FM wide(35KHz) and FM extra wide(75KHz) channels, AM operation is capable below 400 MHz only with all the other FM modulation schemes capable across the entire band.

As I said the RT5000 includes 2 separate transmitters, a 60 watt PEP AM or 10 watt FM covering 29.7 to 399.995 MHz and a 10 watt FM only covering 400 to 959.9875 MHz 10 watt transmitter with 2 separate antenna ports.

The standard analog only model and all digital models are based on the main transceiver that is made up of 2 separate synthesized receivers, one main and one guard, and the above mentioned extra wide band transmitter design each one being capable of full 29.7 to 960 MHz coverage in all of the above FM bandwidths and AM operation below 400 MHz.

The digital model, RT5000D, replaces the synthesized guard receiver with a P25 version that uses a 10 watt VHF and either a single UHF low, or UHF hi or 700 800 module in the second slot, this model also includes the wideband base analog 29.7 to 960 model in addition to the digital modules.

Since All of the D models use motorola XTS3000 or XTS5000 modules for the digital guard module, commonly called a MTM ot multi transceiver module, the digital side has the same limitations as the P2000 models do on programming except that the VHF P25 radio is the only one with the 10 watt power amplifier, all the other UHF and 700/800's that use the mortorola XTS modules use the raw power out of the XTS module with out an added power amplifier.


There is another version of the RT5000 named the RT5000CS, for civil service which in addition to the wideband analog base transceiver includes a second MTM module that uses a dual XTS5000 configuration, either uhf hi and 800 or uhf low and VHF and this version is actually 2 fully loaded RT5000CS's in a multi C5000 control head configuration.

Another version is the RT5000SAR which includes one VHF P25 module in the second guard receiver slot and a 4 channel search and rescue receiver which tunes, 156.525 marine DSC, 156.8 FM, 121.5 AM and 243 MHZ AM.

This last version, The RT5000SAR, is a US coast guard designed model which can also use either a Collins CDU controller, a C5000 control head or the Wulfsberg CD5000 which is a slimlined small form factor version of the C5000.

Whew ok that's a mouth full huh,

Ooops I forgot one more, the latest concoction is a new RT5000 model called the RT5000P with the main radio being a fully front panel programmable 29.7 to 960MHz AM, FM and P25 radio with an in house P25 DSP board design which permits full front panel programming, by this I mean that this radio no longer relies on the use of motorola or anyone except Wulfsbergs P25 engine.


If you have to ask, the price of the various RT5000 versions are in the mid to upper 5 digit to 6 digit dollar figure depending on what other accessories are added such as fixed narrow band and /or the single covers everything wideband tuneable antenna.

Additionally all of the wulfsberg radios are capable of being configured as cross band avionics repeaters and such.

OK this should be enough for anyone to digest.

One of these days I'll finish my history of Wulfsberg electronics which is very interesting, we were sorta the Motorola of Public safety avionics communications before the Brits at Cobham bought us out screwed things up to the point that all of the original RF engineers quit to go and work on better projects as opposed to supplying our services to the British Monarchy.


Mike
21 years designing for Wulfsberg radio but now retired from the public safety field and concentrating on private avionics designs now.

Prescott Arizona some months and Salem Ore. other months depending on the weather.
 
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apd3190

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Last night we had a joint operation with many Maryland agencies. All communicated well except the MSP helo which had to land and pick up a portable .
 
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