Newer XTL5000 Consolettes

[TX_Shooter]

I'm confused, and seeking advice and/or input...

I'm somewhat perplexed to discover that the newer XTL5000 Consolettes, which have the XTL5000 Mobile Radio inside of it, do not handle the TX Audio Input nearly as well as the previous Astro and Spectra mobile versions. For what audio we could get to transmit over the air, it was really choppy and unreadable.

We tried adjusting the input signal level up and down and found that the only levels that the radio would broadcast were those above 500mV, and those sounded as though they were gated and compressed for what DID get out over the air. We tried changing the codeplug for the Aux Mic (or was it the Aux PTT?) from 80mv to 300mv and back, to no avail. We also tried adjusting R244 on the Audio Interface Board. We checked and rechecked the dip switch settings on the AIB to confirm a 600 Ohm setup.

This is the analog TX+/- input on Accessory 2, Pins 3 & 11. We verified that we were delivering a very clean signal up to these pins.

Even though it is too late on this last job, I'd still like to know for the future what we might have done wrong.

Any ideas from all of you gurus out there?

Thanks,
Shooter

PS. Just in case someone wants to know, we feed the consolette from a Universal Radio Controller made by CSI, the Flex II model specifically built for a Siemens Hipath 4000 telephone switch, which uses the Type I Balanced 4-Wire E &M signalling from the Flex II. This version of the Flex series Universal Controller has separate single ended and balance radio input and outputs. The balanced radio input and output can be configured for two wire full duplex or half duplex operation, or four wire balanced radio audio allowing the user to hook up to a simplex radio or hook up to a duplex radio operating in either the half duplex mode or full duplex mode.

We've never had an issue like this when using the older Astro/Spectra radios.

[Bill_G]

Choppy heard where with what?

And how did that compare to the front panel mic operation?

(everybody place your bets - the consolette was programmed for an adjacent channel, or it was set for wideband, and they were listening on a customer portable because they did not have a service monitor to look at it off the air)

[TX_Shooter]

Choppy heard where with what?

And how did that compare to the front panel mic operation?

(everybody place your bets - the consolette was programmed for an adjacent channel, or it was set for wideband, and they were listening on a customer portable because they did not have a service monitor to look at it off the air)

Choppy heard on customer portables and other consolettes throughout the base.

W9 with G81, so no front panel mic to operate. It was originally used with an MC3000 via a digital L3209A junction box, connected to the Accessory 2, and a recorder connected to Accessory 3. This one did not have the TRC board.

As to the 'wideband' setting, I didn't look for that, but perhaps I can call back on Tuesday and ask the guys to check that. And a Service Monitor? Come on... these guys' budget don't allow for that.

How are those odds looking now, Bill?

-Shooter

[Dorf411]

Why are you using a XTL5000 consolette with a W9, I thought that was only to be used with the digital junction box and related equipment like the MC3000? If you are tone controlling a consolette you should be using a W7 configured XTL5000.

[TX_Shooter]

Why are you using a XTL5000 consolette with a W9, I thought that was only to be used with the digital junction box and related equipment like the MC3000? If you are tone controlling a consolette you should be using a W7 configured XTL5000.

We're not tone controlling, and this is the radio that they had.

[gtriever]

I'm confused, and seeking advice and/or input...

Even though it is too late on this last job, I'd still like to know for the future what we might have done wrong.

Any ideas from all of you gurus out there?

Thanks,
Shooter

Please accept this in the spirit with which it is intended, as constructive criticism. It sounds like you guys walked into this job with no clue of what was needed to make your install work. In my opinion, you need a few changes in the future:

(1) Sales should never make a quote without knowing the complete requirements for the job (including the RF side), and consulting with technical staff.
(2) Somebody on your staff needs to have experience in the RF side of the proposed job; or
(3) If not, you need to be partnering with a reputable and experienced 2Way company to iron all these issues out BEFORE the quote/sale is made.
(4) Both Telco and RF techs should be on site for the install.

[TX_Shooter]

Please accept this in the spirit with which it is intended, as constructive criticism. It sounds like you guys walked into this job with no clue of what was needed to make your install work. In my opinion, you need a few changes in the future:

(1) Sales should never make a quote without knowing the complete requirements for the job (including the RF side), and consulting with technical staff.
(2) Somebody on your staff needs to have experience in the RF side of the proposed job; or
(3) If not, you need to be partnering with a reputable and experienced 2Way company to iron all these issues out BEFORE the quote/sale is made.
(4) Both Telco and RF techs should be on site for the install.

Well, um... thank you. You do have some valid points about what would be nice, but often times #1 isn't practical due to limitations of the region to which our installs happen. #2, I've worked in the RF field some years ago, including component level repair on a wide array of mobile radios including Motorola models... that's not to say that I'm up to the current levels of digital radios, but I'm fairly competent in being able to read the installation manual, and nothing in it says that these newer Consolettes require anything different from their earlier models. #3, the local Motorola dealer for this site didn't/doesn't deal with these 'Federal' radios (not sure why they called them 'federal', but there ya go). #4, I'm the Telco tech, and the base's RF tech was on hand.

As I said before, we've interfaced with consolettes before without any issues, to include the W9 models using analog audio on ACC2... there's just something that we either missed, or Motorola has made an undocumented change that we're just now seeing. So far, Bill's suggestion about the 'wide band' setting is the only thing mentioned for us to take a closer look at, but I wonder if that setting would be needed when the MC3000's were used? I dunno... just guessing at this point.

By the way, and I'm very hesitant to mention this, but we DID find a work-around that involved bypassing the Audio Interface Board. What I'm trying to solve here is why was that work-around necessary? We still should have been able to use the inputs on the ACC2 connector.

Thanks,
-Shooter