Rnet 150 radios.

[PETNRDX]

Anybody know anything about these?
My guess is that they would be Xtal controlled not programmable.
Looking for any info before they go in the trash.

[wazzzzzzzzup]

i think they are used inside some older VRS (Vehicle repeater system) basically half of a crossband repeater system in a mobile radio configuration. look up VRS-EP you may find some specifics.

heres an interesting link
http://bear.sbszoo.com/construction/Tx/RNet/aprs-tx.htm
heres a link to a pdf page
http://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cac ... udGwxhFtSA

[PETNRDX]

Hmmm.
Sounds like these might be programmable.
Wonder who knows.
It is worth looking into...

[Bill_G]

If they are the Dataradio Rnet series, then they are programmable with Dataradio's utility. They are transparent radio modems. That is, they are analog radios with fast attack and decay times capable of faithfully passing external fsk. They do not have data converters in them. The radios themselves are not addressable, nor can they be interrogated over the air. They replace land lines for a standard bellcore modem. So, you can connect RS232 to a 2400 baud modem, and attach the RNet to the leased line port. They were intended for scada, telemetry, and other machine to machine communication. Typically used by muni sewer and water depts, gas companies, power utilities, etc, for alarm monitoring, and remote control. Work good, last a long time. And they will pass voice if needed though their duty cycles were not intended for conversation.

[d119]

These are crystal controlled radios based on the Radius P50 series HT's.

I've got a test/alignment cable for them that I use to set up my VRS, and if it's what I think it is, it should have a DB-15 connector on it.

[PETNRDX]

These don't look like anything M.
Not P50 for sure.
I am guessing its another one of those product names that M had made by several manufacturers depending on application.
These are in a SCADA form factor and inside look like a purpose built item.
Dataradio is looking like the source.
I want to use them in a very limited use data application.

[Bill_G]

Interesting. There must be a couple generations of product out there - an early version based on the P50 and a later version that Dataradio designed and built themselves. I always assumed Dataradio was a subdivision of EFJ based on where they are located and manufactured. Their model & serial tag certainly look like EFJ tags. The ones I've worked on have been great. I've enjoyed working on the systems - both maintaining customers who bought them from other vendors, and the ones I've put together. It is a low learning curve, though a niche market. Engineering firms will design a new fresh water treatment plant with a radio at the main intake, one or two at auxillary well fields, a radio at each reservoir, and a master station at the PW office. Their engineers know everything about the civil side, and almost nothing about connectivity which is where I come it.

The nat gas company will have them up and down their line. The power company uses them at dams, gas fired co-gen, and substations. The biggest systems are usually the sewer services - gravity drops the black water to lift stations which in turn macerate and lift the effluent to a higher level so it can gravity flow to the next station and eventually to the treatment plant. Even small communities of 20000 will have 15 or 20 lift stations that need to be monitored as opposed to fresh water which need only 5 or 7. Get into a major metro, and you'll have hundreds of lift stations hidden in neighborhoods connected back to the master by a combination of telco and radio. Toro sold a version used for their golf course irrigation control that the greens keeper could manually interrogate and control with a portable. Pretty cool. The Mormon Temple used them for perimeter and door alarms. Construction companies use them for overnight and weekend monitoring of their sites. You don't need huge bandwidth. It just needs to be reliable, and the Rnet series is definitely reliable.

If you have an experimental purpose for these, I definitely say go for it. You can get a login from Dataradio, and then dl a ton of stuff from them. They are very helpful people to work with.

[com501]

Early RNet radios were P50s inside a box. The newer ones were based on the GP300 uP and were programmable.

I use them for voter links with a Doug Hall comparator for a customer who wanted to go 'cheap'. Great lttle radios, don't throw the away!

[motorola_otaku]

Okay, my interest is piqued.

Does anyone make a similar device (analog pass-through radio) that operates in the 902-928 band? The only such beast I was ever aware of was the DARCOM 9000 but I'll be if I'm messing with those old things.

[ka7wnf]

Have a look here, http://www.calamp.com/calamp_3_monitorc ... t_imc.html
Dataradio is now CalAmp and the software and tech info is available free on their website.

[com501]

Anybody know anything about these?
My guess is that they would be Xtal controlled not programmable.
Looking for any info before they go in the trash.

Bring them down to the shop and I can identify them for you. I have a programming cable.
-Charles