Remote radio programming over Cisco routers

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MotoFAN
Posts: 1054
Joined: Thu Jun 28, 2007 6:46 am
What radios do you own?: Approx. 50: Moto & Kenwood

Remote radio programming over Cisco routers

Post by MotoFAN »

Hi all!

Who's tried it and can share expirience/configs? AUX port telnet access works fine, but provides access to console only, but not async 9600 tunnel. But I need 9600 async tunnel that will work for most Motorola radios programming. You plug one AUX to radio programming cable and another side radio AUX to PC. Ideally, it would be good to have VCP (virtual com port) software at PC side (to discard Cisco router at PC side).
I am biggest fan of XTS2500 and ASTRO Digital Saber.
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MotoFAN
Posts: 1054
Joined: Thu Jun 28, 2007 6:46 am
What radios do you own?: Approx. 50: Moto & Kenwood

Re: Remote radio programming over Cisco routers

Post by MotoFAN »

Okay folks. Answering question by myself. Remote Quantar programming can be easily done by the same Cisco router normally used for site IP connectivity, V.24 transport, etc. It's simple if you know that to do and how (this is common point). Advantage of this method is that you no need to have local Cisco router on your side, you just must be able to reach remote router via IP.

Step 1. Issue these commands on your remote router:

Code: Select all

conf term
line aux 0
modem InOut
transport input all
transport output all
stopbits 1
flowcontrol none
speed 9600
After that issue wr (if you want to save current run config). Next, issue show line and check what you have. You must see something like this:

Code: Select all

R1#show line
   Tty Line Typ     Tx/Rx    A Modem  Roty AccO AccI  Uses  Noise Overruns  Int
      0    0 CTY              -    -      -    -    -     0      0    0/0      -
      1    1 AUX  9600/9600   - inout     -    -    -     0      0    0/0      -
*   514  514 VTY              -    -      -    -   23     1      0    0/0      -

Line(s) not in async mode -or- with no hardware support:
2-513
Here you must pay attention to AUX line # (#1 in my case) and remain it for future use.

Step 2. Build simple cable (copyright p25.io web site):

Image

Step 3.Download and install Fabulatech's Serial Port Redirector software ($99) on your Windows PC. After that add client's port (icon with green arrow). Here is VCP settings:

• Remote IP Address: your.router.ip.address
• TCP-port: # (your vty line # + 2000)
• Protocol: Telnet
o Binary
• BPS: 9600
• Use Fixed Line Control:
o Data bits: 8 bit
o Parity: No parity
o Stop bits: 1 bit
• Used fixed flow control: None

After that run Quantar CSS, go to Connection, select Connection type as Serial, choose corresponding COM port and ensure that baud rate is 9600. Press Connect and enjoy remote programming!

Programming is not so fast as local one, but works in the both directions, reading and writing. Also, if needed, you can play with advanced settings, like keep alive, auto-reconnect, buffers, etc.
I am biggest fan of XTS2500 and ASTRO Digital Saber.
Jim202
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Joined: Sun Sep 09, 2001 4:00 pm

Re: Remote radio programming over Cisco routers

Post by Jim202 »

Motorola has been doing this for a number of years on the radio system along our southern boarder. Each radio location was linked so that each of the radios at each of the sites could be remotely accessed and be able to change the radio frequencies, tone squelch, encryption and the likes.

They have been rather tight with the information on how they did it, but there have been some leaks and threads wrote over the years on just how they did it and what equipment was required. It was interesting reading about how you could connect up a computer and get to any of the radios along the boarder. Big restriction was you had to have access to the IP network the radios were connected to.

Jim
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alex
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Re: Remote radio programming over Cisco routers

Post by alex »

Ah yes! I had made this work as well. I thought you were trying to remote program subscribers. The remote serial application works perfectly for "long distance" programming. I heard recently where in some applications Motorola was combining serial streams in to a single DS0 depending on site capacity. If a DS0 from a T1 is 64kbps, you can shove 6 serial streams in to a single DS0. If you are lighting up a far away site and have limited bandwidth this is a pretty neat solution. It apparently was a SP from Zhone who makes Tensr's.

Another agency nearby is a big fan of using Baytech as well for this purpose (but it's not a same box solution like Cisco).
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d119
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Re: Remote radio programming over Cisco routers

Post by d119 »

We use the BayTech device quite a bit on systems out here. Of course it requires a PC with a serial connection, but any terminal program can control it. Set the thing up for what device you want to talk to (local or remote), exit terminal program, launch RSS/whatever and there you go - like you are plugged into it.
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MotoFAN
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Re: Remote radio programming over Cisco routers

Post by MotoFAN »

If I have a Cisco on site, I prefer to probram via them also. Same for Moxa - they are good, but excessive in case of Cisco present.
I am biggest fan of XTS2500 and ASTRO Digital Saber.
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