This forum is for discussions regarding System Infrastructure and Related Equipment. This includes but is not limited to repeaters, base stations, consoles, voters, Voice over IP, system design and implementation, and other related topics.
I have a Quantar vhf station that works in P25 mode and analog mode as a repeater. The question is can I take an analog signal say from a repeater controler or link radio and have the station transmit it on p25 digital. Also decode a P25 signal and make it analog when it receives one. What I am trying to do is make a Quantar a P25 base station with a analog remote is this possible??
You'll need a Motorola DIU3000 to do either one of those things. There is no VSELP or IMBE decoder built in to any Quantar. You will also need either a V.24 interface card or 9.6kbps Astro Modem for the wireline board in your Quantar. Either one of these can be used to connect the DIU3000 to the Quantar. The V.24 interface is cheaper, but only works if the DIU3000 is within about 50 feet of the Quantar. For greater distances or leased lines, you will have to go with an Astro Modem.
As far as I know, all DIU3000s come with a V.24 interface. If you need to use Astro Modems, you will need one in the Quantar and one in the DIU3000.
You can easily connect a tone remote or a MRTI/repeater controller to the DIU3000.
At $8k to $10k (new price) for a DIU3000, you are correct that it ain't cheap.
As to being easy---actually, connecting a repeater controller to a Quantar via the DIU3000 is very simple. There's an RJ-45 jack on the rear panel of the DIU3000 that is labeled "PATCH." This breaks out the recovered IMBE audio in analog (Analog RX), plus it has COS, proper PL detect, PTT, and Transmit Audio. It also has recovered Data 12 packets (e.g., decoded DTMF). Couldn't be simpler to connect a controller to a Quantar via the DIU3000!