Ambulance Install

This forum is dedicated to helping people with questions about installing radio equipment in vehicles. This can include antenna installs, electrical wiring questions/problems, and mounting systems. Pictures of installs are welcome.

Note: Discussions regarding lighting, sirens, and other equipment now has its own forum in the 'off-topic' section below.

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LCFD1
Posts: 31
Joined: Tue Mar 30, 2004 8:06 pm

Ambulance Install

Post by LCFD1 »

I was given a big box of equipment to install in a new medic unit. I just opened it up and can allready tell that I dont have all the parts to get the job done. Im not sure what all else I nead, but, I was hoping somebody else here could.

They have included the following:

-CDM-1250, AAM25SKD9PW2AN, to be mounted behind the drivers seat.
-Remote mount head, RLN4802, to be mounted on the dash.
-There is also a standard handheld mic to be mounted at the dash, and I assume plug in to the control head.
-They also provided a telephone style handset, AAREX4617A to be mounted in the back, tied to this same radio. Where can I plug this in? I assume that because it had the same style plug as the mic, that is where it would plug in. Obviously, that spot is allready taken. Is there some sort of "Splitter" or something?

Any Ideas?
Thanks
-Sonny
copcarguy
Posts: 170
Joined: Sat Mar 02, 2002 4:00 pm

Ambulance

Post by copcarguy »

I am an ambulance installer for the past 20 years. ALL of the medic units I have done with the example you have posted all have the radio behind the seat with a remote head up front, and a "Y"cable and a second head mounted in the rear. The radios are usually mcs2000. The handset which you speak of is plugged into the rear head. So I guess your correct in stating you are missing parts, the y cable and the rear head. Hope this helps..
Last edited by copcarguy on Wed Oct 20, 2004 12:09 pm, edited 1 time in total.
MassFD
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Post by MassFD »

A CDM-1250 is going to need more than a "Y" connector to do 2 control heads

The handset could be connected to the 16 (20) pin connector on the rear of the radio but that also requires some parts, or both the Mike and the Handset could be pluged into the front head with an 8 pin Y splitter but that is not somethng I would want to do in an ambulance.

Better go back and ask what they realy wanted to do and locate the rest of the parts first.
Cause Motorola said so that's why
Garyf629
Posts: 169
Joined: Thu Oct 30, 2003 5:45 pm

Post by Garyf629 »

Having tried both suggestions above, (neither worked very well) the best thing to do is, order form Quickmount(http://www.quickmount.com), a "Dual Head Adapter". I have these units in 3 ambulances, and 3 command/fly cars they work well. The only problem is when you key one mic, the other mic is also open. I found that if you pay attention to where you mount the mics, this is not an issue.
sscott9341
Posts: 8
Joined: Sat Sep 25, 2004 7:38 pm

abulance installs

Post by sscott9341 »

what area are you in that only has one radio? Every install i do in an ambulance, i have two radios that are both the same. One mounted in the rear with two handsets plugged into the 16pin options connector connected to the rear remote mounted radio. that way the driver and jumpseat person can both talk on the radios on two differnt channels. The y-adapter is nice, but if one head changes the channel, it affects the other on too. Just my opinion. :P
Station House Products
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Post by Station House Products »

OK, I have to toss my hat into the ring on this one. First off, not to belittle you or anything here Sonny, but if you are'nt that familiar with this sort of equipment, I would STRONGLY reccoment that you tell this to whoever gave you the job and suggest that they find a professional installer. One of the main reasons for this is that you are working on a medic unit. If this radio fails at a critical time due to something that you did (or failed to do) the $#!t will roll downhill in a lawsuit and you'll be at the bottom of the hill as the installer.

Secondly, you caould make a VERY expensive paperwieght by experimenting or guessing on how to wire something up. The handset you gave the part number for is a privacy handset that basicly is a microphone and speaker in one unit. I generally wire these into the back of the radio at the 16 pin accessory plug and run the wire to the back of the rig. The wire gets attached to a modular outlet (Basicly the same thing as a wall jack for a telephone, but with an RJ-45 connector instead of an RJ-11) The unit can be plugged in and changed easily if it fails. The downside to using this set-up is that the rear radio operator has no control over channel selection and must rely upon the driver to change channel for them if neccesary.

Again, I would really reccomend that you have a qualified radio shop or installer do this job for you, or at least bring the radio to them and let them set it up on thier bench the way that you want it before you do the install.
thebigphish
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Joined: Sat Nov 29, 2003 10:10 pm
What radios do you own?: AM/FM

Post by thebigphish »

Garyf629 wrote:I have these units in 3 ambulances, and 3 command/fly cars they work well. The only problem is when you key one mic, the other mic is also open.
whoa! this changes some stuff. which mics are you using gary?
"How do you plan to outwit Death?"
"With a knight and bishop combination; I will destroy his flank.
" --Antonious Block
LCFD1
Posts: 31
Joined: Tue Mar 30, 2004 8:06 pm

Post by LCFD1 »

I agree.
I would have taken this to a more expierenced installer if I had known from the beginning that it was going to involve this. It originaly started out as just installing the radio with a remote head. I have done a bunch of "easy" installs. Then it evolved in to adding the handset to the back. At this time, I have good mic audio, and good PTT. I cant seem to get audio to the earpiece of the handset. Anybody able to help me out here?

Thanks a lot!
-Sonny
Station House Products
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Post by Station House Products »

Here is a link to the accessory connector pin out Sonny.

http://www.batlabs.com/images/maxacc.gif

Since the CDM1250 has 20 pins instead of 16, ignore the 1st and last colums of pins as if they were'nt even there. Your speaker audio will tie into pins 1 (External speaker -) and pin 16 (External speaker +) If you hook your handset ear piece leads to these pins, you should have speaker audio on the handset. It may or may not be controled by the main audio control on the control head. If it is'nt and the audio is too high, you can add a volume pot in line to lower it. Hope this helps.
LCFD1
Posts: 31
Joined: Tue Mar 30, 2004 8:06 pm

Post by LCFD1 »

I have got the pinout of the accy connector, I do not have the pinout of the handset. It appears that the handset wants a "ground" and a "handset audio" the accy connector does not provide handset audio. When I connect it to ground and spkr hi or spkr low, I get nothihng. What I really need is a schematic of the handset, but when I called motorola, they couldnt help.

Have I made this confusing enough?
Station House Products
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Posts: 727
Joined: Sat Oct 06, 2001 4:00 pm

Post by Station House Products »

I have an RLN4656 handset here. Give me a day or so and I'll see if I can figure it out as soon as I get some free time.
Glen W Christen
Posts: 203
Joined: Sun Sep 09, 2001 4:00 pm

Ambulances

Post by Glen W Christen »

Also remember that many manufacturers will void the warrenty if you take power from the wrong source. Very expensive!
chiefhal3
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Post by chiefhal3 »

A9 Spectra with dual control heads. The only way to go on an ambulance and have a sure fire setup that will last for years.
"Once man has hunted armed man and liked it there is no other hunt like it."
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