Console Question

motofreak008 · Post by **motofreak008** » Tue Feb 13, 2007 9:15 am

I am looking into buying a Centracom console. What does this require to work with my frequencies? Do I have to get a mobile radio to connect to the console in order for it to tx and rx? If I put multiple channels on it, do I have to get one radio for each channel? The seller said that it needs a CEB unit for it, what is that? Any info on this console would be appreciated and helpful.

Post by **wavetar** » Tue Feb 13, 2007 10:13 am

motofreak008 wrote:I am looking into buying a Centracom console. What does this require to work with my frequencies? Do I have to get a mobile radio to connect to the console in order for it to tx and rx? If I put multiple channels on it, do I have to get one radio for each channel? The seller said that it needs a CEB unit for it, what is that? Any info on this console would be appreciated and helpful.

***I'm simplifying things greatly here, for the sake of brevity***

CEB stands for "Central Electronics Bank" and is the 'heart & soul' of the Centracom system. A console by itself is worthless, as it's a very small part of a very large system.

The console would connect to the CEB via 7-pair cable, or 3 dedicated phone lines for remote installations, to a card called a OMI/TOMI (Trunked Operator Module Interface) or COIM (Console Operator Interface Module).

You would need a separate radio for each channel, and each radio would connect via tone-remote wireline interface to a card in the CEB called a BIM (Base Interface Module). If the radio & it's tone remote interface equipment is capable, you can have a single radio do multiple channels via commands from the console.

The CEB requires either a system timer module (or AIMI card for Gold/Elite systems) in order to function.

There is a lot more to it in terms of needed software/firmware/hardware, etc. Suffice to say, unless you can get an entire turn-key system at a price you can afford, it's a dead end for your needs.

Todd

Bruce1807 · Post by **Bruce1807** » Tue Feb 13, 2007 11:12 am

You can also do relay keying and DC control depending on the configuration, however unless you know what your doing don't waste your time. It's easy if you know the centracoms but if you dont even the manuals wont help.

57Shasta · Post by **57Shasta** » Thu Feb 22, 2007 10:08 pm

Think you need to research exactly what a centracom is and what all the parts and pieces are and what they do. If all you want is something with a lot of buttons that looks impressive, buy it.

By the way, anybody need a complete CCII (ver "A") 2 position wedge? I can't bring myself to take it to the dump!

5-sides · Post by **5-sides** » Fri Feb 23, 2007 8:34 am

****SIMPLIFYING TO NEAR EXTREME****

The console itself is merely the user-interface to the comm equipment. The CEB, or Central Electronics Bank, is where all of the "behind-the-scenes" work is done (well, most of it). The CEB and the Console can be set up in just about any configuration, depending on what cards you have and what you are willing to pay.

Do you need a different radio for each channel? Depends. The Console can have the capability to change channels, but a lot has to happen. The radio needs to be remote controllable, the CEB has to be configured with that resource designated as a multi-freq, and the console has to be given the ability to change channels.

Pretty much, if you don't know what you are up against, it is more than you want to get into. IMO, Centracom is great once it is up and running, but it is a real pain to get everything set up to run the way you want. Then, just when you get it the way they want it, they come up with a new agreement with the guys across the way, so you have to add a new resource, and oh by the way, since you are working on it, could you....yeah.

radioguy77 · Post by **radioguy77** » Fri Feb 23, 2007 8:51 am

How hard is it to make modifications to the paging features on Centracom Elite/Gold? We have fire departments that have two different page tones and the radio tech set up each tone on it's own page icon. So we have to click, wait for that tone, then click for the second tone. Couldn't we just have one icon send both tones (one after the other)?

Lake Effect · Post by **Lake Effect** » Fri Feb 23, 2007 10:08 am

How hard is it to make modifications to the paging features on Centracom Elite/Gold? We have fire departments that have two different page tones and the radio tech set up each tone on it's own page icon. So we have to click, wait for that tone, then click for the second tone. Couldn't we just have one icon send both tones (one after the other)?

It's easy enough to do. In the elite admin program, edit the toolbar at the top to add "checklist page". Save that then restart the operator position. Click on the new icon at the top, then click as many page icons as you need and send page.

L.E.

Rod Farva · Post by **Rod Farva** » Fri Feb 23, 2007 10:22 am

There were a couple of people selling Centra Com Consoles on the board. One had a CC2 and a CC2 Plus CRT. These were complete systems. Check the FS board and you can find them, also our agency just tossed a complete CC2+ in the dumpster not to long ago. We have been using CC elites for quite some time now. COIMS and AIMIs are for the gold and elite only so you will not have to worry about that. Unless you want an elite and have the high dollars to do it. If you pick up a CC2 complete it will work fine as long as you make sure it is put together as the as built documents tell you to. The CC2 is microproccesor controlled and each card has an address. The CEB can hold 2 operator positions and 2 timer cards. The other slots are set for BIMS, Dual RX modules, AUX I/O cards. BIMS also come in to types, DC and Tone. DC Bims have a daugterboard that is attached to them. Any more questions PM me.

5-sides · Post by **5-sides** » Fri Feb 23, 2007 11:04 am

Wow, we just got rid of our Gold-Elites. And I thought we were getting behind the times on equipment until we did......

Actually, the CEB is still in place, so we could theorectically fire up the Quantars and stick the CIE's and PC's back in place--the cables are still under the floor, for now.

I'm not telling anyone, though, they will just find a "need" for it.

Rod Farva · Post by **Rod Farva** » Fri Feb 23, 2007 2:06 pm

what did you switch to? The only reason we are using the Centracom console is because it is the only console that will work with our smartzone system.

Bruce1807 · Post by **Bruce1807** » Fri Feb 23, 2007 5:47 pm

5-sides wrote:Wow, we just got rid of our Gold-Elites. And I thought we were getting behind the times on equipment until we did......

Sounds a little strange unless you have a 7.X system

5-sides · Post by **5-sides** » Mon Feb 26, 2007 8:15 am

Rod Farva wrote:what did you switch to? The only reason we are using the Centracom console is because it is the only console that will work with our smartzone system.

Maestro IP's.

Our infrastructure is M/A-Com, but we still use mostly XTS/XTL-5K's.

It took some fooling around, but everything pretty much works ok. We have to manually switch from site to site in most cases, since M/A-Com treated each site as a system. We do have a few locations where they are actually sites and sub-sites, so we can roam automatically there. It is actually better in those situations than the M7100's that we have, since they treat sub-sites like two distinct systems. Also, there are issues with patching and simulcasting/simulselecting, as the P-25 protocol is vague in that area, so of course each manufacturer went his own route.

We put the M7100's into the cars that travel to more distant locations, and left the XTL-5000's in the vehicles that tend to stay close to home. A little birdie told me that mother M will have some new firmware out late this year that will allow seamless roaming, as well as accepting NAC's that are more than 16 numbers away from the site ID.

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