interfacing new MCC7500 console to old MSR2000

[adlertom]

My department is considering purchasing new MCC7500 dispatch consoles, but we would need to use them with an existing VHF MSR2000 repeater, at least for the short term until a new countywide P25 trunked radio system comes on line.

Reading the Motorola literature, it looks like this can be done via a CCGW (conventional channel gateway) module placed between the MCC7500 and the MSR2000. The CCGW would translate tone remote station control for the MSR2000.

I'd appreciate any stories or experiences with doing this (or similar). Also, our MSR2000 is configured with a comparator and 3 remote receivers. Does the comparator/remote receivers need a second connection to the CCGW?

Each CCGW can support up to 4 "channels". What constitutes a "channel" for the CCGW?

Thanks,

Tom

[d119]

CCGW Channels are defined as "ports" on the CCGW unit itself.

The CCGW (Conventional Channel Gateway) is essentially an ethernet router that has 4-wire E&M ports on the front of it. It looks like an older 3Com SuperStack hub.

You run IP in one end, and it gives you 4 RJ-45 type jacks on the front of it to interface to your base stations. Each one of these ports is considered a "channel".

For more than 4 base stations, add another CCGW.

I don't know (and I doubt) if the MCC 7500 supports DC keying, so you might want to make sure your MSR 2000's are tone keying. Other than that, it shouldn't really be an issue to hook them up.

Your comparator itself should be the point at which the interface to the CCGW is made. I'll assume if your using MSR 2000's you probably have a SpectraTAC comparator. If you have the Tone Priority Module in the comparator, this along with some other audio connections interfaces to your CCGW and provides you with TX/RX audio & keying tones, along with console priority.

In other words, your MSR 2000 should be keyed via the comparator, so you wouldn't directly interface the MSR 2000 to the CCGW, you'd hook the comparator up to it.

There's no question that MCC 7500 was designed to primarily interface to ASTRO25 7.x systems, but if you're careful about what you order, it can make a great conventional-only dispatch console. MCC 7500 however is much less of a learning curve for users coming from a Gold Elite environment, as the GUI is about the same with some minor differences.

I digress. Hope I helped you.

[Jim202]

The CCGW is a way to interface just about any radio into the MCC7500 system. I have interfaced a number of pieces of equipment in just this fashion using
tone remote control. Works well and is easy. Just make sure you set up the audio levels to the industry standards. Then everyone will be happy. You may
have to add a tone remote adapter to a radio that is not set up for tone control. There are a number of companies that have the adapters available. Most
radios are easy to connect up to the adapters.

Bear in mind that some radios may need to have internal settings changed in the software to have TX audio levels adjusted and to make the PTT line available.
In some radios there is a fixed RX audio level output that can be used. This level is un-effected by the local RX volume control. You may have to cap couple
the TX and RX audio between the adapter and the radio. This will depend on the adapter you use and the radio you connect with.

I won't go into the steps and levels again here as tone control audio levels has been discussed in a number of threads both here and on other sites.

Jim

My department is considering purchasing new MCC7500 dispatch consoles, but we would need to use them with an existing VHF MSR2000 repeater, at least for the short term until a new countywide P25 trunked radio system comes on line.

Reading the Motorola literature, it looks like this can be done via a CCGW (conventional channel gateway) module placed between the MCC7500 and the MSR2000. The CCGW would translate tone remote station control for the MSR2000.

I'd appreciate any stories or experiences with doing this (or similar). Also, our MSR2000 is configured with a comparator and 3 remote receivers. Does the comparator/remote receivers need a second connection to the CCGW?

Each CCGW can support up to 4 "channels". What constitutes a "channel" for the CCGW?

Thanks,

Tom

[adlertom]

Thanks for the advice. We want to purchase MCC7500 consoles that will work with a yet to be built countywide P25 TRS, and also work with our existing local analog systems in the meantime. Motorola is reluctant to support this configuration however, as the MCC7500 needs to connect to (and is programmed via) a TRS master site, which doesn't exist here yet and won't be on line for at least 18 months.

According to Motorola, if we did this, we would essentially be operating the MCC7500 in a "failure" mode, due to the missing master site. Also, they would have to program the MCC7500 in Schaumburg using one of their in house test Master sites, then ship it to us. We couldn't make any changes to it without reconnecting it to thier test site.

Apparantly Motorola doesn't maintain too many of these test master sites. The engineers have difficulty getting access to them (even for programming) as they're in regular use for the staging/testing of systems prior to shipment.

So, I'm exploring options. We could limp along with our current 22 year old Centracom II until the new county TRS becomes operational, or purchase a new, very basic console to hold us over.

[Bill_G]

No matter what console you use, when a base station is connected to a comparator, you'll also find a place to connect your control point be it a full blown console, or simply a tone remote. I haven't played with the MCC series yet, but will in the next year with a new project coming up.

[Jim202]

Bear in mind that Motorola doesn't make the MCC7500 console. It is third party from another company. Good luck in your intentions.

Jim

My department is considering purchasing new MCC7500 dispatch consoles, but we would need to use them with an existing VHF MSR2000 repeater, at least for the short term until a new countywide P25 trunked radio system comes on line.

Reading the Motorola literature, it looks like this can be done via a CCGW (conventional channel gateway) module placed between the MCC7500 and the MSR2000. The CCGW would translate tone remote station control for the MSR2000.

I'd appreciate any stories or experiences with doing this (or similar). Also, our MSR2000 is configured with a comparator and 3 remote receivers. Does the comparator/remote receivers need a second connection to the CCGW?

Each CCGW can support up to 4 "channels". What constitutes a "channel" for the CCGW?

Thanks,

Tom

[d119]

Bear in mind that Motorola doesn't make the MCC7500 console. It is third party from another company. Good luck in your intentions.

Jim

Um, they don't? I'm fairly certain they do, because the level of integration with Astro25 is pretty heavy with these consoles. I've never heard anything about it not being an OEM product.

Perhaps you are thinking of the MCC 5500? That product most definitely is NOT made by Motorola, it is in fact made by CML. Same with the MC series desk sets, and the CommandStar series consoles.

[Batwings21]

As an add on, the mcc5500 was supposed to be something CML had mostly finished on there own when Motorola decided to sell it. It was supposed to be a bridge to fill the gap between gold elite systems and what was supposed to be a fully in house developed Motorola console, the mcc7500. So they started selling CML's console as the 5500 to non-trunking users and the gold elite only to trunking users until the 7500 was done. If I recall as d119 stated its heavily integrated into newer smartzone systems and I believe the voice gateways are loosely based on the 3-com router platform Motorola purchased years ago to be there stable smartzone routers.

[d119]

Seems to me that SmartNet systems are going to become a thing of the past once the MTC3600 is phased out, and since you can't attach MCC5500 to a trunking system (unless you're going to talk into the system as a subscriber), you have no choice but to buy a fullblown Astro25 system. Kind of a bummer.

[Batwings21]

But to big M its $$$$$

as long as they don't price themselves out of the market.

Back to the original topic, as long as the engineer did a good job researching your existing setup they probably should be able to get it staged correctly in Schaumburg and then not reprogrammed until the zone controller was up.

[adlertom]

as long as the engineer did a good job researching your existing setup they probably should be able to get it staged correctly in Schaumburg and then not reprogrammed until the zone controller was up.

That was their original plan, but the engineer working on our project kicked it up to his service manager, and he said they won't support such a configuration (too risky for Motorola, possible unforeseen problems, etc). So, they are strongly advising us against it.

There is also a planned minor hardware change pending for the MCC7500. So, if we wait two years, we can buy the current hardware. Software will also probably be up to version 7.9 by then also. If we bought now, our consoles wouldn't be the same as the ones the county will buy later.

So, a toast to the continued good health of our Centracom II! It needs to last us until the new county system is ready. I may be looking for a few used spare BIMs and other boards to have on hand in case it fails.

[Jim202]

Let me see if I am understanding what has been said to you by Motorola. They are telling you that you can't use a CCGW interface to go to what ever radio you
choose to put on the output of the router. If that is what they are telling you, I smell a skunk in the form of $$$ coming from them.

I have been involved in a number of locations that are using the MCC7500 and the CCGW interface to go to a conventional radio. The ports can be set up in
several ways from what I am being told. Normally I am seeing a tone remote type connection or an E & M for keying. The 4 wire audio works just fine.

Jim

as long as the engineer did a good job researching your existing setup they probably should be able to get it staged correctly in Schaumburg and then not reprogrammed until the zone controller was up.

That was their original plan, but the engineer working on our project kicked it up to his service manager, and he said they won't support such a configuration (too risky for Motorola, possible unforeseen problems, etc). So, they are strongly advising us against it.

There is also a planned minor hardware change pending for the MCC7500. So, if we wait two years, we can buy the current hardware. Software will also probably be up to version 7.9 by then also. If we bought now, our consoles wouldn't be the same as the ones the county will buy later.

So, a toast to the continued good health of our Centracom II! It needs to last us until the new county system is ready. I may be looking for a few used spare BIMs and other boards to have on hand in case it fails.

[adlertom]

Let me see if I am understanding what has been said to you by Motorola. They are telling you that you can't use a CCGW interface to go to what ever radio you
choose to put on the output of the router. If that is what they are telling you, I smell a skunk in the form of $$$ coming from them.

I have been involved in a number of locations that are using the MCC7500 and the CCGW interface to go to a conventional radio. The ports can be set up in
several ways from what I am being told. Normally I am seeing a tone remote type connection or an E & M for keying. The 4 wire audio works just fine.

Jim

Jim,

Not exactly. We can still interface to conventional resources, but the MCC7500 needs to "see" a trunking master site controller or it thinks that a failure has occurred. The MCC7500 is programmed via the master site controller, even for the conventional resources connected to it via a CCGW.

Do the locations you speak of also have trunking resources controlled by the MCC7500, or just conventional?