We are using a VHF quantar in astro mode at a remote site using solar and a battery system. I have a battery monitor that has an alarm out that can be programed to signal a power failure. I was hoping that I could send this signal to the inputs and set up a wildcard scenario to trigger an end of message tone or similar to notify us when there is an issue.
Can this be done?
quantar alarm input with end of message tone
Moderator: Queue Moderator
Re: quantar alarm input with end of message tone
That will be tough to do in digital, as the Quantar doesn't have a vocoder built in. That is, the local mic and speaker don't do anything useful in digital. You could add a DIU to the site, and use something like a Zetron SentriVoice to make a recorded voice announcement of a problem. But since this is a solar site, you may not want to add all this additional power consuming equipment...
All of the Quantar alert tones (PA faults, ect) are sent in analog. Maybe look into to configuring the Quantar for mixed-mode, and have at least some of the subscribers programmed to receive analog as well. If using analog for the alerts is acceptable, you've got a lot more options...
I know the older Daniels P25 repeaters had a vocoder built in, and maybe the newer ones still do... They're great for solar sites, as they only draw milliamps on standby (from a 12VDC source), compared to the Quantar's ~1.4 amps at 24 VDC. They don't have wildcard functionality like the Quantar, but if you had something at the site that could generate tones or recorded voice when a problem occurs, connecting it to a Daniels repeater will be more straigtforward.
All of the Quantar alert tones (PA faults, ect) are sent in analog. Maybe look into to configuring the Quantar for mixed-mode, and have at least some of the subscribers programmed to receive analog as well. If using analog for the alerts is acceptable, you've got a lot more options...
I know the older Daniels P25 repeaters had a vocoder built in, and maybe the newer ones still do... They're great for solar sites, as they only draw milliamps on standby (from a 12VDC source), compared to the Quantar's ~1.4 amps at 24 VDC. They don't have wildcard functionality like the Quantar, but if you had something at the site that could generate tones or recorded voice when a problem occurs, connecting it to a Daniels repeater will be more straigtforward.