Converting Nextel service to a trunking handheld

ejayerik · Post by **ejayerik** » Tue Jul 01, 2003 1:46 pm

The company I work for uses about 20 older r370 Nextel radios. Those are the most durable ones we can find. We have seen some people use Nextel two way service on a standard trunking 800 mhz Motorola handheld. But we don't know how they did it.
Do any of you guys know how we can go about transfering our Nextel service to a standard trunking radio since they are the same technology? I called Nextel, and after being transfered about 9 times, I was finally put through to a local guy who said it couldn't be done. He wouldn't say why. Point is, is that I have seen it before. But I don't know how. Is it just a matter of getting the cell site access info that the Nextel Motorola radio uses and programming it into a standard Motorola 800 mhz? Any help would be great.

k4wtf · Post by **k4wtf** » Tue Jul 01, 2003 3:40 pm

The Nextel guy did indeed lie to you. It may be that they WON'T do it but, it can most definately be done.

If I remember correctly, Astro Digital and IDEN are the same technology.

---
John

RadioSouth · Post by **RadioSouth** » Tue Jul 01, 2003 4:02 pm

You've probably seen a trunking radio in use, similar beeps to the Nextel.
Completely incompatible technologies.

RADIOMAN2002 · Post by **RADIOMAN2002** » Tue Jul 01, 2003 4:23 pm

I do remember a thread some time ago about a SP version Nexthell portable made for ENTERGY a utility company to do both. There was never any concrete info. Also eluded to, was the use of what sounded like a FTR key to make it do it. There is also a very brief mention of a Nexthell Agent utility that apparently was not supposed to get out, and was subsequently removed from the next version release of Nexthhell Agent software. Another morsel I heard about was a new version of a Nexthell portable that is a 2-way only, with no phone capability.

RKG · Post by **RKG** » Tue Jul 01, 2003 6:14 pm

I don't belive that IDEN and ASTRO are the same thing, but in Europe IDEN is used for a lot of trunking functions and there are portables that can be configured to work with IDEN conventions. That is probably what someone is using. Nextel would have to program the radios (or authorize someone to do so), since Nextel has the requisite system keys.

Cowthief · Post by **Cowthief** » Tue Jul 01, 2003 6:58 pm

Hello.

Entergy is the company that owns SouthernLINC.
If you give them a call, they can explain the Advanced Feature Phone.
The 550AFP, 650AFP, 750AFP can all do simplx, half-duplex, duplex, in iDEN and type I and II trunking.
The only catch, the unit is only for sale to entergy and government.
The 370AFP, and 470AFP mobiles were wsed by nexthell to transition subsribers from privacyplus type I trunking, under the fleetcall name in Houston, Texas, to Nexthell, iDEN.
The fact of the matter is that NextHell is marketing to some police departments, including Harris county, Texas, units that do both iDEN and the trunking platform, however, it is good business policy to keep this type of radio off the general market.
In short, you can put some iDEN radios, perhaps all of them, on trunking, but, do not expect any help, from the carrier.

ab · Post by ab » Tue Jul 01, 2003 7:48 pm

The nextel guy did not lie to you. cowthief and rkg are right.
they are NOT the same thing.
ebay the radios and buy time on a smr
gtx radios are cheap

ab

ejayerik · Post by **ejayerik** » Wed Jul 02, 2003 4:29 am

What it comes down to is that we have such a wide area to cover that we need something like the iden to cover it all. Repeater sites in three Counties in Southern California are hard to come by. And the area in which I am located has alot of mountains between Counties.
I have done some research on SMR technology, but I can't seem to find what we need in my area. As for the GTX, those would only do us good if we could find a trunking system that could ecomidate the wide area we cover.
Why couldn't be as easy as saying, "open a sub-space channel Mr. Worf"

ejayerik · Post by **ejayerik** » Wed Jul 02, 2003 4:32 am

RadioSouth wrote:You've probably seen a trunking radio in use, similar beeps to the Nextel.
Completely incompatible technologies.

I have used 5W trunking radios in the field. The reason I thought that they were even remotly related was because you have to key up the repeater or cell site first before transmitting on both trunking and iden.

RadioSouth · Post by **RadioSouth** » Wed Jul 02, 2003 5:49 am

It's close. BTW- Motorola's 800 trunking radios are 3 watts in portable config.

DJP126 · Post by **DJP126** » Wed Jul 02, 2003 6:28 am

Nextel's iDen (MIRS) system is a propriatary TDMA based system. The trunking systems that you use are analog or (if digital like the Project 25 systems) FDMA based. Two different technologies.

D