Batboard

I am kind of new to the idea of a console, but I think that I have got it down. If i take a comtegra, add a tone remote adapter and a radio, such as a cdm 1250 or a gm 300, I can more or less be in business? The comtegra would be able to controll all the functions of the radio, channel up and down, monitor, scan, etc.... I would like to draw on the experts to tell me if I am correct!

In a perfect world, I would contract all this out, but we are strapped for cash (so I am trying to figure this out on my own) and we would really like to have an impressive looking console in our little radio room. we are kind of tired of having a mobile radio mounted to the counter top!

Also, is there any good, reliable used dealer who might sell this kind of gear that anyone would be comfortable to recommend? If it is in the Chicago area that would be a plus, but where ever is good. We want to upgrade but I think that new is basically out of the question.

Thanks in advance for the assistance!

Tom

I don't think that's going to work, the remotes I've seen that allow you to change the channels on maxtrac/radius radios use special adapters due to the way their channel select works. You can't just ground one pin for channel 1, another pin for channel 2, the way standard tone remote adapters work.

Tom,

You are correct in the pieces that you would need. The tone adapter would have to use binary addressing in order to steer channels on the GM300 and CMD Series radios. There is no special adapter needed, just the proper pinout on the connecting cable.

gtcradiotech--

thanks for confirming my suspicions! I did a little more searching on the net and found that Tessco had a cable that went from the tone remote to the gm-300. Do you know if such a cable exists for the CDM-1250? I would rather use that radio due to the larger channel capacity. I know that they have similiar pin outs... so I figure that it would be possible.

Know anywhere to get one at a really good price?

Tom

Channel selection capability in a typical tone remote control environment is limited by the number of available tone remote control tone sequences. Normally the maximum channel selection capability would be eight. Your best bet might be a tone remote Desktrac or Spectra Desktop. These radios come with the ability to respond to eight channels [modes]. You may have a hard time finding an aftermarket tone adapter that will do that.

If you really need to remote control more than that you ought to look at a Spectra desktop with a DGT9000/RCH3000 type remote. Those remotes control all the radio functions.

Either that or jazz up your CDM by panel mounting it.

Here is an example: http://www.bv911.com/images/Dispatch/BV ... ackup3.jpg

ah... I'm gonna have to adopt Nand's tagline..

now that I look again it appears you can do channel select on these through the accessory connector..
I know there was some reason we needed special remotes before.. maybe it was to get the channels display on the remotes.. ah.. dunno.. my brain is fried..

"...now that I look again it appears you can do channel select on these through the accessory connector..."
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CDM's do this and so do GM300's but so far as I can tell - Maxtracs won't.

However [maybe a little known fact] Radius M214/M216 radios can do this! It is the same radio as a Maxtrac and it does BCD channel select from the accessory connector!

For this reason, I keep a few sets of Radius firmware around. If I need a channel steering radio - I can convert a Maxtrac into an M216 by changing the firmware, blanking , and reinitializing. Slick.

ah.. that's what threw me off.. we used to use maxtracs in the shop, we hooked up remotes to a couple, had to use those ones with the adapter box and the board that goes between the radio and control head, was thinking GM's were the same way.. good to know otherwise.

Next question, there are 5 channel select inputs on the GM, 4 on the CDM, how many channels can you select on each?

jackhackett wrote: Next question, there are 5 channel select inputs on the GM, 4 on the CDM, how many channels can you select on each?

This may have something to do with the fact that CDM can do only 16 channels per zone. And some Radius models can do 32 channels.

Nand.

Hello.

Mos tone remotes only have a few tones, but with a cheap and inexpensive DTMF (touchtone) adapter, you can send 16 commands, and chain them.
The remote site will not respond to DTMF from over the air, it is buffered from the console.
Yes, DTMF is in the voice spectrum, but you usually do not change channels while talking.
I would use one of the inexpensive SCADA units, as then you would have a positive display of what your channel really is.

mokena208,

Sorry, I was out for a few days and didn't get a chance to reply. The same cable that would use for a GM300, you would also use for a CDM Seriers radio. Of course the plug goes directly in the center of the connector with 2 pins leftover on each side. The only thing you may have to change on CDM cable would be the channel steer pins. The reason behide this is because the channel steer pins are programmable pins and they were slightly altered in the CDM Series. Hope that helps.

To address the other posts:
Channel Steering can be up 16 Channels on the radio. The adapter uses 15 different function tones to steer a radio through binary addressing. So where is CH. 16? If you need 16 channels, you would have to use the Monitor tone (2050Hz) as your 16th channel. Here is where the 4 pins and 5 pins come in to play on the accessory port. Because of the way that binary addressing works, if you only need 15 channels, then you only need 4 control lines. Binary 15 is high/high/high/high or 1111 (4 pins). Once you add one more channel, you need high/low/low/low/low or 10000 (5 pins).