Batboard

Is it possible to add pl tone scan to a Moto base station, I think it is either Micor or MSR2k.?? The agency in question has several repeaters all on the same input/output frequencies. They all have different input pl tones. The base unit is acting as the control station.
But there is no way to tell which machine is transmitting, down in dispatch.
How you would get the tone info out of the base station and into dispatch via wireline is yet another question.
This must have been solved before....

The simplest way that I can come up with would be to add some sort of DTMF ANI encoder to each repeater that either ID’s at the start or end of the received signal. Dispatch would need a simple DTMF decoder that displays the ID.

Nand.

I did one of these years ago - a scanning Micor T4-R4 base. It was connected to a T1617 mini-console.

The scanning Micor is designed so that whatever frequency you transmit on becomes the scan priority channel [today we call them modes - frequency, PL code, etc] The problem was that the dispatchers could never tell what channel they were receiving.

I put a 4-wire line driver in the station so that when it was receiving the priority channel, the rx audio went down line one and came out of the select speaker at the console. Any non-priority channel's audio came back on line 2 and out of the console unselect speaker.

Another way we deal with multi PL situations - let's say you have three or four repeaters around the County - all on the same RF frequency with different PLs. One master control station at the comm center needs to talk to them.

We put in a T4-4R control station connected to a T4-4R setup in the console [1 BIM & 2 DRs in a CCII]. This gives every repeater its own CCW or resource appearance. From the dispatcher's point of view it looks like four separate radios [they are interlocked so you can't simul-select or patch them]

One more idea. Since you mentioned Micor or MSR2000. I have always been one of those who believed that with the right modules, enough time, and a big bag of diodes - you can make those radios do anything.

If you put a 4-PL decoder card in the card cage - you could wire its outputs to a wild card module. You would set that card up for four interlocked latches. You would install 4 relays. Then you would use the relays to route the receive audio from your 4-wire line driver to 4 separate wire lines that would be connected to the T4-4R channel configuration in the console.

As with the T4-4R radio, that would let you control 4 repeaters with one control station - and the dispatcher has the same appearance on screen as if you had direct connection to each of them.

I like Nand's ANI idea, mainly because I understand it.
Now I have to confess ignorance of the Micor terminology. I am guessing that a T4-R4 is a 4-channel (mode) machine.
CCII must be Centracom II.
Please define BIM, and CCW for me, xmo.
I am not sure what version of Micor is up on the hill. will check next visit.
Thanks.

CCII = Centracom 2
BIM = Base Interface Module
DR = Dual Receive module
T4-R4 = a radio that can transmit four frequencies and receive four frequencies
T4-4R = a radio that can transmit four frequencies and has four receivers

My two bits worth:
I completely agree with XMO.
There is not much that that you can't hard wire into a Micor.

Perhaps the customer does not wish to spend too much on these stations because they are rather obsolete.

Here is a cheap suggestion:
Kauai County used this system before they went trunking.
Install a single tone encoder on the repeaters, with a very different tone for each station. A short tone burst when ever the receiver un-squelches.

One can easilly tell which tone is low, medium or high, one box would not need an encodrer.
You could also use a decoder to light an indicator for each channel.
Single tone is rather irretating to the user, but is the cheapest way to do the job. It is also possible to use a tone notch filter to eliminate the beep at dispatch.

You are only limited by your immagination, and money.

Another suggestion comes to mind:
If you are using wireline, you could put an audio detector on each line and flash a light when the channel becomes active.
Centracom does this.