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crossband patching with Centracom Elite

Posted: Tue Dec 20, 2005 5:55 am
by N9LLO
Well I finally got the crossband patch to work, kind of. Here is what I have so far. On the other side of the plant is the Security repeater, a UHF MSF5000 (CLB) with a tone remote in the security office.

A 10 channel 900 trunked system in maintenance dispatch with 4 Elite Gold consoles. I added a BIM and paralleled it with the tone remote on the UHF repeater. I setup a patch on the console. The VOX control of UHF audio from the MSF to the trunking system sucks. What are my options here to eliminate the VOX setup?

Chris
N9LLO

Posted: Tue Dec 20, 2005 8:39 am
by xmo
If you have in house wiring pairs available from the CEB location to the MSF location there is an easy solution.

Use a dedicated pair to connect COR from the MSF to the console and program the console to use COR input. If the MSF is a CXB series you can program the spare output @ system connector J2-9 to be COR [RX ACT]. If the MSF is a CLB series, a wildcard would be the cleanest way to get a COR output.

You will need an I/O board to install over the BIM at the CEB end.

If you have a four-wire line from the CEB to the repeater but it does not have DC continuity, you could also carry the COR from the repeater to the CEB with tone. You could use a tone keying module at the repeater end with its "PTT" driven by the COR and use a tone remote adapter at the CEB end. The PTT output of the TRA would drive the console COR.

Another slick way would be to program the repeater receiver for Spectra-Tac operation. That way it will send status tone down the line when it is idle. Then get a tone LOBL [Line Operated Busy Light] option board for your BIM. The tone LOBL detects 2175. Custom configure the BIM and LOBL so that the absence of status tone causes COR to be asserted to the BIM.

If there are no pairs available or you can't get a four-wire leased line, there are other alternatives. Many companies are jumping on the "Smart" patching bandwagon to get themselves a piece of the homeland defence funds. Big $ solutions come from companies like JPS and Raven. You might be able to do what you want with a lower cost product from Link Communications

Posted: Tue Dec 20, 2005 8:44 am
by wavetar
Or if there's UHF coverage in the CEB room, use a Maxtrac style base radio to provide the COR to the CEB.

Todd

Posted: Tue Dec 20, 2005 9:16 am
by N9LLO
Lots of good options, this is my first time messing with the CEB so I am learning along the way. How do I set up the BIM to use COR? Is that the samwe signal as 2 wire mute? If so I could setup a maxtrac like Todd said and feed the AUX4 in on the ceb with an unmute signal And setup the appropitae jumpers on the BIM.

Chris
N9LLO