Batboard

It was a 900 mhz Motorola station. Some papers laying in the bottom said data station, not much else. From the front there were about 5 modules about 1.5" wide and 10" tall. a PA module in the middle, you could just see the end of the heat sink. from the back there were 2 filters with lots of tuning screws another module mounted flat on the back. Had a 3 can duplexer or filter and an intermod panel.

Chris
N9LLO

I use several methods. First, there should be a license attached
to the outside of the cabinet someplace. This should have all
the info you need. If there is no paper license, they are in
violation of the FCC rules and regulations.

Next I look closely at the cavities and combimer system. You
should find the frequency or frequencies being used by the
equipment to indicate where the combiner is tuned. Write
these down and then go to the FCC web site and do a frequency
search for that location by Lat and Long.

If no license or frequency info is found, then I go do my
homework and do an estimated frequency search in the FCC
database by location and frequency range. Normally you can
guess real close and you won't get that many hits for the site.

Last, you can contact the site owner. The results you get will
vary. If it is one of the major national companies like American
Tower, Crown Castle, SBA or one of those, you may be in for the
ride of your life trying to obtain that info. They are very protective
of their rentors privacy.

You may get lucky and follow the coax cable to the entry point
and see if there is a tag on it providing you with the needed info.

Have fun obtaining the info. It can be done but may take some
effort on your part.

Jim

N9LLO wrote:It was a 900 mhz Motorola station. Some papers laying in the bottom said data station, not much else. From the front there were about 5 modules about 1.5" wide and 10" tall. a PA module in the middle, you could just see the end of the heat sink. from the back there were 2 filters with lots of tuning screws another module mounted flat on the back. Had a 3 can duplexer or filter and an intermod panel.

Chris
N9LLO

It's been a while since I saw one, but it sounds like an old Bell-Ardis data station....they were called "Gemini" base stations. Sort of a pre-cursor to newer wireless data technology such as Blackberry. There should be a modem or router (depending on the connection being used) connected to it somewhere as well.

Todd

Todd, I think you are right, there was an external type modem setting on top. This station is Motorola manafuctured and I know it was on 931.xxxmhz. I tried some of JIM202's methods but none worked. The two units are out of service, no license info attached, one is partially canniblized. Both are setting by the door, it looks like thats as far as they made it. If they have any 900 HAM possibility I may contact the site management and see if they need some housekeeping done.

Chris
N9LLO

Yeah, they were all taken out of service around here several years ago as well. Not a bad system really, quite a bit ahead of it's time, back in the day. Can't say I miss the all-hours-of-the-night call outs on them though. Not sure of their Ham applicability, let us know if you get your hands on one & get it to do something.

I might (and this is a big might) have some service/alignment info on those still around. Give me a shout if you need anything & I'll look.

Todd

Todd, I guess the first question I have is did they have a 900 reciever?
If so they might have some use.

Chris
N9LLO

N9LLO wrote:Todd, I guess the first question I have is did they have a 900 reciever?

Absolutely...it was a two-way wireless data system with excellent RX sensitivity. There was even a program I used to measure bit error rate down to -122dBm for the station...I think it was called "datatest".

Todd

With a frequency of 931.xxx, that has the appearance of a paging terminal, ssince they use telco lines to route pages to and from, there was one on the Gadsden Hotel years ago in Douglas, AZ, that used a similar setup, but not the same gear.
Antenna was also mounted below FCC rules for SAR and the main lobe for even the 3dB antenna was well within the body's ability to absorb a very healthy portion of the 500 Watts the main tube amp produced.

The PA was a pair of conduction cooled tetrodes....and yes, even a fluorescent bulb would light nicely when in the near field of the antenna.
Which was 5 feet off the roof no less!

Talk about absorption!!!!

But since there were cavity filters installed, it also must have been 2-way, but with what carrier or private concern, too bad the info appears to have gone the way of the parts.....to souvenir hunters(thieving techs.).

Maybe it was a multi frequency paging teminal and they needed the channels for customer loading, that's not too uncommon during the paging heyday that's now long passed.

Too bad there are no specs on the equipment, that would be a great heads-up.

Find out who controls the property and see if you can work up a deal, could be some fun inside those boxes!

Good luck!


Enterprize.....One to beam up!

man ARDIS base stations... takes me back a while about 10 yrs the MSS i worked for had the contract in the hudson valley for the maintaince for them.. seems like they always had an error or burnt out or needed ajustment on a friday afternoon before a long holiday weekend... i remember keeping all the spare parts around for them. PA's, those big ass blue modems... were'nt the early ARDIS models based on the micors?

The construction or this unit is unlike any Motorola unit I have ever saw. And I have seen a lot of different stations.

Chris
N9LLO

It's an Ardis Gemini station, guaranteed. They shared nothing in common with Micors, other than the ugliness factor.

Are Ardis Gemini stations part of a DataTAC system?

Recently we were asked by the company that took over all those old Gemini systems to remove them from service and do with the equjpment whatever we wanted.
I believe we had to send one item back (modem/router??).
I bet if you ask around you can get those for the haul off.

OK guys I finally got a hold of one of these Gemini data stations, well actually all the pieces. I was suprised to find out this thing is synthesized with dip switches to set the operating freq. The local shop could only find a basic block diagram type training manual so I am appealing to the Batlabs masses. If you have ever worked on these things would you please see if you can find the detailed service manual somewhere in your acrhives. I would like to get my hands on one.

Thanks
Chris
N9LLO

When these were first in service, they were for IBM field service techs. Each station was tested via computer daily, and if it failed a test, you were called out. The one I was responsible for was checked at 0200 local for the first couple of years, and when if failed, I was called. NOT fun.

Glen,
I have aquired one of these stations and I am looking for the detailed service manual. My local shop only had the block diagram typr training manual. I am hoping to use some of this thing on the 902 ham band.


Chris
N9LLO

Unfortuneately, the only training Ihad on these was the school of hard knocks and the telephone to talk to M.

I am actually taking up a project and might be able to use something like this. I want to try to setup something that would use some alpha-numeric pagers I got for free from work. I want it to take what goes out on my scanner connected to a computer and send it to the pager as text for me to read when I can have my scanner with me. I am not sure what frequency would be most feasible for this, but would like to give this a try. Thanks for any tips.

I am actually taking up a project and might be able to use something like this. I want to try to setup something that would use some alpha-numeric pagers I got for free from work. I want it to take what goes out on my scanner connected to a computer and send it to the pager as text for me to read when I can have my scanner with me. I am not sure what frequency would be most feasible for this, but would like to give this a try. Thanks for any tips.