CommandStar Lite- correct me if I'm wrong

Equinox · Post by **Equinox** » Mon Mar 06, 2006 7:28 pm

Talking public service communications in very small towns here. I keep getting sent to install CommandStar Lite consoles to control ONE radio. So you wind up with a console with 8 channel strips, and 7 of them aren't being used. UNLESS- there is a way to have each channel strip on the console control a seperate channel on the same ONE radio. Now, I realize each channel strip has the A/B, C/D, E/F buttons that can be assigned to do various functions (changing assigned channels being one of them) but there is not, to my knowledge, a way to have each seperate channel strip control a seperate channel on the same ONE radio. Am I missing something here? Or should I staple a memo to our sales person's forehead that says THEY ONLY NEED A CONSOLE IF THEY ARE TRYING TO CONTROL MULTIPLE RADIOS???

RFguy · Post by **RFguy** » Mon Mar 06, 2006 8:14 pm

It's called "future expansion".

I give the sales person credit for trying to lift a customer up to a level of expandability and interoperability.

It's nice to see "the right tool for the job" instead of the usual "is the cheapest thing that will do the job with the bare minimum functionality"

Post by **wavetar** » Tue Mar 07, 2006 4:45 am

Are they using it to do other functions such as QCII paging, MDC, etc? If so, then it's not such a bad investment. A good suggestion for those consoles is to have them plugged into a small UPS to protect against brown-outs/power surges...I have seen the power supply fry due to those things.

Otherwise, a much less expensive console would be the MC2500...control for up to 4 radios, with paging, patching & multi-select capabilities, MDC, etc.

Todd

Equinox · Post by **Equinox** » Tue Mar 07, 2006 5:22 am

wavetar wrote:Are they using it to do other functions such as QCII paging, MDC, etc? If so, then it's not such a bad investment. A good suggestion for those consoles is to have them plugged into a small UPS to protect against brown-outs/power surges...I have seen the power supply fry due to those things.

Otherwise, a much less expensive console would be the MC2500...control for up to 4 radios, with paging, patching & multi-select capabilities, MDC, etc.

Todd

No other functions (paging, etc). I had the same thoughts as you concerning the MC2500 or similar.

Equinox · Post by **Equinox** » Tue Mar 07, 2006 5:23 am

RFguy wrote:It's called "future expansion".

I give the sales person credit for trying to lift a customer up to a level of expandability and interoperability.

It's nice to see "the right tool for the job" instead of the usual "is the cheapest thing that will do the job with the bare minimum functionality"

By the time these small (and might I add cash strapped)agencies 'expand" the CommandStar Lite will be obsolete.