Zetron 4000 series console

KuhnElectronics · Post by **KuhnElectronics** » Wed Jan 03, 2007 7:54 pm

I am installing my first 4048 series console this month.

I have everything setup in the shop, and everything has been going pretty smooth...

I have one question however... The customer wants an intercom box at the front door...and Zetron reccommends the Aiphone LE-D model call station...

I imagine somehow this has to be interfaced into the aux i/o card as well as a channel card that i have allocated for it. I programmed this channel as well for intercom use.

My question is, does this call station need some sort of amplification for the speaker audio to the door or any mic pre-amp coming into the console?

These call stations are cheap and zetron recommends them, so I would like to stick with them as possible...

Has anyone hooked these up before?

Any suggestions/tips?

-Nick

RKG · Post by **RKG** » Thu Jan 04, 2007 5:03 am

I've done some Series 4000s, but never hooked up one of these LE-D door station intercoms. Nonetheless, some observations:

1. If you call Zetron tech support, I'll bet they have an applications note sheet describing both the wiring and the programming for interfacing one of these to a Zetron channel card. Zetron tech support is superb (indeed, if you're familiar with other manufacturers' tech support, calling Zetron will leave you breathless at their responsiveness).

2. If you look at the (very short) installation manual for the LE-D (which I found at http://lib.store.yahoo.net/lib/aaaremotes/ledleda.pdf, it shows only two wires to the door station. That suggests that it uses some form of tone signalling to work both its call function and its strike relay function. It also implies that the LE-D contains its own internal amplifier to take the audio from the line input to the LE-D speaker.

3. My guess is that you program the channel card as a 2W TRC, wire only the Tx/Rx wires to the channel's PDB, and program an ICOM and ICALL key.

RFguy · Post by **RFguy** » Thu Jan 04, 2007 6:24 am

Be aware that the newest firmware for the control cage has messed up the audio alignment process.

We just did an upgrade and took a system with no complaints, to a system with many complaints.
The main problem is with the audio input alignment on the channel control card. Before you would align for a knee of compression, now you align for call light activity at 1/2 system level. Low level voices are now dropped.

Make sure you test with a soft-spoken person transmitting on a mobile/portable.

KuhnElectronics · Post by **KuhnElectronics** » Thu Jan 04, 2007 6:44 pm

Thanks for all the input.

Called Tech Support today, and just as usual got the superb service you spoke about previously.

They highly reccomend this LE-D model because it is inexpensive and very rugged.

It has an internal audio amp, and they reccommend running the channel in LOCAL mode, even though there is an "INTERCOM" selection for such channel already, I dont know why the tech I spoke with didnt mention that...

So, I will get one of these on the way and tinker around with it...

Thanks again,

Nick

RKG · Post by **RKG** » Thu Jan 04, 2007 7:05 pm

Take another look at the Series 4000 literature. I hope I'm not misleading you (and it is too late to go down and dig out the books myself, but from memory:)

Intercom is not a type of channel for programming a Series 4000 Universal Dual Channel Card. Rather, intercom is either a button channel function (if steered to a fixed channel) or system function (if steered to the selected channel) that does all of the transmit functions on the channel EXCEPT to send the trigger that actually keys the radio. Thus, for DC, it opens the audio line but does not send the PTT current; for tone, it opens the audio line but does not sent the PTT tone; and for E&M (what Zetron calls "local"), it opens the audio line, but does not pull the PTT line low (which you're not going to use anyhow, since the LE-D takes only the two audio line wires). Historically, the intercom function is to provide an audio path, not transmitted over the air, between the console and the radio site, useful when setting audio levels, or between remote consoles or console positions.

By inference, your LE-D does not use any form of signalling to activate the device, other than sufficient presence of audio over the line to trip any VOX circuit. For this reason, you could probably program the console channel card as any type. And I gather than any alerting tones employed by the LE-D are sent by the originating unit over the audio line, rather than being triggered in the receiving end by some sort of signalling.

The trouble with taking audio over a comparatively long line is that it can be noisy. I recommend you use some form of shielded twisted pair, be certain to select VOX as the mute mechanism for the console, and be sure to invoke the "Mute Idle Line" option for this line, else you'll hear some annoying noise when the intercom is not in use.

Glad you found the Zetron folks as helpful as I have. What a refreshing change.

KuhnElectronics · Post by **KuhnElectronics** » Sat Jan 06, 2007 4:35 am

Ok,

I see what you are saying, however (and I am not sitting in front of the RDPS to navigate my way through) when I go to the card setup (where you input function tones, ect) there is a selection next to the label that says "Intercom" channel; when checked, you lose all programming parameters such as tone freq's and ANI properties.

Zetron didnt have any application notes about using this callbox, however the tech i talked to walked me every step of the way.. Audio to and from the callbox is routed through the aux i/o card so you can get an indication from the box when someone is at the door, and you dont have audio unless you are talking to them.

Once the callboxes get here I will be able to play with it and see, and maybe I can throw some notes together for anybody in case they run into this again...

-Nick