A guy at a public safety agency asked me how they could get unit id display on a NON-Motorola software console from the MCS2000 radios that they use as control stations to access the trunked system.
Is this even possible with those radios? Even if they had the Big-M soft console?
Thank you.
Bote
Unit IDs from MCS2000
Moderator: Queue Moderator
Re: Unit IDs from MCS2000
What non-motorola software console is it? I'm pretty sure Zetron and I know Orbacom all have MDC1200 decoders. You don't need anything special as long as the control station isn't muting the data.
"I'll eat you like a plate of bacon and eggs in the morning. "
- Some loser on rr.com
eBay at it's finest:
Me: "What exactly is a 900Mhz UHF CB?"
Them: "A very nice CB at 900Mhz speed!"

- Some loser on rr.com
eBay at it's finest:
Me: "What exactly is a 900Mhz UHF CB?"
Them: "A very nice CB at 900Mhz speed!"

Re: Unit IDs from MCS2000
If I understand the question:
a) you have some MCS2000 mobiles operating as control stations on your system;
b) you have a non-Motorola dispatch console (Zetron?); and
c) you want these control stations to be able to send their ID to the console.
I don't off the top of my head see why the MCS2000 control stations pose and problem different from any other mobiles or portables. However, the solution I would recommend is a Cimarron Technologies C Plus III MDC decoder. It is much more flexible that the Motorola CEB decoder card; in one mode you can have two aliases per MDC ID (a short one, which we set at the verbal call sign of the calling radio (for dispatcher use) and a long one that IDs the particular hardware employed (for tech use)); and properly configured the C Plus III can transmit not only acknowledgements but also MDC commands. These decoders can be set into rack mount installations; are less expensive than the Motorola decoders; and come from a company with superb technical and customer support.
See http://www.cimtechcorp.com/C_Plus_III.asp
a) you have some MCS2000 mobiles operating as control stations on your system;
b) you have a non-Motorola dispatch console (Zetron?); and
c) you want these control stations to be able to send their ID to the console.
I don't off the top of my head see why the MCS2000 control stations pose and problem different from any other mobiles or portables. However, the solution I would recommend is a Cimarron Technologies C Plus III MDC decoder. It is much more flexible that the Motorola CEB decoder card; in one mode you can have two aliases per MDC ID (a short one, which we set at the verbal call sign of the calling radio (for dispatcher use) and a long one that IDs the particular hardware employed (for tech use)); and properly configured the C Plus III can transmit not only acknowledgements but also MDC commands. These decoders can be set into rack mount installations; are less expensive than the Motorola decoders; and come from a company with superb technical and customer support.
See http://www.cimtechcorp.com/C_Plus_III.asp
Re: Unit IDs from MCS2000
Hmmm. I never mentioned MDC or any other in-band signalling technology. I thought the unit id is transmitted as part of the low speed data on the voice channel and available for the taking.
I meant plucking the trunked subscriber's unit id somehow, the same way a "real" console would nab it off the ISW from the controller. Can this be done in any way, shape, or form using a subscriber radio as a control station or is it limited to a proprietary connection to the system controller? I know I have seen a modified Spectra do this some years ago right on its fluorescent display, so is there a way that data can be extracted and presented over an IP-based console system. It is from Twisted Pair Solutions so I doubt anyone here has experience with this particular one.
To be honest, I had not considered MDC or similar, but I'm almost certain the radios they have deployed can be programmed for it. That might provide the solution they want.
I meant plucking the trunked subscriber's unit id somehow, the same way a "real" console would nab it off the ISW from the controller. Can this be done in any way, shape, or form using a subscriber radio as a control station or is it limited to a proprietary connection to the system controller? I know I have seen a modified Spectra do this some years ago right on its fluorescent display, so is there a way that data can be extracted and presented over an IP-based console system. It is from Twisted Pair Solutions so I doubt anyone here has experience with this particular one.
To be honest, I had not considered MDC or similar, but I'm almost certain the radios they have deployed can be programmed for it. That might provide the solution they want.
Re: Unit IDs from MCS2000
My fault: I simply missed the reference to trunking.
MDC has no application to trunked radio, so forget my response.
What I now understand you to be seeking is some form of device that will decode the OSW and display the calling unit's UnitID, external to the MCS2000 that is used by the console for trunked system access; I am aware of no such device.
MDC has no application to trunked radio, so forget my response.
What I now understand you to be seeking is some form of device that will decode the OSW and display the calling unit's UnitID, external to the MCS2000 that is used by the console for trunked system access; I am aware of no such device.
Re: Unit IDs from MCS2000
We have this with our system... Have a Motorola Type IIi 800 System that we access with an MCS2000 Model I that is interfaced to our Zetron 4048 Consoles. We receive the trunking ID's on our video consoles at the dispatch center, works great! It will also display on an Emergency Activation from a unit, and alert at the console. Before, the MCS2000 was sitting at one of the consoles and that dispatcher had to look down if they needed to see the ID's.