XTL Series and Tone Remoting

[KE9GK]

I am looking to see if /\/\ makes a pre-made adapter cable to interface with previous or current model tone remote adapters. I was under the impression that tone remoting was going the way of the caveman because of the new MCC series dispatch solutions that interface directly with the XTL series right at the CES. I have a whole stack of TNA200's laying around here and would love to use one of them vs. having to drop $400 on a current production TRA and then more $$ for a cable. If a pre-made isnt possible, does anyone have experience with the XTL and a TNA200? A wiring schematic possibly? I really am less than fond of building my own cable after the cluster it was to build a MCS2000 cable after mother /\/\ decided to discontinue that one also.....way too many pins tied together to GND for my taste!

Thanks

Don

[wavetar]

We recently switched out 80 LCS2000 base stations for XTL1500 units, made all the TNA 200 cables ourselves. The applicable XTL pins can be found in this thread:

http://batboard.batlabs.com/viewtopic.p ... l5000+pins

And likely other threads as well if you use the search.

Todd

[alex]

Todd -

Will the XTL support channel steering via the TNA?

[wavetar]

Doesn't appear so, no channel steer lines in the connector:

[Jim202]

With the introduction of the MCC5500 and the MCC7500 console systems, the interface to conventional radios
is still possible, but just got a little harder. You still have an option to use tone remote control out of these
consoles, but the migration by Motorola is to an IP based connection to the distant end.

I still have to ask what happens if you don't have the ability or luxury to have the IP network connection
go to your remote tower site? Now your forced to go back to the good old tone remote control.

One of the alternatives is to look at something other than a Motorola console. Sytech Corp has had
their "RIOS" gateway system out for some time now. As time goes on, it seems to be migrating more
and more into a dispatch console. The cost for the RIOS gateway system is so much cheaper than a
Motorola console. It has the ability to remote tone control distant radios. If you have the radio
near by, they have the ability to change the channels and display the radio front panel display
information right on the computer screen. Works great with the Astro Spectra, CDM, MCS, Micom,
PM1500, and XTL series Motorola mobile radios.

The state of Virginia is currently in the process of installing the "RIOS" gateways at some 32 911 dispatch
centers in the Lynchburg and Roanoke areas of the state. This will allow the different locations to
be able to interconnect the different radio channels and non compatible radios systems for mutual
aid use. The Virginia state STARS system will have a number of port locations to allow the state
police to inter connect to the different public safety radio channels with this new interoperability
gateway system. The state also has 2 SUV type vehicles with sat dishes and the "RIOS" gateways
installed in them. These vehicles can be driven to any location in the state and set up interop
connections using the new network being installed. As each of the locations will use a simple
IP network connection, adding or changing the network around is made easy.

One of the interesting facts of the Virginia interop project, is that the Sytech Corp "RIOS" gateway
will also interface with the existing Motobridge system that the state has in one region.

Being that the "RIOS" gateway is a software based gateway, customer requests for changes or
new features are fairly easy to implement. Alert tones, text messaging between different terminal,
sharing radio channels between different gateways, user rights as to what different users on the
different gateways can do are just a few of the newer additions that the Virginia interop system
will have available to them.

You can obtain more information from the Sytech Corp on one of their web sites,
http://www.sytechrios.com and take a look there or contact them directly.

Jim

[sethcwilliams]

Jim,

Do you happen to know how RIOS manages to extract the display information from Motorola's radios? I assume Motorola licensed there SB9600 serial protocols to Systech for ASTRO control and ANI. If not, I'd be very interested in how that's done. I've built an IP based dispatch system (non-Motorola) for the military forward deployed, tying in Motorola, tactical, ground to air, telephone systems. We've got a lot of agencies with overlapping areas of responsibilities, and like all things DOD, everybody brings their own toys and none of them can natively talk to each other. It would be a huge situational awareness help if my dispatchers could read radio ID's on screen from the Moto side. Thanks man!