preparing my budget

[eboe]

ok, i've been asked to prepare a budget for next year and i'm just looking for ideas on anything that i may be missing here. just to let you know, other than some misc. parts and very basic tools, i'm pretty much starting from scratch. here's a list of some of the things i've come up with so far. please add anything you think i'm missing here.

more tools for service and installation (hand tools, drill, crimping stuff, etc.)
service monitor (need a suggestion on which NEW moto monitor to get)
desktop power supply (for bench testing mobile equip)
misc replacement parts (knobs, antennas, bezels, mics, etc)
batteries (no explanation needed)
antenna system (need a new antenna and feedline for one repeater)
back-up power (only one of my repeaters has back-up power, several still need it)
repeater (will be switching one building over from VHF to UHF and installing a new MTR2000 repeater)
radios (need to replace about 35 portables for the above building, others as needed)
voting (been trying to get them to go for a 4 site voting system for ch1 for a while now)
telco lines (service agreement for telco voting lines)
RCD system (remote comparator display would be nice)
R&D projects (linking is one example of something i'm toying with)
moto service (for the repair of non-warranty radios)
incidentals (any emergency service to antennas, etc)

this may be more money than they're willing to part with in one year's time so some of it will certainly get put off another year, like the voting and RCD, but what else? have i missed anything important?

thanks

[kc7gr]

<snippety>

more tools for service and installation (hand tools, drill, crimping stuff, etc.)
service monitor (need a suggestion on which NEW moto monitor to get)

Considering Motorola's recent changes with their depot, including that for test equipment, I would not invest in one of theirs. In fact, if you're in the position of initializing a new radio system, or upgrading a current one, I wouldn't go with Motorola at all. Too lousy value for the $$. Instead, have a look at M-A/Com or Kenwood.

For service monitors: I would pay serious attention to Aeroflex (formerly IFR). I've had excellent service from them to date.

desktop power supply (for bench testing mobile equip)

This is one area where I would still consider Motorola-branded stuff to be worthwhile. Assuming it's still available, they make (or made) a 0-40V, 0-40A behemoth that is a most interesting combo of linear and switching supplies in one monster package. I don't recall the model number off the top of my head, though.

Failing that, Sorensen makes some nice variable-output high-current switchers in a fairly small/light rackmount package.

I would add that ham swap meets, the for-sale/wanted listings here, and Greed-bay can all be valuable resources in your hunt for many types of test gear.

As for the rest of your requirements, there are others on the board more knowledgeable than myself in such areas, so I will back out for now.

Happy hunting.

[DJP126]

This is one area where I would still consider Motorola-branded stuff to be worthwhile. Assuming it's still available, they make (or made) a 0-40V, 0-40A behemoth that is a most interesting combo of linear and switching supplies in one monster package. I don't recall the model number off the top of my head, though.

That was the R1011 series. NLA

[Dan562]

I would highly consider AeroFlex (Formerly IFR) or Agilent (Former H-P) for a Service Monitor.

For a Bench Power Supplies: Agilent (H-P), Lamda or Sorenson.

Audio Voting Comparators: Raytheon JPS or Doug Hall Electronics.

Feed Line and Antennas: Andrews 1/2" or 7/8" Heliax Cable (depending on Lenght on cable run) w/Silver Plated Connectors and Andrews sells the former DB Products Antennas or RFS / Cablewave formerly known as Cellwave or Phelps-Dodge for Heliax Type Cable and Station-Master Antennas.

/\/\ had toSell their Test Equipment Line which was part of the Government Electronics Group in Phoenix, AZ, lock, stock and barrel in 2001 to General Dymanics when they had to pay down their Huge Financial Debt to the Wall Street Bankers on the Getridium Satellite Telephone Disaster Adventure.

/\/\ Subscriber Depot (for Non-Warranty Portables & Mobiles) MEXITROLA, Inc. You may also want to view the current BatLabs Link: http://batboard.batlabs.com/viewtopic.php?t=50119

[Wowbagger]

Dan562: Say, did you use to work for kidnappers?

Seriously - not to blow my own horn here, but if the target system is Smartnet or P25, Agilent has no service monitors that do that - insofar as I know the only choices are General Dynamics and Aeroflex - but obviously I am biased here.

[eboe]

i hate to turn away good advice because i value your opinions, but i wasn't looking for the specific items, just the categories like i wrote. just trying to think of anything else that i'm forgetting about that would be a major expense.

i'll pick all your brains throughout the year as i look to purchase the stuff

[N3IVK]

Keep your MSS number handy, you'll need it when you realise the Kenwoods dont work.

I did this years ago. I gave Kenwood a shot, so did Mineral County WV. Mineral County put in a Kenwood system a few years ago, and nothing but complaints. Our Kenwood dealer in town has a huge UHF LTR system in, and from what I hear they get a ton of phone calls about intermod in the downtown area.

Umm...yea.

%100 Motorola here now.

If these people are so h#ll bent aginst Motorola, why are you on Batlabs then ? I am sure there's a Kenwood forum for y'all, you should maybe Google around a bit.

Yea I am pro Motorola, therefore I hang out here. If your not, then maybe this isnt the best place to be ? I dunno *shrug*

My MSS doesnt need to advertise. We let the Kenwood dealer do it. Then when the Kenwood customers start to complain about intermod in the mobiles, and they go back to the Kenwood dealer and realise that nothing Kenwood offers can work downtown, they come to us. We demo them a Motorola, it works...they are happy.

I'll put my HT1250 up against any Kenwood portable for a side by side test.

Sorry to rant, but I figured by now the forum admins would have said something about this.

Service Monitor ? the R2600 was a all time fav with me. I wish I still had mine everyday that I work.

[Dan562]

Wowbagger,

Where in eboe's Post does it state that he's going to be utilizing Smartnet or P25? You can go back and reread it several times but you won't find anything to satisfy your ASSumption. BTW, pull your head out your lower posterior before reading his post again.

Since many of us use nick names rather than our regular name, I'm going to take an educated guess that eboe is a shorten version of: eletronic board of education. This is where the gentleman is employed to maintain a single site two-way radio Analog repeater system in a metropolitian city.

eboe wants to expand the Analog repeater to include four (4) Voting Receivers feeding an Audio Comparator that feeds the MTR2000 Base Station Repeater to a Duplexer and a single Antenna on the roof of Court House building. The three (3) Satellite Receivers will be located on out lying Board Of Education buildings where their Subscribers Handheld Portables experience difficulties with Talk-In Path Losses back to the current repeater. And eboe has already selected the Remote Satellite Receiver Sites.

Wowbagger I hope your following this information and understanding the concept because it will start to change since eboe has a long range plan he's putting in place.

The long term plan or idea includes four (4) additional RF Channels set-up as a LTR Analog Trunking System all feeding into a UHF Five (5) RF Channel Combiner F1~F5 within a 1 MHz Tx to Tx Frequency Spread / Duplexer, an Active Receiver Multi-Coupler System and using only a Single Antenna mounted on Pipe or Tower extending above the current Court House Dome or Metal Roof that's blocking some of the Outbound Tx signal coverage.

eboe's current Post deals with test equipment, tools, feed lines, antennas, additional portables, parts, etc.

eboe, I'm sorry to use your Post to explain the facts of life to Wowbagger.

Dan

[Wowbagger]

OK, Dan, let ME explain a simple little word: IF

IF you read my post, you will notice that I said

...but if the target system is Smartnet or P25...

Now, IF you go look up the word IF, you will see the following meaning:
A conjunction meaning "in the event of".

In other words, I was expressing the idea that in the event of his target being Smartnet or P25, then his choices were limited, but that in the event of his system NOT being Smartnet or P25, then my statements were not applicable.

I know that IF is a big word for you to understand, but I think that, given time and effort, you will be able to wrap your mind around the concept.

HUMOR is an even bigger word, and I don't expect you to get it - perhaps in a few more years, so don't worry about it.

SARCASM is an even bigger word, and if you don't get it, it's OK - you are still special in our books.

[kmoose]

Wowbagger,

Where in eboe's Post does it state that he's going to be utilizing Smartnet or P25? You can go back and reread it several times but you won't find anything to satisfy your ASSumption. BTW, pull your head out your lower posterior before reading his post again....

yadda yadda yadda......


Dan

I'd still recommend Aeroflex/IFR equipment. I understand that they (Aeroflex) have a bunch of -1900 Service Monitors for sale, fairly cheap. These were apparently marketed as cellular equipment, but they would undoubtedly work well for Land Mobile, too.

Here in our avionics shop, we have a ton of IFR equipment.... NAV-401L, ATC-600, GPS-101, ATC 1200Y3, 2975... All of them work very well, and Aeroflex's support is excellent. All of the folks I have worked with, there, have been incredibly customer oriented. Particularly Mike Fortna, who is part of their technical training department. I may not be an Aeroflex employee, but I am certainly a satisfied customer.

By the way, eboe..... Dump Motorola........if this is a conventional system, go with the new Relm radios. They are inexpensive enough that you can replace them, when you really need to, and rugged enough that they hold up to the rigors of our logging operations.

[Dan562]

Since you insist to push your opinions on me, Please be a gentlemen and move it off-line via my PM.

Eboe has expressed he's wants certain ideas or information for his next year's budget, not our rants!

Dan

[kmoose]

Since you insist to push your opinions on me, Please be a gentlemen and move it off-line via my PM.

Eboe has expressed he's wants certain ideas or information for his next year's budget, not our rants!

Dan

Who? Me?

[Dan562]

That was directed at Wowbagger not you kmoose.

Dan

[kmoose]

That was directed at Wowbagger not you kmoose.

Dan

It's entirely your choice, Dan, but you might cut him a little slack. He does work for a company that makes damn good test equipment, and he should be proud of that. I would be, if I were him. And, it did look like you were kind of hammering away at him, in your initial response to his, so I can kind of see where he might have gotten a little upset. Regardless, this is not helping poor eboe any.

Eboe, like I said.........dump M and go with something that won't eat your entire budget up in just portables. That will leave you some money to pay for the things you need to maintain it. I mean, we aren't talking a Public Safety system here, are we?