XTL5000 consolette questions.

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TWL911
Posts: 270
Joined: Mon Sep 24, 2001 4:00 pm

XTL5000 consolette questions.

Post by TWL911 »

We have an XTL5000 consolette rack mounted, that is used as a base for a secondary "tac" channel, a backup base, and monitoring surrounding agencies. The problem is, this is tied into our centracom elite, leaving very little control over the functions of the XTL.


Can a secondary remote head be hooked up to the radio when installed in base configuration?


My ideal situation would be to remote mount a W7 head at the workstation only about 25-30' from the chassis to allow the programming of the scan list, changing zones etc.
Currently we can only change modes and turn the scan on/off.

for control issues relocating the stand alone consolette to the work station would be easiest. However we need to keep it hooked to the centracom, for the ability to patch mutual aid channels, and keep the audio all together for our recorder.

anyone shed some light on this for me?
can I do the remote head thing?
RKG
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Joined: Mon Dec 10, 2001 4:00 pm

Post by RKG »

We have a couple of consolettes, which are wired into a Zetron Series 4000. The consolettes are physically located near the console.

We had hoped to be able to use the console to select from among the most commonly used 8 channels, selecting some different channel from the control head as neaded. However, if you enable remote channel change, you are limited to 8 channels for the whole radio, since even if a different channel is selected from the control head, the radio will revert to the currently selected channel on the console as soon as you send a transmit command via the console.

The problem lies in the programming of the TRC board, as it would be pretty easy to program an additional mode of operation to free up one of the channel select FTs to leave the control head selected channel functional. Maybe someday I'll suggest this to Motorola. (Lot of good that will do.)

I can't answer the specific question (to wit: can you wire in a second control head). I'm inclined to doubt it, as (i) the "primary" control head in a consollete configuration is not cabled directly to the radio, but rather to the AIB/TRC board (located underneath the radio) and (ii) nothing in the Consolette manual (which we have read 100+ times) makes any reference to a second control head.
TWL911
Posts: 270
Joined: Mon Sep 24, 2001 4:00 pm

Post by TWL911 »

thanks,

Thats kinda what I was afraid of.

It would probably be easier, and cheaper to just buy a new mobile and install it in the comm center, as what we are really looking for is mostly a scanner.
RocketNJ
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Joined: Sat Oct 13, 2001 4:00 pm

Post by RocketNJ »

why not wire up a MC3000 remote with digital junction box? That should give you full control of all the channels.

You could get creative and connect the BIM to the consolette local control using E&M keying. This way you select the channel from the MC3000 but all of the op positions would be able to transmit and receive.
RKG
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Joined: Mon Dec 10, 2001 4:00 pm

Post by RKG »

There is no inherent reason why the Consolette cannot be physically located near (or even within) your console furniture and still wired into a BIM card in your CEB. The issue, I would think, would involve the feedline run to the Consolette's antenna.
TWL911
Posts: 270
Joined: Mon Sep 24, 2001 4:00 pm

Post by TWL911 »

RKG wrote:There is no inherent reason why the Consolette cannot be physically located near (or even within) your console furniture and still wired into a BIM card in your CEB. The issue, I would think, would involve the feedline run to the Consolette's antenna.
this is possible, if we were to relocate the consolette, is it possible to select the frequency directly from the consolette, thus giving the ability to use more than 8 frequencies? and still have the resource icon for audio, and even transmit capability directly from the centracom screen? If so, I think this will solve our problem.
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Bruce1807
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Post by Bruce1807 »

First question. Does it have a control head?
Second question. Is it used at its current location or is it simply in a back room.

What im leading to is if it has a control head and sits in a back room somewhere why not just add a front control cable. They are available in 10, 30, 50, 75, 115 and 150 foot lengths.
That way you keep your Bim connections. etc.
RKG
Posts: 2629
Joined: Mon Dec 10, 2001 4:00 pm

Post by RKG »

RocketNJ wrote:why not wire up a MC3000 remote with digital junction box? That should give you full control of all the channels.

You could get creative and connect the BIM to the consolette local control using E&M keying. This way you select the channel from the MC3000 but all of the op positions would be able to transmit and receive.
As to the latter, yes you can do that. Alternatively, just select the TRC option "no channel change" and you can continue to use TRC for console control. The poster's problem was, I gathered, that the Consolette was sited in or close to the CEB, versus in or close to the dispatch room.
TWL911 wrote:
RKG wrote:There is no inherent reason why the Consolette cannot be physically located near (or even within) your console furniture and still wired into a BIM card in your CEB. The issue, I would think, would involve the feedline run to the Consolette's antenna.
this is possible, if we were to relocate the consolette, is it possible to select the frequency directly from the consolette, thus giving the ability to use more than 8 frequencies? and still have the resource icon for audio, and even transmit capability directly from the centracom screen? If so, I think this will solve our problem.
Yes, this is easily done (and what we have done). One option is to program the XTL to defeat TRC control and wire audio and PTT a la E&M. Or (and a bit easier), select the "No Mode Select" TRC option (via the DIP switches on the TRC board) and leave the radio wired to your TRC BIM. This is what we have done, and it allows channel and zone to be selected from the Consolette control head, with Tx, Rx and PTT coming through the console.

See pp. 2-6 through 2-8, and 3-6, of the Consolette "Instruction Manual" (6881098C21-O). Accessing the TRC is covered in Ch. 4, and the location of TRC board components is Fig. 7-10 (p. 7-12) (Note: the switch is under the RF shielf).
TWL911
Posts: 270
Joined: Mon Sep 24, 2001 4:00 pm

Post by TWL911 »

Ok- So I went ahead and purchased the front mount cable I think I need.
I want to relocate ONLY the control head.

I haven't had a chance to really pull things apart and look, but from what I have seen I don't see how its going to work????

where should my front mount cable connect? to the TRC/AIB? or to the radio chassis it self?

Also am I correct to assume that I am also going to need a different control head interconnect?
This project is begining to look like more $$$ than the "bosses" want to commit.
Any help would be appreciated.
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misawatech
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Joined: Thu Aug 11, 2005 6:25 pm

xtl 5000 consolette

Post by misawatech »

Do you just need audio from the radio but no other controls? If there is no other control needed then your best bet would have been an MC3000, connected to acc 2 and draw your audio from the recorder out pins on acc 3. I think it is recorder out but can't be sure.

The MC3000 can be directly connected to the XTL via a cat 5 cable and a db 25 connector. The only reason you would need the junction box is for multiple remotes. I've been connecting the MC3000 this way on more than a few installs.

The MC3000 gives you all the controls a head would but it looks alot better. They run somewhere in the $600 range.
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