Analog in a Digital World

[TX_Shooter]

Let me first say that I thank the moderators for allowing me to join a great group of folks in the two-way radio community. I'm here to hopefully learn from the 'masters' and the 'gurus' for a very narrow list of radio interfaces.

What I do is install a Siemens Hipath 4000 System on US Air Force bases worldwide. This particular setup integrates with two-way radios, be it from air-to-ground UHF, VHF, and HF, to LMR's for general and emergency ground services. It is this aspect that keeps me employed. The downside to this is that all of our radio interfaces are stuck in the analog world. In an ever evolving system, this can be a challenge. This is especially true since most of these bases have a tight budget, and they can't afford to buy anything more to aid our analog world.

Setup to my question:
Our system takes in either 2-wire unbalanced audio (rarely), or 4-wire balanced audio for the Transmitting and Receiving. It can key a radio either by using ground-keying on a PTT wire, or voltage keying on a PTT wire, or center-tap ground keying on the TX pair, or center-tap AC or DC keying on the TX pair, or by utilizing what is known as EIA Tones to both key and change the channels (mostly used on LMR's, but I've never seen it on non-LMR's), which is carried on the TX pair and filtered out by the radio. All of these signals are analog only.

Roughly about 80% of our LMR interfacing had been done using the old and outdated XTL-5000 Consolettes, leaving the other 20% to a wide variety of other makes and models. We're just now beginning to see a shift away from the XTL-5000's toward the APX7500's, and I will be performing my first interface with one in just a few weeks (something that I still don't have enough data on to perform, yet... I might inquire for more information on it via a different thread). Something else that we've recently experienced is that the bases we've been to lately have been sold the XTL2500's, and were told that they work the same as the XTL-5000's, which we've found out is NOT quite the case (no remote channeling available... only local to the faceplate).

Question:
In this day and age of Digital, and indeed even IP based radio interfacing, I was wondering if anyone here knows of a device that can, cost effectively, translate these analog signals into the Motorola Digital signals that these newer, higher end radios are requiring. Something that we could still use the EIA Tone channeling / keying on, but it would then translate and extend that signal to these new radios that only have the Motorola Proprietary Digital interfacing. Would anyone have any suggestions for this? (I ask because I've read somewhere else that the XTL2500's might be able to change channels remotely, but doing so only using the digital interface... not really sure if that is real or what.)

Many thanks for any advice that I could get.
-Shooter

[Jim202]

In a few simple statements, the XTL series radios and the XTL Consolett radios all use the SB9600 data bus to control the changing of the radio channels. RX audio is normally pulled from the fixed audio output on the accessory connector. The TX audio and PTT are also connected to the radio accessory connector. PTT is pulled to ground to key the radio.

There is a software setting in the radio to control the aux mic gain coming in on the accessory connector.

The RX audio also has a selection on what type of audio will be used at the accessory connector that is controlled by the software setting selected.

The new APX family of radios has moved away from the old SB9600 data bus and has started to use the CAN bus connections for everything. So controlling the radio channel changing is different from the XTL family. The audio connections should still be available on the accessory connector.

This is probably not the answer your looking for, but go pat mother Motorola on the back for making these changes.

Jim

[Bill_G]

Nobody, not even Motorola, makes a universal interface box that uses an ip transport, and accesses all the radio functions.

[TX_Shooter]

The new APX family of radios has moved away from the old SB9600 data bus and has started to use the CAN bus connections for everything. So controlling the radio channel changing is different from the XTL family. The audio connections should still be available on the accessory connector.

Jim,
Are you stating that the XTL2500 CAN be channeled remotely? Because if so, I need learn how, and go back to Birmingham, AL to make some changes.

-Shooter