Any folks have experience with Ratheon JPS infrastructure

[Radiogeek97]

I am looking into system upgrades and i was looking at ratheon's comparitor/voter, it does not seem too bad from the description but then again it is a sales brocure Have any of you folks out there used their voting comparitor, and if so was it all you wanted or did it not meet your expectations. Also for those that may have used it how bout cost

[chtucker]

Just as described, build quality excellent, documentation good. 12 volt revert (important function for us) works well.

But I have had it for only 3 weeks now

[Dan562]

Hello,

You could of saved yourself some time scanning through several of the posts on this page. On August 03, 2004, JIM202 requested opinions on the current Voting Comparators, Post subject: Receiver voting chassis and cards info needed and scroll to the bottom of the page for Chuck Gleason's glowing review.

Jim was informed about the Motorola Astro - Tac which was designed for the newer digital signaling format and analog as an after thought so it will NOT work with a 2175 Hz Status Tone. The older Spectra -Tac is going Obsolete by June, 2005, which is Motorola's longest running Analog production product ... 31 years. Motorola still markets the Digitac comparator which is projected to run until the year 2012 as an Analog only comparator. The Digitac comparator is a very versatile unit for a comparator, programmable using Procomm software and can be used in Trunked, Conventional and Simulcast systems.

Getting back to your original question about the Raytheon JPS SNV - 12 Analog only comparator, Chuck Gleason KB4MDZ gave it a glowing review. It's not anything new since JPS has been around for many years. I recall briefly seeing one of these comparators interfaced with a large Motorola system staged in the Motorola's CCSi Bay in Schaumburg a few years ago that was headed towards Minnesota. The customer insisted on using the JPS comparators in their radio system.

Now it appears as if JPS was purchased by Raytheon LMR Systems in March, 2004, so they didn't have to reinvent the older technology. I've never played with this product so I can't give you first hand knowledge how well it works but it appears to do as much as the older Spectra-Tac comparators and has 12 slots for equivalent (their version) of Signal Quality Modules opposed to only 8 in the Motorola product. From what Chuck Gleason stated, it appears as if you can daisy chain up to 3 shelves together giving you a total of 36 receiver sites and if you were clever I would bet there's a way to add sub comparators feeding into the main comparator unit.

Dan

[PETNRDX]

I have worked on both the JPS and Spectra Tac. If you are buying NEW, I recommend the JPS. There was some small issues with the early firmware, but that was fixed (free) a few years ago. If you don't mind used, the Spectra Tac stuff comes up at very attractive prices. It doesn't have as many features, but works very well for basic stuff.
JPS takes up little rack space, lots of programmable features. The only thing I don't like is the fuse... internal, non-standard. We changed that.
Maybe the newer ones were changed...

[nmfire10]

I don't have in our system YET, however it is in the plan. I know many people that use them though. They love them. In fact I know at least one town that has 6 of them and they all kick ass. The DSP and programable features are great. I would take that over a /\/\ Craptra-TAC anyday!

[Radiogeek97]

Guys

Thanks for the heads up, and i will do some reasearch into past posts(sorry) as suggested. I had no idea that the "spectra tac" was going out to pasture. I know that our system is due for a major freshening up and i wanted to get some feedback.
As far as the JPS goes is there any "RSS Type " program to set it up, i know it has a DSP but are any of those parameters adjustable ect. I assume there must be some sort of set up/future maintenence with there. I have not found a local shop that has sold or maintained any of their comparitors. Plenty of them have done work with the ACU 1000's but as far as other types of infrastructure is comparitors they continue to pus push push MOTO.
Also any ideas on cost of the JPS unit and the /squims? ect. Thanks guys for the information


take care

[PETNRDX]

Yes, it uses a program sort of like RSS.
And there are lotso-features.
Call one of the reps and ask questions.
They have been pretty good about that.
Talk is free..

[kb4mdz]

First, something off my chest.

It's "Chuk"; C - h - u - k. One C, only at the beginning. Long story, never mind, I have a verbal routine that I sometimes use to club people over the head about how little they listen, but not here, not now.

Back to JPS.

Configuration of the SVM's (Signal Voter Modules), the Control Processor Module, CPM, and the Console Interface Module, CIM, is mostly by DIPSwitches in each card. Pull the card, set the switches and reinsert;

Newer versions of the SVM have the RX level set pot available thru the front panel; there is an extender card to use while setting TX levels and watching das blinkenlightsen.


You can find material on JPS website: PDF file of the
manual; lots of info to learn on, in your voluminous spare time (like the can at 10:00 pm after the kids are in bed


http://www.jps.com/index.asp?node=68


Anything else?

Chuk G.

[nmfire10]

One of my favorite things about the JPS is the delays. You know everyone inevitably front-end-clips their transmission no matter how often you tell them to pause before speaking?? Well this thing has a digital delay feature that will compensate. It also has programmable delays for each site card to compensate for differences in the amount of time it takes for audio to get from a remote site to the voter.

It can also do the transmitter controlling. If you have multiple transmitters, you can connect them all to SNV-12. There are inputs on the back to manually select transmitters. You can also let the voter steer the transmitters. It can both detect and generate tone keying sequences. You can interface controls and outputs through RS-232 by standard input/outputs.

It really is an awsome machine. I am sitting here biting my nails waiting for grant money to buy one

[Radiogeek97]

Anybody here know where these JPS units are as far as price? They do not appear on any "government / state bid contract in my area at all, here in the northeast it is ALL strictly MOTO.

Oh and this may be a stupid question but as far as p25 compatibility will the Jps unit be capable of "astro" digital. I read in the blurb that it will handle "data transmissions" with an upgrade. We are still using a conventional system but who knows what we may do in the future.


thanks again

[nmfire10]

I don't remember the costs exactly, but I think it was something along the lines of $3,000 for the voter and $600.00 per line card. I could be wrong.

I don't recall the details on P25.

[chtucker]

Retail is about 7k for voter, 2 line cords and pilot tone generator... at least that is what we overpaid...

Howard

[Radiogeek97]

CH
with the snv-12 that you have did you folks set it up or did the vendor? Any issues integrating it/ connecting it to your console? The 12volt back-up that you mensioned, is it standard or did you folks order it as an option?


thanks

[chtucker]

Combination of me setting it up and aligning it with the vendor.... that way I got to learn more about it. It is not at are console site, but at a mountain top repeater location. It is intergrated with an Icom fr3000 repeater and uhf link radios.

The 12volt revert is standard. And yes it is the 12 snv-12

Howard