VHF / UHF IP Site Connect

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jasong224
Posts: 34
Joined: Tue Jul 15, 2008 12:46 pm

VHF / UHF IP Site Connect

Post by jasong224 »

I have a VHF MOTOTRBO system that has been running pretty stable for several years, but we've always had difficultly with consistent coverage inside of certain buildings. I need to cover an area of about 1.5 square kilometers with multiple large disjointed buildings. 95% of the users are on 5w portables (mostly CP200d). It's my understanding that VHF was chosen at the time, because of coordination complications and compatibility with other legacy systems. Testing under the same conditions with UHF, yields far superior results. I'm not sure I can fund a full cycle of equipment to convert to UHF all at once. I'm wondering if I can bring up a new UHF system and IP Site Connect the two together to facilitate an equipment cycle over a couple of years. The repeaters could be housed in the same physical space and could be connected via a crossover or dedicated switch.

Everything I've read, leads me to believe there should be no problem with this, but I'm wondering if anyone has done it in the real world and what the results were.

Thanks,
n1gtl
Posts: 113
Joined: Tue Mar 25, 2008 12:43 pm
What radios do you own?: XPR5550, XPR7550e

Re: VHF / UHF IP Site Connect

Post by n1gtl »

Yes. You can set up IPSC between bands. I set up a uhf/900mhz system. The network jacks auto sense so the cable does not have to be a crossover, just plug them in.
jasong224
Posts: 34
Joined: Tue Jul 15, 2008 12:46 pm

Re: VHF / UHF IP Site Connect

Post by jasong224 »

Sorry to dig up a dated thread. I'm just now getting around to starting this project. I came across some documentation that stated that the CP200d is not compatible with IP Site Connect. Is it just that it won't seamlessly roam between zones or will it not function at all? I just need to pass both time slots of audio between a VHF system and a UHF system. I don't need roaming between systems.
n1gtl
Posts: 113
Joined: Tue Mar 25, 2008 12:43 pm
What radios do you own?: XPR5550, XPR7550e

Re: VHF / UHF IP Site Connect

Post by n1gtl »

jasong224 wrote:Sorry to dig up a dated thread. I'm just now getting around to starting this project. I came across some documentation that stated that the CP200d is not compatible with IP Site Connect. Is it just that it won't seamlessly roam between zones or will it not function at all? I just need to pass both time slots of audio between a VHF system and a UHF system. I don't need roaming between systems.
First, if you are IP SITE CONNECTING a UHF system with a VHF system, you cannot roam between sites anyway.

The only thing the IPSC enhancement gives you is the ability to enter a channel pool and roam list. Just put the frequencies, color codes, talk groups and time slots into the CP200d and it will work fine.
jasong224
Posts: 34
Joined: Tue Jul 15, 2008 12:46 pm

Re: VHF / UHF IP Site Connect

Post by jasong224 »

n1gtl wrote:First, if you are IP SITE CONNECTING a UHF system with a VHF system, you cannot roam between sites anyway.

The only thing the IPSC enhancement gives you is the ability to enter a channel pool and roam list. Just put the frequencies, color codes, talk groups and time slots into the CP200d and it will work fine.
I knew I wouldn't be able to roam between those two systems, I just wanted to make sure that was the limitation of the CP200d and not something else entirely. If I can have someone key up on a talk group (same color code) on the VHF system with a CP200d and have it heard on the UHF repeater to another CP200d, that's all I need.

Thanks!
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Astro Spectra
Posts: 668
Joined: Sat Sep 22, 2001 4:00 pm

Re: VHF / UHF IP Site Connect

Post by Astro Spectra »

I'm not familiar with the CP200d so this could be out-of-date. According to these docs while the CP200d does do conventional Mototrbo it doesn't do IP Site Connect:

https://www.motorolasolutions.com/conte ... ochure.pdf

And this:

https://www.motorolasolutions.com/conte ... Glance.pdf

I understand you need to have a minimum of a XPR3000. Happy to be corrected.
jasong224
Posts: 34
Joined: Tue Jul 15, 2008 12:46 pm

Re: VHF / UHF IP Site Connect

Post by jasong224 »

Astro Spectra wrote:I'm not familiar with the CP200d so this could be out-of-date. According to these docs while the CP200d does do conventional Mototrbo it doesn't do IP Site Connect:

https://www.motorolasolutions.com/conte ... ochure.pdf

And this:

https://www.motorolasolutions.com/conte ... Glance.pdf

I understand you need to have a minimum of a XPR3000. Happy to be corrected.
Those are exactly the documents that concerned me. If it's just the roaming that won't work, I can understand that. I'm not sure what the other limitations would be though. If that time slot is replicated onto another repeater, would it not just pass audio for any given call in that slot? Maybe I have a fundamental misunderstanding of how IP Site Connects works?
n1gtl
Posts: 113
Joined: Tue Mar 25, 2008 12:43 pm
What radios do you own?: XPR5550, XPR7550e

Re: VHF / UHF IP Site Connect

Post by n1gtl »

Linking the sites is a function of the repeater(s). When they say the radio does not do IPSC, it means you cannot enter a roam list and channel pool to have it automatically roam to a stronger site. If you programming them for a single fixed repeater, it will work fine for your needs.

If you take a system with 4 schools and put one IPSC repeater at each school and link the time slots in the repeater programming, the repeaters will link up. Program one radio for each school (assuming different frequencies) and put one person at each school. As long as the talk group ID is the same, your CP200d will work fine across all 4 schools. I have done this....many times. You can also do this with an XPR3300/3500 series WITHOUT the IPSC enhancement. The enhancements are to allow the entry of channel pools and roam list functionality.
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