MotoTRBO usage on RoIP linking.

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tetramoo
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MotoTRBO usage on RoIP linking.

Post by tetramoo »

Does there happen to be any radio amateurs out there in the ether that have 'tried and tested' and currently use Motorola MotoTRBO radio kit over IP linking protocol ???

Would be interested to know.... as I think digital radio RF platforms over 'internet linking' is the way forward in my opinion with excellent audio clarity and relatively secure comms also.

I know digital RoIP is not dissimilar to using EchoLink ect ect for linking up radio systems(nodes)and I know of some Ham radio individuals who have utilised TeTRA in DMO in the past with some very respectable results per se.

Although TeTRA in DMO has certain limitations i.e RF power /UHF bandwidth limitations, whereas MotoTRBO has variable power output,dual personality(analogue/digital)mode functionality and 403-470MHz bandwidth giving full access to the 70cm band capability!

I think the Tigertronics Signalink USB sound card being the 'radio to PC interface' of choice, from what I can gather or alternatively custom built 'VOX' circuits used in conjunction with the RoIP digital radio kit.
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radiosification
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Re: MotoTRBO usage on RoIP linking.

Post by radiosification »

check out this guy, he has some excellent youtube videos on the subject
http://www.youtube.com/user/nokiaman2002
If you're interested in digital voice, check out my YouTube channel:
http://www.youtube.com/radiosification
tetramoo
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Re: MotoTRBO usage on RoIP linking.

Post by tetramoo »

radiosification wrote:check out this guy, he has some excellent youtube videos on the subject
http://www.youtube.com/user/nokiaman2002
Yes I have dealt with this guy in the past.....he is very 'clued up' indeed with all 'digital' modes of PMR radio kit...such as TeTRA,MotoTRBO and dPMR RF platforms.
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radiosification
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Re: MotoTRBO usage on RoIP linking.

Post by radiosification »

And apparently the signalink is a load of ****, since it creates a lot of noise. There are some people selling home made alternatives, or you could make one yourself if you like soldering
If you're interested in digital voice, check out my YouTube channel:
http://www.youtube.com/radiosification
tetramoo
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Re: MotoTRBO usage on RoIP linking.

Post by tetramoo »

radiosification wrote:And apparently the signalink is a load of ****, since it creates a lot of noise. There are some people selling home made alternatives, or you could make one yourself if you like soldering
Used the Tigertronics Signalink USB interface for 2 years continuously as an integral part of my past RoIP digital radio linking project, and found it to be an excellent little device that was more than sufficient for its role as a dedicated RADIO to PC USB sound card (vice versa).
And yes as you stated... it does have some underlying issues with its 'noise floor' with audio... whilst it lies in idle mode, but nonetheless was never an issue to myself with RX radio audio via IP linking which does to some degree degrade the RX incoming audio to the radio itself.
There is a guy who is a member of TM1 community that does build custom bespoke (radio/pc interfaces),and by all accounts they are very good indeed, at very competitive prices even though I have never purchased a unit from him!.

Personal preference at the end of the day in regards to use of the various types of radio/pc interface devices taking into account.... price,quality and performance of this types of device.
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TRON
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Re: MotoTRBO usage on RoIP linking.

Post by TRON »

Mototrbo = Peg on nose sounding audio. This is due to people mixing and matching firmware versions between node radios and mobiles. If the firmware is kept the same, the audio isn't too bad.

Linking VIA teamspeak is OK, but you have to get the VOX thresholds right or endless false triggers drive you mad.

Use TX and RX audio pins on the rear connector. TX and RX on ANY non amplified interface (Signalink etc) should be set to FULL. Use interface (Signalink etc) microphone and speaker gain to control the audio.
(If you have RX audio set to full and others complain that you are too loud, it is THEIR problem. They need to lower THEIR interface (Signalink etc) speaker volume to match)

I can't believe that after over 2 years, we are all divided over this stuff. We should all have a common "server" so that we can share this info "over the radio".

If we all "chipped in", we could easily afford to buy a commercial ROIP software suite with proper com port PTT and data link. We could all be private calling each other and sending texts over the radio by now.

There have been some pretty epic arguments between us all, some right, some wrong, all should have been forgotten!

I'm going to ring you tomorrow (Friday 29th March 2013) Tetramoo.. Been a while...
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mikebravokilo
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Re: MotoTRBO usage on RoIP linking.

Post by mikebravokilo »

as you know tetramoo i have been using trbo as my roip link for a while now and have had great success with it, my dm4601 and dp3600 work very well together and my audio quality cant be bad as most on the server cant tell if im on radio or pc, my noise floor is non exsistant, i have my capture level set at -40db with no issues,

on the subject of noise levels i actually found that (in my case at least) tetra set-up via the srm1000 seem to suffer far more noise issues via a signalink than trbo set-up on the same pc and signalink do,

i think for the most part the signalink is a terrific workhorse and more than fit for purpose, its the individual set-ups that need sorted out, in an ideal world if we all had the same radio's linked to the same computers via the same interfaces all set at the same levels we wouldn't be complaining, however i think the fact that so many variables exist within our set-ups we will never settle on a benchmark we will all strive to meet.

enjoy your Rf dissipation and keep the faith mate. ;)
PAPA THERMADYNE LIVES.........
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TRON
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Re: MotoTRBO usage on RoIP linking.

Post by TRON »

There are at least 3 versions of the Signalink USB that I am aware of.. Some are better than others with regards the noise floor, and it seems to be a lottery as to which you will get if you order one.
My Signalink had a noise floor which sat at around the -10dB mark on Teamspeak, which meant that my VOX activation HAD to sit above that point to prevent false triggers. It also meant that I had to "hit" Teamspeak with fairly loud audio in order to "defeat" the VOX threshold.

By the way, the -10dB noise floor was present with AND without any radio connected, so it had NOTHING to do with any settings. It was simply the Signalink soundcard outputting noise of its own accord.

SRM1000's were never designed to be linked in the way that we are doing. SRM1000's do NOT have an audio ground from the telephone handset (both audio lines "float"), so connecting one of them to DC ground (0V) is very bad practice.
But where are you meant to connect the reference line? The Signalink only has a radio ground (0V) to connect to.

Its a fairly simple fix but everyone seems happy to let the audio amplifier have one of its outputs "decked" to 0V.

Fit for purpose? Yes.. When connected to spoon fed, generic amateur radio market rigs with audio circuits that are referenced back to DC ground.
When connected to commercial kit, its a little more complicated.

Same interface/ same rig / same PC... No. All thats needed is for people to stop "twiddling dials" in the false hope of reaching an audio utopia.
Start with line level input and output on the radio ( -10dBV about half a volt). Do NOT use microphone or loudspeaker lines.
Now it gets complicated.
With the Signalink, there are dials for RX and TX. They don't actually do anything! If you turn them all the way up, they act like piece of wire (speedy thing goes in / speedy thing goes out).
Leave the dials turned all the way up (best signal to noise ratio).
Use the Signalink soundcard settings on the PC to control the audio to a sensible level.
If you are running XP, you can only control the Signalink output (TX). As a result, you WILL have to knock the RX dial down slightly (Signalink input "RX" is a little "hot").
If you are running anything newer than XP, it allows you to control both input and output.

Don't do the above and come back complaining that "it didn't work"... You need someone else at the "other end" to do the same thing as well.

I design and build interfaces... I like to THINK that I know what I'm doing, and these people seem to agree with me:

http://freedv.org/tiki-index.php?page=Tigertronics

http://www.frenning.dk/OZ1PIF_HOMEPAGE/ ... -mods.html

http://www.frenning.dk/OZ1PIF_HOMEPAGE/ ... s%20v5.pdf
Shetlander
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Re: MotoTRBO usage on RoIP linking.

Post by Shetlander »

To reopen this thread.

I have a MotoTrbo Baseset and handheld. I have been thinking of doing some ROIP linking. Obviously I would need to get myself a signalink but can anyone provide info on what cable I need to run from the back of my radio into the RJ45 port on the signalink?

Thanks
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TRON
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Re: MotoTRBO usage on RoIP linking.

Post by TRON »

You need a Signalink for RoIP about as much as you need a skateboard to get to work.
To give even the most basic advice on what to go for, I'd need to know what program you are thinking of using.
The lead to go from the radio to ANY interface is custom. Its nothing special, but its not commercially available either.
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