Forward Operating Base In-a-Can

[aczlan]

Phones came last night, figured I'd wait until I could power one on to take a picture:
View attachment 549639

These are VoIP six-line phones, 4-soft buttons (below the screen), 7-programmable function buttons, and customizable XML screens and applications. One thing I've been playing with is making one of the 4-soft keys PTT when I dial a radio (connected to a ROIP-102, using the call-presence light for the extension as a TX/RX indicator). I'm playing right now with PC sound cards to emulate radios, but I should in theory be able to plug in any radio (base-station, mobile, or handheld), and pull it's band(s) into the "net". This will make it possible to but just send/receive calls (assuming I have a phone line provisioned), but also talk on a 2-way radio from the same phone/station.

So, how would an incoming radio call work (ie: someone on a handheld wants to talk to "base" and differentiating that traffic from "handheld" to "handheld" traffic), or will this be transmit only and receive would be via a PA speaker?

Aaron Z

 

[tim292stro]

Phone would be provisioned with a line and account for Radio use, and radios and bands would be programmed as "speed dial" extensions (each radio would get its own ROIP-102):


When you want to access a radio, you push the "speed-dial" button for that radio/band - which connects the phone to the conference room for that radio/band (listen only).


When you want to talk on the band, you'd push the PTT button below the screen (note it changes the line indicator color in addition to the display text). For now you would have to push it again to release the TX (I also have code in the Asterisk Server that kills a TX longer than 20 seconds if the operator forgets).


When you're done with the radio, you hang up - or you could leave it open to continue monitoring the radio.

This would work with the handset (off-hook dial default), speakerphone (on-hook dial default), or you can plug in another headset to the phone and use that (some adapters might be required depending on the type). If you wanted to be able to continuously monitor all radios attached to the PBX server, I'd have to set up a conference room that takes in the audio, but does not send out any - and you'd have to dial into that. The drawback with this, is that it wouldn't work like a scanner where it locks to a channel and only outputs the audio for that radio - I'm working on a method to enable that type of functionality for the XM1027 project - where I can set a priority to a radio's audio in the conference room, and the highest-priority signal wins, and the priority configuration would be an a phone-to-phone basis (others might have different priorities in mind).

 

[Another Ahab]

Are you planning to make your rig available for charter?

There is a possibility of that yes. Early thought was CERT/SAR, I'd be trying to focus on local agencies (Police/Fire) rather than state/federal since they would have bigger budgets.

I was thinking of things like Marathons, "Fun" runs, art fairs, craft fairs, river clean-ups, and things like that (lot of those around here in the DC area). I bet your set-up would make those groups salivate (compared to the home-grown set-ups they typically run).

 

[tim292stro]

Again, there is a time cost for me if I do that (unless I want to start hiring people to do that). I would only consider it for local events/groups, and then only if I'm familiar with them (and like them enough to let them use my gear ).

 

[aczlan]

Sounds like an excellent plan. Is this stock Asterisk code, or something you have put together? If we switch phone systems at work (at least a few years down the road), that would be something I would like to tie in.

Aaron Z

 

[cabnetboss123]

Like the video of the moorehouse expandable van container. I prefer the american made M934A2 though.

 

[tim292stro]

I had to tweak the Asterisk conference feature to support this method - the ROIP by default uses VOX for TX control, so even sending comfort noise or background noise would trigger the ROIP to key the radio. The PTT feature here is basically a hot key for a short term un-mute of only one conference-member line at a time (so two people who dial into the same radio conference room can't key up at the same time). The conference bridge modification I did also supports out-of-band PTT signaling as a SIP function, but I have not seen any devices or systems out there which have a good agreed upon implementation using unmodified phones (there are many ITU RFC's out there for PTT, but good luck finding a phone that's ready for it). I could be adapt the bridge to any RFC in a few minutes if I had to do it - that's where I come is as a part of FOBIC.

EDIT: I should also mention that I capture and strip DTMF from the conference so that it can also be used for control of radios. for instance if you are running a CB radio, another soft-key would be provided below the screen for channel, after which you can dial a new channel number for the radio. Same thing for a multi-band ham radio, you'd be able to use on-screen cues to set the channel you want for that radio set. I'm still working on this feature when I have time late after my family goes to bed, but rest assured once it's up and running reliably I'll take a video and post it up here for all to enjoy.

 

[tim292stro]

...I prefer the american made M934A2 though.

Just wait for my bus project...

 

[rustystud]

Your system sounds a lot like our bus radios. We have a PRT and PRTT button on the radio. When pressed, it connects with the coordinator downtown. One is for emergencies only, and the other for general questions. The radio also acts as a public notice over the loudspeakers ie: this is the last stop on the burke-gillman trail kinda of thing. It also tells all operators when there is trouble in certain areas and to go to back up routes.

 

[tim292stro]

Many if not all of the of the radios used by larger agencies are heading this way. Many manufacturers have proprietary implementations of the same function or feature, while ITU RFCs are trying to bring things together, there is no real incentive right now for radio companies to adopt open interoperability. Thus it will likely be HAMs and hobbyists who make it work well for the rest of us.

 

[tim292stro]

Drifting...

 

[DieselAddict]

Drifting...

Sorry, I get carried away when I see someone interested in Morse code.

 

[tim292stro]

The tents are getting picked up within a few hours, it'll be a relief once it's on the way (major hurdle).

The patience part is very hard, the deal came together because I was very patient, arranging the shipping needed to happen rapidly, and now I need to be patient again during the actual shipping. It's a rollercoaster!

When they get here I'm going to need to find a better place to set them up to inspect than the middle of the storage lot's driveway.

 

[tim292stro]

Notification came down, they are picked up - should be here in a week.

Now I need to really work on those missing parts.

In the mean time, I did a bad thing... I started thinking about food prep/serving, and went on a Cambro container tangent. I just figured out how I could spend another $1,500 in one click (for new stuff). Now I might need to think about getting into the rental business.

 

[SCSG-G4]

Be somewhat choosy about CAMBRO's, after all they come up on GL where you will pay about $50 each for them including shipping vs. a hundred or more via e-pay or other sources. Also the condition they are in matters! There are some items that you do not want to purchase surplus because they were a good idea gone bad. You might want to send me a USB drive of 4 GB or larger (pm for address) and get all the cooking and (somewhat related) other info, which has a lot of information on the whole line of items that replaced the mermites in military service.

 

[tim292stro]

These would be new items since I don't want to imagine what creativity might have gone into the cleaning and storage of them (these are supposed to hold food for people I like after all), and not the normal 5-gallon beverage unit I see the most comonly.

I was thinking:
1x of 1000LCDRD - 11.75Gallon drink dispenser, Red (Hot Water)
1x of 1000LCDSB - 11.75Gallon drink dispenser, Blue (Cold Water)
1x of 500LCDBK - 4.75Gallon drink dispenser, Black (LEADED COFFEE!! - Yay!)
1x of 500LCDCB - 4.75Gallon drink dispenser, Brown (unleaded coffee - bleh)
3x of 350LCDTAN - 3.375Gallon soup carrier, Tan (soups, puddings, etc...)
3x of UPC100TAN - Top-load 12"x20" pan carrier (hot/cold food thingies)
And various size pans for the carriers...

I was just thinking about the size of the groups I'd normally be entertaining with the camp setup... Yeah, I'll send you a thumb drive, more info for my library is always welcome.

 

[SCSG-G4]

On the first two, water weighs 8 pounds per gallon, so you will be lifting 94 pounds of water plus whatever the empty container weighs. Army deems anything over 60 pounds as a two person lift under normal circumstances. With those suckers, you are almost in three person territory! But, you know the capabilities of your crew! I would use the top load pan carriers for soups, puddings, etc. and have enough pans - full, half and third to fill all six at least twice. MKT's come with eight pan carriers (eight inch deep models) with all third pans (24 each) and sealing lids. Because I don't send out meals to be served away from the MKT in a bouncing truck going over rutted trails, I don't use the sealing lids. YMMV. Buying new is expensive - check with used restaurant supply houses and use a steam jenny (also known as a hotsie) to clean what you purchased. Very few pathogens survive 300 degree steam!

 

[Another Ahab]

Buying new is expensive - check with used restaurant supply houses and use a steam jenny (also known as a hotsie) to clean what you purchased. Very few pathogens survive 300 degree steam!

I am just curious, SCSG:

- Are there some that do!?

 

[tim292stro]

There's always one - whether or not the colony size or toxicity is enough to kill you or make you sick is the real question...

 

[Another Ahab]

Undeclared War

Buying new is expensive - check with used restaurant supply houses and use a steam jenny (also known as a hotsie) to clean what you purchased. Very few pathogens survive 300 degree steam!

I am just curious, SCSG:

- Are there some that do!?

There's always one - whether or not the colony size or toxicity is enough to kill you or make you sick is the real question...

That's not good news:

- It might be decades, and it might be centuries.

Guessing time will tell.