Comm Truck

[N Harmon]

All the radios in the racks have a 4 wire 'Remote' that allows each radio to be used simply by connecting up to 2000' of CAT5 cable to the back of the rack then to the remote.  This way the comm trailer can be setup, and if OPS, or any other unit  needs a radio you dont have to setup another antenna, ground it ect.   you just run a remote.

You can do that with EF Johnson radios?

[Rescue826]

Yep! 

everything you need (TX Audio, PTT, and Ground) are in the front mic connector.

We found a few extra Mics laying around - its cheaper than getting the connector, pins, and tool from EFJ

So we cut off the handmic  and used the connector to get PTT, TX Audio, and Ground.  We got receive audio from the speaker dongle on the back.

We then wired  a RJ-45 jack in Parallel  and rigged the pinouts to work with a standard Motorola mic (So you can still use the radio locally)

Also in parallel we wired in a CPI Comm LE-10 local remote....you can wire in parallel any number of CPI remotes as required to talk on a single radio. This also provides each CPI Remote (on the same circuit) intercom capability.

So all the radios in the rack have the option of using the CPI remotes.  So now instead of setting up bunches of radios at your Mission Base or ICP, all you need is some CAT5 cable and some CPI Remotes.

[321EOD]

I'd take a brick and mortar facility over a mobile one any day of the week.  But since we are gypsies without so much as a reliable meeting place, I'd take that mobile command post in a heart beat, or even the "Albatross."   

DITTO!

[Eclipse]

I'd take a brick and mortar facility over a mobile one any day of the week.  But since we are gypsies without so much as a reliable meeting place, I'd take that mobile command post in a heart beat, or even the "Albatross."   

DITTO!

Heh - spoken like people who didn't have it in their driveway for three months, at least now we have a secure location on base where we can charge the batteries...

[JWilson]

Lets say that we just got a $400,000 federal grant to build a mobile command vehicle.   That the main purpose is for disaster response.

My vision is that it would be able to pull up to a non-existent or damaged facility and provide  Phone, Radio, Internet...etc.

It would also be able to be self sufficent to provide command, control, and communications in the middle of nowhere after a disaster.

CAP Comms:
6 VHF
2 HF
2 Airband

I/O Comms:
800 mhz Multinet (Motorola Smartzone, Motorola Astro, EDACS, P25 Trunking)
UHF hi
UHF Low
VHF Lowband
Amateur Radio   2m/70cm/HF
Dispatch consoles w/  patching capability  (Telex -IP Based)


Satellite based internet w/ Auto deploy dish
Voip PBX system (Asterisk)
several Cellular lines (ML500)

VTC capability

Cache of VHF portables

Internal File Server
IMU Server

4.9ghz mesh WLAN

At least 4 internal positions for Incident Dispatchers
Conf Room for planning/Command staff

Redundant 12k generators

Gally / Lavatory...

Thoughts?

It's missing an Xbox 360.

with CoD: Black Ops: prestige edition haha

[JWilson]

Lets get one of these:
http://www.olive-drab.com/idphoto/id_photos_m170.php3
American Made. Military styling. Back country ready. Cool factor that the Comm/Command trailer/buses/campers
don't have.

I have no idea if it is best for technology. But, its cooler by a mile. Even the  black bears would be intimidated. And if they're not  or they are
grizzlies then throw one of these in the mix... an MRAP http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:MaxxPro_in_Iraq.jpg

We'll need a card with a high credit line to run through the gas in the MRAP.

Do... want MRAP... nothing says "get rescued" like light armor

There is nothing "light" about the MRAP. You take it off a paved road and the MRAP will need to be "rescued" too.

I'm sorry i forgot to mention the small fleet of dedicated tow trucks that were to accompany it haha

[manfredvonrichthofen]

What is the best way to go about putting an EF Johnson into my van?

[a2capt]

Open the door, put it in, shut the door.

The problem with these things is they tend to not give extra spots in vehicles for this kind of stuff, so you end up a lot of times building a custom console. The old "under dash mount" doesn't really work anymore because there is no dash to get under in most stuff, as it goes so far down you end up sticking it to the side instead.

I have a radio in a PT Cruiser, and I put the radio face up in between the front seats, it wedge fit nicely into a rectangular spot in the "center organizer thing", so I thats where it got installed. The mic reaches all four positions decently, and everyone can see the display.

The arm rests mostly hide it from common view when standing outside looking in, but from inside it's perfectly usable.

[manfredvonrichthofen]

In my van I have put in a center console that has a nice spot to attach a radio to its side. That is not my concern, what I am needing is best wiring methods. I would love a radio with a lighter jack or a wall jack as I have both in my van. It would just be nice not to have to add a new wiring harness and fuse.

[SarDragon]

The EFJ needs to be wired directly to the battery, or through an unused circuit through the power center. I used the brake controller harness in my Suburban, and it works well. A lighter circuit doesn't usually have sufficient current capacity, and has too many intermediate connections that may cause interference. The circuit I use has only one intermediate connector between the battery and the radio wire. The circuit also has a fuse in the power center, so I didn't need to worry about the in-line fuse.

[PHall]

One thing to think about if you mount a radio in a center console, ventilation.
Radios need to breathe so they don't overheat.

[arajca]

The EFJ mobile has three wire that need to be connected. The large red goes to a battery positive (or similar circuit), the black or blue (depending on your harness) goes to ground, and the thin red or blue goes to an ignition switched circuit. Most fuse boxes have one or two of these available. Without the ignition wire, the radio will not operate. If you wire it to the battery wire, you will need to manually turn the radio off everytime.

[SarDragon]

I highly recommend attaching the small red wire directly to the battery, too. There have been too many radio failures induced by switching the ignition off and on with the radio turned on. The programming gets scrambled or dumped, and it usually results in a trip to NTC for the fix.

[Eclipse]

I highly recommend attaching the small red wire directly to the battery, too. There have been too many radio failures induced by switching the ignition off and on with the radio turned on. The programming gets scrambled or dumped, and it usually results in a trip to NTC for the fix.

I can't agree with that - we've had too many people with dead batteries because they don't shut off automatically.

If an important feature like that doesn't work properly on a $2500 radio, it needs to go back to the NTC and EFJ from there.  These aren't K-Mart CB's, these are supposed to be commercial-grade devices.

[jks19714]

Hi, I just turned my paperwork into CAP in Wilmington DE last night.  I'm a long-time Army MARS/SHARES guy and have a commo truck project of my own:



It has a 25KVA diesel generator on-board and another one to tow behind it.  More on the project at my website http://www.armymars.net/ArmyMARS/MCU/index.html.

Whoever dies with the most radios and antennas wins!    And yes, I have compliant radios (three Micom-2Es in the truck along with a VHF P25 Astro Spectra).

-- john

[Spaceman3750]

Hi, I just turned my paperwork into CAP in Wilmington DE last night.  I'm a long-time Army MARS/SHARES guy and have a commo truck project of my own:



It has a 25KVA diesel generator on-board and another one to tow behind it.  More on the project at my website http://www.armymars.net/ArmyMARS/MCU/index.html.

Whoever dies with the most radios and antennas wins!    And yes, I have compliant radios (three Micom-2Es in the truck along with a VHF P25 Astro Spectra).

-- john

Wow, she's a beauty. If you weren't in Delaware I'd ask to help you with the networking  :angel:

[jks19714]

The truck's previous owner was FEMA.  I tore out all of the wood "furniture", moldy carpet and junk and started over.  It has been a longtime effort.  Once the weather gets a bit warmer, I need to get started on rebuilding the generator trailer.

As you can probably tell, I'm a systems engineer for the local power utility (in the network security and continuity of operations section right now).

- john

[Spaceman3750]

The truck's previous owner was FEMA.  I tore out all of the wood "furniture", moldy carpet and junk and started over.  It has been a longtime effort.  Once the weather gets a bit warmer, I need to get started on rebuilding the generator trailer.

As you can probably tell, I'm a systems engineer for the local power utility (in the network security and continuity of operations section right now).

- john

Got any pics of the inside?

[Spaceman3750]

Nevermind, found them.

[IceNine]

You missed the security guard...  He say's it's top secret