You guys have anything new in the works? I’m loving my radios.
Using Trisquare radios as repeaters or Retrans
I want to take 2 X tsx 300’s and use them as a repeater with my PC as the control. Here is how I propose to do it:
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Program all radios “personal ID channel” to the same channel. 12345 as a eX. So all radios are allways monitoring 12345 all the time for a personal call.
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Program all radios to TX/RX the same channel. EX: 11111
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The 2 radios acting as a retrans/repeater will be set as follows. Radio 1(RX radio) which receives will be set on 11111 so it will receive all radios within range on 11111. Speaker out into PC with PC software controlling PTT through wired connections Sound out to MiC in on Radio 2 (TX radio) which will be set to channel 12345 which is everyones “personal channel”
What theoretically will happen is that anyone LOS (line of sight )to each other will have solid comms direct. Anyone out of line of site to the other party, but LOS to the repeater will hear the repeater signal allerting his personal channel and be able to hear the transmission.
WILL this work???
All I can say it is possible. The only problem is the transmit radio could desense the receiver, unless they are at an appropriate distance apart.
source : Tomorrow's Tom Sawyer — LiveJournal
Better organic privacy potential than the DTRs because of the immense number of “channels” versus the DTRs, but they use analog FM instead of digital modulation for the voice. The Optoelectronics R-10 locked right onto the FHSS signal and heard the audio with no problems whatsoever. Chalk another one up for old-school near-field receivers. One annoying thing about the Trisquare Radios is their tendency to unsync when idle for more than a minute, and then take as long as six seconds after you key up for the receiving unit to hear you.
so how secure are these radios ? is it analog or digital modulation and is it really possible to hear something on R-10 ?
It is analog modulation but as far as I am aware the Opto would not keep up since the frequency changes every one third of a second or so. I personally doubt it would be able to follow a conversation. My Opto counter can display the frequencies used in a hopset and I have videod and slowed down the clip to note them. And my Uniden CloseCall scanner sometimes gets a hit on an occasional frequency when I’m TXing, but by that time the frequency has changed and there’s no chance of following a conversation.
Isn’t the signalling data sent on top of the audio? If it is then what would it sound like on an FM receiver? Is this data is audible on the signal?
The Optos would would probably work close in… but not long range like a scanner.
I’m actually out of state on vacation now and use the TriSquares exclusively. So far, with 2 days of heavy use we have encountered no range issues or synch issues. This had been my heaviest use so far of these radios and I can tell you, they are great. Especially at Disney, where, in the past, GMRS interference had been a major pain. Those days are gone. I see frustrated people on frs/gmrs and we happily talk away.
Sweet.
What’s the difference between the TSX300 and TSX100? apart from the size and the additional numeric keyboard, are there any functional difference? Both seems to use 3AA or pack, so unless one wants to use the text capability, would it be better to opt for the TSX100?
I assume that range and channel are identical
The main difference is that the TSX300 has a lot more channels and some more features. You can use our comparison tool: http://www.buytwowayradios.com/Products/Two-Way-Radio-Comparison.aspx To get a side by side look at the two. Hope this helps!
I have read some of your posts and for those of you that seemed to be concerned with voice privacy I think you will find it interesting to know that the TriSquare eXRS radios can be monitored with near field receivers such as the Optoelectronics R-10 Interceptor (bought one used for $150) and newer Opto Xplorer. The TriSquares use slow frequency hopping (2.5 times per second, 400mS) and use not digital, but ANALOG FM. So it don’t matter if they have 1 channel or 72,000,000,000,000 channels, they can be listened in on fairly easily. I know people aren’t out there walking around with near field receivers just itching to eavesdrop on you, I am just saying if someone wants to listen to you they need not have to try to hard. I was rather disappointed that the TriSquare uses analog voice since they claim it is a digital radio. I don’t know where they came up with that.
Conclusion: These are great radios compared to the interference soaked FRS/GMRS frequencies and they provide enhanced user features and a greater degree of privacy that what we are used to.
Note:
If you want to hear an actual surveillance receiver intercepting a TriSquare FHSS radio signal click on the link below and go to the “Files” section.
From what I understand though, you need to be right on the radio you are receiving. In real world use, you wouldn’t be able to detect one of these radios anyway. Once you got more trhan a few feet away, the Opto couldn’t detect the trisquare.
Good info to know though.
You bet an R-10 can hear em’. I have a sample of my R-10 “hearing” an eXRS TriSquare radio. Click the link below and check out the files section, scroll down to TriSquare and listen. I also have a file of the R-10 tracking the faster 90mS hop rate of a Motorola DTR radio. However it can’t demodulate the DTR’s VSELP audio. All you hear is some beeps and then some data and then just popping. But the other person here is right, with the R-10 or similar you have to be close in. You can extend the RX range with a mobile scanner antenna or a yagi.
You’re partially right. And how many people carry around near field receivers?
If I use a 2.5db gain 800/900MHZ antenna on the R-10 it increases the RX range quite a bit over the stock telescoping antenna.
Hey,
I am new to this site… I have owned a Motorola FRS radio with a 3.2 km range and have been quite satisfied. I used it for hunting in Northern Canada and have been able to get up to 4km in a wooded, mountainous area.
I was looking to purchase a new set of GMRS radios when I came upon the TriSquare technology. Has anyone used the TSX300 in similar scenarios? And are the antennas detachable, or can an external antenna be attached to the unit?
Thanks,
There are no provisions for external antennas. This would violate both FCC and Indistry Canada regulations.
This is kind of surprising… Typically, if there is intertference you will only lose the frequency in that hop pattern that is happends to be on. You shoud only lose a tiny smidgeon of a transmission. Now, if you are in an RF “soup” i can see where the radios would lose synch, as the synch code would be jammed, and they need to recover.
My experiences have never brought me to a loss of synch in actual use. My tests and reviews discovered this thoug; but only at the absolute fringes of the receive/transmit range.
Of course, all experiences are different, and yours are not the only experiences with the sync issue
I wonder how the Motorola DTR series can get away with that? Their “augmented” DTRs have a detachable 6" antenna. Bet it makes for mondo range. It’s gotta be more efficient than the helical antenna on the TriSquare.
When you hit the transmit button, Can you talk immediately or do you have to wait one or two seconds?
more or less immediately. In reality, about a half second.
We take many vacations on cruise ships. We currently use Motorola T5950 FRS/GMRS radios on board the ship. They work OK at best on the ship. I’ve been looking for something better (clearer, more reliable reception). I just came across the TriSquares.
The big question is; Has anyone tried to use them on a cruise ship?
Will the higher freq. work better with superstructure of the ship?
Any help would be appreciated.
900 Mhz would have a better capability to “bounce” around, and get a clear shot. I have personally found the Trisquares to outperform frs/gmrs indoors. Of course, each experience is different.