[App_rpt] Interface questions

[jon+apprpt at unicomsystems.com]

Hello Steve,

On Fri, Jun 23, 2006 at 07:36:32AM -0700, Steve Rodgers wrote:
> Jon,
> 
> See responses below.
> 
> On Thursday 22 June 2006 16:31, jon+apprpt at unicomsystems.com wrote:
> > Hello all,
> >
> > First off, I must say that app_rpt looks like a very promising project
> > and this style or repeater controller looks like the way of the future.
> >
> > I have a few questions that I couldn't quite come up with an answer for
> > myself with a high degree of certainty, using the existing material
> > online.
> > 1). Does the 4 port radio interface card allow for 4 duplex repeater
> > channels, or 2 duplex repeater channels?
> 
> 4 duplex radio channels.
> 
>

Excellent, makes it the best value for money for > 2 channels.
 
> >
> > 2). The 600 ohm line transformer as used in the analogue radio interface
> > appears to be out of stock on Digikey. Does anyone have alternative
> > stockists or transformer models? Or even spares they'd be willing to sell?
> 
> Last time we bought them form excesssolutions.com

Hrm, they certainly have plenty, and at a good price, but overseas UPS
shipping is a killer, about USD$100 to ship a dozen or so to Australia.

Does anyone have spare stock they want to sell or are willing to order
on my behalf and resend using USPS?

> 
> >
> > 3). Is app_rpt compatible with the TDM1200P or similar?
> 
> We haven't tested this but the chips used on the TDM1200p are exactly the same 
> as the ones used on the TDM400.
>

Is it hard to support different FXS devices? I'm not sure exactly how
entwined app_rpt is with driver code. The reason I ask is one possible
avenue for me is some clone TDM cards from http://www.openvox.com.cn
but it looks like their TDM1200P clone uses a different driver. Their
400P uses the standard digium driver. 
> >
> > I also have a few more developmental/roadmap oriented questions, namely,
> > would it be possible for an interface to be developed that used a full
> > duplex sound card and a serial or other data port to interface to a radio?
> > Or could an interface be developed that had the necessary functions so that
> > it only needed an FXO port on the Asterisk side, seeing FXOs can be got
> > from even basic devices like some winmodems?
> 
> Too many sound cards out there to support and having to deal with all of them 
> is a burden we don't want to shoulder. 
>

Fair enough, and looking at the inadequacy and system specificness of
other repeater linking hardware systems around, this is a condition
I'm willing to live with.
 
> 
> >
> > Note that I'm not trying to rubbish the project or its developers with
> > these questions, I'm sure the current interfaces work very well, but seeing
> > as we're not interfacing phones, I thought it would've been possible design
> > a way to interface at an even lower price point, opening access further,
> > and further benefiting app_rpt with greater uptake levels from all sorts of
> > radio people around the world.
> 
> Let's just say that we are aware of this issue, and that we are working on a 
> solution.
> 

Good to hear. I hope development on app_rpt will keep moving forward, I
can see it becoming a big player in the repeater controller arena as well as
the area of repeater linking.


Regards,

Jon