[Trunkcom] MultiNet vs. LTR

Mon, 07 Jan 2002 09:07:03 -0500

Yeah, here in Cleveland, there are about the same number.  Some have only one frequency and some have ten to twent, there even is one in V.H.F. ( 150 - 160 ).  What is SMR, anyway

>>> [email protected] 01/04/02 06:19PM >>>
Jerry Kacprzycki wrote:

> So what is the difference between LTR and Multi-Net?  I thought that they were both made by the same company?

While Multi-Net and LTR are made by the same company (E.F. Johnson),
they are quite different in the way they work. LTR uses what is called
"distributed control" meaning the trunking control is sent as subaudible
information on each system channel (similar to CTCSS or DCS, commonly
known as PL or DPL). This means that there is no dedicated control
channel, with the advantage that the system can handle more users with
that extra channel. Unfortunately, LTR does not offer the APCO-16
features desired by most public safety/local government users. So EFJ
came up with Multi-Net, which uses a dedicated control channel and
offers APCO-16 features as well as a host of other stuff not offered by
LTR.

However, Multi-Net is a far, far distant third to Motorola (Numero Uno)
and EDACS (Numero Dos). To my knowledge, there are only a few Multi-Net
systems out there in radio land.

LTR is *very* popular for business SMR use. EFJ was way ahead of the
pack in this, licensing a whole raft of other companies out there
licensed to make LTR systems and equipment, including Yaesu, Kenwood and
Uniden. The systems are relatively inexpensive to put on line compared
to Motorola and EDACS systems, the radios are inexpensive, and the
systems perform quite well for most business uses. 

Moto and GE, on the other hand, did not license their trunking to other
companies, with the result being that those systems are mostly confined
to government and large business users with deep pockets. Moneyrola did
finally license other companies to make Moto-compatible products
(notably, EFJ and Racal), but this was part of the APCO-25 project, and
the radios are still pretty pricy, although less so than "genuine
Motorola."

And, with Nextel glomming every 800 MHz frequency on the face of the
planet so as to fill the airwaves with their interference, the new SMR
of choice today is LTR, usually in the UHF band. There are 6 LTR systems
here in Columbus now, and I fully expect more to pop up.

Tom WA8PYR
-- 
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Tom Swisher, WA8PYR                        [email protected] 
"Always do sober what you said you would do when drunk. That will 
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