SSTR-1 Rapid Deployment Tactical Repeater
 

The SS/TRS-1 repeater was designed and built by Strain Security Systems to supply a portable battery operated tactical repeater with user-friendly options for local and federal  law enforcement agencies that will aid them with remote control capabilities to extend the range of clear or secure two-way radio communications during a tactical operation.
The Repeater has multiple remote functions, which add capabilities unprecedented to the law enforcement market.  The following information is unique to this system and is described as follows:
The SS/TRS-1 is a self-contained UHF (settable from 1 to 4) watt repeater with remote control capabilities installed in a Pelican ruggedized case.  All remote control and semi duplex repeater operations can be easily enabled and disabled using supplied portable UHF radios to activate the repeater options.  The repeater can also be used in clear or scrambled modes.
The SS/TRS-1 is also equipped with multiple options that allow the HT-1250 radios to turn on and off up to two auxiliary relays, for activating external remote control devices.  These devices could be long-range wireless cameras, infrared lights for night vision surveillance, or short-range cell phone disabling systems (used to disable a suspect’s cell phone which gives the officer better control of communications). The same UHF radios can also activate the installed remote audio surveillance receiver for extending the range of covert audio listening or phone tap transmitting devices.  The installed audio surveillance receiver can be activated in clear or scrambled audio.  All of these options are enabled and disabled using customer supplied UHF transmit and receive customer-supplied frequency. (The radios and repeater are programmed at the time of ordering). 
Multiple remote control options are displayed on the HT-1250 full character display screen and are selected by the radios channel position knob. The repeater’s auxiliary relays, internal audio surveillance receiver, and scrambled functions are enabled and disabled with the radios pre-programmed DTMF, ANI tones activated by the HT-1250   Transmit button.

The UHF Repeater has the ability of accepting multiple remote control commands from the Motorola HT-1250 UHF radios. The following is a brief description of the SS/TRS-1 repeaters capabilities:

  • Two-way communications between portables were tested between 1 and 5 miles depending on terrain. The radios were tested in clear and scrambled mode ( User selectable)
  • The HT-1250 has the capability to remotely activate and extend the range of the received audio from the remote surveillance receiver (EPR-2) from 1 to 5 miles depending on terrain and the type of antennas used.  The audio surveillance receiver is remotely activated by the HT-1250 radio in clear or scrambled mode by selecting the appropriate channel displaying this option.  The specified range of the repeater was tested using ¼ wave antennas and the Eskan Electronics EPT60G covert UHF audio pen transmitter. 
  • The communication range of the repeater can be extended using higher gain magnetic mount antennas or yagi directional antennas.
  • The repeater’s remote control auxiliary relays, internal audio surveillance receiver, and scrambled functions are enabled and disabled with ANI / DTMF Tones activated by the HT-1250 transmit button.  The auxiliary relay contacts on the PC board are rated at 110 Volts AC at 5 amps and are easily accessed through the DB-9 and DB-25 connectors.  A wiring harness is provided with each connector.  Each relay provides 2 sets of contacts for controlling 2 devices per relay.  The auxiliary relays on the repeater can be pre-wired to specialized connectors before ordering the system.  These connectors can be added to the inside or outside of the Pelican case to accommodate this requirement.   This will provide the capability of  controlling  equipment already used by a particular agency. (There will be an extra charge for this unless the user wishes to do his or her own configuration.) Schematic and Block Diagrams will be provided for wiring instructions.
  • The user can activate up to two auxiliary relays to control external devices such as long-range infrared lights, wireless camera systems, remote perimeter detection systems, cell phone disabling systems that prevent suspects from making and receiving cell phones calls in order to keep communication within the control of the Swat team and also to prevent suspects from detonating explosives using cell phone technology.
  • The repeater comes with an internal rechargeable 12 Vdc - 12 Amp/Hr. lead acid battery for long run time.  There is an External Rapid Charger that can be used world wide.  Input Voltages are 110 Vac to  220 Vac input with 13.5 Vdc Output at 1 Amp.
  • Two ¼ wave antennas are supplied with the repeater and a 12 Vdc Vehicle Adapter.
  • Repeater can be externally powered from a vehicle or any external 12 Vdc power source with 4 amp capability.
  • The repeater is programmed with DCS or CTCSS codes to secure the integrity of communications from being compromised.

These are pictures of the Motorola HT-1250 Display, which depict the radio text message display associated with each channel that controls the various options on the SSTR-1 Repeater.  This makes using the repeater options easy to enable and disable with the Motorola radios as all the repeater control options are programmed into the radios and displayed on the screen. 

 
 
 
Brief Operational Summary of SS /TRS-1 Tactical Repeater
The Eskan Electronics EPR-2 UHF Surveillance Receiver and UHF Covert Pen Transmitter were used for all testing purposes.  The receiver and Pen transmitter were found to work exceptionally well with the SS/TRS-1 Tactical Repeater System and is mentioned multiple times during this brief operational summary.
 

The Repeater can be used by itself with clear or encrypted transmissions.   With the EPR-2 Receiver installed in the repeater, the audio path can be activated in clear audio or can be scrambled.  All of these options are enabled and disabled using one user supplied UHF frequency and programmed into the appropriate UHF radio channels. 

(This is done at the time of ordering).  Multiple radio channels controlling the various repeater options are displayed on the HT-1250 radio channel display screen by programming the display with the option you are activating.
The HT-1250 UHF radios work very efficiently with this system because the radios can be programmed and easily viewed with the character texts display for the option you are using on that
The UHF Repeater has the capability of accepting multiple remote control commands from the Motorola HT-1250 UHF radios such as the ability to extend up to 5 miles, remote audio surveillance transmitting devices that would normally have a very short range if used by the dedicated receiver. During testing purposes we used the Eskan Electronics EPR-2 Audio Surveillance Receiver in which all tactical team members could activate and monitor the audio from the receiver up to 5 miles away on their Motorola HT- 1250 Radios. To activate the EPR-2 Receiver, the HT-1250 Radios. 

To activate the EPR-2 Receiver, the HT-1250 radios are set to the appropriate channel which will display on the radio as Spy on /off.  (As shown above in the HT-1250 display picture.) This is then activated by keying up the HT-1250 radios push to talk button once, which in turn activates the receiver located within the repeater.This activation is verified audibly by one string of multiple transponding tones that are transmitted back to the team members Motorola HT-1250 radios from the repeater   All team members are able to monitor the received audio from a covert surveillance transmitters, such as the Eskan Electronics XM50 or the EPT60G  UHF Audio Pen Transmitters.  (As Shown in the Picture to the right)
While monitoring the clear audio from the EPR-2 receiver, you can then scramble the audio by switching to the next channel that says Spy Scrambler, (See HT-1250 channel display picture to the right.)  Once you are on this channel, the scrambling of the audio signal is accomplished by keying the Motorola HT transmit button once.  One string of multiple transponding tones are again transmitted back audibly from the repeater to the HT-1250 Radios which tells the user he or she was successful in scrambling the audio on the EPR-2 Receiver.
To be able to understand the scrambled audio of the EPR-2 Receiver, the user depresses the scramble/descramble button once, which is located just below the push to talk button on the left side of the radio.    Once this is depressed you will here a high beep tone on the radio. This puts the radiosinto descramble mode. Once the descrambled function of the HT-1250 is enabled, the user will be then be able to hear the scrambled audio from the EPR-2 Receiver clearly.  To put the surveillance audio back into clear mode, the user depresses the scramble/descramble button on the radio again which will be followed by a low beep tone.

The other options installed in the repeater are two Aux. Relays that can be activated and deactivated by keying up the push to talk button on the Aux. channel you wish to activate. (See HT-1250 Channel display picture to the Right). When the Aux Relays are activated, one string of transponding multiple tones are sent back to the radios from the repeater to let the user know he was successful in activating the relays. While these Aux. relays are activated and in use, the user can still use the repeater  for extending the communication range of the radios as well as activating the installed EPR-2 Audio Surveillance Receiver as well as  other repeater options mentioned at the beginning of this document. To deactivate the Aux. Relays, you depress the push to talk button on the HT once and two strings of transponding tones are sent back from the repeater to the HT.

The SS/TRS-1 Tactical Repeater can be used as a mobile repeater without using  any of the options provided to the user  by switching to Repeat On/Off Channel .
(See HT-1250 Display Channel to The Right) Communications between radios can be accomplished in clear or scrambled mode as described earlier.
The HT-1250 radios can also be programmed at the time of ordering with simplex channels.
(See HT-1250 Display Channel to the Right)

The SSTR-1 Repeater can be retrofitted with a long play digital audio recording system that will record all communications between radios including radios that have been scrambled.  The recorder will also record all audio surveillance information coming from the installed EPR-2 receiver in the repeater whether it is in clear or scrambled mode. 
If the recorder is recording scrambled audio or scrambled communications from the Motorola radios or the EPR-2 Audio Surveillance Receiver, that information can be decoded during playback using a descrambler of the type used in the HT radios.

 
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