My New Desktop Accesory-Motorola CenCom

[x635 4,066]

My newest desktop accesory. Got it for $20 on Ebay. I plan on refurbishing it a little, and maybe wiring my scanner speaker to it.

[IMAFF 2]

What is it and what does it do? Please forgive my ignorance.

[SageVigiles 1,194]

Haha, its a dispatch system for activating tones, etc. Up until very recently I think, New Fairfield had one... haha.

[NJMedic 96]

What is it and what does it do? Please forgive my ignorance.

Specifically its a Centracom Series II "Compact Classic" Radio Console

[bronxfireradio 45]

Keep us posted. I was going to try to do the same and hook it to my Spectra. The Centracoms were workhorses for many departments, including the FDNY, for many years. Unfortunately for us Ebayers, you need racks of special electronics, cables, and power supplies to actually get one to work.

Interestingly enough, NYPD in its new state-of-the-art Metrotech area will still be using a version of this console.

Edited March 20, 2010 by bronxfireradio

[Guest]

Keep us posted. I was going to try to do the same and hook it to my Spectra. The Centracoms were workhorses for many departments, including the FDNY, for many years. Unfortunately for us Ebayers, you need racks of special electronics, cables, and power supplies to actually get one to work.

Interestingly enough, NYPD in its new state-of-the-art Metrotech area will still be using a version of this console.

We currently operate our EMS communications on the CENTRACOM Series II. Wireless, our vendor tells us that parts are becoming obsolete for these units. We have a Motorola cabinet that holds the radio cards in it also. It is being replaced with a Motorola MCC 5500 dispatch console.

[IzzyEng4 427]

Seth, you have your HAM license yet?? That would be a good rig to hook up to the 2-Meter and 440-cm bands!

[Oswegowind 17]

We currently operate our EMS communications on the CENTRACOM Series II. Wireless, our vendor tells us that parts are becoming obsolete for these units. We have a Motorola cabinet that holds the radio cards in it also. It is being replaced with a Motorola MCC 5500 dispatch console.

Empress is finally replacing that thing? The tone encoder in the YFD dispatch room is fairly ancient too, however it works like a gem still! Easy to use manually but our CAD integration sends groups of tones remotely upon "d" or dispatch of call. You can also encode a singular or multiple set of tones from the CAD manually. There are a newer version, but I have never used it and it doesn't look nearly as easy as the original ones...

Nice catch Seth! Save it for the EMTBravo museum that opens in 2056.