If I was to install two base stations at the house, could I use the same outdoor antenna for them?

[WRFH675]

I’m thinking of installing a base station. However, I’m typically between two areas of the house. One my office, the other the living room. So, I’d like to install two base stations, one in each area. This way I don’t miss any traffic. If I did that, would I be able to tie each of them into the same antenna which would be mounted on the roof?

[SteveShannon]

34 minutes ago, WRFH675 said:

I’m thinking of installing a base station. However, I’m typically between two areas of the house. One my office, the other the living room. So, I’d like to install two base stations, one in each area. This way I don’t miss any traffic. If I did that, would I be able to tie each of them into the same antenna which would be mounted on the roof?

You could if you use an antenna switch to switch between the two radios. 

[gortex2]

Easier to just install a speker in another room. 

[WRYS709]

Consider an Alpha Delta coaxial antenna switch.  Pricier than the Chinese knockoffs, but you do not want to scrimp on antenna parts where inferior ruins the experience:

 

[Radioguy7268]

There's a practicality point to all of this, because running multiple control heads get pretty expensive pretty quickly if you're buying them retail (or even getting new at dealer cost!).

The dual control head option is neat, but if you just want to talk on a specific channel, it's much easier (and affordable) to run a remote speaker and/or mic.  There's a few different builders who make remote microphone options that plug into the rear accessory connector of most of the popular mobile radios. You're not going to have channel changing options, you're not going to see the LCD display, but you'll be able to hear what's going on, and even key up to talk back.

If 90% of what you want to do in the other room is monitor the radio, then the remote speaker is about the simplest and cheapest. 

[wrci350]

If you just want to *listen*, you can have two radios share an antenna.  Unless you use a multicoupler (or some other amplified setup) each radio will only get half the signal, which will negatively affect what you can hear.

If you want to *transmit* then the short answer is, "NO".  You can't transmit through a multicoupler, and if you are just using a T-connector then the second you hit the PTT on one radio you will almost certainly fry the receiver on the other one.  You can put in an antenna switch, which connects one radio at a time to the antenna and isolates the other one, but that probably defeats the purpose of having two radios at opposite ends of the house unless you can live with just selecting one of them to be "active" at a time.

Maybe have just one radio and turn up the volume?

[WRFH675]

Thank you both for the information

[nokones]

And there are RF antenna combiners that will allow you to use two radios simultaneously.

[SteveShannon]

Some of the commercial radios, such as those manufactured by Motorola, were made to have one body unit and two head units.  Maybe @nokones or @Radioguy7268 or @Lscott or one of the others could recommend a solution. 

[WRKC935]

21 minutes ago, Sshannon said:

Some of the commercial radios, such as those manufactured by Motorola, were made to have one body unit and two head units.  Maybe @nokones or @Radioguy7268 or @Lscott or one of the others could recommend a solution. 

This is true.  Dual head was available on the Spectra, AstroSpectra, XTL and APX lines of radios.   Now a dual head setup for an APX is going to be in the thousands of dollars, so I don't know what your budget is, but it's certainly out of mine.

Another option couple of options.

First is a tone remote setup where there are remotes that look like a desk phone sitting in different places throughout the house, and areall wired back to a tone remote panel that is connected to your radio.  The audio is routed to all the desk sets and you simply lift the receiver and hit the PTT to talk.   This stuff is around on ebay and could be used.  This is going to be easiest if you use a commercial radio for the interface, they are designed for it.  A Motorola CDM is a really good choice here.  And if you find the right stuff you can change channels from the remotes.

Second option is a Zello / RoIP setup where you connect an interface to your radio and then your phone connects to the interface that is available via WiFi or Internet to the radio gateway.  This gives you access most anywhere your phone can connect to the Internet. 

Another option that is going to be a bit more costly, but has a LOT of additional abilities is CTI  Products Radio Pro.  This is going to require a Motorola XPR radio and a Radio Pro Gateway to function but you have full control of the radio via either a computer running the 'Dispatch' Software or a smart phone running the app.  With this setup you can use the Phone for mobile comms and if traveling, you can load the client on your laptop and have full control for radio use while abroad as long as you have a WiFi connection. 

[nokones]

Motorola does have a package with the XTL5000 & APX series radios where you can have two control heads operating one transceiver. But the Motorola data control cable maximum length is 30 feet. The cheapest would be is wire a speaker into the other room but you still would have to go back to the room with the radio to transmit.

Depending on the make and model of his radio, there may be a Vehicular Repeater System (VRS) unit available that he can attached to the radio and enable it when he leaves the room that has the radio and control it with an out-of-band portable radio. eBay has some Pyramid VRS units listed for sale. Essentially, the VRS units function the same and the interface cable is what connects the VRS unit to the radio. You just need to make sure that the VRS unit is out-of-band with the subject radio.

And, maybe Pyramid can make the interface cable for him depending on his primary radio make/model and configuration.

[gortex2]

9 minutes ago, nokones said:

Motorola does have a package with the XTL5000 & APX series radios where you can have two control heads operating one transceiver. But the Motorola data control cable maximum length is 30 feet.

That changed. Here are the cables for the APX. Just installed the 50' one in a command post application.

[nokones]

20 minutes ago, WRKC935 said:

First is a tone remote setup where there are remotes that look like a desk phone sitting in different places throughout the house, and areall wired back to a tone remote panel that is connected to your radio.  

 

Ooh, yah. A Tone Remote console is definitely a solution maybe not the cheapest but technically its one of the cleanest and best solutions. Since, he is in the same location/building (home), and there are no Telco RTO or Pieceout circuits to tend with, just a house cable, he can even go with a DC control circuit, if they're still available these days, I know thats dating me.

[nokones]

4 minutes ago, gortex2 said:

That changed. Here are the cables for the APX. Just installed the 50' one in a command post application.

Well, hell. There you go. All he has to do now is buy a XTL mobile with two O5 heads, and the appropriate length data cable, and of course the radio with the APX style TIB, and that should work. I know the XTL2500 radios, without the accessories, brick only, are extremely cheap, less than $100 on eBay but, I don't know if the XTL2500 radio firmware will accommodate the Two Heads and One Radio Configuration.

I guess Motorola did away/discontinued the 3 foot length cable. I don't see it on the chart

[WRKC935]

BTW, I believe that the XTL and APX will address up to 4 heads.  There is a way to set the head number on each head and they get daisy chained from head to head.  The power would be a bigger issue at that point as I don't know I would want stand along power supplies running each head creating a ground loop on the data cable between the heads and the radio.