Tait TB9400 User manual

TB9400 Base Station/Repeater
Installation and Operation Manual
MBC-00001-23 · Issue 23· November 2019

2TB9400 Installation and Operation Manual
© Tait International Limited November 2019
Contact Information
Tait Communications
Corporate Head Office
Tait International Limited
P.O. Box 1645
Christchurch
New Zealand
For the address and telephone number of regional
offices, refer to our website:www.taitradio.com
Copyright and Trademarks
All information contained in this document is the
property of Tait International Limited. All rights
reserved. This document may not, in whole or in part,
be copied, photocopied, reproduced, translated, stored,
or reduced to any electronic medium or machine-
readable form, without prior written permission from
Tait International Limited.
The word TAIT and the TAIT logo are trademarks of
Tait International Limited.
All trade names referenced are the service mark,
trademark or registered trademark of the respective
manufacturers.
Disclaimer
There are no warranties extended or granted by this
document. Tait International Limited accepts no
responsibility for damage arising from use of the
information contained in the document or of the
equipment and software it describes. It is the
responsibility of the user to ensure that use of such
information, equipment and software complies with the
laws, rules and regulations of the applicable
jurisdictions.
Enquiries and Comments
If you have any enquiries regarding this document, or
any comments, suggestions and notifications of errors,
please contact your regional Tait office.
Updates of Manual and Equipment
In the interests of improving the performance,
reliability or servicing of the equipment, Tait
International Limited reserves the right to update the
equipment or this document or both without
prior notice.
Intellectual Property Rights
This product may also be made under license under one
or more of the following patents:
- US7203207, AU2004246135, CA2527142,
GB2418107, HK1082608, MY134526, US8306071
- US7339917, AU2004246136, CA2526926,
GB2418812, MY134217
- US7499441, AU2005262626, CA2570441,
GB2430333, JP4690397, NZ551231, KR100869043,
RU2351080, BRP10512052, MXPA06015241
- US 7200129, AU2005226531, CA2558551,
CN1930809, GB2429378, JP4351720, BRP10508671,
NZ549124, KR848483, RU2321952
Environmental Responsibilities
Tait International Limited is an environmentally
responsible company which supports waste
minimization, material recovery and restrictions in the
use of hazardous materials.
The European Union’s Waste Electrical and Electronic
Equipment (WEEE) Directive requires that this
product be disposed of separately from the general
waste stream when its service life is over. For more
information about how to dispose of your unwanted
Tait product, visit the Tait WEEE website at
www.taitradio.com/weee. Please be environmentally
responsible and dispose through the original supplier,
or contact Tait International Limited.
Tait International Limited also complies with the
Restriction of the Use of Certain Hazardous Substances
in Electrical and Electronic Equipment (RoHS)
Directive in the European Union.
In China, we comply with the Measures for
Administration of the Pollution Control of Electronic
Information Products. We will comply with
environmental requirements in other markets as they
are introduced.

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© Tait International Limited November 2019
Contents
Preface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Scope of Manual. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Document Conventions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Associated Documentation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Publication Records . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
1 Description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
1.1 Firmware Applications. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11
1.1.1 Base Station Features. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11
1.2 Firmware Application Details . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
1.2.1 P25/AS-IP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
1.2.2 DMR/MPT. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
1.3 Modules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
1.4 Mechanical Assembly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
1.5 Frequency Bands and Sub-bands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
1.6 Licences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
1.6.1 Compatibility. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
1.6.2 Feature Licences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
1.7 Theory of Operation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
1.7.1 Signal Paths . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
1.7.2 Online and Offline Modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
1.7.3 Intermodule Communications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
1.7.4 Power Management and Distribution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
1.7.5 PMU Operation on DC Input. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
1.7.6 Front Panel Fans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
2 General Safety and Regulatory Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
2.1 Personal Safety. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
2.1.1 Unpacking and Moving the Equipment. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
2.1.2 Lethal Voltages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
2.1.3 AC Power Connection. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
2.1.4 Explosive Environments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
2.1.5 High Temperatures. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
2.1.6 LED Safety (EN60825-1) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
2.1.7 Proximity to RF Transmissions / A proximité des émissions RF . . . . . 37
2.2 Equipment Safety. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
2.2.1 Installation and Servicing Personnel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
2.2.2 Preventing Damage to the PA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
2.2.3 ESD Precautions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
2.2.4 Anti-tampering Devices. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
2.3 Environmental Conditions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
2.3.1 Operating Temperature Range. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
2.3.2 Humidity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
2.3.3 Dust and Dirt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

4TB9400 Installation and Operation Manual
© Tait International Limited November 2019
2.4 Regulatory Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
2.4.1 Distress Frequencies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
2.4.2 Compliance Standards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
2.4.3 FCC Compliance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
2.4.4 Unauthorized Modifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
3 Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
3.1 Front Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
3.2 Module Indicator LEDs and Switches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
3.2.1 Reciter and Receiver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
3.2.2 PA. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
3.2.3 PMU. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
4 Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
4.1 Before You Begin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
4.1.1 Equipment Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
4.1.2 Grounding and Lightning Protection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
4.1.3 Equipment Ventilation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
4.1.4 Ambient Temperature Sensor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
4.1.5 Cabinet and Rack Ventilation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
4.2 Unpacking and Moving the Subrack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
4.3 Identifying the Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
4.4 Initial Setting Up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
4.4.1 Confirming Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
4.4.2 Working with Configurations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
4.4.3 Customizing the Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
4.4.4 Recommended Configuration Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
4.4.5 Restricted Port Numbers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
4.4.6 Changing the Root Password . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
4.4.7 Tuning the Reciter and Receiver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
4.5 Installing the Base Station on Site . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
4.5.1 General Installation Advice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
4.5.2 Equipment Required . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
4.5.3 Mounting the Subrack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
4.6 Connecting Up the Base Station. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
4.6.1 Connection Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
4.6.2 Connecting AC Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
4.6.3 Connecting DC Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
4.6.4 Connecting the Auxiliary DC Power Output. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
4.6.5 Connecting RF . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
4.6.6 Connecting an External Frequency Reference. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
4.6.7 Connecting a 1PPS Source . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
4.6.8 Ethernet Connection. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
4.6.9 Connecting General Purpose Inputs and Outputs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
4.6.10 Setting Up Simplex Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
5 Working with Base Stations from Your PC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
5.1 PC Recommendations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
5.2 Connecting your PC to the Base Station . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
5.2.1 Logging In . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89

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© Tait International Limited November 2019
5.2.2 Setting the IP Address . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
5.2.3 Security Certificates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
5.2.4 Local Connection to a Base Station. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
5.2.5 Troubleshooting Connection Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
5.2.6 Finding a Lost or Forgotten IP Address . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
5.2.7 Setting Up Authentication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
5.3 Working with the Web Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
5.3.1 Monitoring Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
5.3.2 Troubleshooting Alarms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
5.3.3 Viewing Configuration Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
5.3.4 Viewing the Base Station and Network Identity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
5.4 Basic Tasks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
5.4.1 User Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
5.4.2 Taking the Base Station Offline. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
5.4.3 Troubleshooting Alarms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
5.4.4 Disabling the Front Panel Keypad. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
5.4.5 Uploading New Audio Files for Announcement Tones . . . . . . . . . . . 103
5.4.6 Uploading New Firmware . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
5.4.7 Downloading Firmware from a Package Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
5.4.8 Activating New Firmware . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
5.4.9 Switching Application Packages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
5.4.10 Working with Configuration Files. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
5.4.11 Setting Up Custom Alarms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
5.4.12 Subaudible Signaling. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
5.4.13 Checking for Interference on a Receive Channel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .110
5.4.14 Marshaling or Transmit Delay. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .110
5.4.15 Uploading Firmware to the Base Station. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .111
5.4.16 SNMP Network Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .112
5.4.17 Configuring Single Base Stations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .113
5.4.18 Configuring Receive-Only Base Stations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .113
5.4.19 Configuring Base Stations in a Channel Group. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .114
6 Maintenance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .115
7 Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .117
8 Replacing Modules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .118
8.1 Saving the Base Station’s Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .118
8.2 Preliminary Disassembly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .119
8.3 Replacing a Reciter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
8.4 Replacing a Power Amplifier. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
8.5 Replacing a Power Management Unit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
8.6 Replacing the Module Guide Rails . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
8.7 Replacing the Subrack Interconnect Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
8.8 Final Reassembly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
Appendix A – Interface Pin Allocations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
System Interface Connector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
Ethernet Connector. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
PMU Auxiliary DC Output . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129

6TB9400 Installation and Operation Manual
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Appendix B – Inter-Module Connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
Dual 50W Base Station . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
Single 50W Base Station . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
100W Base Station . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
Appendix C – Identifying Front Panels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
Appendix D - TB9400 Cable Kits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
Cable Kits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
T01-01150-0003 - TB9400 Kit Cable Single 50W Channel Upgrade . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
T01-01150-0005 - TB9400 Kit Cable Single 100W Replacement Cable Set . . . . . . . 134
Appendix B– Installing the Firmware Package . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
Mongoose Installation Package . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
Setting Up a Central Package Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
Setting up a Temporary Package Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
Tait General Software License Agreement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
Simplified EU Declaration of Conformity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148

TB9400 Installation and Operation Manual Preface 7
© Tait International Limited November 2019
Preface
Scope of Manual
This manual provides information on installing and operating the TB9400
base station. It is intended for use by experienced technicians familiar with
installing and operating base station equipment. It also includes
configuration, maintenance and troubleshooting information.
Except where stated otherwise, the information in this manual generally
applies to both standard and receive-only base stations and reciters.
When “reciter” is referred to, this generally applies also to the receiver
(receive-only reciter). References to power amplifiers (PAs) and trans-
mitting obviously do not apply to receive-only equipment.
Unless mentioned specifically, this manual will use the term “base station”
to refer to both base station and repeater.
Document Conventions
The TB9400 base station has a web interface with an accordion menu on
the left side of the screen. “Configure > Base Station > Channels” means
click Configure in the top-level menu, then in the expanded Configure
menu, click Base Station, and finally click on the Channels tab on that page.
Within this manual, four types of alerts may be given to the reader. The
following paragraphs illustrate each type of alert and its associated symbol.
Warning This alert is used when there is a hazardous situation
which, if not avoided, could result in death or serious injury.
Caution This alert is used when there is a hazardous situation which,
if not avoided, could result in minor or moderate injury.
Notice This alert is used to highlight information that is required to
ensure procedures are performed correctly. Incorrectly performed pro-
cedures could result in equipment damage or malfunction.
This icon is used to draw your attention to information that may
improve your understanding of the equipment or procedure.

8 Preface TB9400 Installation and Operation Manual
© Tait International Limited November 2019
Associated Documentation
The following associated documentation for this product is available on the
Tait support website.
■TN9300 DMR Tier 2 Conventional Radio Network System Manual
(MNB-00005-xx)
■TN9300 DMR Tier 3 Trunked Radio Network System Manual
(MNB-00003-xx)
■TN9300 DMR Radio Network Node Controller Installation Manual
(MNB-00001-xx)
■TB9400 Specifications Manual (MBC-00002-xx)
■TN9400 P25 Trunked Network Maintenance Manual (MNC-00001-xx)
■TaitNet P25 Trunked Networks with TB9400 Base Stations System
Manual (MBA-00064-xx)
■TaitNet Analog Conventional Networks with TB9400 Base Stations
System Manual (MND-00001-xx)
■TB9400 Help (MBC-00006-xx)
■Safety and Compliance Information (MBA-00012-xx)
The characters xx represent the issue number of the documentation.
Technical notes are published from time to time to describe applications for
Tait products, to provide technical details not included in manuals, and to
offer solutions for any problems that arise. Technical notes are available in
PDF format from the Tait support website. For more information contact
your regional Tait office.

TB9400 Installation and Operation Manual Preface 9
© Tait International Limited November 2019
Publication Records
Issue Publication Date Description
23 November 2019 General updates for the 3.05 release
Minor updates throughout.
DFSI collective channel content
Interoperability between P25/AS-IP and DMR/MPT firmware applications
Updated licences table to include DMR/MPT
Updated firmware upload section
22 July 2019 General updates for the 3.00 release
Added wideband license
Added section on uploading new audio files for announcement tones
Included content regarding ‘SNMP Network Management’
21 March 2019 General updates for the 2.60 release
Added “Connecting General Purpose Inputs and Outputs” section
Added “Appendix D” covering cable kits
SSH information included
Simplex content added
Added configuration content
Added content for uploading and downloading new firmware
20 December 2018 General updates for the 2.55 release
Advice for configuring subaudible signaling.
19 July 2018 General updates for the 2.50 release
Addition of B2 band.
Clarified that HH band is nominally 378 - 420. All frequencies can be used
except for the range at 406 - 406.1 (exclusive).
Updated type designators.
Smaller updates throughout.
18 March 2018 General updates for the 2.45 release
Publication Record now shows most recent manual issue at top of table
Added note about fill-in receiver to “8.4 Replacing a Power Amplifier”
Clarified “Bands and Sub-Bands” table
Updated section 5.2.4 “Connecting a Networked PC to a Base Station”
Added site controller table to the “1.6. Licenses” section
HH band is now released as 50W and receive only
17 November 2017 General updates for the 2.40 release.
Added definition of “integral voter” to Glossary on page 138
Added solution to Internet Explorer black screen in Connecting your PC to
the Base Station on page 88.
Added notice regarding fan operation to Front Panel Fans on page 34.
Added information on cancelling a firmware package to Subaudible
Signaling on page 109.
Added notice regarding the base station resetting to Setting the IP Address
on page 90.
Added new HH band information throughout.

10 Description TB9400 Installation and Operation Manual
© Tait International Limited November 2019
1 Description
The Tait TB9400 base station is a robust state-of-the-art digital fixed
station that combines Tait’s proven strengths in reliability, high
performance and modular design with firmware-based configurability and
operation, digital signal processing, and voice-over-IP technology.
The TB9400 combines industry-leading digital voice quality with rugged
design specifications and intuitive user interfaces. These products are
designed to meet the needs of the public safety and public service sectors,
and professional radio users.
The ability of the base station to link stations using standard Internet
Protocol communications, and to add features through firmware options,
ensures that DMR and P25 systems designed with the TB9400 are scalable
in both size and functionality.
Its Ethernet interface provides built-in network connectivity which allows
the base station to join with other base stations to form a channel group.
This network supports voice-over-IP and remote management of all base
stations via a web browser.
The TB9400 operates as the following:
■an IP connected transceiver in trunked DMR or MPT networks
■an IP connected transceiver in trunked simulcast radio networks
■an IP connected transceiver in non-simulcast multi-site networks
■an IP connected transceiver in digital conventional simulcast networks
■an IP connected repeater in DMR conventional networks
■an analog 600 Ohm connected repeater in an analog conventional
network with CTCSS or DCS subaudible signaling
■an IP connected transceiver in P25 trunked networks
■an IP connected repeater in P25 conventional networks
■P25 Phase 1 FDMA, or 6.25kHz equivalent P25 Phase 2 TDMA
■an IP connected transceiver in analog conventional simulcast networks

TB9400 Installation and Operation Manual Description 11
© Tait International Limited November 2019
1.1 Firmware Applications
The TB9400 is interoperable with both TB7300 and TB9300 base stations,
and therefore operates in both P25/AS-IP and DMR/MPT networks.
1.1.1 Base Station Features
The following is a list of base station features for both P25/AS-IP and
DMR/MPT firmware applications:
P25/AS-IP ■Fully compliant with the P25 Common Air Interface. Can therefore
interoperate with any similarly compliant radios.
■Supports P25 Phase 1 operation with either C4FM or LSM modulation
on the transmitter.
■Supports P25 Phase 2 operation.
■Supports simulcast operation with P25 phase 1.
■Analog conventional repeater operation.
■Analog conventional simulcast operation on an IP backbone requiring
no audio calibration or training.
■Integrated built-in voting facility. No external voter is needed.
■Simplex operation with antenna delay
DMR/MPT ■Fully compliant with the DMR Tier 2 and Tier 3 Standards. Can
therefore interoperate with any similarly compliant radios.
■Analog conventional repeater operation.
■MPT operation as control channel or traffic channel transceiver in MPT/
IP network including standalone operation.
■Digital simulcast operation.
■Supports an analog 600 Ohm connected repeater in an analog
conventional network with CTCSS or DCS subaudible signaling.1
Non-Application
Specific
■Configuration, alarm monitoring, fault diagnosis, syslog, feature and
firmware upgrades can be managed remotely from a PC running a web
browser. Alarms can be reported via SNMP traps, allowing integration
with an SNMP-based network management system.
■An integrated wiring solution is provided for the system control bus and
DC power connections to each module in the subrack.
■Reciters (receiver/exciter modules) can be replaced without affecting
the operation of other reciters in the same subrack.
■Rugged construction with generous heatsinks and fan-forced cooling
1. Continuous Tone Coded Squelch System Commonly referred to as PL, an
acronym for Private Line
(DCS) Digital Code Squelch Commonly referred to as Digital Private Line

12 Description TB9400 Installation and Operation Manual
© Tait International Limited November 2019
for continuous operation from – 30° C to + 60° C (– 22° F to + 140° F).

TB9400 Installation and Operation Manual Description 13
© Tait International Limited November 2019
1.2 Firmware Application Details
1.2.1 P25/AS-IP
The TB9400 is designed for operation as a transceiver in P25 trunked and
trunked simulcast (Phase 1 or Phase 2), P25 conventional networks and
analog conventional networks. It operates as a stand-alone base station, or
as part of a channel group, providing receiver voting and simulcast
transmission. All air interfaces and system types support simulcast
operation.
In a trunked simulcast network, the transmitters in the channel group are
synchronized and transmit simultaneously on the same frequency. Each
transmitter needs a highly accurate 1PPS pulse and an external frequency
reference, so that it can time transmissions with the required accuracy. Also
required is an NTP source that is derived from the same source as the 1PPS
signal. This will ensure a common timestamp in logs across all units in the
system. An external frequency reference, along with an NTP source and
1PPS signal derived from the same GPS source, are also essential for all
reciters for P25 Phase 2 operation.
Dispatch connection is via three distinct interfaces:
■P25 standard DFSI connection (up to three connections simultaneously)
■Analog line
■Tait P25 Console Gateway, supporting conversion between P25 and
analog consoles with MDC1200 signaling
In an analog conventional network, the base station can operate as a
repeater with CTCSS1or DCS subaudible signaling.
The base station can also operate as part of an analog conventional
simulcast network and is fully IP-connected. The base station also features
an internally integrated voter, and therefore requires no external voter.
The base station can be provided as a receive-only variant in systems that
need sites to enhance the receive coverage. The receiver module in a
receive-only base station is physically unable to transmit.
With P25/AS-IP operation, channel groups can comprise a mixture of
base station types. TB9400 and TB7300 base stations are fully compat-
ible and have identical timing in simulcast operation.
1. Private Line (PL).

14 Description TB9400 Installation and Operation Manual
© Tait International Limited November 2019
For more information on these applications, refer to the Help and
appropriate Tait System Manual. See “Associated Documentation”.
1.2.2 DMR/MPT
In a DMR Tier 2 conventional network, the base station can operate as a
stand-alone repeater, or as a member of a multi-site system (under the
supervision of a DMR conventional node). Since DMR provides two
logical channels (timeslots) simultaneously for each radio frequency
(physical channel), the same frequency can be accessed simultaneously,
one in each timeslot. Base stations on different sites can be linked together
to form channel groups. A base station can support two channel groups, one
in each timeslot.
In a DMR Tier 3 trunked network, the base station can operate as a traffic
channel or a control channel. With two logical channels for each radio
frequency, a single base station can provide two traffic channels, two
control channels, or both a traffic channel and a control channel.
In an MPT network, the base station operates as a control channel or as a
traffic channel. The base station operates with a trunking node or in
fallback operation. MPT fallback provides trunking and conventional
operation.
In analog operation, the base station operates as a conventional repeater
with CTCSS or DCS subaudible signaling.
With the DMR/MPT operation, channel groups can comprise a mixture
of base station types. TB9400, TB7300 and TB9300 base stations are
fully compatible and have identical timing in simulcast operation.
For more information, refer to the DMR System Manual (MNB-00010-
xx).

TB9400 Installation and Operation Manual Description 15
© Tait International Limited November 2019
1.3 Modules
The base station consists of a subrack with up to two transmit/receive
channels, or up to four receive-only channels.
The single PMU (power management unit) supplies and manages power to
the whole subrack (refer to “Theory of Operation” on page 25). One reciter
and one PA (power amplifier) are needed for each transmit/receive channel.
There is also a front panel with user controls and fans. The modules are
interconnected at the front of the subrack. External connections to the
modules are located at the rear.
Modules come in different variants depending, for example, on the RF
band or the supply voltage.
Each module is inserted into the 4U subrack from the front and is secured
at the front with a metal clamp. Both clamp and module are easily removed
for rapid module replacement. The modules are secured laterally with
plastic guides that clip into the top and bottom of the subrack. These guides
can be easily repositioned to change the configuration of a subrack. The
heavier modules are also secured laterally by metal tabs at the rear of the
subrack.
The following provides a brief description of the available modules.
Subrack The 4U subrack is made of passivated steel and is designed to fit into a
standard 19 inch rack or cabinet. The subrack is fitted with an interconnect
board that connects the system control bus and power to the modules and
front panel. The position of a module in the subrack is defined by the socket
on the subrack interconnect board to which the module is connected by the
system control bus.

16 Description TB9400 Installation and Operation Manual
© Tait International Limited November 2019
Front Panel The front panel is mounted onto the subrack with two quick-release
fasteners. It incorporates the indicator LEDs, four-line LCD display, user
controls, ambient temperature sensor and cooling fans.
The indicator LEDS allow some monitoring of the operational status of the
base station. The user controls and display allow the technician to
configure the IP address of each module. Refer to “Front Panel” on page 41
for more information.
The base stations have different front panel ducting arrangements
depending on PA type and power. Front panels may not be interchange-
able.
The microphone input and speaker are not currently used.
Reciter The reciter module comprises the receiver, exciter and digital control
circuitry. The reciter provides the Ethernet interface and system inputs and
outputs.
Receiver modules (receive-only reciters) are not fitted with the transmit
circuitry or front panel SMA connectors, and are physically unable to
transmit.
reciter receiver

TB9400 Installation and Operation Manual Description 17
© Tait International Limited November 2019
Power Amplifier The PA amplifies the RF output from the reciter and is available in 50W
and 100W models.
The 50W model mounts vertically in the subrack, while the 100W model
mounts horizontally as it has a wider heatsink. The 100W PA is also fitted
with an airflow duct.
Both models are designed to operate on the 28VDC output provided by the
PMU. PAs are not required in a receive-only base station.
Power Management
Unit
The PMU provides the 28VDC
power supply for the modules in the
subrack. It can operate on
120/230VAC 50/60Hz nominal, and
12, 24 or 48VDC nominal. The input
voltage can be AC, DC, or both AC
and DC, depending on the model. The
PMU also has an auxiliary DC output
of 13.65VDC, 27.3VDC, or
54.6VDC, depending on the model.
50W PA 100W PA
AC and DC PMU shown

18 Description TB9400 Installation and Operation Manual
© Tait International Limited November 2019
1.4 Mechanical Assembly
This section illustrates the main mechanical components of the base
station.
Figure 1.1 below shows the configuration for a typical dual 50W base
station. The subrack has six slots, numbered from right to left as viewed
from the front of the subrack. The PMU occupies slots 5 and 6, with the
reciter and PA pairs to the right of it in slots 1 to 4. Each PA is mounted
vertically with its heatsink facing its associated reciter. The PMU and each
reciter/PA pair have their own cooling fans.
The front panel can be easily removed from the subrack by undoing two
quick-release fasteners. Refer to “Replacing Modules” on page 118 for
more details.
.
Figure 1.1 Mechanical assembly - dual 50W base station with front panel
bfront panel ireciter 1
csubrack jmodule retaining clamp
dPMU 1) subrack interconnect board
ePA 2 1! plastic guide rail
freciter 2 1@ subrack interconnect board retaining clamp
gcable retaining clip 1# front panel fastener
hPA 1
bcdefghi
j
1)
1!
1@
1#

TB9400 Installation and Operation Manual Description 19
© Tait International Limited November 2019
Figure 1.2 below shows the configuration for a typical single 50W base
station. The PMU again occupies slots 5 and 6, with the reciter in slot 1 and
PA in slot 2. The PA is mounted vertically with its heatsink facing the
reciter. The PMU and the reciter/PA pair have their own cooling fans.
Figure 1.2 Mechanical assembly - single 50W base station
bPMU dreciter
c50W PA esubrack
bc
de

20 Description TB9400 Installation and Operation Manual
© Tait International Limited November 2019
Figure 1.3 below shows the configuration for a typical 100 W base station.
The PMU occupies slots 5 and 6, with the PA directly beside it in slots 3
and 4. The reciter occupies slot 1. Unlike the 50W PAs, the 100W PA is
mounted horizontally with the heatsink facing upwards. It is also fitted with
an airflow duct to channel the airflow from the cooling fan through the
heatsink fins.
Figure 1.3 Mechanical assembly - single 100W base station
bPMU ereciter
cPA fsubrack
dairflow duct gcable retaining clip
bcde
f
g