Astro (Motorola)
Encyclopedia
Motorola Astro is the name brand given to two-way radio
s from the manufacturer Motorola that are capable of digital voice transmission.
Early models used the VSELP vocoder
while the latest models use the IMBE
and AMBE+2 vocoders which are specified by and thus compatible with the APCO-25 Common Air Interface.
Over the last 50-60 years, Motorola has worked with the Los Angeles Police Department in developing police radio communications. The LAPD was one of the first police agencies to use two-way radios. In the 1970s a project was ordered by Chief Daryl Gates to establish better and smarter city-wide police communications especially with regard to officers talking back and forth to the air support division from the ground. This was the origin of the Astro name, originally standing for AirShip To Rover Officers. By 2007, the LAPD had over 10,500 Motorola hand-held Astro capable radios.
Astro (APCO-25) is predominantly used throughout the USA however it has also been adopted by various Australian state police agencies. The NSW Police have a large fleet of Motorola Astro XTS series radios.
Two-way radio
A two-way radio is a radio that can both transmit and receive , unlike a broadcast receiver which only receives content. The term refers to a personal radio transceiver that allows the operator to have a two-way conversation with other similar radios operating on the same radio frequency...
s from the manufacturer Motorola that are capable of digital voice transmission.
Early models used the VSELP vocoder
Vocoder
A vocoder is an analysis/synthesis system, mostly used for speech. In the encoder, the input is passed through a multiband filter, each band is passed through an envelope follower, and the control signals from the envelope followers are communicated to the decoder...
while the latest models use the IMBE
IMBE
Improved multi-band excitation is a proprietary vocoder developed by Digital Voice Systems, Inc. .It is the predecessor of their Advanced Multi-Band Excitation .- External links :*...
and AMBE+2 vocoders which are specified by and thus compatible with the APCO-25 Common Air Interface.
Over the last 50-60 years, Motorola has worked with the Los Angeles Police Department in developing police radio communications. The LAPD was one of the first police agencies to use two-way radios. In the 1970s a project was ordered by Chief Daryl Gates to establish better and smarter city-wide police communications especially with regard to officers talking back and forth to the air support division from the ground. This was the origin of the Astro name, originally standing for AirShip To Rover Officers. By 2007, the LAPD had over 10,500 Motorola hand-held Astro capable radios.
Astro (APCO-25) is predominantly used throughout the USA however it has also been adopted by various Australian state police agencies. The NSW Police have a large fleet of Motorola Astro XTS series radios.