Motorola's O9 Control Head

Tutorial Scripts

The Introduction See This Tutorial Segment

The Motorola O9 Control Head notably increases the size of the user interface. In many Control Head setups, up to three or more Control Head and user-interface devices may be replaced by just one O9 Control Head. The O9 Control Head’s user-interface offers many more Fully Programmable Buttons, Dedicated Programmable Buttons, and Dedicated Controls that are readily available to the radio-user.

The O9’s display size is also much larger than any other, allowing for many information types to be presented at the same time.

Note that the O9 Control Head has 11 Fully Programmable Buttons including two sets of 5 – the Bottom 5, and the Top 5 – and the Orange Button, also known as the Emergency Key. This button is fully programmable to many feature choices; however, typically this button is used for initiating the radio’s Emergency Mode. Also, be aware that Dedicated Labels may also be defined to represent the programmed feature for each of the Top Fully Programmable Buttons.

The O9 Control Head also has several Dedicated Programmable Buttons that allow for very specific feature programming. For instance the Response Selector. The other Dedicated Programmable Buttons include the three Directional Lightbar Buttons, and the Data Button.

The O9’s Dedicated Non-Programmable Controls include the Public Address Button, the Siren Control Keypad, the Brightness Control, the Day / Night Button, and the Stealth Mode Button.

And as expected, the Menu Item buttons line-up just below the radio’s display. The programmed Conventional and Trunking features are represented in the dynamic labels just above each button. Note that the left to right order of these programmed menu features is determined by the order in which they are programmed within the CPS Menu Items window. Also note that the Navigation control may reveal more programmed Menu Item features. This Navigation Control and the Home Key Control are needed when working with, and selecting features, within the radio’s display.

And do be aware that the O9 Control Head has full color capability known as Intelligent Lighting. Intelligent Lighting occurs within the Display and on the Buttons and Controls. Intelligent Lighting is most notably used with features like Day Mode, Night Mode, Call Notification, or even Out of Range Notification.

Programming in the Graphical View See This Tutorial Segment

The Graphical View is an interactive image that allows you to define radio-user functionality for all of the O9 Control Head’s programmable buttons.

Within the CPS, the Graphical View is accessed from the Navigation Pane’s tree, under Radio Ergonomics Configuration, Controls, and then Control Head O9.

Clicking on any of the programmable buttons allows you to define the desired feature that will be available to radio user. Do note that hovering on a programmable button reveals the currently-programmed feature. Now click to define or redefine a button’s radio-user functionality.

Be aware that the Graphical View button programming method is an alternative to the traditional text-based button programming method. Unselecting the Graphical View button, and then selecting the Response Selector button allows you to view, define, or redefine the exact same Response Selector features.

Back in the Graphical View, the “Show All” selection allows you to see all features that are currently programmed on the O9 Control Head.

The Action Consolidation Feature See This Tutorial Segment

The Action Consolidated feature allows the radio-user to initiate many pre-combined features and actions with a single radio-user button-press. The Action Consolidation feature is launching in conjunction with the O9 Control Head.

The Action Consolidation feature setup is located on the Navigation Pane’s Radio Ergonomics Configuration branch. And again, this feature allows for the custom combining of many CPS features into one consolidated feature. For instance, you may select a Relay Pattern, then Select a Siren Type. You may even have the Radio’s GPS coordinates transmitted to your dispatcher. Additionally, in the Status and Mode table area, this Consolidated Action may also transmit a “Direct Status” on your radio’s current channel, and then you may have the radio change to another channel and again transmit a Direct Status, and even change to another channel, and then again transmit the desired Direct Status. All of these Actions are now Consolidated into one action that may be initiated through a single radio-user button-press.

Consolidated Actions are assignable to the positions of the O9 Control Head’s Response Selector. And do note that other O9 buttons also allow the assignment of a Consolidated Action.

Also be aware that it is strongly recommend to have the Response Selector’s Mode 0 position programmed to an ALL OFF Consolidated Action. Therefore, all previously engaged Sirens and Relay Lightbar Patterns are then radio-user deactivated to the ALL OFF state.

The Universal Relay Controller See This Tutorial Segment

The Universal Relay Controller hardware facilitates the physical connection between Motorola radio equipment and first-responder vehicular equipment such as LED Lightbars, including take down lights, alley lights, internal and external rotating lights, strobe lights, and even arrow pattern lighting. The Universal Relay Controller hardware and software setup is launching in conjunction with the O9 Control Head.

The software side of the Universal Relay Controller is located within the CPS under the Navigation Pane’s Radio Wide branch. Note that this example has 10 Relay Patterns which appear as rows in this table view. Also note that each Relay Pattern has 10 columns of Relays: Relay 1 through Relay 10. And do remember that the CPS Single Record View allows you to define one relay pattern at a time versus the Table View that allows you see the entire Relay Pattern picture.

For the purpose of this example, consider that all relay patterns are being created to work with a first responder’s vehicular Lightbar. The first element of this example to note, is that the CPS default Pattern Names are simply Pattern 1 through Pattern 10. Let’s rename a few to a more radio-user recognizable name. Also notice the staggered strategy of programming these three relay patters. This programming strategy allows for the radio-user need to engage these Directional Lights individually, as well as allowing for the radio-user's ability to engage all three of these lights at the same time. The “Current State” setting allows the last state of a specific Relay to continue into the next radio-user engaged relay pattern. In this specific three row and three relay scenario, no matter what order these Relay Patterns are engaged by the radio-user, the “Current State” setting allows all three of these lights to be engaged at the same time. And do remember that these three specifically named Relay Patterns strongly lend themselves to being assigned to the O9 Control Head’s Directional Buttons.

Another example of three popular Relay Patterns is Arrow Left, Arrow Right, and Arrow Center. Notice that the “Current State” setting is not being used within these three relay patterns; instead the “Off” setting is being used. The difference is that these three arrow light patterns do not lend themselves to being engaged at the same time; therefore, continuing a Relay state is not necessary. And again note the staggered strategy of the first three relay patterns to the second three relay patterns allows Alley Lights and Take Down Lights to be engaged while also engaging a needed Arrow Pattern. Ultimately you may choose to program these three Arrow Relay Patterns to the O9 Control Head’s Top Programmable buttons.

For another Relay Pattern example, let’s first name three more patterns to identify an intensifying level of Lightbar pattern. Now program the individual relays within these patterns to accommodate intensifying levels. The first thing to note is that certain Lightbar manufacturers require the “Shared On” status in order to share the Relay with a specific control wire; this may facilitate access to certain manufacturer predefined Lightbar patterns. Let’s now assign each of these Relay Patterns to a Consolidated Action. Let’s also define an escalating Siren Pattern for each Consolidated Action. Finally, select these Consolidated Actions for the individual modes of the O9 Control Head’s Response Selector.

And do be aware that it is strongly recommended to have the Response Selector’s Mode 0 position programmed to an ALL OFF Consolidated Action. Therefore, all previously-engaged Sirens and Relay Lightbar Patterns are able to be radio-user deactivated to the ALL OFF state.

This concludes the CPS tutorial on the O9 Control Head and related features. For more detailed information please refer to the CPS online help system.