HamGadgets ID-O-Matic IV vs Communications Specialists ID-8 and Midian ID-1

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Back to Home HamGadgets ID-O-Matic IV vs
Communications Specialists ID-8
and Midian ID-1
By Robert W. Meister WA1MIK

Background:

Over the 2018 Christmas holiday I purchased a Com-Spec ID-8 to fool around with. I had previously successfully interfaced a HamGadgets ID-O-Matic IV (IOM-4) to create a repeater out of the pair of radios inside a Motorola R100 unit. I wanted to see if the ID-8 could be made to work in a similar situation. The short answer is: it can't.

I had several questions that needed further clarification, so I set up a test circuit on the bench, programmed the unit, and answered my questions. You can read the short one-page write-up here as a 75k PDF file.

In March 2019 I had the opportunity to play with a Midian ID-1. Unfortunately my only experience was reprogramming the CW ID callsign; I wasn't the person who originally programmed the other settings of this unit and I had nothing to determine what they were.

Intended Uses and Markets:

In all fairness, the ID-8 is really marketed as a Morse code identifier for commercial public safety and amateur radio applications such as repeater identifiers, base station identifiers, beacons, CW memory keyers, and other applications requiring the automatic or semi-automatic generation of Morse code. I'm sure the ID-1 has similar uses but also has features found in some repeater controllers. The IOM-4, however, is intended to be used as a relatively simple repeater controller, but it can also be set up for applications such as a beacon transmitter, link ID, and even an automatic ID for HF or VHF/UHF stations. So the three units do have different primary uses and markets.

The ID-8 really needs to be combined with a repeater controller, which would most likely already contain a Morse code capability, in order to be truly useful. Some of the small 25w stand-alone (desktop) repeaters have internal controllers that don't include CW ID, so the ID-8 or ID-1 would be a good addition. The IOM-4 can do everything the ID-8 or ID-1 can, and it doesn't require an external controller, which makes it much more suitable for building a repeater. It is meant to go between two radios; the ID-8 is meant for a single radio situation however the ID-1 can be used as the basis for a simple repeater maker.

FCC rules require some form of on/off control of a repeater. DTMF is most popular. Neither the ID-8, ID-1, or the IOM-4 have DTMF capabilities, so technically none are fully FCC-compliant for repeater control use.

Feature Comparisons:

The ID-8 can be purchased from Communications Specialists for about $80 plus shipping and it comes with a keypad for programming the device. The ID-1 can be purchased from Midian for about $90 plus shipping, but you'll also need the $40 keypad or a $240 software package to program it. The IOM-4 can be purchased from RadioDan for about $40 for the kit version or $60 for the assembled version, plus shipping and it programs with a standard PC.

Hookup is fairly easy and the ID-8 or ID-1 is way smaller than the IOM-4, in all dimensions. Its small size makes it ideal for placement inside a mobile radio's control head.

A 12-button keypad comes with the ID-8 for programming, but you also need to provide power and find a way to hear the audio coming out of the ID-8 for confirmation tones; there is no way to determine how it's already programmed. You should print the instruction sheet and write down the values you set each field to, for future reference. The ID-1 needs a 12-button keypad or a Midian software package to program the device. As with the ID-8, you need to provide power and find a way to hear the audio coming out of the ID-1 for confirmation tones. If you're using the keypad, there is no way to determine how it's already programmed, but if you use their software, you CAN see how the device is already programmed. You should print the instruction sheet and write down the values you set each field to, for future reference. The IOM-4 requires only a personal computer with a USB port and no other connections; power is provided by the PC and you can see how it's programmed by reading the configuration data from the device and looking at the screen.

Since receive audio passes through the IOM-4, it has audio muting and mixing level adjustments that affect the transmit audio. The ID-8 and ID-1 have no such capability. Audio doesn't feed through the unit; it only feeds CW ID audio to the transmitter. Again, different primary functions dictate the available features.

Both units can produce a courtesy beep: a tone that sounds after the incoming trigger has gone away. The IOM-4 offers a lot of options for the beep such as tone frequency, duration, etc; in fact the "beep" can be up to 10 Morse code characters long so it's more than just a beep. The ID-8 unfortunately offers only a short 50 millisecond beep at the same tone frequency as the CW ID, and that beep is inhibited when the CW ID is ready to be sent out.

The ID-1 provides a fixed-length courtesy beep and I've been told that it's the same frequency as the CW ID. It also has a repeater timeout timer as well as a dropout delay timer. It can output the CW ID tone and key the transmitter to allow you to set the audio level. You can also "play" the CW ID manually and it keys the transmitter, as you'd expect.

Now, in any situation where the device is feeding a radio transmitter (that IS its primary purpose, isn't it?), some means of causing that radio to transmit is obviously required. The ID-8 does NOT key the transmitter when it sends out the courtesy beep. I'm still trying to figure out who's going to hear it and what the designers were thinking about when they implemented that feature. In fact, the only event that keys the transmitter is when the CW ID is being sent out. I was told that the ID-1 DOES key the transmitter when it sends out the courtesy beep but that feature wasn't used by the unit I played with. The IOM-4 provides a programmable transmitter hang-time, a courtesy beep, a time-out timer, plus a CW ID, all of which keep the transmitter keyed so users will hear everything. Remember: the IOM-4 is designed to interface TWO radios to make a repeater; the ID-8 is just a simple CW identifier meant to connect to ONE radio and the ID-1 has a few more features and can be used to connect TWO radios together.

Conclusions:

If you're looking for a simple way to identify a link radio using Morse code, don't need a courtesy beep, don't need any timers (other than how often the CW ID is sent), then the ID-8 or ID-1 will do the job for you. If you want to have a mobile radio identify itself, the ID-8 and the ID-1 can be configured to do that as well. You can connect the trigger input, the inhibit input, and the PTT output together to the microphone's PTT line, feed the audio into the radio, and you're good to go. The ID-8 and ID-1 can be placed just about anywhere since it's so small. Once you program it, you can remove the programming keypad and throw it into a desk or your toolbox.

If you are trying to make a repeater out of two radios, you need a lot more sophistication than is available with the ID-8; an ID-1 will offer a few more features but you really need the IOM-4 and you'll be happy you went with that choice. If your installation also requires some form of DTMF control, consider the ICS "Basic" repeater controller for $60, which includes most of the features of the IOM-4, ID-8, or ID-1, plus a full DTMF decoder, plus DTMF muting.

Contact Information:

The author can be contacted at: his-callsign [ at ] comcast [ dot ] net.

This page created 19-Mar-2019.

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