MotoBM

MOTOTRBO Zone Generator makes use of BrandMeister API to retrieve a list of DMR repeaters and create xml files for importing into Motorola CPS2 as zones, filtered by country or location. This is a branch of yl3im (Inga's) motobm repo https://github.com/yl3im/motobm. Inga's original creation of motobm inspired me to iterate the solution based on different use cases (talkgroups with contacts and a web app).

What is MotoTRBO Zone Generator

https://youtu.be/t4NljXAuGx8

How to use MotoTRBO Zone Generator

https://youtu.be/cRO7uoUekoY

Web App

See README_streamlit.md for installation and usage with web front end.

Installation (command line only)

Make sure you have python installed.

• git clone https://github.com/GitEric77/motobm.git
• pip install -r requirements.txt as root or pip install -r requirements.txt --user as ordinary user.

Usage

usage: zone.py [-h] [-f] [-n NAME] -b {vhf,uhf} -t {mcc,qth,gps} [-m MCC] [-q QTH] [-r RADIUS] [-lat LAT] [-lon LON] [-p [PEP]] [-6] [-zc ZONE_CAPACITY] [-c] [-cs CALLSIGN] [-tg] [--city-prefix] [-o OUTPUT]

Generate MOTOTRBO zone files from BrandMeister.

optional arguments:
  -h, --help            show this help message and exit
  -f, --force           Forcibly download repeater list even if it exists locally.
  -n NAME, --name NAME  Zone name. Choose it freely on your own. Required unless using -tg argument.
  -b {vhf,uhf}, --band {vhf,uhf}
                        Repeater band.
  -t {mcc,qth,gps}, --type {mcc,qth,gps}
                        Select repeaters by MCC code, QTH locator index or GPS coordinates.
  -m MCC, --mcc MCC     First repeater ID digits, usually a 3 digits MCC. You can also use a two letter country code instead.
  -q QTH, --qth QTH     QTH locator index like KO26BX.
  -r RADIUS, --radius RADIUS
                        Area radius in kilometers around the center of the chosen QTH locator. Defaults to 100.
  -lat LAT              Latitude of a GPS position.
  -lon LON              Longitude of a GPS position.
  -p, --pep [PEP]       Only select repeaters with defined power. Optional value specifies minimum power in watts.
  -6, --six             Only select repeaters with 6 digit ID.
  -zc ZONE_CAPACITY, --zone-capacity ZONE_CAPACITY
                        Channel capacity within zone. 160 by default as for top models, use 16 for the lite and non-display ones.
  -c, --customize       Include customized values for each channel.
  -cs CALLSIGN, --callsign CALLSIGN
                        Only list callsigns containing specified string like a region number.
  -tg, --talkgroups     Create channels only for active talkgroups on repeaters (no channels with blank contact ID).
  --city-prefix         Prefix channel names with 3-character city abbreviation (e.g. "NYC.TG123").
  -o OUTPUT, --output OUTPUT
                        Output directory for generated files. Default is "output".

Output Files

By default, all generated files (zone XML files and contacts.csv) are saved to the output directory. You can specify a different output directory using the -o or --output parameter:

Examples

./zone.py -n 'Germany' -b vhf -t mcc -m 262 -6 -zc 16

will create XML zone file(s) with all German repeaters for 2m band with 6 digit ID (real repeaters, not just hotspots), split to 16 channels per one zone.

./zone.py -n 'Lithuania' -b uhf -t mcc -m LT -6

will create XML zone file(s) with all Lithuanian repeaters for 70 band with 6 digit ID (real repeaters, not just hotspots).

./zone.py -n 'Paris' -b uhf -t qth -q JN18EU -r 150 -6

will create XML zone file(s) with all repeaters for 70cm band with 6 digit ID (real repeaters, not just hotspots) 150 kilometers around Paris.

./zone.py -n 'Stockholm' -b uhf -t gps -lat 59.225 -lon 18.250 -6

will create XML zone file(s) with all repeaters for 70cm band with 6 digit ID (real repeaters, not just hotspots) 100 kilometers around Stockholm.

./zone.py -b uhf -t mcc -m 310 -tg

will create separate XML zone files for each repeater with active talkgroups. It will also create a contacts.csv file with all unique talkgroup IDs and their names fetched from the BrandMeister API.

./zone.py -b uhf -t mcc -m 310 -tg --city-prefix

will create separate XML zone files for each repeater with active talkgroups, using a 3-character city abbreviation prefix in the channel names (e.g., "NYC.Worldwide").

./zone.py -n 'Minneapolis' -b uhf -t gps -lat 44.9570 -lon=-93.2780 -6 -o custom_folder

will create XML zone file(s) in the 'custom_folder' directory with all repeaters for 70cm band with 6 digit ID 100 kilometers around Minneapolis.

In case your latitude and/or longitude have negative values, in the cli please enclose the negative values in quotes with a leading space :

./zone.py -n 'Minneapolis' -b uhf -t gps -lat 44.9570 -lon " -93.2780" -6 or ./zone.py -b uhf -t gps -lat 44.9570 -lon " -93.2780" -r 200 -6 -tg

in the gui you will see negative values formatted as

./zone.py -n 'Minneapolis' -b uhf -t gps -lat 44.9570 -lon=-93.2780 -6

While creating zone file(s) the script will also output the list of found repeaters like this:

 Callsign    RX        TX        CC    City                    URL
----------  --------  --------  ----  ----------------------  -----------------------------------------------------
DB0DVR      144.9875  145.5875  1     Braunschweig  (JO52FF)  https://brandmeister.network/?page=repeater&id=262386
DB0HE       144.8250  144.8250  1     Herten, JO31NO          https://brandmeister.network/?page=repeater&id=262443
DB0KI       144.8750  144.8750  2     Kniebis                 https://brandmeister.network/?page=repeater&id=262010

thus giving you additional insight.

./zone.py -n 'Germany' -b vhf -t mcc -m 262 -6 -o my_zones

This will save all generated files to the my_zones directory instead of the default output directory.

Talkgroup Mode (-tg)

When using the -tg flag, the script operates in talkgroup mode:

1. Creates a separate zone file for each repeater with active talkgroups (ignoring -n argument)
2. Names each zone file based on the repeater's callsign and city
3. Abbreviates zone aliases to fit within 16 characters (radio display limit)
4. Creates a contacts.csv file with all unique talkgroup IDs
5. Fetches talkgroup names from the BrandMeister API and adds them to contacts.csv

When using the --city-prefix flag with talkgroup mode:

1. Channel names will be prefixed with a 3-character abbreviation of the city name
2. A dot separator will be added between the city abbreviation and the talkgroup name
3. Total channel name length will still be limited to 16 characters

The contacts.csv file can be imported into CPS2 to create digital contacts for all talkgroups.

Contact Template

Contacts are only created when using the -tg or --talkgroups argument. Contacts added to 'contact_template.csv' will be preserved in the contacts.csv output file. Modify contact_template.csv if you want contacts (and channel names) named differently than the talkgroup name in Brandmeister.

You can also leave the default contact_template.csv file alone and place a custom contact_template.csv file in the 'contact_uploads' directory, which will be used instead of the default template. When using the Streamlit web interface, you can upload your custom template directly through the app.

Importing files to CPS2

Importing contacts if you use talkgroup mode (-tg)

• Open CPS2, go to Contacts -> Digital
• Click on Import... and select the contacts.csv file from the output directory
• Follow the import wizard to map the columns correctly

Importing Zone Files

• Open the XML file contents in text editor, like Notepad.
• Select All. Copy.
• Open CPS2, on its left pane go to Configuration -> Zone/Channel Assignment, right-click on Zone and choose Paste.
• If you didnt use -tg argument, don't forget to set up the parameters for the new zone, like Tx Contact Name and Rx Group List. Can be done at once with Fill Down feature in CPS2.

What about CPS16?

Unfortunately, CPS16 doesn't support pasting of XML content. Therefore this method only works for CPS2.