Hi Neels!
   Thank you for the reply!

   I saw the SysmoBTS 1002, and that looks like it'd be exactly what I could use... I just wasn't sure that I could afford one on a hobbyist budget, and while the Ericsson gear may be bulky and require more complicated setups, it is available inexpensively and in pieces that can be digested for hobbyist prices.  The Ettus B200 is pretty expensive too.  I'm hoping to not have to spend more than $500-700 or so.  

   Also, no harm in recommending your employer's products if you believe in them.  That's good testimony.

   I'll keep my eye out...

Thank you so much!

-Ben

From: Neels Hofmeyr <nhofmeyr@sysmocom.de>
Sent: Tuesday, September 5, 2023 7:15 AM
To: Ben Huntsman <ben@huntsmans.net>
Cc: openbsc@lists.osmocom.org <openbsc@lists.osmocom.org>
Subject: Re: GPRS hardware recommendations
 
For me, personally, the sysmoBTS 1002 comes to mind. It is small, reliable and
works very well with Osmocom. It's my favorite for 2G lab testing. Be aware
that the manufacturer is also my employer, but this is my genuine opinion.

https://sysmocom.de/products/bts/

Otherwise, it sounds like you could actually use an SDR plus a good timing
source, like the Ettus B200 with GPS -- more often than not, dedicated BTS
models are also just an SDR inside. It's the easiest to purchase.

Check the intended coverage area / nr of users / desired level of
reliability...

Ericsson stuff is large and heavy, and needs special setups (running the PCU
alongside the BSC, E1 instead of IP based voice...) but is of course the more
robust, industry proven workhorse with serious wattage.

~N

On Tue, Sep 05, 2023 at 01:11:15AM +0000, Ben Huntsman wrote:
> Hi all-
>    I'm trying to get a GPRS network set up to serve a few old phones I have, but I don't really need anything beyond that.  There's a daunting array of choices and scant documentation out there, so I just thought I'd ask, does anyone have any recommendations for what the least expensive hardware solution to implement GPRS would be?  In particular though, I'd like to go with commercial non-SDR hardware, and I'd rather spend a tiny bit more if it would get something smaller...  Are there any good GPRS-capable femtocells that work well with the Osmo stack?
>
>    I'm looking at some old Ericsson gear but hoping for something more compact.
>
>    Thanks in advance!
>
> -Ben
>

--
- Neels Hofmeyr <nhofmeyr@sysmocom.de>          http://www.sysmocom.de/
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