tait p25 digital solutions tait Modern analogue solutions

News about Tait SOLUTIONS, services and people
Tait P25
Digital Solutions
New Zealand Police complete
trunked rollout in Wellington
(Cover image courtesy of Hutt News)
PAGE 4
St John Ambulance set
to improve coverage and
information security
PAGE 6
Tait Modern
Analogue Solutions
Radio interoperability
success for Western
Australia’s Fire and
Emergency Services
PAGE 8
Victoria’s largest power
station deploys TaitNet
QS2 Simulcast
PAGE 10
2010 edition
tait: the right fit
Wavelengths
Interoperable digital communications
takes a leap forward with the
Brett Smythe, Managing Director for the Asia Pacific region
2009 has been a
challenging year
for all, however
there are many
indications for a
positive future. It
is good to reflect
on a number of
successes for Tait
and its partners in
the industry this past year, and some of
them are featured in this magazine.
The Australian Radio Communications
Industry Association (ARCIA) also
continues to grow and has successfully
engaged the ACMA on a number of issues
and produced positive outcomes for its
members, which bodes well for the future
of the industry.
­­­2
In 2009 we celebrated an important
milestone – Tait’s 40th birthday. We also
welcomed to Tait a new group Managing
Director, Frank Owen, and the Tait
strategy has continued to evolve in an
exciting direction. Some recent changes
in preparation for our continued growth
include the formation of regional centres
of excellence.
The three regional bases for Asia Pacific,
Americas and Europe Middle East and
Africa will be based in the company’s
existing Brisbane (Australia), Houston
(USA) and Huntingdon (UK) offices
respectively. The global headquarters
remains in Christchurch, New Zealand,
but several managerial roles with global
responsibility will be based in-region.
I am proud to say that public safety
organisations continue to select Tait
radio communications solutions. P25 has
certainly emerged as the technology
of choice from many of our customers’
requests and this has also been
supported by industry developments.
In 2008 I wrote about the multitude of
technology choices available, which is
still true! However P25 has emerged as
the only radio technology that provides
networks and terminals that can scale
from conventional to voting, simulcast
and trunking with analogue compatibility
and a long list of compatible vendors
providing options for customers. The
P25 Compliance Assessment Program is
a huge leap forward for interoperability,
which we will describe in this magazine.
However, complex radio installations are
not like Blu-Ray players, and I would like
to point out that Tait is focussed on a
smooth transition for customers with
both P25 and DMR solutions that can
coexist with analogue systems.
Modern analogue solutions will continue
to provide some customers with the
right fit for their communications needs
and will prove to be a valuable long
term investment. Don’t believe that
analogue is dead – to paraphrase Mark
Twain, “rumours of its death have been
greatly exaggerated” and there are some
excellent examples in this magazine of
modern analogue solutions that continue
to be deployed.
I hope that you enjoy reading more about
each of these subjects in this latest
issue of Tait’s Update magazine.
Warm Regards,
Brett Smythe
P25 Compliance
Assessment
Program
The US Department of Homeland
Security (DHS) has announced the
first test laboratories to participate
in the APCO P25 Compliance
Assessment Program (P25 CAP). Tait is among the
four radio manufacturers to be named and the
only to have a recognised lab outside of the USA. Other radio
manufacturers include Motorola, EF Johnson and Harris.
The P25 CAP helps assure buyers of Phase 1 P25
equipment that radios and networks from participating
manufacturers will work seamlessly with each other
and conform to the technology’s standards.
“This announcement is more proof that P25 is a good long-term
investment because it is supported by multiple manufacturers
working together to improve the technology,” says Simon Britten,
Tait P25 Portfolio Manager. “Public safety and government
agencies can collaborate effectively and taxpayers’ dollars are
saved because freedom to choose is maintained in a multivendor environment.”
The P25 CAP is a partnership of the Department of Homeland
Security (DHS), the National Institute of Standards and
Technology (NIST), the P25 radio industry, and the emergency
response community.
A requirement of the P25 CAP participants is the development
of Supplier’s Declaration of Compliance (SDoC), which includes
information on what product is tested, and the scope of the
testing.
“The burgeoning uptake in P25 digital radio around the globe
means that these standards being developed are effectively
setting the benchmark not just for users in the United States. Any
organisation investing in P25 will be able to request these SDoCs
to ensure they are getting interoperable equipment,” says Simon.
Tait shapes new DMR Association
to drive worldwide growth of Digital Mobile Radio market
Staff
Profile
Frank Owen, new Group
Managing Director at Tait
Frank joined Tait in 2009 replacing retiring Managing
Director Michael Chick who has moved to a position on
the Tait Board as a non-executive director.
“Thanks to Michael and the whole Tait team, this great
company has already started transforming itself from
being a ‘radio maker’ to a customer-centred radio
solutions business,” said Frank.
Having spent a number of years as an electronics
engineer for Philips in UK, France, Holland and Austria,
Frank moved to the US, initially with Raychem, then
to Tyco, where he had responsibility for their Power
Components Division with a staff of over 4,000 worldwide.
He has a BSc (First Class) in Electronic Engineering
from the University of London and an MBA from IMD
International in Switzerland. He is a member of the
Institution of Engineering and Technology, an amateur
radio licence holder and a director of the Canterbury
Development Corporation.
tait: the right fit
DMR (Digital Mobile Radio) is a digital radio
standard for Professional Mobile Radio
(PMR) users developed by ETSI (the European
Telecommunications Standards Institute).
Angus (centre) with 8 of the “original 12”
Tait Electronics staff
Celebrating 40 years
In 1969, Tait Electronics Ltd signed
its first contract with the Municipal
Electricity Department in New
Zealand, and so this year we invite
you to celebrate the company’s 40th
birthday with us.
For 40 years Tait has been dedicated
to producing tough, reliable radio
equipment and has strived for
continuous improvement. For our
customers, Tait solutions just keep
getting better, and as Sir Angus
always said, “the best is yet to come”.
Tait is a founding member of the DMR Association and played a
key role in defining the ETSI DMR radio standards ensuring they
meet the needs of land mobile radio users. Tait is committed to
customer choice through global open standards including DMR,
MPT and P25, which enables long-term investment by customers in
technologies supported by the radio industry and multiple vendors.
There are 3 tiers, or modes of operation within the DMR
standard: unlicensed (Tier I), licensed conventional (Tier II) and
licensed trunked (Tier III).
Tait is focusing primarily on Tier III trunked solutions, which will
provide a good fit for many existing MPT1327 customers as well
as for new customers not yet familiar with trunking. Tait is taking
a close look at what has made MPT1327 so successful around
the world: the standard is open, leading to competition, value and
innovation, is scaleable from 1 site to 960, and it handles both
voice and data.
For many organisations around the world, MPT1327 will remain a
solid option for many years to come, and manufacturers such as
Tait continue to deliver customer-driven innovations in this area.
Tait is focused on a smooth migration for customers to migrate
from analogue to digital radio communications with minimal
operational disruption and maximum equipment reuse.
With digital processing within MPT1327 equipment, and the
ability to migrate into a trunked DMR solution, the boundary
between technologies thought of as analogue or digital is
blurred. Analogue compatibility built into new DMR equipment
will also mean that organisations currently using analogue
systems can continue to receive the full benefit of their
investment. Time can then be taken to plan the changeover
to digital with minimal disruption to their operation, when
the technology is mature and provides more choices of
suppliers and greater price competition.
For more information on the Digital Mobile Radio
Association, visit www.dmrassociation.org.
www.taitradio.com
­­­3
P 2 5 D I G I TA L s o l u ti o ns
First phase of police
trunked digital radio
network successful
Tait Radio Communications and New Zealand Police
have celebrated the successful roll-out of the first
phase of a new nationwide P25 trunked digital radio
network with the signing of a partnership charter.
Regional police from New
Zealand’s capital city Wellington
are the first in the country
to utilise the digital radio
technology since the successful
installation of more than 33
radio sites in June. The rollout also includes upgrading
the portable and mobile radios
(used by staff and officers) to
Tait P25 digital radios.
­­­4
As a result of the successful installation,
representatives from New Zealand Police
and Tait signed a partnership charter to
further enhance the relationship between
the two organisations.
Tait Radio Communications Managing
Director Frank Owen says Tait and New
Zealand Police have similarly-aligned
goals and a partnership which dates back
almost 40 years.
“The strength of this ongoing relationship
has contributed to the first phase of
the project being delivered on-time and
on-budget.”
Police ICT Manager Murray Mitchell said
Police selected the technology using a
competitive tender process. “Through
this process, we selected Tait’s P25
solution. Tait won the contract for
Police’s new radio network by proving
tait: the right fit
that they had the right people, technical
expertise and reliable equipment to
provide the full solution. We are now
working together as partners to ensure
emergency services get the best possible
radio technology to support their work.”
Multi-agency co-operation
A working group comprising Police, Fire,
Ambulance, Customs, State Services
Commission, Ministry of Economic
Development, Fisheries and others
earlier selected the P25 standard, under
the e-Government Interoperability
Framework, as the most suitable for the
New Zealand environment.
“The new network’s introduction means
that, in the future, no one will be able to
use scanners to discover the intentions
or whereabouts of the Police. This will
not only increase officer safety, but also
increase the security and reliability of
Police’s radio communications network
and give more flexibility for special Police
operations improving the impact on
crime,” says Mr McKee.
“The encryption you can get with the Tait
digital technology is virtually unbreakable
so only the designated people can hear
what’s going on. The crystal clear digital
audio clarity is also a huge deal when lives
of officers and citizens are at stake,” Mr
McKee concludes.
Sec ure co m m unicatio ns
f o r safer po lice
Going nationwide from
analogue to digital
“The introduction of the secure P25
trunked radio network is a major change
to Police’s radio infrastructure and
requires a considerable amount of work
to implement,” says Ian McKee, manager
of the group of Tait people dedicated to
designing, delivering and supporting the
Police network.
New Zealand Police (NZP) employs more
than 10,000 staff covering the whole
country and needed to move from a
dated nationwide conventional analogue
network to a trunked digital solution.
Starting with the main urban centres, the
goal is for the network to extend across
the country. Policing across a massive
variety of terrain, the NZP uses an array
of vehicle types and co-operates with a
wide range of government agencies and
other emergency services.
“It involves not only replacing the radios
which officers use, but also updating
the backbone equipment which runs the
Police radio network nationwide. Tait has
worked closely with technology partners
including EADS and RF Industries to
ensure the success of this first phase.”
The network consisted of 250-300
different VHF sites in the 70 MHz band
(490 MHz UHF in the cities) transitioning
to a similar number of 140 MHz trunked
sites, and 490 MHz trunked sites for
cities. Many of these sites are relatively
inaccessible, so installation planning and
the remote monitoring capability of Tait’s
TB9100 base station is important.
The Tait P25 digital radios can
successfully communicate in analogue
mode, so the Police can migrate to digital
at a pace which suits them. The portables
and mobiles share the same interface so
they are easy to use.
Portables include TP9155s and TP9160s
with Intrinsically Safe batteries,
intelligent power management and a
variety of accessories. The TM9155
mobile radios to be installed in police
cars, vans and motorbikes will include
a mix of remote, fixed and hand-held
control heads.
Security can be better managed because
of the advanced encryption on the
TP9155/60 and TM9155s, and the user
friendly Tait Key Management Facility for
organising and updating encryption keys
via either Tait’s key-fill device or OTAR
(over-the-air-rekeying).
The new APCO P25 radios are also more
robust than the current radios being
used by Police and have better audio
quality with less interference.
NZP’s specialist groups nationwide were
successfully migrated to the new digital
network in late 2008. General duties
staff in the Wellington region were
the next to get secure digital radio in
June 2009, followed by Canterbury and
Auckland by end of 2010.
The replacement of a still-live analogue
network to a TaitNet trunked P25
network is a substantial challenge.
www.taitradio.com
­­­5
P 2 5 D I G I TA L s o l u ti o ns
TaitNet
P25 solution
selected for
electrical utility
p o rta b le radi o s o l u ti o ns
CTEEP (Companhia de Transmissão de Energia Elétrica)
is one of the largest electricity transmission companies
in Brazil. It operates a complex infrastructure with
more than 12,144 kms of transmission lines that extend
throughout the State of São Paulo, with over 18,495 kms
of circuits.
CTEEP selected Tait to supply a 69 site
APCO P25 VHF digital radio system to
cover its operations across the entire
state. The 102 substations operated by
the company provide a transformation
capacity over 40,000 MVA. The whole
operation is monitored by an integrated
system for electric system coordination,
supervision and control. It is absolutely
critical for this complex to have its
own reliable and high performance
telecommunications system.
CTEEP selected APCO P25 digital
technology due to its superior audio
quality, robust terminals and open
standard technology. Wide area coverage
across the São Paulo state was also a
key requirement. Also the re-utilization
of existing frequencies was important
as the new system replaces an old
VHF analogue system. This P25 digital
technology project in the utilities sector
in Brazil follows on from the significant
success achieved in the public safety
sector with the São Paulo Military and
Civil Police and in the oil and gas sector
with Petrobras.
CTEEP looked to Tait as a trusted,
reliable and P25-compliant supplier,
supported locally by SGM Telecom to
provide the 69 site network with six
dispatch console sites (one per region),
108 fixed station terminals and 160
mobiles for use in company vehicles.
Zetro n delivers Aco m
P 2 5 D S F I co ns o le syste m
to Tait f o r CT E E P co m m and
and co ntro l
Zetron Inc., a leading provider of missioncritical communication solutions, has been
working with Tait to develop and deliver P25
systems that comply with Telecommunications
Industry Association (TIA) P25 Digital Fixed
Station Interface (DFSI) standards.
The systems enable digital communications
between Zetron’s Acom Advanced
Communication System consoles and
conventional P25 networks operating with
either an analogue FM or P25 common air
interface (CAI) using Tait radio systems.
Zetron delivered the Acom Advanced P25
system to Tait for final installation at CTEEP.
This system will connect 12 Acom dispatch
consoles at six sites. This follows a successful
delivery and installation of another Acom P25
system to Brazil Police for operation at three
different cities in the Sao Paulo region.
Emergency functions
for safer and more effective teams
The new “Man Down” capability, along with the other worker safety features
of the TP8100 portable radio, allows workers who operate alone in remote
or hazardous locations to carry out their daily tasks safe in the knowledge
that their wellbeing is constantly being monitored. If something happens to a
worker, their team will know and be able to help.
“When combined with flexible emergency features and a reliable Tait radio
network, Man Down’s inclusion in Tait’s tough TP8100 represents a total
safety-enhancing system. Employers who have a duty of care for their
workers who are in isolated situations can be reassured that this radio
solution enhances their safety,” said Tony Davis, Product Manager at Tait
Radio Communications.
Standard TP8100 safetyenhancing software features:
There are two key behaviours
of the Man Down option board:
ww Lone Worker
ww Emergency calling
ww No-Movement
(Man Down Motion Sensor)
Optional TP8100 safety enhancing
hardware and programmable
software features:
ww Movement Detection
(Man Down Tilt Sensor)
ww GPS speaker microphone
ww Man Down
­­­6
­­­7
St John
Ambulance
looks to future
with Tait P25 digital
radio system
To improve clarity and
coverage and to help ensure
patient information is kept
confidential, Western Australian
public safety agency St John
Ambulance have chosen Tait
P25 digital technology as part
of their radio network upgrade.
The new 11-site APCO P25 digital radio
system has been chosen to provide
saturated coverage for crystal-clear
communications between almost 800
ambulance staff around the Perth
metropolitan area.
As part of the radio upgrade, Ambulance
staff will be communicating with new P25
radios from multiple manufacturers, which
includes utilising Tait TM9100 mobiles
and hand-held control heads in St John
vehicles. The radios are encryptionenabled, meaning users can make
secure calls without the concern that
eavesdroppers will be able to listen in and
access confidential patient information.
The backbone of the network sites
is the Tait TB9100 base station with
built-in IP-connectivity and customer
service software that allows network
administrators to remotely diagnose any
potential site problems from a central
location without having to physically visit
the site. More control and functionality
is now available than with the previous
analogue system using Tait’s TB9100
customer service software.
tait: the right fit
This software has the ability to set automatic
monitoring of alarms to enable more efficient
use of maintenance resources for looking
after the network, reducing the total cost of
ownership.
”If the worst happens and a worker is down, the TP8100 radio will send the
“mayday” to dispatch, while the optional GPS speaker microphone fixes the
location. The closest GPS-enabled workers can be directed to the location to
within a tenth of a second of longitude and latitude while the fallen worker’s
radio emits an audible search alert (particularly useful in the dark),” added Tony.
The base stations also feature gateways that
offer the ability to link to third party dispatch
console systems. Omnitronics have supplied
DX64 consoles to St John and worked closely
with Tait to interface via MDC1200 signalling.
“All these features are only as reliable as the network they use. With resilient
TaitNet MPT and conventional systems, the safety-enhancing TP8100 is tough
enough to survive a fall and smart enough to direct the rescue effort.”
I m pr oving the safet y o f
am b u lance o fficers and
the p u b lic
St John Ambulance Technical Services
Director, Ashley Morris said that “the radios
will provide greater effective radio coverage
and the encrypted signal ensured that
private patient information could be securely
communicated between paramedics and
receiving hospitals.”
“The radio system upgrade is a step forward
for St John Ambulance, ensuring greater
network visibility for technicians, and improving
the ability to troubleshoot and address
problems before they become a bigger issue.”
New colour options
– the right tool for the job
Any TP8100 model can now be
ordered in red, yellow or orange
in addition to the standard
black. This is a real benefit
to organisations that need
to segregate radios between
multiple work teams or who use
a number of radios operating
with different frequency bands
or programming profiles,
making it quicker and easier to
choose the right radio for the
job at hand.
www.taitradio.com
m o dern anal o g u e s o l u ti o ns
Fire and Emergency
Services Authority
achieves multi-agency interoperability
Fire and Emergency Services Authority of
Western Australia (FESA) was formed in
1999, bringing together more than 30,000
emergency service volunteers and 900
career firefighters around the State.
­­­8
The establishment of FESA has
brought together the following multiple
organisations under one board: Fire
and Rescue Service, Bush Fire Service,
State Emergency Service, Volunteer
Marine Rescue Services, Emergency
Management Services, Community
Safety Services.
Prior to the establishment of FESA,
individual services operated radio
communications in isolation and on
different networks. Both Fire Services
and the State Emergency Services were
experiencing network congestion.
Additionally, a lack of radio
interoperability between FESA
divisions and other emergency services
organisations throughout Western
Australia, including Department of
Environment and Conservation (DEC), had
been identified as a problem in numerous
post-emergency incident reviews, reports
and coroner inquiries.
FESA was required to consolidate
its radio communications technology
to ensure that all its services could
communicate throughout Western
Australia; a state 2.5 million sq km
in size. To achieve this, FESA needed
to consolidate operational radio
networks to VHF High Band or UHF,
while incorporating UHF CB channels.
Therefore, dual band radios were a
requirement to allow for access to both
UHF and VHF networks within one vehicle.
tait: the right fit
The FESA solution also considered the
inclusion of Radio over Internet Protocol
(RoIP) enabling an extension of radio
voice and control signals over FESA’s
Wide Area (computing) Network.
Designing radio
interoperab ilit y
Tait and FESA worked together from
the early stages of the project to
develop a solution that would improve
the safety of FESA staff and volunteers
and streamline radio communications
throughout emergency services
personnel in Western Australia.
Tait created two dual band radios with
bright green and yellow control heads
to enable users to easily distinguish the
correct radio. The yellow VHF High to UHF
dual band radios are installed in all FESA,
DEC and volunteer operational vehicles.
The Green VHF Mid to High band units
are installed in offices and stations to
be used primarily as a base station radio
for a seamless migration to the VHF High
Band spectrum.
In addition to the different control head
colours, the volume level can be different
in the two radios so that a user could
tell which radio the communications were
coming through without needing to look
at the radio, all without compromising the
audio clarity of the received message.
The dual band radios are designed with
four functionalities: single band receive,
transmit; dual band receive, single band
transmit; dual band receive, dual band
transmit; and cross band repeat. A
custom interface cable was developed to
allow the radios to work as a cross band
mode, which can extend coverage and
minimise the impact of dead spots.
“It was pure magic to have Sea Rescue,
SES and Police all talking on common
ground. Before, we had to station an SES
vehicle on top of a hill and (manually) relay
messages. Now a vehicle can be stationed
and used as a repeater and release
manpower to other areas … which is
always at a premium.”
Alec Cull ESM
Operations Officer
Peaceful Bay Sea Rescue Group
Each dual band mobile is equipped to
interface with a Global Positioning
System (GPS) unit. GPS data is appended
to the radio message every time the
radio is used allowing for vehicle location
tracking. With the installation of the
RoIP, vehicles can be tracked state-wide
ultimately improving staff safety and
the coordination of emergency response
resources.
The dual band radios have undergone
a phased rollout which has allowed for
FESA to stage costs over a number of
years. This came with the guarantee that
the first TM8000 radio made would be
identical to the last radio, even if new
features and functionality have been
added. More recently FESA has acquired
Tait hand-held control heads and
transportable mobiles to complement the
dual band radios.
“We had a severe storm … and our Ranger
and the bushfire brigades were assisting
the SES and Council with the storm
damage. It was a godsend to have a radio
that we could all talk to each other on. Our
bushfire brigades were assisting all day
using the fire truck and the command and
coordination worked really well.”
Garry Turner
Senior Ranger
City of Albany, Western Australia
Benefits
ww Interoperability between multiple agencies.
ww Wider communications distribution provides maximum safety for FESA staff with
more people able to monitor radio network.
ww GPS position display to improve the safety of staff and improve accuracy of
response to fires.
ww Custom high temperature display option for improved performance in hot environments.
ww Permits in-vehicle cross-band repeating which will aid incident communications
management and minimize the impact of dead spots.
ww Enables FESA to share volunteer resources in communications roles across the services.
ww Allows for common equipment and training requirements for FESA and DEC services.
ww Provides state-wide AVL capability via RoIP.
“A lighting storm left six major fires
burning on private property, Shire
reserve and DEC land, requiring an
incident management team to operate
from a central control point. The
network enabled communications to be
monitored for two of these fires on one
channel and remain in contact with DEC
managing the remaining four. Being able
to perform these tasks without having
to change between channels was very
advantageous.”
Melissa Ammon
Community Emergency Services Co-ordinator
Shire of Esperance, Western Australia
www.taitradio.com
­­­9
m o dern anal o g u e s o l u ti o ns
Loy Yang Power
achieves simulcast benefits
with seamless upgrade
Loy Yang is the largest power station in Victoria, Australia,
and includes the largest producing brown coal mine in the
southern hemisphere.
Australia’s Loy Yang Power owns and
operates the 2,200 megawatt Loy Yang
power station and the adjacent Loy
Yang coal mine. The company supplies
approximately one third of the state of
Victoria’s power requirements or 10 per
cent of total generation for the southeastern seaboard states.
­­­10
Loy Yang needed a radio solution that
would improve staff safety and any
logistical issues that might interrupt
daily business activities. Coverage was
minimal in some areas of the 175m-deep
open cut mine, meaning staff could have
substandard radio communication when
it was needed most. In addition, radio
users had to remember to manually
change channels when going from one
site to another.
Poor coverage also had the potential to
impact on the timely delivery of coal to
the power station. With 100-120 staff
using the mobile radio system at any
one time, communication is paramount
to the site’s operation and the safety
of all workers. The site required a
radio solution which allowed staff to
move from the power station site to
the mine site seamlessly without the
need to change channels. Concurrently
the new system was also required to
provide better coverage and reduce the
occurrence of black spots.
Because Loy Yang is working 24 hours a
day to supply one third of Victoria’s power
requirements, the system installation
required needed to be transparent, they
could not afford to shut down.
Tait partnered with dealer Crosscom to
develop a total systems solution for Loy
Yang. A cost-effective turnkey solution
was achieved through the installation
of a two-site, four channel UHF TaitNet
QS² Simulcast system. The TaitNet QS²
installation process was one of many
advantages simulcast had for Loy Yang’s
operations.
tait: the right fit
The TaitNet QS² Digital Signal Processing
(DSP)-based Line Equaliser Modules can
route audio to each transmitter, analyse
the characteristics of a neighbouring
transmitter and automatically adapt
their own signals to match. This
exceptional ability to overlay its control
equipment over the existing base station
infrastructure meant practically no
disruptions to the work site.
“The QS² technology’s reliability
coupled with Tait’s ability to provide
manufacturer’s support is the reason the
QS² solution was chosen for Loy Yang’s
upgrade,” says Craig Ross of Crosscom.
No mo re dead sp ots
and no need to change
channels
The QS² system overcomes the problem
of dead spots by having one repeater
site chosen to provide good coverage
to all areas in the mine and another site
on top of the power station to provide
coverage to all areas surrounding the
mine. With radio coverage saturated
throughout the working area, staff no
longer need to manually change channels.
24/7 – N o interruptio ns
The system was installed quickly, and
had it not been for the increased
coverage and the new seamless
communication between the two sites,
the new installation may have gone
totally unnoticed by Loy Yang’s 500 plus
employees.Tait and Crosscom provided Loy
Yang with a critical, reliable “all informed”
communication system. This was done
cost-effectively; utilising absolute
minimum of spectrum.
The safety of mine personnel has been
enhanced as they can now travel anywhere
in the mine and surrounding area with the
confidence they can communicate while
remaining on the one channel.
Public transport
authority
choose TaitNet Data System
for improved fleet management
over MPT1327 network
The public transport authority in the city of Plzen,
one of the Czech Republic’s leading cities, has
chosen to use the ground-breaking TNDS voice and
data transmission solution from Tait as part of a
major project to upgrade the communications and
management of its vehicle fleet. The whole upgrade
project has been awarded to GES Electronics, a longstanding Tait system integrator based in Plzen.
Plzenske mestske dopravni podniky, a.s. (Pilzen Urban Transport Company),
better known as PMDP, is responsible for all public transport in the city
of Plzen, the main city in the west of the Czech Republic. The city has a
network of well over 300 vehicles, including trams, trolley buses and buses
transporting more than 100 million passengers annually on 35 routes.
PMDP was managing communications across its network by means of Tait
T2000 trunked mobile radios linked by means of a two-site TaitNet T1530
network, owned, managed and supported by GES.
GES have now been awarded the contract to manage the complete
upgrade, to include both on-board computers, to improve management
of PMDP’s vehicles and data capture, and the Tait TNDS voice and data
system, to manage the flow of speech and data between the control centre
and the vehicles. The Tait system incorporates a two-site TN3100 MPT1327
system with TNDS functionality. The system’s capability encompasses:
ww Voice communications with all PMDP’s vehicles
ww Polling of all vehicles every 10 seconds
ww Updating of passenger information on displays
ww Traffic light prioritisation
ww Collection of tachograph data
GES is also installing a new control centre for PMDP as part
of the contract.
Commenting on the contract, Libor Valecek from GES Electronics said
“This is an important contract for GES and we were pleased to be able
to offer the innovative TNDS solution from Tait as part of the overall
package for PMDP. We have worked with Tait for many years and value
the contribution that they have made to this project.”
Colin Eade, Tait Business Development Manager for Public Transport
Solutions in Europe added, “Following on from Dublin Bus selecting
a TNDS solution, we were pleased that GES won the PMDP contract
using a TNDS solution.”
www.taitradio.com
­­­11
Directory
Future shines bright
for Radio Communications Industry
FOR MORE INFORMATION A B O U T
TAIT PRODUCTS AND SOLU T I O N S
P LEASE CONTACT ONE O F T H E
TAIT OFFICES BELOW.
Asia Pacific Head Office
“Recognise it as a sphere of activity that has no bounds. Don’t be
concerned that you’ll be bored and be doing the same thing every
day. It’s moving so quickly with new technologies that are emerging,
I hesitate to predict where it will go.”
- Advice from Sir Angus Tait to those considering engineering as a career.
PO Box 679 Virginia
QLD 4014, AUSTRALIA
Phone:+61 7 3865 7799
Email: [email protected]
Managing Director. . . . . . . Brett Smythe
Sales Manager. . . . . . . . . Michael Hellyer
Marketing Manager. . . . . Anthony Blyth
Customer Service and
Quality Manager. . . . . . Kathryn Tunnock
Engineering Manager. . . . Colin Stewart
Operations Manager. . . . . . Barry Dench
Financial Controller. . . . . . . . . Hie Mi Ling
­­­12
AUSTRALIA
Tait Electronics (Aust) Pty Ltd
Phone:1300 304 344 Australia-wide
NEW ZEALAND
Tait Communications Ltd
Phone:0800 825 725
SINGAPORE
Tait Electronics (FE) Pty Ltd
Phone:+65 6732 7607
CHINA
Tait Mobile Radio (Hong Kong) Ltd
Phone:+86 10 6310 8290
YOUR AUTHORISED TAI T D E A L E R
Picture: SECE Communications Engineering student, Mr Thau Thai (left) and
TAFE Engineering Associate Degree student, Nick Kelly (right) with Mr Brett Smythe,
Managing Director - Tait Radio Communications, Asia Pacific
On the 29th July 2009, Brett Smythe,
Managing Director for Asia Pacific at
Tait Radio Communications presented
the inaugural Sir Angus Tait Memorial
Scholarship to SECE Communications
Engineering student, Mr Thau Thai and
to TAFE Engineering Associate Degree
student, Nick Kelly.
The scholarship is jointly funded by Tait
and the Australian Radio Communication
Industry Association (ARCIA) and is
intended to provide encouragement to a
student actively pursuing study leading to a
career in radio communications engineering,
at Advanced Diploma level or higher.
The initiative began in 2008 at an industry
event in Melbourne where Tait made the
pledge to provide funding for a scholarship,
and provided the funding to ARCIA to
administer the award. ARCIA then matched
the funding to allow two recipients to be
awarded in 2009. This is just one of the
many achievements that ARCIA has made
in recent times, in addition to their notable
representation of a united industry voice
in submissions to the ACMA regarding
changes to spectrum management.
Sir Angus Tait had an unbridled passion for
radio, commencing in his schoolboy days,
and culminating in the formation of Tait
Electronics Ltd. His philosophy was “Our
technology is our sword – we keep it sharp
www.taitradio.com
and bright”. Sir Angus Tait recognised that
those students of today with a passion
for communications are our future, and
took pride in promoting and supporting
technical education in New Zealand.
“In his memory, it is hoped that this
scholarship in Sir Angus Tait’s name, will
give some inspiration to the recipients in
their careers in radio communications, and
the opportunity in the future to develop
technology which is both sharp and bright,”
says Brett Smythe.
“Both scholarship recipients have achieved
outstanding grades in their studies, and
are well regarded by those that have
made their acquaintance,” commented
Bob Rogers, chair of the ARCIA education
subcommittee. “Both have ‘the passion’,
and want to pursue a career in radio
communications.”
Tait has also donated P25 digital radios
to the RMIT (Royal Melbourne Institute of
Technology) laboratory valued at $12,000,
to ensure that the students are able to
study some of the latest technology in the
industry.
In May 2009 the Melbourne industry
gathered again in what is now set to be an
annual event to pledge continued support
for education in 2010, including raising
a $2100 donation to the Smith Family
Learning for Life Program.
For more information about ARCIA and how to join, please visit www.arcia.org.au