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Omnitronics News March 2007
APCO a Huge Success 
Omnitronics recently attended the 2007 APCO Conference at Jupiters Casino on the Gold Coast, Australia. The show is considered a premier Radio Communications event in Australia and this year was no exception.
Omnitronics representatives Phil and Bruce were kept busy meeting new and existing clients and were pleased with the enthusiasm delegates showed towards the IPR family of products and the DX64. APCO provided the perfect scene to launch our new IP Remote family of products proving highly popular amongst the public safety market.
These latest release products were recently re-engineered to include improvedcapabilities and functions. The IPR100/400 devices enable analog 2-way radios to be remotely controlled over an IP link and are specifically designed to transport tone signalling schemes with data compression.
The IPR100 is a single channel device with a local handset/console whilst the IPR400 provides the ability to interface four radios from a compact 1-RU housing. IP Remote units can be used to create back-to-back IP links between two or more radios using point-to-point or point-to-multipoint communications. The handset port on the IPR100 enables it to provide remote control and monitoring of a single radio from an operator’s handset or console.
Omnitronics specifically designed the IP Remote family to transport signalling schemes such as SELCAL, DTMF and CTCSS over data networks. Analog signalling schemes will not work reliably through a data network when audio compression below 64kbps is used. Compression algorithms tend to degrade audio tones resulting in poor signal decoding at the end stations. The IPR100/400 overcomes this problem by directly decoding analog signalling tones and encoding them into data messages. Similarly, the reverse operation (analog encoding) is performed at the transmission end.
The IP Remote family of products can also be used to support the Omnitronics DX64, our premier radio dispatch system. A DX-64 system is capable of handling up to thirty-two operator positions, each of which can control, monitor, group and link up to fifty-six radio, audio or telephone channels.
Voice over IP provides many benefits for radio dispatch. The most significant benefit is the realisation of a truly distributed architecture where transceivers can be independent from the communications centres. This allows operators to access shared remote radio sites from geographically dispersed locations. The VoIP technique of multicasting makes this type of functionality feasible for organisations with corporate LANs.
The DX-64 IPE card will work with the IPR100/400 adaptors to create a true IP-based Wide Area Network. Usually, operators connected to a DX-64 system will have access to dedicated transceivers that will be connected to local LIU channels. But through the IPE card, they will also be able to gain shared access to remotely located transceiver sites directly over IP.
The IPR100/400 and DX64 products generated great interest at APCO, so much so that Omnitronics is already planning for next year’s event. By that stage we’ll have more new products to showcase, so be sure to keep an eye out for us.
DX64 Heads to Woodside's North West Shelf Platforms
Omnitronics recently supplied Australia's largest publicly traded oil and gas exploration and production company with an integrated radio and telephone dispatch system with VoIP functionality. The standard facilities of the DX64 combined with the use of IPR100/400 VoIP adaptors enabled Woodside to communicate effectively between platforms. Due to high reliability requirements, there was a restriction on the type of equipment that could be deployed on the platforms. Click here to learn more about this radio dispatch solution.
Arizona Department of Public Safety Uses 619EI to Establish Interoperability
The Arizona Department of Public Safety (DPS) is a multi-faceted organisation with over 1,500 employees. Like many organisations, the DPS was faced with the issue of radio interoperability and an ageing infrastructure. Their previous statewide emergency radio communications system could not meet the demands placed on the DPS since 9/11.
To combat this issue the DPS developed a long-term strategy to establish radio interoperability in the State of Arizona however, the Department soon realised the complexity of the project which requires many years to complete. The DPS decided a short-term solution was needed before their long-term goals could be achieved. The short-term solution required a moderate level of interoperability to make use of existing equipment. Click here to find out Omnitronics helped solve this issue with a 619EI.
IPR100 Used to Connect Remote Work Crews in Innisfail
Omnitronics recently supplied building contractor Moroney Homes and Developments with a simple yet effective RoIP solution to enable the company to communicate effectively with their remote work crews. Moroney Homes is heavily involved in rebuilding the Innisfail region, in Far North Queensland, after severe cyclones damaged the area in 2006. Click here to find out how the Omnitronics IRP100 was applied in this situation.
Improved GUI for 619TL is Released
After taking on board feedback from clients, the Engineering team at Omnitronics decide to revamp the 619TL graphical user interface (GUI). TL-Link is the GUI that runs under Windows 98/XP and makes real-time control possible. The latest version is easier to use and supports remote DTMF linking. The TL-Link provides three key functions:
1. It allows an operator to dynamically alter the link paths between radio and PSTN channels
2. Provides a simple radio dispatch facility via a front panel headset or console
3. Enables the operator to make and receive telephone calls.
The TL-Link presents the operator with four possible link groups. The operator can place any channel (radio or telephone) in one or more of the link groups. Then using a headset or Omnitronics console, the operator can monitor the activity on each channel and broadcast on selected channels if required. Link groups can also be created by mobile users via DTMF signalling. TL-Link displays any additional link paths established from the field. Click here to learn more about this product.