Radio Comms Asia-Pacific Sept/Oct 2013

4

contents

on the cover

Radio Comms Asia-Pacific September/October 2013

ec

ditor’s omment

Big news, with the awarding of the Queensland government’s Government Wireless Network (GWN) to Telstra and its major contractor, Motorola Solutions.

This keenly awaited decision will see the companies roll out and maintain the $457.3 million network over the next decade and a half. The GWN will initially be a vital component of the security and public safety operations of the G20 meetings scheduled to be held in Brisbane late next year, before being expanded to other areas of the state. Congratulations to Telstra and

6

Tunnel vision

Motorola Solutions!

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Comms Connect 2013

already up and running is the New South

23

Network news

30

The digital decade

34

A strategic approach to radio technology

42

Farewell to Mike

A state government network that is Wales Government Radio Network, operated by the NSW Telco Authority.

Established about 18 months ago, the authority has responsibility for implementing the government’s plan to consolidate a number of disparate networks and improve efficiency and cost-effectiveness.

The authority’s busy director, Shaun Smith, was kind enough to spare some time to be interviewed by Radio Comms Asia-Pacific, and he gave us a good insight into the work of the authority and its goals (page 23).

There can be few harder locations in which to establish a radio comms network than in the subterranean world of a subway system - particularly one that is as old as New York’s. It’s a formidable challenge, but it’s one that Australia’s BAI Group, through its majority-owned US subsidiary, Transit Wireless, was eager to tackle (page 6). The ongoing success with the project is a testament to the skill and dedication of this ‘down under’ company taking on such a huge venture, ‘down under’ in one of the world’s biggest cities.

The Comms Connect conference and exhibition is almost here. With almost 100 exhibitors and hundreds of attendees from all across the industry, it’s a once-ayear chance to be informed of the latest

NOW in DIGITAL! Your copy of Radio Comms Asia-Pacific is now available as an online eMag.

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developments. Make sure you’re there!

Jonathan Nally, Editor rc@westwick-farrow.com.au

Sep/Oct 2013- RADIO COMMS

3

on the cover

T

he CM1039 series P25 mobile radio from GME is the outcome of a two-year research and development program in P25 technology, in response to clearly defined customer needs.

Powered by the Etherstack P25 mobile MSM, the CM1039 is a testament to a joint engineering cooperation between Standard Communications Pty Limited (GME) and Etherstack Pty Ltd to produce an Australian-designed and -manufactured P25 terminal.

The CM1039 series is compliant to AS/NZS 4295, AS/NZS4365, ETS 300-086, TIA-603-C and FCC parts 90/15, RSS119, and is deployable in conventional, trunked or encrypted modes. Operational bands are 403-480, 450-520 and 136-174 MHz. A TX power level option sets the global maximum transmit power on up to four levels: 1, 5, 10, 25W. GME has also maintained key technical performance figures for the receiver: sensitivity of -122 dBm for 12 dB SINAD, a very low RX current draw of 170 mA on muted audio and 6.0 A at 25 W output on 470 MHz. From the outset, GME identified that limiting the mechanical size of the radio was of crucial importance, resulting in what is possibly the smallest P25 mobile chassis available, which is of great benefit for installers working with modern commercial vehicles. In fact, across the series, GME has retained the same chassis size as the popular TX3820U/V, assuring owners of a range of installation options.

The CM1039 series is also backward compatible with analog equipment, including 5-tone selective call and MDC1200 signalling, with primary functions for PTT-ID and emergency call. Plus it has many programmable network functions, including: call alert, radio check, status, status request, message, remote monitor, stun and revive.

4 RADIO COMMS - Sep/Oct 2013

These features provide an opportunity for analogue operators to futureproof their communications network by migrating their analogue network via the CM1039 series to fully compliant conventional or trunked P25 digital networks.

The CM1039 series has a large 1072 channels and 50 zones used for allocating channels or discreet talk groups in P25 mode or regional, hierarchy or geographic groupings.

The CM1039 excels when working on multiple networks, which is particularly important for mining subcontractors, where a driver may need to operate on various mine sites using different technologies such as analog, P25 conventional, P25 trunked and even CB. The CM1039U model in 450-520 Â MHz will provide coverage on all of these networks in the one radio.

Innovative human interface controls include a high-contrast screen for fast recognition, with 11 alphanumeric characters and a continuous variable control backlight feature.

An intuitive multilevel menu structure reflects only dealer-programmed features, which means that no redundant or unnecessary information is displayed. Six soft keys can be programmed as special user functions or as short cuts to a specific location within the menu structure. The F1 key is colour coded as a dedicated alarm or duress key; however, it can be reprogrammed for other specific network features. All of these features are also incorporated into the new RH004 remote mount control head and the new MC526BC controller microphone.

The CM1039 series promises to become a serious contender in broad domestic and international digital two-way markets.

Standard Communications Pty Ltd www.gme.com.au

A.B.N. 22 152 305 336 www.westwick-farrow.com.au Head Office Cnr. Fox Valley Road & Kiogle Street, (Locked Bag 1289) Wahroonga NSW 2076 Australia Ph +61 2 9487 2700 Fax +61 2 9489 1265 Editor Jonathan Nally rc@westwick-farrow.com.au Technical Advisor Mike Smyth Chief Editor Janette Woodhouse Publisher Geoff Hird Art Director/Production Manager Julie Wright Art/Production Tanya Scarselletti, Jeanette Teuma Colleen Sam Circulation Manager Sue Lavery circulation@westwick-farrow.com.au Copy Control Mitchie Mullins copy@westwick-farrow.com.au Advertising Sales National Sales Manager Nicola Fender-Fox Ph: 0414 703 780 nfender-fox@westwick-farrow.com.au VIC, SA, WA - Lachlan Rainey Ph 0402 157 167 lrainey@westwick-farrow.com.au NSW, QLD - Lisa Gilbert Ph 0414 283 933 lgilbert@westwick-farrow.com.au New Zealand - Gemma Burr Ph 0800 442 529 gburr@westwick-farrow.com.au USA - Huson International Media East Coast Ph +1 212 268 3344 West Coast Ph +1 408 879 6666 ralph.lockwood@husonmedia.com UK - Huson International Media Ph +44 1932 56 4999 gerryb@husonmedia.com Asia - Lachlan Rainey Ph +61 (0) 402 157 167 If you have any queries regarding our privacy policy please email privacy@westwick-farrow.com.au Subscriptions: For unregistered readers, price on application

March 2013 total CAB Audited Circulation (Aust + NZ) 4,422 (71% personally requested) Print Post Approved PP100007393 ISSN No. 1448-9201 Printed and bound by Pegasus Print Group +61 2 8822 0716 All material published in this magazine is published in good faith and every care is taken to accurately relay information provided to us. Readers are advised by the publishers to ensure that all necessary safety devices and precautions are installed and safe working procedures adopted before the use of any equipment found or purchased through the information we provide.

Further, all performance criteria was provided by the representative company concerned and any dispute should be referred to them. Information indicating that products are made in Australia or New Zealand is supplied by the source company. Westwick-Farrow Pty Ltd does not quantify the amount of local content or the accuracy of the statement made by the source.

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by Omnitronics

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Sep/Oct 2013- RADIO COMMS

5

Tunnel vision

Going wireless ‘down under’ in the Big Apple Jonathan Nally

New York’s subway is finally being outfitted with wireless and public safety comms connectivity, through the efforts of Transit Wireless, majority owned by Australia’s BA Infrastructure Group.

W

ith over 460 stations, 277 of them underground, the New York City subway is one of the largest in the world. It carries more than 1.6 billion passengers per year - that’s around 5.4 million per day on weekdays. Yet remarkably, until recently, this transit system in one of the world’s greatest metropolises was deaf to radio signals in its underground stations.

But that is changing, thanks to the efforts of Transit Wireless, a US company majority owned by Broadcast Australia Infrastructure Group (BAI). In a 26-year deal with the New York City Transit Authority, Transit Wireless is progressively rolling out mobile phone, Wi-Fi and public safety communications connectivity in all of those 277 underground stations through what is arguably the biggest distributed antenna system (DAS) to be deployed globally.

New York’s transit system can trace its history back more than 100 years.

“It’s an incredible network. It’s a beautiful, old system that was built back in the early 1900s, and it’s really the lifeblood of the city,” says Chris Jaeger of BAI. “The subway really is what makes the city tick in a lot of ways.

6 RADIO COMMS - Sep/Oct 2013

“But they didn’t have wireless coverage. Up until we launched the first six stations with 2G and 3G systems in 2011, there hadn’t been any wireless for public or business use.”

Jaeger is managing director of international business, transit systems and large venues for BAI, and has been at the forefront of Transit Wireless’s efforts in New York. He joined BAI in 2005, having previously worked for Telstra in the 1980s, and then Radio Frequency Systems in Adelaide, which he ended up running for 18 years in Melbourne and Shanghai. With BAI, he worked on developing the international business, culminating in the acquisition of a Hong Kong company, Radio Frequency Engineering (RFE), in 2007. RFE specialises in radio communication networks in confined coverage areas. It has done its biggest business in subway environments, completing work on cellular, private and emergency services networks for the subway systems of Hong Kong, Singapore, Bangkok and Taipei.

“Hong Kong has really been the lead subway in the world when it comes to deploying those types of services for their ridership,” says Jaeger. “They’ve

been doing it since the mid-1990s. So if you go on the Hong Kong subway today, you’ve got 2G, 3G, 4G coverage through the stations and through the tunnels. RFE did a lot of that work for MTR, which is the subway operator in Hong Kong.

RFE is still doing a lot, as there is still expansion going on in the subway itself, with more stations and tunnels being built. And they’re always upgrading the technology.”

In 2010, BAI invested in a New York business called Transit Wireless, with a view towards designing and installing a wireless system in the city’s underground subway stations. “Transit Wireless already had a licence with the New York City Transit Authority, but for various reasons the owners hadn’t been able to move ahead,” says Jaeger. “So we’ve come in and brought our business expertise, our ability to work on difficult projects, and our financing. Working in partnership with original shareholders we got the whole thing moving, and so far we’ve built out 36 stations in New York City.”

The contract It seems amazing that a city like New York could be so far behind global cities www.radiocomms.com.au

Transport & Fleet Comms

Other challenges are the age of the subway network and the conditions encountered - heat, brake dust, highpressure washing systems and so on - which mean the installed equipment has to be environmentally ruggedised.

“The engineering challenge to build the communications network is substantial,” says Jaeger. “And everything has to be engineered to the nth degree to ensure reliability.”

Credit: Wikimedia/Mo Riza

when it comes to providing comms in its underground stations. Why has it taken so long?

“Well I think it’s a combination of a number of things,” says Jaeger. “One was getting everyone to agree on the right approach, especially when working in a subway of such age and 24-hour operation. We needed to design and deploy the most advanced equipment/technology to secure the quality of wireless services expected by our customers - in a very harsh environment. Another was having the financing for it. That’s the interesting thing in the approach that we’re involved with, in that we’re actually funding the rollout - amounting to some $200 million in capital costs to build out this network.

We organised the financing, so there’s no cost to the New York City Transit Authority or their customers. Indeed, they have a revenue sharing arrangement with us, so when we’re earning revenues, they share in some of those revenues.”

Transit Wireless now has contracts in one shape or another with all of the major mobile carriers in the New York market (AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint and Verizon).

And as it builds out the network, those carriers will be progressively launching their services into the stations.

“And now 4G is a big part of that as well, so there’s LTE already running in parts of the network in Manhattan and there will be more of it,” says Jaeger.

“There’s a very significant amount of LTE being deployed in the USA these days, being driven hard by the smartphone.”

Public safety

The challenge

A prime aspect of the project is the provision of a number of public safety comms initiatives. First up is deployment of the 4.9 GHz public safety band, which is being used for help-point intercom, which is a public system being made available on the platforms. Each intercom is connected to a Transit Wireless’s 4.9 GHz access point, from where it joins a wireless mesh.

The same band can be used for closed-circuit television, so deployment of CCTV throughout the network is now feasible in a much faster way than it may have been before. “There is some CCTV there already, but the size of our new network means that the possibly of rollout becomes faster now that we’re deploying these other networks and the fibre-to-the-edge technology,” says Jaeger.

Also being deployed in the USA is 700 MHz LTE for public safety. Transit Wireless’s network can facilitate that as and when the public safety authorities decide they want that coverage. The Transit Wireless network can facilitate bands from 600 MHz up to 6 GHz.

The New York City Subway is a very challenging environment in which to work, primarily because the transit system operates 24 hours per day. “We have to work late at night, because during the day the trains are far too regular.

Late at night and early in the morning the trains can get down to 20-minute intervals,” says Jaeger. “So we can work for 20 minutes, then the train will come and we’ll have to clear the tracks jumping over the third rail, which is the electrical system - and then the train will go through and we’ll go back to work.

“As you can imagine, it’s a very highly interrupted process, but it’s the only way of doing it. Sometimes they will close down some tracks late in the evening to do other work, and we can then piggyback onto that. There’s a whole range of different ways of working, and it requires a very close relationship with the New York City Transit Authority, which we do have.”

The Great Hall of New York’s Grand Central Station. Credit: Wikimedia/Alex Proimos.

www.radiocomms.com.au

“When you talk about public safety, the other thing that is an important part of the New York deployment is Enhanced 9-1-1,” says Jaeger. “When a call is made from the station, the location of the call is detected by the networks and the emergency services can be deployed to the particular station from where the calls come.”

The network The network has three basic elements.

Installed in strategic locations around New York City are base station hotels or data centres. This is where the carriers come in with their base stations and connect to Transit Wireless’s DAS. Those base station hotels have internet connections into the cloud.

The base station hotels run out into the second main element of the network, which is an 864-count trunk fibre network throughout the streets of New York City that runs to all the

Sep/Oct 2013- RADIO COMMS

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Transport & Fleet Comms

subway stations. “The fibre network uses 864-count fibre for the subway stations, even though only a handful of fibres are needed for each station,” says Jaeger.

“But you can imagine that in a city like New York, the requirements for backhaul for a whole range of different applications is huge - whether it’s the mobile networks, or stock exchanges, banks and so on - all these firms require quality fibre connectivity.

“So now that we’re building a fibre network, we can now also have a metro fibre business throughout the city as an adjunct business.”

The third element is the in-station network. The fibre runs into the station through a point of entry, and then there is a LAN - one part is a cellular DAS and the other part is Wi-Fi, with fibre-to-theedge technology going right out to the ends of the platforms and mezzanines to ensure uniform coverage throughout the station.

“We call ourselves Transit Wireless, but basically what we do is a lot of wiring,” says Jaeger with a laugh. “A lot of fibre, a lot of coax and a lot of power wiring to ensure that wireless devices will work in these locations.”

Coverage New York’s vast subway system includes 277 below-ground stations. Credit Wikimedia/Alargule.

There is a dividing line between aboveand below-ground comms. “When you go into the subway part of Grand Central Station, you’ll be connecting into our network,” says Jaeger. “Above ground

Antennas installed on the ceiling above a platform in one of New York’s subway stations. Credit: Transit Wireless.

Base station hotel equipment. Credit: Transit Wireless.

8 RADIO COMMS - Sep/Oct 2013

www.radiocomms.com.au

Transport & Fleet Comms

there’ll either be macro network coverage, such as in the Great Hall of Grand Central Station, or there’ll be another DAS system. But once you go into any part of any subway station, you’ll connect through our network.”

Initially, coverage will be on the platforms, mezzanines, walkways and anything else below ground level, right to the edge of the platforms where people get on and off the trains. But tunnel coverage is not on the cards just yet.

“The complexity around getting coverage in the tunnels is that New York has the only subway in the world that operates 24 hours per day. And so being able to work in the tunnels is an extremely complicated logistical issue, made more complicated by the age of the subway network itself,” says Jaeger. “But we’re working with the Transit Authority and the carriers and looking at ways in which we can provide some tunnel coverage going forward.”

Transit Wireless is also deploying a high-quality Wi-Fi network, 2.4 and 5.x GHz bands into the stations at the same time as it’s installing the cellular network.

“That Wi-Fi has multiple uses - it can be used to provide free Wi-Fi service for the riders, and it can be used for business-to-business applications in the subway environment, public safety, M2M and monitoring and control,” says Jaeger.

Once completed, the network will comprise some 7000 antennas, 5000 access points, 350 RF nodes and 200 kilometres of trunk fibre.

Transit Wireless is designing as much robustness into the system as it can.

Ultimately it’ll loop the fibre networks to provide some redundancy. There’s already some redundancy in the station networks, and equipment has been hardened to such an extent that it can suffer an extraordinary amount of environmental impairment.

“We futureproofed it in that way through the deployment of a lot of fibre, broadband antenna systems, through to coax and so on,” says Jaeger.

Results so far With 36 stations under its belt, Transit Wireless is now building out the next stage of the project. This involves another 40 sites, including Grand Central Station and some other stations in mid-town Manhattan, plus 30 stations out into Queens. This phase will be completed over the next few months. The overall project will be completed in 3-4 years.

“Everyone’s very satisfied with progress to date,” says Jaeger. “We launched Times Square and a number of other stations in April. It’s going very well.”

Toronto New York has the biggest subway in North America; Toronto in Canada has the second biggest. BAI had been in discussions with the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) for a number of years. Last year it was ultimately successful, winning the bid to finance, build and

Base station hotel equipment. Credit: Transit Wireless.

operate over a 20-year period, a cellular and Wi-Fi system in 65 underground stations and all the connecting tunnels of the TTC subway, plus any new-build tunnels and subway stations.

“We’ve formed a new entity called BAI Canada, based in Toronto, and we’ve got a small team there who are going to deploy the first two major stations by the end of this year,” says Jaeger. “The network in size and ridership is about 30% the size of New York City’s.”

Hurricane Sandy One of the biggest challenges the project has faced so far was the impact of Hurricane Sandy. The subway was flooded in parts and the New York City Transit Authority headquarters was damaged - it was from there that a lot of the recovery work would normally have been managed, so they had to tackle it from other locations. For Transit Wireless, the flooding and other damage delayed the project by around three months.

“There were also all sorts of things that happened with our construction partners,” says Jaeger. “You can imagine the recovery work that went on in New York; there was suddenly a huge demand on labour to do all sorts of things.

So they stopped normal work in the streets and the stations for a period of time while the civil recovery effort went ahead.

“But we got there in the end. What we’re doing now is keeping on going, building up the high-quality network.” www.radiocomms.com.au

Lifting into place, a generator that will power one of Transit Wireless’s base station hotels.

Credit: Transit Wireless.

Sep/Oct 2013- RADIO COMMS

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Transport & Fleet Comms

Inside the New York Subway. Credit: Wikimedia/The Eyes of New York.

While some challenges are the same as in New York, there are some differences. For a start, the network is not as old - it’s only about 60 years old. And it doesn’t operate 24 hours a day; it runs about 20 hours, providing windows of opportunity to work in the tunnels when it comes time to deploy that part of the network.

“In every other sense it’s a very similar challenge,” says Jaeger. “It still requires some very significant relationships to be developed with the TTC, with the carrier customers, with the contractors and the equipment suppliers, and the special design team we have in-house, to ensure that the systems are highly ruggedised and highly reliable.”

Will services such as a 4.9 GHz public safety system be on the cards? “That’s not in play at the moment, but we’ve allowed for it - we’ve futureproofed for it,” says Jaeger. “The deployment of 4.9 GHz is not quite as advanced in Canada as it is in the USA, but we can see it coming, as I think it’s coming in Australia as well. So our experience out of New York will be good.”

Other opportunities

Base station hotel equipment. Credit: Transit Wireless.

Transit Wireless is continuing to look for other opportunities in North America.

“Chicago Transit Authority is looking to upgrade its system, it’s again smaller than New York, but we’d be looking at getting involved with that,” says Jaeger. “We’re still in discussions with Atlanta about the transit network there. And we’ve had some discussions in San Francisco.”

What about other such opportunities around the world? There must be plenty out there. “Well, there are a few, but we’re very specialised - we’re good when the project is technically difficult, commercially difficult and requires financing,” Jaeger says. “When it comes to other types of venues, there’s a lot more competition. There are not many who want to get involved with the significant financing and other risks involved with a transit project.”

The company is also looking at opportunities in Australia, although there isn’t much subway here. “We’re also looking for other opportunities around significant venues, whether they are stadiums or very large complexes like shopping centres,” says Jaeger. “A number of city councils - for example, Perth, Adelaide, Liverpool and Hobart - are looking for CCTV/public Wi-Fi solutions around metro areas. So we’re seeing if we can use our expertise in all of those.”

Resources • transitwireless.com • ba-infrastructure.com • mta.info/nyct/ • transitchicago.com • ttc.ca Broadcast Australia

Inside the New York Subway. Credit: Wikimedia/Jin Choi 10 RADIO COMMS - Sep/Oct 2013

Contact info and more items like this at wf.net.au/V051 www.radiocomms.com.au

www.radiocomms.com.au

Sep/Oct 2013- RADIO COMMS

11

newproducts Enhanced signal generators Agilent Technologies Inc has introduced several key enhancements to its high-performance MXG and cost-effective EXG XSeries vector signal generators.

The enhancements are designed to improve measurement accuracy, accelerate research and development, and provide in-depth signal simulation for even the most comprehensive receiver verification. These enhancements, coupled with the performance of Agilent’s XSeries signal generators, make the systems suitable for component and receiver development in radar, military communications and consumer wireless applications.

The enhanced MXG and EXG X-Series RF vector signal generators enable users to apply channel corrections directly to their fixtures and devices under test.

A proprietary ASIC, in concert with an Agilent USB power sensor, enables automatic amplitude and phase flatness corrections or equalisation. This capability is suitable for engineers working on WLAN 802.11ac or LTE-Advanced transceivers and components.

Two new X-Series connectivity options enable realistic complex-modulated direct digital stimulus (output mode) and digital upconversion (input mode) using an N5102A digital signal interface module. This DSIM enhancement enables users to employ realistic complex IQ waveforms, which in turn enables faster verification of FPGA algorithms or digital-to-RF performance.

It also helps minimise redesign by catching baseband subsystem problems earlier in the design cycle.

A power servo enhancement speeds verification by allowing automatic levelling for external RF amplifiers. The alternative - manually adjusting output power in the amplifier’s nonlinear range - is both tedious and time-consuming.

With the power servo enhancement, users can quickly ensure they are at the exact power required for making power-sensitive measurements like error vector magnitude and adjacent channel power ratio.

Agilent says the in-depth signal simulation solutions provided by its signal generators now enable the industry’s most comprehensive receiver verification. Agilent’s N7620B Signal Studio software for pulse-building connectivity, for example, features robust radar verification tests designed to minimise field testing and offer highly accurate characterisation. Users can leverage the X-Series’ sequencing engine to obtain realistic 500 s radar antenna scan patterns. They can also reproduce highly accurate FM CHIRP radar signals by leveraging the X-Series’ factory channel correction for up to ±0.2 dB amplitude flatness and ±2° phase error across the full bandwidth support on both the MXG and EXG. Agilent’s N7609B Signal Studio for Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) software features an advanced Beidou real-time mode that enables users to perform real-time, multisatellite simulation for China’s Beidou system. Leveraging the X-Series’ advanced real-time baseband subsystem, users can simultaneously simulate a combination of 40 channels of satellites plus multipath for GPS, GLONASS and Beidou, with 16 additional channels for Galileo satellites plus multipath. With the system’s ability to model receiver trajectories and map antenna strength, users can also do more robust testing of multiconstellation chipsets for improved quality of service and performance.

Agilent Technologies Aust Pty Ltd Contact info and more items like this at wf.net.au/U590

12 RADIO COMMS - Sep/Oct 2013

Power sensors The most important features for accurate and simple power measurements are maximum measurement accuracy and speed, and easy operation with a base unit or PC/laptop.

The Rohde & Schwarz NRP family combines all these features with the NRP2 base unit, NRPV virtual power meter PC software and a wide range of USB-capable power sensors.

The company offers an extensive portfolio for power measurements from DC to 110 GHz, from -67 to +45 dBm, including: three-path diode power sensors with 90 dB dynamic range; wideband power sensors for performing accurate envelope power analysis; thermal power sensors for maximum accuracy; and level control sensors and power sensor modules for special applications.

The NRP power sensors can be connected to a laptop or PC via USB and controlled via the NRPV virtual power meter PC software.

Up to four power sensors can be operated in parallel with a NRP2 base unit. They are also supported by virtually all of the company’s signal generators and signal, spectrum and network analysers.

Depending on the application, the focus of power measurements is either on measurement accuracy, measurement speed or the optimal combination of both. NRP family is said to offers the best characteristics on the market for all applications.

Rohde & Schwarz (Australia) Pty Ltd Contact info and more items like this at wf.net.au/U971

www.radiocomms.com.au

newproducts Network troubleshooting software Fluke Networks has announced Version 2 software for the OneTouch AT Network Assistant, which adds features making it easier for network technicians to isolate the root cause of end-user wired and wireless problems, fix or escalate those issues and validate performance and SLA (service level agreement) compliance after changes are made.

Network technicians are spending 48 to 58% more time dealing with emerging wireless LAN and bring your own device (BYOD) issues, according to a recent Fluke Networks customer survey. More than 37% report spending more time supporting VoIP compared to two years ago.

OneTouch AT has been updated with key features to help meet these new challenges. The first is BYOD Management, under which new automated Wi-Fi discovery capabilities (including 802.11ac devices) and Wi-Fi packet capture simplify smart device management and speed problem resolution.

The second is Network Performance Acceptance Testing, whereby new wired and wireless performance tests automate the measurement and assessment of end-to-end path performance to prove that network projects were successfully completed and that the performance meets design objectives.

And the third is inline VoIP analysis, in which new inline tests provides visibility into IP phone initialisation and call control processes, and VoIP conversation quality to simplify troubleshooting of IP phone problems.

The OneTouch AT software update also includes a new Path Analysis test, a MultiPort Statistics test, inline VoIP packet capture, and additional features for enhanced troubleshooting and management.

SkyProbes has announced the SSP58 version of its long-range antenna for handheld VHF and UHF radios. With its highly flexible titanium whip, the company says the SSP58 provides up to six times the range over the rubber duck antenna supplied with commercial VHF handheld radios. Communication ranges up to 120 km have been reported. The SSP58 antennas are used by many US agencies such as the Park Service, Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, as well as many state, police, local fire and ambulance services where reliable communications are needed.

The SSP58 is supplied with the required connector needed to mate with specific commercial handheld radios.

RF Technology’s Eclipse2 offers analog performance with a broad coverage range. Eclipse2 offers an affordable, realworld solution to today’s radio interoperability needs.

The IP Commander functionality offers drag and drop editing, allowing for an intuitive end-user experience.

By clicking the apply button the features are enabled. Configurations can be saved to a file so that standard configurations can be easily programmed or sent to remote offices to ensure standardisation. A flexible channel program enables multiple profiles to be stored and recalled by scrolling down a list. The trace menu allows capture of base station activity in text form, which can be forwarded to RFT for advance diagnostics.

Modes of operation include: Migration from analog to digital at your own pace with this base station + repeater; analog base; analog repeater; analog voting over IP; analog multisite; P25 base station; P25 voting over IP; P25 multisite over IP; analog IP console; SIP gateway. Coming soon are: P25 IP console and vocoder; DMR; P25 data; SNMP over the air; IP control of power amplifier.

SkyProbes

RF Technology

Contact info and more items like this at wf.net.au/V163

Contact info and more items like this at wf.net.au/U547

Fluke Australia Pty Ltd Contact info and more items like this at wf.net.au/U452

LCR meter

Agilent Technologies has announced the E4980AL precision LCR meter with three cost-effective frequency options: 300 kHz, 500 kHz and 1 MHz. The meter options are a follow-on to Agilent’s E4980A LCR meter, which has long offered what the company says is the best price/performance and application breadth among basic LCR meters.

The Agilent LCR meter is mainly used for component characterisation at component manufacturers and for component evaluation at electronic equipment manufacturers. It is also used in material measurement applications typically found in research and development as well as education.

Agilent Technologies Aust Pty Ltd Contact info and more items like this at wf.net.au/U593

14 RADIO COMMS - Sep/Oct 2013

Software defined radio

Titanium whip VHF antenna

www.radiocomms.com.au

Comms Connect 2013 Melbourne, 20-22 November 2013 Where: Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre When: Pre-Conference workshops, 20 November 2013; Conference and Exhibition, 21-22 November 2013 Register: Early bird rate closes 18 October Web: comms-connect.com.au

Don’t miss the strong line-up of speakers and exhibitors from Australia and around the world at the nation’s leading radio and combined communications conference and exhibition.

A

ustralia’s leading radio and combined communications conference and exhibition, Comms Connect 2013, is only weeks away. The conference and exhibition will run over two days, 21-22 November, with industry sector preconference workshops running the day before, 20 November.

The world-class line-up of speakers will discuss technology developments, from apps to professional LTE, case studies in mining, energy, transport and more. And over 80 exhibitors will present the very best technologies and solutions from around Australia and across the world.

Comms Connect is in the unique position of being able to deliver to delegates and visitors the full range of solutions needed to make informed decisions.

At the core of the conference and exhibition is still radio communications, its uses, applications and benefits, but with the convergence of technologies being seen - from IP to mobile broadband and more - the shift is a reflection that the event is no longer just about two-way radio, but a whole range of technologies and solutions, all of which will be found on the exhibition floor and discussed during the conference and workshops.

16 RADIO COMMS - Sep/Oct 2013

Speakers - Conference day 1 The line-up of conference speakers is a veritable who’s who of the communications industry, from representatives of manufacturers to government and nonprofit organisation leaders.

A special keynote address will be given by Len Ricardo, Operations Manager at NASA’s Canberra Deep Space Communication Complex, who’ll speak about the special challenges of communicating with spacecraft over distances of millions and billions of kilometres through deep space. This should be a mind-expanding presentation for everyone in the ‘terrestrial’ radio industry.

Of particular note will be a keynote address by Inspector Lance Valcour (Ret) O.O.M., Executive Director, Canadian Interoperability Technology Interest Group (CITIG). Inspector Valcour, who spent 33 years in the Ottawa Police Service, will discuss public safety communications interoperability in the Canadian/ US environment and its relevance to the Australia/New Zealand landscape.

Greg Bouwmeester (Motorola Solutions) will speak on how public safety LTE can provide new standards of intelligence. Hannu Aronsson (TCCA apps working group) will explain how data and apps on narrowband networks

can improve productivity. Rob Hockings (Tait Communications) will speak about unifying critical communications and Gary Ertel (Data Over Radio) will talk about increasing productivity with digital radio.

Ben Pearce (Codan Radio Communications) will speak about integrating HF into P25 systems, and Trish Messiter (Clarinox Technologies) and Anthony Lister (Tait Communications) will speak on short-range wireless applications.

Daniel Oliphant (Zetron Australasia) will discuss command and control systems, Dale Stacey (SAT) will present a case study on an LTE mobile system, Don Kitchin will present a case study on remote repeater sites and Sameer Kaul and Moti Shalev (both from Axell Wireless) will present a case study on communications within Australia’s longest tunnel, the Brisbane Airport link.

Simon Lardner (Challenge Networks) will present a case study on LTE for mining projects and Ben Hamilton (Titan ICT) will discuss integrated communications networks for coal seam gas operations. Andy Grimmett (Simoco) will speak about M2M communications and the IP revolution in radio, Shane Murphy (KORE Wireless) will talk about GSM and satellite for M2M and John Yaldwyn (4RF Australia) will speak about high-performance, narrowband UHF SCADA radio. www.radiocomms.com.au

Comms Connect 2013 exhibitors There’s been an amazing 20% increase in the amount of exhibition space booked over last year’s event, with many new exhibitors. Make sure you allow plenty of time to visit them all. (Free exhibition-only passes are available with prior registration.) Exhibition opening hours are 10 am-6 pm on Thursday, 21 November and 10 am-4 pm on Friday, 22 November.

For more information on the exhibitors, visit comms-connect.com.au/pages/meet-the-exhibitors.

3M Peltor 4RF Australia Agilent Technologies Airwave Solutions Australia Anritsu Applied Satellite Technology Aust.

ARCIA Auria Wireless Pty Ltd Australasian TETRA Forum Avara Technologies Axell Wireless Benelec Blufi Wireless Australia Cambium Networks Cassidian CISTECH Solutions CNE Custom Cables Codan Radio Communications CRS Accessories CSE-Uniserve Data Over Radio

DMR Association dPMR Association Duons Exelis C4i Funkwerk Security Communications GmbH G Spotter Antennas GE Digital Energy Global M2M GMG Solutions Huber+Suhner Hytera Communications ICOM Australia Pty Ltd ICS Industries Innovative Energies Ltd IP Mobilenet JDSU JRD Communications Kenwood KORE Wireless LAN1 Pty Ltd

Speakers - Conference day 2 Day two will begin with a state-of-theindustry presentation by Hamish Duff, the new president of ARCIA. That will be followed by a keynote address by Peter Clemons (Hytera Mobilfunk) on how joined-up critical communications will create safer cities for us all to live in.

Tasso Mangos and Rick Hammersla (both NEC Australia) will make a presentation on ‘Radio is dead, long live radio’.

Scott Geldard (Ergon Energy) will present a case study on the implementation of Ergon’s P25 system and Chris Jaeger (BAI Group) will present a case study on building a wireless network in New York’s subway. Another case study will be presented by Mohd Fauzi Bin Abdul Hamid (Malaysian Airports) on moving from analog to TETRA, followed by further case studies

by José Martin (PowerTrunk) on TETRA in North America.

Phil Kidner (TCCA) will discuss possible paths to broadband/LTE for mission-critical communications, Henrik Jacobsen (Applied Satellite Technology Australia) will speak on extending close user group, David Atkinson (ITC Global) will discuss the merits of VSATs and Aaron Camp (dPMR Association) will speak on deploying dPMR. The two final case studies will be: Steve Harvey (Commscope), speaking on www.radiocomms.com.au

Lightning Protection International Logic Wireless Loop Technologies Madison Technologies McKay Associates MiMOMax Wireless Ltd Motorola Solutions MTA Sales National Instruments NEC Australia Nexion Data Systems Omnitronics Orion Panorama Antennas Polar Electronics RF Technology RFI Wireless Rohde & Schwarz Rohill Rojone Pty Ltd SAF Australia

Schneider Electric Security Solutions Magazine Sepura Siemens-RuggedCom Simoco Spectrum Engineering Australia Standard Communications (GME) Survey Technologies Inc Tait Communications Telephus TeleResources Engineering Teltronic TRBONet Trio Test & Measurement Vertel Vicom Australia WAVE1 Wireless Data Solutions Wireless Pacific ZCG Scalar Zetron Australasia

provision of P25 in Ausgrid’s underground high-voltage tunnels and Andy Reid (CSETranstel Australia) will speak on the TETRA solution for the Gold Coast’s rapid transit system. Roy Wittert (Cambium Networks) will discuss fixed wireless coming of age, Zsolt Remias (Titan ICT) will discuss considerations for RF planning and licensing and David Sheppard (Kordia) will speak on the delivery of in-building DAS systems and their sector-specific applications. Finally, Mark Loney (ACMA) will present an update on 400 MHz developments.

critical communications - Inspector Lance Valcour (CITIG) and Simon Lardner (Challenge Networks), along with numerous panel members from public safety and industry.

TETRA masterclass - Members of the Australasian TETRA Forum and guest speakers.

Implementing a digital radio system - Hamish Duff (Master Communications and Electronics), Phil Sidebottom, Stuart Heath, Aldo Antolini (Motorola Solutions) and Chris Martin (TRBOapps).

Industry workshops

Gala dinner and awards

This year sees a big increase in the number and scope of training workshops offered in response to their limited introduction in 2012. The workshops will take place on 20 November, the day before the conference proper begins. The topics and presenters will be: Infrastructure and towers - Steve Brimson (Flight Bros), Bogdan Klobassa (Times Microwave Systems) and Lawrence McKenna (Sinclair Knight Merz).

Advanced radio over IP - Paul Whitfield and Heinrich van der Westhuizen (Omnitronics), and Les Scott (Zetron) and Jason Cox (Tait Communications).

In-building distributed antennae systems - Leo Doherty (RF Industries).

Mobile broadband and LTE for

Running in conjunction with Comms Connect will be the annual ARCIA Industry Gala Dinner and Industry Excellence Awards presentations. These events will be held at the same venue, the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, on the evening of Thursday, 21 November. Full details are available by visiting arcia.org.au.

In summary, if you’re involved with communications for a public safety or emergency services agency, in transport and logistics, mining and exploration, security, public utilities - or any other commercial or government enterprise that relies on critical communications then you really need to be at Comms Connect. We’ll see you there!

Sep/Oct 2013- RADIO COMMS

17

newproducts Spectrum analyser The Hameg HMS3000 [HMS3010] 3 GHz spectrum analyser features a frequency range of 100 kHz to 3 GHz, tracking generator -20 to 0 dBm and an amplitude measurement range of -114 to +20 dBm. The instrument has been designed with the user in mind and is practical and simple to operate. Users do not need to understand the complex theory behind spectrum analysis to achieve accurate results.

The design incorporates the requirements of wireless applications and electromagnetic emissions from high-performance digital systems.

Rohde & Schwarz (Australia) Pty Ltd Contact info and more items like this at wf.net.au/V049

Board-level design boost Altium Limited has released a range of component libraries for board-level designs using Maxim Integrated devices. Available from AltiumLive, the release delivers boardlevel component models and corresponding supply chain information, such as real-time price and availability data from distributors and vendors including Digi-Key, Mouser and Farnell, directly to designers using Altium’s electronics design software, Altium Designer.

A component model hosted in AltiumLive includes the schematic symbol, PCB footprint and a detailed 3D model for 3D mechanical integration during the PCB design process. Corresponding component price and availability data is drawn directly from vendor and supplier web services. AltiumLive also provides access to a host of designrelated content including training and design tips videos, reference designs and a large range of documentation resources.

More than 3000 Maxim Integrated components have been released to AltiumLive, bringing Altium’s coverage of the Maxim catalogue to more than 5500 devices. The latest release features components for Maxim’s wide range of digital potentiometers, sensors, current-sense amplifiers and switched capacitor filters.

Altium Limited Contact info and more items like this at wf.net.au/U802

Voltage stabiliser In-vehicle and in-vessel electronic devices such as data terminals, screens, LED lights and monitoring systems require stable voltage to ensure equipment performance.

Voltage fluctuations can cause electronic devices to shut down, reboot or corrupt data or, in a worstcase scenario, irreparably damage equipment during prolonged exposure to high or low voltages or voltage spikes from switching heavy loads or charging systems.

InterVOLT’s SVS is a non-isolated 12 or 24 VDC voltage stabiliser, and the first of the company’s products to feature ‘buck boost’ technology.

The SVS is a power conditioning device without galvanic isolation. Compact in size, the SVS is said to provide cost-effective protection of DC equipment.

Amelec Australia Pty Ltd Contact info and more items like this at wf.net.au/U801

18 RADIO COMMS - Sep/Oct 2013

Power supply The EFOY Pro 800 and Pro 2400 fuel cell generators are battery chargers that provide clean and reliable off-grid power whenever and wherever it is needed. The EFOY unit is a constant-current charger connected directly to a battery that supplies and monitors charge levels.

Depending on demand, the fuel cell switches on automatically, recharges the battery and switches to standby - without any need of maintenance or user intervention. This process extends the life of batteries by eliminating deep discharging.

EFOY Pro Fuel cells may be hybridised with existing solar power systems to ensure 100% reliability and autonomy for applications in remote sites. When solar is unable to deliver enough power, the fuel cell generator automatically switches on and compensates for the shortfall in energy.

Applications include SCADA, telecommunications, security and surveillance, environmental data collection, traffic management and onboard power supply for vehicles. They are suitable for industries in utilities, mining, oil and gas, security, law enforcement, military and telecommunications.

Properly integrated and with guaranteed fuel supply, the EFOY Pro will produce electricity in any weather, climate or season, the company says. The EFOY Pro fuel cells offer maintenance-free energy supply for several months on end. EFOY Pro fuel cells are quiet and produce only small quantities of CO2.

Powerbox Australia Pty Ltd Contact info and more items like this at wf.net.au/V026

www.radiocomms.com.au

Want to hold all the Aces?

Let us show you how: 25 years experience in two-way radio and accessory distribution Specialising in Motorola, Vertex, Kenwood, Icom, Entel, Tait and Simoco Exclusive service to Australian two-way dealers Discounted distributor prices Service two-way radio dealers from the biggest to the smallest Large and diverse inventory with same day dispatch for ex-stock items 100% Australian company for 10 years All products fully supported and guaranteed by us ARCIA member We NEVER compete with our dealers

Ace Communication Distributors Pty Ltd PO Box 3376, Victoria Point Qld 4165 Tel: 07 3821 4111, 07 3206 0888 Fax: 07 3206 0800

newproducts RF adapter modules The NI 5792 RF receiver adapter module and NI 5793 RF transmitter adapter module with 200 MHz of real-time bandwidth extend NI’s portfolio of RF FlexRIO adapter modules and software defined radio products to deliver wide instantaneous real-time bandwidth solutions. The NI 5792/5793 features the widest RF bandwidth of any RF product that NI currently offers - with good dynamic range.

The NI 5792 and NI 5793 both feature 200 MHz of real-time bandwidth for reception and transmission of wireless waveforms respectively, and take full advantage of the NI FlexRIO user-programmable FPGA backend to facilitate real-time signal processing for each of the transmit and receive signal chains independently.

Processing wideband waveforms in real time creates significant computational and system throughput design challenges. NI LabVIEW, LabVIEW FPGA and FlexRIO modules such as the PXIe7966R compose an optimal solution for advanced communication system prototyping. The combination of the NI 5792, the NI 5793, LabVIEW, LVFPGA and the PXIe-7966R in a PXI system delivers a powerful, yet easy-to-use software defined radio platform that is scalable, enabling users to rapidly prototype SISO systems and expand to multichannel MIMO applications seamlessly.

National Instruments Australia Contact info and more items like this at wf.net.au/U895

Timing kit The Thunderbolt GPS Timing Kit from Step Global is ready for use in the laboratory and comes complete with: GPS-DO Clock (GPS receiver with double-ovenised oscillator and communications), power supply, active GPS antenna, connectors and extra power cable for wiring into test apparatus, enclosures, panels or racks.

The kit is supported by Trimble GPS Studio software - downloadable from the Trimble website - which offers complete control, monitoring and data logging and data conversion features. The logging functions can be used to produce audit records to support traceability and operating status, and the data can be made available to applications such as spreadsheets and databases, enabling integration into reporting and analysis systems.

Key benefits include: lower operating costs by eliminating reference calibration cycle; increased revenue potential from improved CMC capabilities; enhanced customer service transporting lab-grade reference to customer sites; reduced capital expenditure by improving capabilities of existing equipment; no additional components required; and automated traceability documentation with Trimble GPS Studio software.

Step Global Pty Ltd Contact info and more items like this at wf.net.au/U694

Rapid-deployment communications system Simoco’s portable repeater provides a selfcontained, compact, robust and easily deployable, fireground radio communications system. The portable repeater provides extended communications coverage over a localised area such as a fireground, where mobile and, in particular, portable radios require greater range.

The repeater is designed for VHF or UHF and also accommodates the future APCO Digital P25 upgrade.

The repeaters can also be customised and tailored to meet the specific requirements of individual brigades.

The company’s rapid deployment portable mast kit offers a quick and easy-to-assemble, non-permanent antenna structure in situations where a staging area, fireground or a field incident management centre has no existing antenna infrastructure. Coupled with the suitcase portable repeater and the improved coverage, it provides a brigade with a high-performance, temporary in-field communications system that can be quickly set up, improving situational awareness in critical situations.

Simoco Australasia Pty Ltd Contact info and more items like this at wf.net.au/U574

20 RADIO COMMS - Sep/Oct 2013

www.radiocomms.com.au

EARLY BIRD REGISTRATION CLOSES 18 OCTOBER 2013

20–22 NOVEMBER

Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre Government • Enterprise • Transportation • Utilities • Mining • Public Safety • Security

COMMS CONNECT DELIVERS MORE FOR 2013 Comms Connect – formerly RadioComms Connect – returns to Melbourne’s MCEC this November to deliver vital information to the mission and business-critical communications communities – the users, the dealers and industry.

Highlights Tasso Mangos — Chief Technology Officer, NEC Australia Radio is dead, long live radio …

Inspector Lance Valcour (Ret) O.O.M — Executive Director, Canadian Interoperability Technology Interest Group (CITIG)

Public safety interoperability: an international perspective

Anthony Goonan — Director, Network Commercial Engineering, Telstra Corporation A roadmap to deliver next-generation critical communications

Digital Partner

6 New Training Workshops • Advanced radio over IP • In-building distributed antenna

systems (DAS) • Mobile broadband & LTE for critical communications • Implementing a digital radio solution • Infrastructure and towers • TETRA masterclass

Platinum Sponsors

Prize Draw Sponsor

Gold Sponsors

Lanyard Sponsor

Silver Sponsors Magazine Partner

In association with

Supporting associations & media organisations

In conjunction with the ARCIA Industry Gala Dinner Visit www.arcia.org.au to book your tickets

Register online at www.comms-connect.com.au

newproducts RFID antennas

Unique Micro Design (UMD) has taken on the distribution of Times-7 SlimLine and Near Field RFID antennas. The company’s solutions enable customers to improve business outcomes, minimise risk and reduce operational expenses.

The SlimLine range is effective in a wide range of applications such as: conference and people tracking; event and race timing, baggage handling; logistic and supply chain asset management; and retail and customer interaction.

The SlimLine antenna range includes the SlimLine MultiPurpose Antennas, which are ultralow-profile UHF RFID antennas suitable for a variety of applications such as space constrained and customer-facing environments, flush wall and door frame mounting. There are also the SlimLine Shelving & Cabinet Antennas, which are ultrathin UHF antennas suitable for RFID-enabled cabinets and RFID smart shelving solutions.

Also in the range are proximity/near field UHF antennas, including the A1001, which Times-7 says is the smallest commercially available wideband near field UHF antenna, suitable for enclosed spaces and when a small footprint is required.

There are also the SlimLine Ground Antennas - a range of UHF RFID ground antennas, designed for tracking assets or people through entrance/exit ways, portals, doors and for event race timing - and the SlimLine Airport Antennas, which are UHF RFID antennas specifically designed for self check-in applications and airport baggage handling.

Unique Micro Design Pty Ltd Contact info and more items like this at wf.net.au/U546

22 RADIO COMMS - Sep/Oct 2013

Cavity RF filter The MiMOMax dual bandpass MiMO antenna duplexer is a highperformance, tuneable cavity RF Filter. With low insertion loss and a compact footprint, the dualchannel format provides an economical site filter solution for congested sites where space is at a premium.

Using only 2U of rack height, the filter provides a high-quality stable filtering solution for two radio channels (MiMO) in one standalone compact mechanical packaging solution. MiMOMax supplies the filter pre-tuned and complete with a 19″ 2U front panel ready for installation.

The filter is also suitable for other radio equipment and can be used as an economical solution for multichannel conventional trunked analog or digital radio systems.

MiMOMax Wireless Ltd Contact info and more items like this at wf.net.au/V024

www.radiocomms.com.au

Government Network

W

Network news

Update on the NSW Government Radio Network Jonathan Nally

Radio Comms Asia-Pacific spoke with the NSW Telco Authority’s director, Shaun Smith, to get an update on the NSW GRN and the infrastructure review.

www.radiocomms.com.au

ith a coverage area of approximately 266,000 square kilometres, the New South Wales Government Radio Network (GRN) is one of the largest trunked radio networks in the world. It takes in around one-third of the state, including the high-population-density area of Sydney and its surrounds.

The GRN was established in 1993 and for around the past 18 months has been operated by the NSW Telco Authority, a new statutory body that also has responsibility for other aspects of state government radio communications in NSW, such as managing spectrum holdings.

In May 2013, following a competitive tendering process, Airwave Solutions Australia was appointed to manage the GRN, taking over from Motorola. Also this year, the authority completed a review of the state government’s mobile radio infrastructure, with an eye to possible rationalisation and improvement of service levels.

To get an update on developments with the GRN, as well as the infrastructure review, we spoke with Shaun Smith, the Telco Authority’s managing director.

What was the reason for letting a new contract for operation of the GRN? The arrangement with Motorola as the network manager was an interim arrangement whilst we were going through a major network upgrade. As the OEM, they were best placed to manage risk by being the network manager as well. Over the last couple of years, we changed from an analog system to the new Astro P25 standard, and it was always the intention that at the end of that upgrade, we would go out to market and seek to competitively tender that process.

How long is the contract with Airwave?

It’s three years, plus two one-year options. We were really seeking two things.

One was to improve the service level, and that was written into the tender specification. And the second was to give the end users more visibility in terms of where the network’s up to, where it’s going and what the day-to-day status of it is.

When you say to “improve the service level”, does that suggest there were defects that needed to be fixed or is it just an ongoing process of improvement?

It's an ongoing process of improvement. We want to make sure it is the most reliable service possible. One of the things that will happen over time, coming out of a government decision about two years ago, under a premier’s memorandum, is that agencies will rely Sep/Oct 2013- RADIO COMMS

23

Government Network

more and more on the services provided by the GRN. When we went out to tender for a new network manager, we actually rewrote some of the service levels to ensure we get that level of reliability from our operator.

So with the government memorandum, was this to say, “Okay, agencies out there, we want you to start using the GRN if you’re not using it already”?

In effect, yes. It’s premier’s memorandum 2010-16, and it talks about the creation of the NSW Telco Authority and its more central role in radio communication in NSW. We want to, and will, create an effective platform that exceeds expectations.

What is the background to the establishment of the NSW Telco Authority?

The Telco Authority has been around for about 18 months and the board has been in place for the last 12. It’s a new statutory authority that is responsible for the coordination and operation of radio services to government agencies in NSW. We also have responsibility for managing the spectrum holding of the NSW government. Over time, the agencies that historically have been owners and operators of their infrastructure will vest that infrastructure across to the Telco Authority and we’ll take care of it from there - we’ll own it, operate it and supply the service back.

Now that will apply where it makes sense to do so, but not in all instances.

For example, we wouldn’t take over Sydney Trains’ signalling infrastructure because it is a highly targeted comms network.

What about radio comms for the railways?

Because it is a specific operational environment, Sydney Trains are maintaining their own radio comms. They do use the GRN for general business, but they’re actually using their own radio comms for signalling.

The list of users shown on the Telco Authority’s website ranges from defence down to local councils. Are there many others that you expect will become users of the GRN in the future?

I think one of the contextual things that’s going on is the increasing demand for spectrum, particularly in the high and medium population density areas. ACMA has actually created a harmonised government band of spectrum for the government users to make use of. That band doesn’t have the same amount of spectrum as we currently use, so there will 24 RADIO COMMS - Sep/Oct 2013

need to be a rationalisation in any regard.

Given that there is an infrastructure layer out there that is a shared service, we would expect that other agencies would make use of that going forward, rather than owning and operating their own infrastructure.

Is there sufficient capacity to take on many more operators or users?

It will be an evolving thing. So as we ingest new users, if they’re small users there’s ample capacity. Obviously if we bring on a large user who has many, many end-user devices and lots of different talk groups, then we will need to examine the capacity to make sure that it has adequate capacity for not just day-today operations, but also for peak events that would come out of emergencies, because obviously emergency services are some of our key customers.

Is the Telco Authority funded by levying each user agency or does it get block funding out of the government budget?

It depends on the function. Where we’ve provided direct services in terms of

access to the GRN to the user agency, if it’s a small user agency it pays on a perterminal basis, a commercially comparable amount. So IPART determines a monthly terminal fee for small user agencies. Then the balance of the operating costs are split amongst the four emergency users that currently use the GRN, because they’re the ones who have the greatest requirements for coverage and capacity.

Those are the two primary cost drivers.

For other functions, we have an emergency management function within the Telco Authority and it provides the interface between commercial carriers and the emergency services. If there’s an event going on, people need to be able to contact the emergency services agencies, and they do that through 000. If there’s a carrier outage where there’s a large number of people affected - because someone’s cut through a fibre or there’s been some other event that affects community communications - then we’ll work with both the carriers and emergency services agencies to actually get services restored as quickly as possible.

www.radiocomms.com.au

Government Network

For example, if it’s in relation to a flood event, we might facilitate access by asking the SES to assist the carrier to get technicians to sites to restore services. Or if there’s a particular hazard that’s emerging, we’ll make sure the carriers are aware of that hazard and we might assist them to take some preventative action where required. In order to do that, because it’s not related to the service that we provide as the GRN, it’s actually funded directly from the government.

What is the situation with having the GRN and police radio currently separate? Is there an expectation that the two will one day be combined?

The premier’s memorandum that I mentioned earlier presents a policy position that articulates that the police and GRN should be integrated. One of the primary drivers for that is spectrum availabilNSW GRN users ACT Buses* ACT Government* Ambulance Service of NSW Attorney General’s Department Ausgrid Australian Broadcasting Corporation Central Table Lands Council Chevra Hatzollah Department of Corrective Services Department of Defence Department of Juvenile Justice Department of Premier & Cabinet Endeavour Energy Fire & Rescue NSW Harbour City Ferries

ity within the Sydney basin. There simply won’t be enough spectrum for each agency to maintain their own separate private network as well as operate a shared network within the high and medium population density areas.

Is that because the spectrum allocation is being squeezed or because of the number of users that are coming on to the spectrum?

The spectrum is effectively being squeezed by ACMA. When they determined the harmonised government band, it was adequate for most jurisdictions. It’s just that NSW currently uses more spectrum than has been allocated for government use.

So what are the challenges in conforming to that spectrum allocation?

It’s a fairly complex exercise. In NSW there are more than 50,000 government

Hunter Water Corporation ICAC Maritime Authority of NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service NSW Police NSW Rural Fire Service NSW State Emergency Service Roads and Maritime Services Sutherland Shire Council Sydney Catchment Authority Sydney Ports Authority Sydney Trains Sydney Water Transport for NSW

*The ACT uses the GRN core infrastructure to provide a fully interoperable network that is seamless across the borders, which allows for mutual aid between NSW and the ACT.

www.radiocomms.com.au

end users across all the different networks; 30,000 of them are on the GRN. As you change the infrastructure that supports those users, there are obviously some change management issues that flow through - you’ve got to teach people how to use new radios, new terminals. There’s an investment required in order to do that; a significant investment in certain areas.

And it’s a complex planning issue, because you obviously need to maintain service continuity while you’re putting in place the new infrastructure. You can’t take down a network until you’ve got something else to replace it with. So there’s a whole careful transition that needs to happen over that time.

Do you have any expectation of what that time frame will be?

There are some time frames set down

by ACMA. We’re moving towards completion of a large part of it by 2015-16 and an end date of 2018.

What is the radio infrastructure review and what does it involve?

Historically, government agencies have done their own thing with regards to radio communications. What we wanted to do was get a central view of what was actually out there, what was owned by government agencies and what was currently in service.

The idea being that over time, we’ll be able to consolidate some of that infrastructure, increase the amount of sharing that goes on and release some funds that can then be used to improve services.

Do you think the network infrastructure will need to grow? Will we see more antenna towers? Are there comms black spots that need to be filled in?

As we identify areas where there are multiple lots of government infrastructure, you’ll probably see a reduction in the numbers of comms towers out there because there will be more sharing of facilities. One of the things we’re promoting amongst radio user agencies at the moment is sharing common tenancies, sharing common towers and actually sharing of infrastructure.

You’ll probably see an overall reduction in government presences across the state - they might be in slightly different locations as we take a more planned approach to ensure that we’ve got coverage in all the areas where the agencies need it. We’ve gone through a process of identifying the business requirements of each of these agencies - what do they actually need to operate their business and then we can use the information from the infrastructure audit, as well as the business requirements from the agencies, to really plan services. This will lead to a Sep/Oct 2013- RADIO COMMS

25

Government Network

Shaun Smith, managing director of the New South Wales Telco Authority. reduction in the amount of infrastructure that’s required out there.

As the GRN continues to grow, are there any vulnerabilities inherent in having just one network, or one major network, rather than a number of smaller networks?

It depends on your point of view to a certain extent. Historically, there have been lots of agencies doing things independently and the funding has been spread out quite disparately. Part of the process of ration-

26 RADIO COMMS - Sep/Oct 2013

alising these services and infrastructure is that it won’t actually cost as much to operate. We can use some of those savings to really improve the quality of service and provide that redundancy into the designs of the network. We may not necessarily end up with one statewide trunked government radio network - it will be based on what makes the most sense. For example, it may not make sense to build a trunked government radio network that covered 100% of the state right out to White Cliffs, as there’s just not the requirement for trunked services out there - there would be another technology solution that would be more appropriate in those kinds of scenarios.

With savings from rationalisation being redirected to improving the system, what kinds of improvements could we see?

We’ll improve the quality of the network connections. Currently some networks don’t actually have active monitoring - active monitoring will be part of the standard design going forward, so that when there is an issue we’ll know about it in advance. There’s a whole range of

improvements that will happen over time, such as filling black spots in certain parts of the state.

I think the primary thing in terms of what the authority is setting out to do is this notion of taking a holistic look across all of government. We want to establish what’s out there, who owns it and how is it operated, and rationalising that so we can release some of the value that’s held in it, and also improve the quality of the service at the same time.

Now, lots of coordination and centralisation initiatives are about saving money.

The Telco Authority remit is actually about saving money and, importantly, re-using some of that to improve the services that we provide.

Resources NSW Telco Authority http://telco.nsw.gov.au/ NSW Government Radio Network http://telco.nsw.gov.au/content/government-radio-network NSW Telco Authority Corporate Plan 2013-14 http://telco.nsw.gov.au/content/corporate-plan-2013-2014 NSW Premier’s Memorandum M2010-16 Government Mobile Radio Services http://www.dpc.nsw.gov.au/ announcements/ministerial_memoranda/2010/m201016_government_mobile_radio_services

www.radiocomms.com.au

newproducts

True Portability

Digital two-way radios Motorola Solutions has expanded its portfolio of digital radios with the unveiling of new Mototrbo models. The company says the new models provide more price points and form factors to users in markets such as manufacturing, retail, hospitality, private security and services.

The DP3441 series is a small portable that delivers a full suite of Mototrbo voice and data features in a tough, waterproof package. Sized to fit in the palm of a hand, it has GPS and Bluetooth and is IP67 rated.

Also announced is the development of 800 MHz and 900 MHz versions of its SL Series, which will be available in late 2013.

Motorola has also introduced a remote-mount control head option for the DM4000 Series radios, allowing separation of the control panel and the radio by up to 5 m and putting the radio within the reach of the driver in specialist vehicles.

Motorola Solutions Australia Pty Ltd Contact info and more items like this at wf.net.au/U930

Base station SOLO is a compact, fully featured singlecarrier TETRA base station that has been specifically designed to meet the demands of users in sectors such as airports, public transport, manufacturing, public safety, oil and gas and other industrial organisations. It offers spectrum-efficient TETRA base station IP connectivity in a very limited footprint.

Easy to transport and install, this 25 W base station can be deployed either as a stand-alone single site or as part of a network. It is possible to use two SOLOs together, either by using their dual carrier capability to expand capacity or by using them in a redundant configuration to provide a back-up facility.

The base station provides good operational efficiency with a full range of management tools as well as good security capabilities. Its installation and maintenance is made easier by the absence of mast-mounting requirements.

Wide Test Capability The 3550 is the first truly portable touch-screen radio communication test system • Next Generation Touch-Screen Operation!

• User defined test screens • Up to 4.5 Hours Portability on One Charge!

• Super Light Alloy – 8.3lbs/3.75 kg • 0◦to 50◦C Operating Range!

• Analogue +P25/DMR/NXDN/dPMR

And much more!

Simplify your Repeater Site Analysis and RF Installation Testing

Contact Vicom now 1300 360 251 or info@vicom.com.au www.vicom.com.au See us at CommsConnect Stand 76

Sepura PLC Contact info and more items like this at wf.net.au/U972

www.radiocomms.com.au

Sep/Oct 2013- RADIO COMMS

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newproducts

INDUSTRY TALKING I am delighted and humbled to be named the president of the Australian Radio Communications Industry Association.

Firstly, let me congratulate the outgoing committee members and in particular, retiring president Chris Kelly. Our industry is indebted to these fine people, who have given up countless hours to work on our behalf, purely on the basis that the work needs to be done. Their efforts have placed ARCIA in an excellent position as a respected representative of the industry. The association has a stable financial position thanks to the support of members and partners as well as prudent financial management.

The election also represents a minor change of the guard, as we now have an executive from three states alongside committee members from all over Australia. For me this represents the next challenge for our association - that is, to take the strong platform that was essentially created in Victoria and ensure that we are relevant all over the nation.

Our members represent global manufacturers, small and large businesses, and individuals across many different organisations, technologies and geographies. I believe that we should strive to ensure that our association reaches all corners of the country and is able to engage with all aspects of the communications industry.

If you consider the importance of our industry to so many people and, indeed, the Australian economy, we are vastly underrepresented in our influence on government and policymakers. The only way we can change this is to pool our resources, get organised and to make our voice as strong as possible. This takes considerable time and effort, but with your help we can continue to advance our cause and become visible to the broader community.

Of course, one of the ways in which we have started to get that message out there is to have regular industry events, and the biggest one of all is the annual industry gala dinner.

This year it will be held on 21 November at the Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre, in conjunction with Comms Connect, an event that brings together our industry in spectacular fashion. If you have not added these events to your calendar yet, make sure you do, as there are many excellent reasons to attend: check out arcia.org.au or comms-connect. com.au for all the details.

I’d like to thank our administrative staff, Alison and Madeleine, for all the work they do behind the scenes, particularly with the events, which require considerable planning. The results are a credit to their dedication and skill.

I am very pleased that the incoming committee is made up of a group of people from around the country with a broad range of experience to call on. I look forward to working with everyone as we plan and discuss ARCIA’s next moves.

Hamish Duff President Australian Radio Communications Industry Association

Design and test software To keep pace with the constantly growing number of standards, NI LabVIEW graphical design software offers a set of tools for signal generation, analysis, visualisation and processing of standard and custom digital and analog modulation formats.

For example, with the NI GPS Simulation Toolkit for LabVIEW, users can create simulated global positioning system (GPS) waveforms for use with NI RF signal generators to produce customised and repeatable GPS receiver tests. The advanced API helps users create custom motion trajectories, adjust individual satellite power levels and incorporate realtime feedback from the device under test into their test system. With the GPS Simulation Toolkit, users can stream a simulated signal as it is created with the NI PXIe-5672 or PXIe-5673 RF vector signal generators and adjust signal characteristics during generation or create predefined scenario tests for up to 24 hours of repeatable test.

Engineers seeking a new level of flexibility and performance in their test systems combine LabVIEW with PXI RF modular instrumentation. These compact, high-performance measurement systems feature advanced timing and synchronisation and the latest PC technologies, providing high throughput for measurements from DC to 6.6 GHz. National Instruments Australia Contact info and more items like this at wf.net.au/V025

Ethernet tester The EXFO FTB-860 NetBlazer 10G ethernet tester offers field technicians comprehensive yet simple test suites with full EtherSAM and RFC2544 capabilities. With simplicity in configuration setup and navigation, the ethernet tester guides technicians through complete, accurate testing processes - including suggestion prompts, help guides and more. The ethernet tester is available to rent. The ethernet tester enables field technicians to perform RFC 2544 measurements and EtherSAM (ITU-T Y.156sam) for turnkey deployment, validation and troubleshooting of 10 Gbps access and metro ethernet services with ease in any environment.

The unit features a large TFT screen with simple configuration via hybrid touch-screen/keypad navigation, as well as clear notifications for accurate interpretation of test results.

Key features include: accelerate ethernet service activation with bidirectional EtherSAM (ITU-T Y.1564) and RFC 2544 test suites; multistream traffic generation; through mode; and bit-error-rate (BER) testing.

Other features include: GUI navigation; dedicated quickaction buttons; BERT, RFC, traffic generation and through mode; and IPv6 testing capabilities.

TechRentals Contact info and more items like this at wf.net.au/U976

28 RADIO COMMS - Sep/Oct 2013

www.radiocomms.com.au

www.radiocomms.com.au

Sep/Oct 2013- RADIO COMMS

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Going Digital

The digital decade Bevan Clarke - General Manager, Radio Solutions, Motorola Solutions Australia and New Zealand

A seismic shift is taking place in the radio world, shaping the future of how most of us will communicate in the years to come.

30 RADIO COMMS - Sep/Oct 2013

W

hile the adoption rate of digital two-way radio in Australia and New Zealand is among the highest globally, analog systems are still dominant worldwide. A recent survey suggests that up to 80% of two-way radio users are still using analog systems, even though many of them are using hybrid digital systems.

Even so, more than 70% of those surveyed stated they were planning to migrate to digital in the next five years, and over half of those within the next two years.

While voice communications remains the number one application for two-way radio - both digital and analog - the drive behind the shift towards digital lies in data applications.

With parallels in the smartphone world, where data applications - or apps - have transformed the humble mobile phone into a portable computer, similar changes are afoot in the radio world.

Ironically, the ubiquity of smartphones has partly become a catalyst for radio’s metamorphosis, mainly because smartphones have begun to overlap, and

sometimes supersede, the utility of twoway radio, adding significant cost (and risk) to companies with hundreds of field workers.

In some cases, apps have become mission-critical, making them indispensable to fieldwork. Given the complex, real-time interactions between field personnel and those back at headquarters, radio technology has had to evolve just to keep up with demand.

Two-way radio apps Two-way radio apps are increasingly being developed to suit specific business needs, as opposed to organisations working around standard apps to make them fit.

There are hundreds of two-way radio software application developers across the Asia-Pacific region alone, focused on developing business-specific applications for public safety, manufacturing, transport and logistics, security, hospitality, construction and mining organisations.

As these apps are being developed, two-way radio handsets are beginning to replace other proprietary devices that www.radiocomms.com.au

www.radiocomms.com.au

Sep/Oct 2013- RADIO COMMS

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Going Digital

"If digital radio is to succeed, it first has to overcome the inertia of analog systems that are practically embedded in the lifeblood of field communications."

were previously used for the sole purpose of performing one or more specialised functions - functions that can now be done by the radio and the app.

The history of two-way radio is a long one; so long in fact that analog radio has reached its innovation ceiling. Everything that can be done with analog radio which by its very nature can only perform one task at a time - has been done.

But analog radio’s longevity is also its strength: familiarity breeds ubiquity, and two-way radio has become almost as entrenched as a home appliance in many organisations. The transition to digital has taken off, with at least a decade of evolution in digital radio standards such as TETRA and Project 25.

If digital radio is to succeed, it first has to overcome the inertia of analog systems that are practically embedded in the lifeblood of field communications and, on the whole, still perform admirably.

sending and receiving critical information while engaged in a voice call.

Other benefits such as open standards between digital radio systems (allowing for mix-and-match handsets) and higher levels of encryption, critical to companies in the security industry, for example, have each in their own way fuelled the initial migration from analog to digital.

The marriage of apps and mobile phones turned the mobile world on its head almost overnight. Yes, apps were available on mobiles in one form or another long before the iPhone was even conceived. But no device prior to the iPhone made the app the selling point of a phone. From that point onwards, the smartphone market made the steep and rapid leap towards critical mass - a trajectory that shows no signs of abating more than five years later.

Now, a new generation of apps is about to tip the scales for digital twoway radio in the very same way.

The tipping point

Digital killed the analog star

The shift towards digital technology began for entirely different reasons. Digital introduced several advantages over analog systems that made a significant difference in the field.

For example, improved voice quality and the partial elimination of background noise when converting the human voice to digital signals - had positive implications in noisy environments.

Spectrum efficiency - the ability to use a single digital frequency for multiple voice and data streams - made digital systems far more scalable and introduced additional benefits, such as simultaneous voice and data streams to digital handsets that allow for, among other things,

We no longer live in an analog age. A new generation of consumers has been sensitised to data ubiquity - be it text, video, images or even digitised voice, often all at once.

This behaviour is rapidly spilling over into the workplace, with the smartphone revolution the most obvious example. While smartphones have so far had limited utility in remote areas and for mission-critical tasks in the mining industry, for example, the data they can carry is of great importance. If anything, access to rich data in the field is transforming the workplace. New generation digital radio handsets are already adopting smartphone-like functionality - picture

32 RADIO COMMS - Sep/Oct 2013

messaging, GPS tracking and internet access to name a few.

Let’s take applications being used in the resources sector as examples. Tracking applications using the GPS tracking capabilities of digital radios have been developed that can easily locate the worker the radio is attached to, which assists in compliance with an increased focus on occupational health and safety regulations.

In addition, the two-way radio in a truck can signal whether a truck is speeding or in the wrong area, increasing productivity and efficiency and further ensuring safety.

The biggest challenge to digital radio is not analog radio, especially since many analog networks and devices will, over the next few years, reach the end of their useful life and will cost more to maintain than the cost of replacing them with digital alternatives.

No, the biggest challenge to digital radio is the other digital devices that may make radio - digital or otherwise redundant.

Mobile networks are nowhere near the point of radio’s maturity, at least not for niche applications and in remote locations. But as mobile technology improves, and its reach extends outward via new-generation wireless and satellite networks, radio will continually have to justify its place.

Thankfully, it’s the tailored business - and mission-specific apps being developed (GPS tracking, visual and audio feedback and location services, among others) - that have already begun to move digital handsets into workers’ hands faster than at any other time in history.

Motorola Solutions Australia Pty Ltd Contact info and more items like this at wf.net.au/U252 www.radiocomms.com.au

Network Design

A strategic approach to radio technology

Hurricane Sandy wrought devastation in the USA. Communications coverage was severely affected.

Credit: Jordan Balderas, Creative Commons.

John Emerson, Chief Information Officer, Tait Communications

Chief information officers have a responsibility to make informed and balanced decisions when it comes to implementing strategic radio network plans.

T

he ubiquitous mobile phone works well for most of us, most of the time. Occasionally we get a dropped call or two when coverage plummets, or the odd network outage means we can’t download emails or browse the internet.

It’s frustrating, but rarely life threatening.

Put yourself in the shoes of a police officer or utility worker in a hazardous situation or remote area and reliable coverage becomes much more than a nice-to-have - it’s an absolute necessity.

It’s critical to be able to function properly and safely. That’s why it’s known as ‘critical communications’. While a chief information officer (CIO) wants to make 34 RADIO COMMS - Sep/Oct 2013

sure the people they’re supporting have reliable radio communications, the idea of operating a stand-alone radio network may not be immediately attractive, particularly when all the other networks in their IT organisation are IP based. These are largely physically wired networks local area networks (LANs) connected by a wide area network (WAN) - so they’re relatively straightforward to manage. But what about radio?

Well, radio technology has evolved significantly in the last few years. Today’s IP-based radio networks have much in common with modern IT systems and can increasingly interface with them. So it fol-

lows that there’s a host of benefits to be gained from managing them together.

IP radio networks An IP radio network is similar to a physical network, where LANs are joined through a WAN. The radio network consists of multiple base stations serving a large geographic area, all connected through a WAN that can be wired, fibre or landline. This WAN may be a combination of a private network and a commercial vendor’s network. The IP radio network supports voice and some data, although voice communication is usually still its main use. But this is changing. www.radiocomms.com.au

Network Design

It’s already common for packets of data to be sent via radio networks. For example, sending the location coordinates of a public safety officer can be critical to their personal safety as well as to the command structure. Sending a status request and then monitoring a radio user’s response can be equally critical.

Similarly, gathering data elements from utilities field staff, such as their location, task ID and time can provide key input to workforce management systems.

IP data packets can be transmitted over shared lines, but careful radio network design is needed to maintain the quality of real-time voice communications. However, there are potential cost savings because of the opportunity to share network resources.

Strategic fit The CIO is responsible for making sure that all networks under their responsibility (and all the devices on those networks) will work together; information must be able to move seamlessly from one network to another, especially where public safety is concerned.

Any forward-looking organisation will understand the need to expand the use of their networks for closer partnerships between clients, partners and other entities such as government agencies.

Technology that has been in operation for many years can hinder effective business functions. The business itself may change, or the technology can simply fail to keep up. As a result, the CIO must be sure that the technology can remain effective and efficient over a long period of time, so that business needs continue to be satisfied.

As well as technology trends, CIOs must keep current with the proposed product roadmaps of their key vendors. Vendors whose roadmaps are not consistent with the CIO’s organisation’s strategy are clearly a risk to be addressed and managed.

Last century, proprietary standards were common, due to rapidly evolving technologies developed by companies using their own standards. These proprietary standards could be used to lock customers in to a single vendor for a long time, ensuring the vendor could maximise revenue from those customers. With the deployment and use of the internet, open standards managed by independent industry groups - such as the DMR Association or APCO - have replaced proprietary vendor standards, making it much easier to interoperate and to share networks, data and voice transmissions. www.radiocomms.com.au

From a wider IT perspective, the ‘cloud’ has become the pervasive interoperability standard, using the TCP/IP communications protocol. Technology has converged on this standard, from radios, mobile phones, landlines (VoIP), traffic signals, security cameras, through to TVs and photocopiers.

As a result, the CIO’s job and challenges have become a lot more extensive.

Coverage and reliability Consumer telecommunications companies place their mobile phone towers where they can make the most revenue from as many connections as possible. As a result, poor, sparsely populated or semirural areas may not have reliable coverage.

Conversely, these are areas where public safety agencies and utilities typically operate, and their communications requirements must be based on radio coverage, using radio towers that can be easily reconfigured to ensure uniform coverage across an entire region.

In an emergency, such as a natural disaster, or even at peak times of ‘normal’ demand (like New Year’s Eve), cellular networks quickly become overloaded. In the Christchurch, New Zealand, earthquake of 2011, the cellular network was immediately overloaded as members of the public sought to connect with friends and family. However, the radio network remained available to the public safety and associated agencies with a minimal interruption of service, and handled the much higher levels of public safety use.

In some countries, terrorists have used cellular networks to detonate bombs via their mobile phones. As a result, one of the first things public safety does is to shut down the cellular network when a bomb is detonated in a public place.

While most networks are designed and deployed with built-in redundancy, the CIO must be absolutely sure that any new network vendor - and the proposed network being considered - must be at least as reliable as the network and the vendor they are planning to replace. The most common way to check this out is to talk with other organisations that already use this vendor’s equipment and services, as well as ensuring high availability through the RFP process with clear requirements, specifications and in contracts. Another way to manage the risk of unreliable vendors or their networks is to insist on open standards, to make sure nonperforming entities or components can be replaced quickly.

Security With increasingly sophisticated and aggressive cyberattacks, security has become a must-have. Not only is access security important, but high-level encryption has also become essential.

Radio networks have very high security requirements, due to high government use, and are usually private, ensuring others cannot access transmissions as easily as they can on the public cellular network. The level of encryption within P25 networks is specifically designed for the higher requirements of law enforcement.

As an example, the São Paulo Police Force’s effectiveness had been previously limited by drug cartels intercepting their communications and disappearing before police arrived. The Tait P25 network commissioned in 2006 has yet to be cracked by the crime syndicates and São Paulo Police attributed the contribuSep/Oct 2013- RADIO COMMS

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Network Design

tion of the secure communications to a reduction in crime of 60% between 2006 and 2011.

Scalability While public safety entities may not be physically expanding, regional mutual support agreements are becoming increasingly common. New networks tend to expand and replace the older networks, so that all parties can communicate by consolidating on one standard. Utility CIOs understand that their companies may expand by procuring other utility companies. Either way, a smart CIO is going to make sure that the communications network can be scaled up, to cover any eventuality.

Converging on the TCP/IP communications protocol, an organisation’s networks can be managed from one console, irrespective of the content of the TCP/IP packet (voice, data, etc).

Such convergence has already occurred in locations from a 60,000-resident city, to the Los Angeles basin with 14 million residents. The communications can involve any device (including desktop PCs, servers, smartphones, radios, traffic signals, etc). Many regions have mutual support agreements among police and fire, partly as a result of budget cutbacks, but also to be able to project a larger response in the event of a local disaster. Integrated communications platforms are essential to support coordinated, multiorganisational responses.

Management To perform consistently, any network requires ongoing support. User administration, security, device monitoring and network monitoring are all key to maintaining network integrity and performance. CIOs will want an extensive network management tool to be able to perform management functions effectively over the long term.

The same network management tools used for managing IT networks can be used to manage the TCP/ IP-based radio networks. A networkaddressable radio can be remotely checked for operational status, its location ascertained, software downloaded to it and operational issues identified before the radio is rendered inoperable if required. These are the same remote management tasks that can be performed with a smartphone, providing the ability to manage all the organisation’s TCP/IP mobile devices in real time. Other functions that can be 36 RADIO COMMS - Sep/Oct 2013

performed include device security and network performance management.

Redundancy in an emergency While redundancy is built into most modern networks, the critical nature of public safety and utility work functions benefit from having multiple networks that provide additional redundancy. As most organisations already use the local public cellular network for a number of functions, in the event of a disaster, key staff can be issued with a radio.

The radio network is a very cost-effective way to ensure the needs of an organisation coping with an emergency are met, without the cellular network.

CIOs know that demands for integration will increase and that standalone systems are becoming rare.

As radios become more intelligent and IP-based, interfaces with other networks (eg, Wi-Fi) become common. Data interfaces with IT systems also become possible through these other networks.

Any radio vendor not providing openstandard interfaces to other networks and IT systems risks losing sales, as potential customers walk away from probable vendor lock-in. These days, that is probably a career-limiting decision.

The TCP/IP-based radio networks can also be used as a ‘bridge’ to the organisation’s other TCP/IP-based systems from the open standards-based legacy radio networks. This may extend the life of the legacy networks and enable the expansion of the newer TCP/IP radio networks at an easier pace, avoiding the risky ‘big bang’ approach.

www.radiocomms.com.au

Network Design

Convergence

Radio is relevant

Over the past 30 years, IT systems and networks have both become more complex to the point where they can be very difficult to manage. Organisations wonder why their IT departments can’t get anything done, when in fact IT staff work long hours to keep many different technologies going. CIOs are actively looking for ways to simplify their networks, systems and processes.

As can be seen in the comparison table, the commonality between networks is increasing to the point where network management tools can handle both internal IP networks and radio networks on the same console.

Continual downward pressure on IT budgets and increasing demands for service can mean being the CIO is a thankless task these days. Predictable cost is essential, as well as reasonable component cost, so that there are no surprises.

As radio technology is built to last more than three times as long as cellular, cost can be spread over a much longer life cycle of 10 to 12 years.

Converging technologies between IT and the critical communications that radio networks support mean that radio is actually more closely aligned with the CIO’s domain than ever before.

Contrary to widely held beliefs, radio is by no means past its prime.

Radio has evolved significantly and will continue to play an essential role in public safety and utility organisations that require mission-critical communications across challenging coverage areas. When issues such as coverage, reliability, security, robustness and cost are fully considered, a radio network offers genuine business value to many organisations.

When a natural disaster strikes, commercial telecommunications company networks are immediately impacted.

Cellular providers told the Federal Communications Commission that the day after Hurricane Sandy landed on 29 October 2012, more than 25% of mobile phone service went out in the 158 counties across the 10 states most af-

www.radiocomms.com.au

fected by the storm. Services worsened in many areas as generators serving cell towers ran out of fuel. Entire households were without communication as their bundled services (mobile phone, internet and landline) failed completely.

In February 2011, when a Richter 6.3 earthquake struck Christchurch, New Zealand, with the third largest shock force ever recorded, the telecommunications networks were severely damaged and there was low availability within the city. The radio networks used by public safety agencies were quickly restored and continued to perform throughout the following aftershocks. These examples highlight the importance of having secure, highly reliable radio networks dedicated to public safety use, capable of integrating with and operating across different technologies within a regional area.

Tait Communications Contact info and more items like this at wf.net.au/V085

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newproducts LTE base station tester Anritsu has introduced the MT8220T BTS Master, a multifunction handheld tester that contains all of the capabilities that network operators, installers and regulatory authorities need when measuring base stations.

With this third generation of the field-proven BTS Master family, the MT8220T has improved performance, including a standard GPS receiver, enhanced 2-port dynamic range, a faster LTE scanner and expanded spectrum analysis capability, in a design that is slimmer and lighter than previous models.

Combining a cable and antenna analyser, spectrum analyser and internal power meter, the tester offers line sweeping, comprehensive wireless measurements, ultra-sensitive spectrum analysis and sophisticated interference tracking in a compact handheld solution. Providing multiple testing capabilities including comprehensive over-the-air (OTA) measurements to support remote radio heads (RRH) and MIMO, the tester is well suited for co-siting of new systems, such as LTE, with existing networks.

Anritsu Pty Ltd Contact info and more items like this at wf.net.au/U973

RFID developer kits Unique Micro Design (UMD) has widened its array of SkyeTek RFID Developer Kits by introducing the Gemini series of NFC modules. The kits include RFID module(s) and antennas, sample RFID tags, device drivers, demo software, design guides and application notes.

SkyeTek’s SkyeModule Gemini is a low-cost, low-power, MIFARE and NFC reader/writer module. The Gemini module is based on 13.56 MHz HF technology using the ISO14443A and MIFARE standards. Other features include a wide input power supply range (2.0-5.5 V), sleep mode current down to 10 µA, easy migration to and from the SkyeModule M2 and M4 and supported host interfaces such as USB, TTL level RS232, SPI and I2C. The Gemini module connector uses the Common Blade Interface.

Unique Micro Design Pty Ltd Contact info and more items like this at wf.net.au/U840

Tomorrow’s critical communications, today Looking for innovative and intelligent TETRA solutions? You can rely on Sepura to solve your operational challenges with rugged terminals, flexible systems and efficiency boosting applications.

For forward-thinking communications, trust Sepura.

sepura.com

38 RADIO COMMS - Sep/Oct 2013

www.radiocomms.com.au

newproducts Portable PIM tester Available from Vicom, AWT’s Portable PIM testers are powerful yet compact tools for testing and analysing telecommunications network infrastructure.

The testers are ruggedised (IP66, closed), can withstand harsh environmental conditions and are accurate, reliable and very easy to operate; furthermore, they provide a number of features ideal for work in the field. Providing output power conforming to IEC 62037, the AWT S1P portable PIM analyser has operating modes including field diagnostics, analyser (PIM sweep, PIM vs time), VSWR, distance to fault and distance to PIM. The portable PIM analyser provides the output power and measurement functionality to fully test for PIM in a functional portable package.

Vicom Australia Pty Ltd

CLEAN & RELIABLE OFF-GRID POWER

Contact info and more items like this at wf.net.au/U975

Dual-802.11ac-radio access point Meru Networks has announced the Meru AP832, which it claims is the market’s fastest 802.11ac access point. Meru attributes the speed to the Virtual Cell, a single-channel option provided by the MobileFLEX architecture and its support for the use of 80 MHz channels as outlined in the IEEE 802.11ac draft specification. Meru says that other wireless architectures largely restrict support for 40 MHz channels due to limited channel availability, reducing data rates to approximately half of the 1.3 Gbps-per-radio that the specification allows.

The Meru 802.11ac solution enables the use of three spatial streams over two 802.11ac radios on standard 802.3af power, eliminating the need for customers to upgrade their entire ethernet switching infrastructure.

Building on the Meru MobileFLEX architecture, the AP832 features two dual-band 802.11ac-supporting radios capable of simultaneously transmitting on the 5 GHz band. This enables users to overlay 802.11ac APs on 802.11n networks to solve capacity problems in high-density environments. The AP832 also enables the use of three spatial streams with only standard 802.3af power over ethernet (PoE), helping customers avoid forklift upgrades to their switching infrastructures. The AP832 access point enables customers to address the challenges created by high-density client environments and increased client diversity by leveraging the full potential of 802.11ac. It is also backwards-compatible to support 802.11n clients in both 2.4 and 5 GHz bands.

Meru AP832 access points are designed to fit into existing Meru AP332 (802.11n) mounting brackets, enabling quick and easy plug-and-play upgrades.

Wavelink Contact info and more items like this at wf.net.au/U758

www.radiocomms.com.au

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newproducts Portable and mobile TETRA terminals The Hytera TETRA Terminal includes the PT580H portable terminal which supports up to 3W RF output and the MT680 mobile terminal which supports up to 10 W RF output. Both units can help the operator save on investment costs, while providing high terminal RF output and a larger communications area. TheTETRA Terminal (including portable terminal and mobile terminal front panel) has IP67 dust and water protection. At the same time, they pass the strict test of US military reliability standard MIL-STD-810E/F/G, ensuring they can endure vibration, shock, salt-fog etc.

Service security is also of utmost concern for many end users, so Hytera TETRA terminal provides comprehensive security mechanisms including authentication, AIE Class 1/2/3, E2EE, enable/disable, mandown and PIN/PUK features. The ergonomic design includes a user-friendly MMI interface, colourful 160 x 128 LCD and 20 reprogrammable buttons.

Hytera Communications Co. Ltd Contact info and more items like this at wf.net.au/T611

6½-digit DMMs Agilent Technologies has introduced the Truevolt Series digital multimeters. These DMMs offer several advantages over previous models. They help engineers see their measurement data in new ways, get actionable information faster and document their results more easily.

The Agilent 34461A DMM is a direct replacement for the industry-standard Agilent 34401A DMM. The Agilent 34460A offers engineers a basic entry point to the 6½-digit class of DMMs. Compared with the 34401A, the 34461A offers expanded current ranges from 100 µA to 10 A. Both the 34460A and 34461A have a temperature measurement function and expanded diode measurement capability to allow engineers to measure a larger full-scale voltage (5 V) so they can test more diode types, such as LEDs. The Agilent Truevolt Series have a 4.3², high-resolution, colour display to view numerical readings, long-term trends (34461A only), histograms and statistical information. Engineers can set display preferences and pull them up automatically the next time they start up the instrument. Driverless easy file access USB file transfer provides simple connectivity between an Agilent Truevolt DMM and a PC. Engineers can drag and drop measurement data, instrument settings and screen images into PC applications without additional software.

The Digital Multimeter Connectivity Utility software lets engineers control, capture and view the Agilent DMMs on their benches. With a single click they can transfer data to a PC via USB, GPIB, LAN or RS232. Agilent Truevolt Series DMMs account for measurement errors created by real-world factors, so engineers can be confident in their measurements.

According to Agilent, the Truevolt DMMs have less than 30% of the amount of injected current attributed to the meter compared with DMMs made by other vendors.

In real measurement situations, input currents create measurement errors, adding voltages to DMM results. Truevolt DMMs take care of input bias current.

Agilent Technologies Aust Pty Ltd Contact info and more items like this at wf.net.au/U595

Dispatch system on tablets, laptops Zetron’s MAX Dispatch system is now fully operational for use on tablet PCs and laptops, providing the full functionality and features it provides at operator positions in the control room. This give the ability to respond quickly and deliver remote, temporary, backup or mobile dispatching quickly, securely and affordably. The company says the system supports a number of scenarios that are common to many command-and-control centres and public-safety agencies. For instance, if a centre has to be evacuated due to a storm, flood or other natural disaster, operations can be transferred to a backup centre that uses MAX Dispatch on tablet PCs or laptops.

Backup centres can also be ready to provide additional dispatching support over tablet PCs or laptops if an event overwhelms the main centre, and supervisors can keep in touch with dispatch operations while moving throughout the building.

Zetron Australasia Contact info and more items like this at wf.net.au/U718

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newproducts Digital radio test set Aeroflex Incorporated has introduced the 3920B Digital Radio Test Set for analog AM and FM, digital P25, P25 Phase II, DMR, NXDN, dPMR, TETRA and TEDS technologies.

The 3920B is the direct replacement for all versions of the Aeroflex 3900 Series.

The 3920B features a low phase noise RF signal generator providing enhanced spectral purity with SSB phase noise specified at -110 dBc/Hz at 10 kHz offset.

This level of performance is achieved at an offset from the carrier that is significantly less than the industry standard for this type of specification, which is typically 20 kHz. The ability of the 3920B to achieve such low phase noise specifications close to the carrier makes the 3920B a suitable test solution for today’s digital narrowband or analog receiver testing where narrowband phase noise is critical.

The 3920B includes all the features and function of the 3920, including Aeroflex’s expanding library of AutoTest II capabilities for automated test and alignment of a wide range of mission-critical radios. The 3920B provides Auto-Test II capabilities for Motorola APX, Motorola XTS and XTL Series as well as Harris, EF Johnson, Relm/BK and Kenwood radios, with support for additional radios coming in the near future.

Aeroflex Incorporated Contact info and more items like this at wf.net.au/V020

Test cables Exclusively distributed through Rojone Pty Ltd, Pasternack Enterprises has released a new line of SMA and N-Type test cables, suitable for testing applications requiring low insertion loss and operating frequencies up to 26.5 GHz. These RF test cables are specifically designed for environments requiring highly durable test cables, but where expensive ultrastable cables are not required. The cables are available in both in-series and between-series configurations. They use male versions of SMA (26.5 GHz) and N (18 GHz) connectors, and Pasternack’s own flexible 141 semi-rigid coax. Each test cable is constructed with extremely durable, machined, stainless steel connectors and comes standard with a double-shielded coax and FEP jacket.

Pasternack’s SMA and N test cables are used for applications including prototyping in test labs, production line testing and antenna range testing. These rugged RF cables are a cost-effective solution for various types of production testing, eliminating the need to buy more expensive versions. Test cables are available in 100, 150 and 200 cm lengths.

Rojone Pty Ltd Contact info and more items like this at wf.net.au/V023

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Sep/Oct 2013- RADIO COMMS

41

End of an Era

Farewell to Mike Westwick-Farrow’s technical journalist and editor, Mike Smyth, has finally decided to take on a well-earned retirement. We bid him a fond farewell.

Adrian Farrow, Janette Woodhouse and Jonathan Nally

42 RADIO COMMS - Sep/Oct 2013

N

ot too long ago, many thought the two-way radio market would die a horrible death through the introduction of mobile phones. Then came the awful terrorist attack on the London underground, which demonstrated that public mobile networks are ineffective in emergencies. That event, coupled with the horrific bushfires here in Australia, suddenly saw two-way became the flavour of the month again … and, of

course, it has remained, and will remain, the key instrument in responding to all emergencies.

Mike Smyth was one of those who had seen through the mobile mania, telling anyone who would listen that twoway radio, especially HF, would remain essential for all public safety and critical communications operations. He was vindicated. This magazine, which some people also thought would be decimated by the mobile market, weathered the storm and is today stronger than ever.

Mike is unashamedly English. (How English? Well, there are rumours that he actually supports the England cricket team.) He spent much of his early working life as the chief subeditor on a daily newspaper in Ipswich, a major town in the incredibly beautiful county of Suffolk. After a time, he made the journey to Australia (rumours suggest he was deported, but we’ve been unable to confirm that). He ended up editing a Sydney suburban newspaper before finding his way to Westwick-Farrow, the publishers of this magazine, 19 years ago.

Over the years Mike was at the helm of many of our publications - including Radio Comms Asia-Pacific, What’s New in Electronics, What’s New in Process Technology, What’s New in Telecommunications, What’s New in Scientific and Laboratory Technology, What’s New in Computing, What’s New in Pneumatics and Hydraulics - and assisted in editing and writing for every other magazine in the Westwick-Farrow stable. His long experience, technical knowledge and passion for quality journalism were huge assets.

Mike is one of those incredibly strong planks that all good businesses rely on - there was no job he would not tackle; he would do everything he could to make the business the success it has been and still is today.

To some of his colleagues, Mike was affectionately known as Mr Grumpy immortalised with his Grumpy page in What’s New in Electronics. But in reality, he was always ready to help and always the first to put up his hand when the wheels were falling off within the editorial department and a magazine or editor needed some help. There probably hasn’t been a single editor in the whole organisation who hasn’t turned to Mike at some stage for advice or a witty headline.

So Mike, from all of your colleagues, past and present, and the tens of thousands of readers in many fields whom you have informed and educated throughout the past 19 years, we wish you a safe and happy retirement. www.radiocomms.com.au

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