Last week saw us install, commission, test and handover a 9 site Motorola digital radio system, providing wide area radio communications for a major public transport operation in West Yorkshire. This was achieved by having all sites connected over an IP network, linked back to a TRBOnet Enterprise Software Dispatcher System installed on a PC in the central control hub based in Leeds.

Motorola DP4600e handportable radios are used at the remote sites and these communicate together as a local group and can also be contacted by the central TRBOnet Dispatcher PC at the control hub, if important information needs to be passed from the control centre to remote staff.

In addition to providing basic digital two-way radio communications, the Motorola handportable radios are equipped with Health and Safety features including Panic Button and Lone Worker alarm. Should a Panic Button or Lone Worker alarm be activated at any site, the central TRBOnet Dispatcher program will be notified immediately, the PC will provide an audible alert, and the controllers monitor will display and identify, which individual radio at which site, has initiated an alarm. Assistance can then be directed by the controllers as required.

Using the TRBOnet Enterprise dispatcher PC, controllers can initiate radio calls to any individual radio at any site, can call a group of radios at any of the eight sites, or can call all radios at all sites simultaneously in an emergency. As radio users are equipped with the Motorola DP4600 radios with LCD displays, the controllers can also send discrete text messages from their PC keyboard to radios, where broadcast voice messages may be inappropriate.

All radio voice traffic is recorded and date and time stamped by the TRBOnet Enterprise dispatcher program, for audit purposes in the event of a serious incident.