world congress
Pocket messenger for new TETRA users I
rish system integrator Sigma Wireless was at the World Congress to launch its first TETRA product – the Comalerter, a two- way pocket messenger device. “Te term pager is not right, it’s so much more than a pager”, emphasizes managing director Tony Boyle. “From a paging perspective, it’s full two-way: it’s alphanumeric, mostly, out to the device, it is pre-canned messages for return.” Te user, he explains, can select from up to 100 predefined messages stored in the device, and they can be freely changed over the air as well. Mark Hanley, of the Irish developer Isle
Systems, Sigma’s partner in the project, adds that the Comalerter has an integrated GPS receiver and also a big red SOS button for emergencies. “Tere’s also man-down detection, and it has a touchscreen interface to access all of your inbox and outbox and all of the features within the device”, he says. “So it’s intuitive to understand. Phones are touchscreen now, so people understand the icon layout.”
In production Mr Boyle adds that he is receiving wide interest in the pager from TETRA operators seeking to develop their customer base beyond the traditional blue-light agencies. “If you
that’s certainly of interest. We’ve found a lot of interest for on-site systems as well. “Te other thing we’ve found very
encouraging is talking to the terminal manufacturers. Te feedback is very positive and I think they see that perhaps the time is now right for this type device. It changes the paradigm, really: it’s not just paging for firemen, it’s a much broader application.” At the heart of the unit is Motorola’s
TOM100 TETRA radio module, but Sigma Wireless has added to this an efficient internal antenna. “We’ve managed to achieve virtually the same coverage as a handportable”, Mr Boyle says. “If you’ve built your network for good handportable in building coverage, then this will work.”
Tony Boyle introduces the Comalerter, a pocket two-way TETRA messaging device
take a highway worker or perhaps a midwife or a probation officer, these are a new type of customer that they can access who don’t necessarily want to carry a full radio”, he says. “Tey just want it for messaging purposes, so
Software support Backing the Comalerter is a suite of fully automated back-office messaging and alerting products from Isle Systems, interconnecting with GSM mobile phones, PCs, email, and providing a full record of everything that happens. “So if somebody sets off a panic alert there is an audit trail – when it started, who received it, what time did they respond at, and all the information that happened during it”, Mark Hanley says.
Dual-mode TETRA/GPRS messager – with GPS too A
lso maintaining a focus on messaging is the French company TPL Systèmes, which has built on its experience in Tetrapol/Pocsag pagers for France’s emergency services to create a brand-new TETRA version of its Birdy pager. “Birdy TETRA includes a TETRA module, GPRS, GPS, and accelerometers for lone worker, man- down and battery life”, said David Villacastain. ‘Resting’ the GPS unit, he explained, can reduce battery consumption when the user is merely inactive rather than in trouble. “Each minute, for example, the pager checks the new GPS position. When you are asleep and the pager is on the table, it’s not necessary to check the new position every time, because it’s the same!” Besides the TETRA module, a
Motorola TOM100, the unit also embodies a GPRS module to provide an alternative communication path. As
Issue 4 2011 TE TRA TODAY
TETRA with GPRS – dual-mode pager from TPL Systèmes in France
an application example, M. Villacastain suggests a hospital served by an on-site TETRA system: “When the doctor goes out of the hospital, they don’t have TETRA coverage, but it’s possible to
receive or send a message by the GPRS with no break in coverage”, he says. It is left to the user organization to choose the priority – whether the pager tries TETRA first or GPRS first.
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