PMR


Ringing the changes on speaker-mics


Cutting the PMR cord M


any PMR systems do not provide hand- portable coverage, leaving users unable


to communicate when away from their vehi- cle. An innovative solution to this problem is the X10DR (pronounced ‘Extender’) wireless speaker-microphone, from Wireless Corpora- tion in Hong Kong. “What X10DR does is to provide a very low-


cost way for the user to get 300 metres coverage around their vehicle”, explains Martin Cahill. “So two police offi cers can have two of these connected to one mobile and they can talk to each other, or in an ambulance you have three – the driver and two paramedics. “Predominantly, people are out of their ve-


Ralf Kudernak, of Imtradex, with a new Bluetooth remote microphone


W


ith some 50 standard products and as many as 1800 variations on them,


the German radio accessories manufacturer Imtradex has the fl exibility to meet an excep- tionally broad range of user needs. “Four or fi ve years ago, in groups with


users, we found out that they are turning to digital radios but they didn’t know what they wanted to do in the future”, said Ralf Kudernak, managing director and co-founder of the company. “We found out that when they worked with digital radios, they got new ideas about what they can do – and we said, when we develop a product, we must be so open that later on we can have different knobs on it or we can have our display and so on, so that we can improve the product. At Imtradex, we always try to fi nd an eco- nomic solution.” Latest of these is a robust Bluetooth


speaker-microphone designed to work with the latest Bluetooth-enabled digital PMR units as well as with mobile phones.


• Information: www.imtradex.com • Information: www.wirelesscorpltd.co Tetra paging with GPRS


Due to enter production this month is the Birdy pager for Tetra networks, aimed at applications such as calling out volunteer fi refi ghters. Its features include built- in GPS and a GPRS module: “Where we don’t have good coverage with Tetra, it switches directly to GPRS”, explains David Villacastin, managing director of TPL Systèmes. The home screen of the device presents a user-friendly icon display, like a modern smart phone


LAND mobile January 2013 19


hicles 70 per cent of the time – so if you pay all this money to put in a system and then you can’t talk for 70 per cent of the time, it’s a big investment. So we think this is a great way of providing that link back. Basically we took the microphone off the dash, cut the cord and al- lowed the users to walk around.” Operating in the 2.4 GHz ISM band, the


microphone employs a variation of Bluetooth technology. With a Class 1 radio and a ground- independent antenna in the handheld unit, it provides up to 300 metres range. A multi- polarity antenna for the vehicle is claimed to provide up to 5 dB better performance in multipath situations. Mr Cahill points out that standard Bluetooth is not ideal for two- way radio systems because of the requirement for instant press-to-talk, and the company had to develop a number of enhancements to the 802.15 protocol to make it suitable. “Of course, the other thing today is occupational health and safety and duty of care for lone workers”, Mr Cahill adds. “It’s the employer’s responsibility to make sure that staff are safe when they get out of their car and X10DR is a great way of providing that communication.”


Martin Cahill with the X10DR wireless microphone: its controls, which include PTT, emergency and volume buttons, are designed to be simple and intuitive


Green energy: this version of the X10DR was developed for Ergon Energy, one of Australia’s largest power distribution companies. The wireless microphone has enabled Ergon to transform working practices for its mobile technicians


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