poland
Three TETRA antennas – two are seen here – provide full radio coverage across the whole of the container terminal
the TETRA system configured like the old [analogue] one because we do not use the sophisticated capabilities of the TETRA system”, says Michal Janik. “We’re just using in our business and our operations side only the fundamentals of the radiocommunication. So we’ve got technical channels and manipulation yard channels and crane channels... We don’t need any ad-hoc groups.” “We don’t even use dispatchers”, says Przemyslaw. “Tey
are useful in many environments, in many systems, but we don’t need it.” What triggered the move to digital was that the
port authority, which had managed the analogue channels, decided to withdraw them. “So we needed to do it ourselves, or use an operator who can provide communication and devices”, says Michal. “We thought about this and we realized that it would be best if we did it ourselves. So we searched for a technology which could be used. We could decide for another analogue system, which was a lot cheaper, but we thought we would try TETRA because originally there was a plan that we would like to
do something like GPS location of our equipment and our people.”
Tat part of the scheme is still pending. However, operating its own radio system has given BCT full control of its communications. “So of course if we want to do something, or even if we would like to do some more functionality with TETRA, we can do it at the time that we want to”, comments Michal. “Tat’s why we have chosen TETRA. It was a good decision, because of anticipation – because we do not know what we will do next, but we wanted to have the possibilities to do more than voice. “From our side, this was our project, for me and
Przemek. One of the reasons was that the Radmor company was very close. Tey were very helpful and we are very happy that we did it with Radmor. It was a good implementation.”
Power play Some 400 kilometres to the south, in central Poland, is another intensive TETRA user – a giant open-cast lignite (brown coal) mine close to the town of Belchatów. Operated by the power company PGE, the pit is the second largest in Europe, an immense chasm gouged out of the plain with the sole purpose of fuelling a nearby electricity generating station. To feed its twin 850 megawatt units, the power station requires 100000 tonnes of coal from the mine each day, or around 40 million tonnes per year. Te mine resembles a deep canyon, its sides sloping
downwards to 300 metres below the surface, at its lowest level. For a visit to one of the two main working levels we climb into a Land Rover – and after driving through woods of pine and birch, we plunge over the edge of the crater into an almost lunar landscape. Picking our way down rough and often potholed tracks and swerving around hairpin bends, we continue our descent, passing fast-moving conveyor-belts which are carrying newly-won coal up to the surface. At length we reach the start of the
Issue 14 2013 TE TRA TODAY
In BCT’s radio room are TetraFlex base stations and controllers by Damm Cellular. Also seen is a transceiver for the existing narrowband data channel. The TETRA equipment is supplied and maintained by system integrator Radmor
29
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44