Today was a very good day for our Tetra pilot in Green Bay.
1) We resolved the telephone interface problem with the Tetra system.
Put simply, the testing phones I was using had extension numbers 800 and
801, and the Asterisk interface was told to send calls beginning with an
82xx or 83xx to the Tetra computer. I fixed the problem by changing the
extension numbers to 400 and 401, and the problem vaporized. We now
have bi-directional calling internally available. I will be working on
a full-time POTS connection in the near future, but for now, people on
the radio can call the people in the office, and the office can call
people on the radio. The audio levels were clean with outstanding
clarity! Tomorrow, we will work on a video demonstration of our success.
2) We setup and activated the Dispatcher station on the Tetra network.
Working with a software vendor, we obtained trial copies of a Dispatcher
solution that works over an IP network to interface with Tetra. Using a
headphone and microphone solution, we can now make "calls" onto the
radio network, and interact with radios in the field. We performed full
duplex (like a normal telephone) and half-duplex (like walkie talkie)
calls with the system, along with sending SDS (text) messages through
the interface. The Dispatcher logs those messages.
Take care, and I'll write more soon.
Christian
Friday, February 25, 2011
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
IWCE
For those of you attending IWCE this year we will be presenting on the TETRA Pilot at the TETRA 101 Symposium Monday March 7th from 1 -5 at the Las Vegas Convention Center. For more IWCE information please visit http://iwceexpo.com
We will also be held up at the TETRA Association booth 3103. If you would like more information or would like to schedule a time to stop by to meet please email me at snielson@nielsoncom.com
Thanks,
Steve
Monday, February 21, 2011
Very good week!
Hello Everyone,
Last week, we had some wonderful things happen with our Tetra pilot.
1) We performed the analysis of Tetra vs. Analog performance at extreme ranges from the towers, and found several instances that when the Tetra digital first began to break down, that the Analog at that range was very scratchy and unstable to almost unusable! This is rather incredible, as the Tetra systems were transmitting about 10 Watts, and the analog was in the 25Watt range. One would think that more power is always better, but we have found cases where we have similar performance without the power penalty and exposure. As this is rather unbelievable, we are going to make a video of our observations to share with you all.
2) We took some portable radios and removed them from the Tetra base stations. We put them into DMO mode (direct without a repeater or base station) and performed conversations. This coming week, we want to work with a mobile in Gateway and Repeater modes, and see how well the signals replicate through the radio. Because this is all digital, the replicated signal should be much closer to the original source. Let's try it!
3) We assembled our real-world driving data, and compared it to a
propagation study, and found that the two data sets are quite similar. The real-world tests were better than the calculations, but then again, it is winter time here in Wisconsin, and the leaves are off of the trees. Signals will be dampened once the leaves return.
Take care, and I'll write more soon.
Christian
Last week, we had some wonderful things happen with our Tetra pilot.
1) We performed the analysis of Tetra vs. Analog performance at extreme ranges from the towers, and found several instances that when the Tetra digital first began to break down, that the Analog at that range was very scratchy and unstable to almost unusable! This is rather incredible, as the Tetra systems were transmitting about 10 Watts, and the analog was in the 25Watt range. One would think that more power is always better, but we have found cases where we have similar performance without the power penalty and exposure. As this is rather unbelievable, we are going to make a video of our observations to share with you all.
2) We took some portable radios and removed them from the Tetra base stations. We put them into DMO mode (direct without a repeater or base station) and performed conversations. This coming week, we want to work with a mobile in Gateway and Repeater modes, and see how well the signals replicate through the radio. Because this is all digital, the replicated signal should be much closer to the original source. Let's try it!
3) We assembled our real-world driving data, and compared it to a
propagation study, and found that the two data sets are quite similar. The real-world tests were better than the calculations, but then again, it is winter time here in Wisconsin, and the leaves are off of the trees. Signals will be dampened once the leaves return.
Take care, and I'll write more soon.
Christian
Monday, February 14, 2011
Goals for Week of Feb 14
1) We are continuing work with the integration of the telephone system.
I am sending the configuration files to the manufacturer for analysis on
why phone calls cannot be made from a landline to a Tetra radio device.
I feel that I am very close to cracking this puzzle, and once it is
done, I plan on installing a couple phones in the office so that people
in the field may call into an office person and talk.
2) Real-world drives continue. One person on Monday took a mobile unit
to Marinette / Menominee, and we are collecting data on that travel, so
we may investigate our range to the North of the tower, over the Bay of
Green Bay. We are also starting the model analysis, and I hope to
report more details on that mid-week.
3) Backup systems are made, however I have not scripted them yet for
automatic execution. I am glad to have a snapshot of the setup, but a
complete and refreshed backup remains the goal of the system.
I also had the pleasure of testing a Tetra portable at the reception of
the Super Bowl Champion Green Bay Packers on Monday. As our office is
located near the stadium here in Green Bay, when the team flew into the
airport, I took a walk to the stadium, and with a large collection of
fans, welcomed the bus parade into the stadium parking lot. Portable
coverage worked really well, and it was windy, with 20 or so mph winds
(the flags were rather extended, but not rigid) and temperatures in the
mid-teens.
Christian
I am sending the configuration files to the manufacturer for analysis on
why phone calls cannot be made from a landline to a Tetra radio device.
I feel that I am very close to cracking this puzzle, and once it is
done, I plan on installing a couple phones in the office so that people
in the field may call into an office person and talk.
2) Real-world drives continue. One person on Monday took a mobile unit
to Marinette / Menominee, and we are collecting data on that travel, so
we may investigate our range to the North of the tower, over the Bay of
Green Bay. We are also starting the model analysis, and I hope to
report more details on that mid-week.
3) Backup systems are made, however I have not scripted them yet for
automatic execution. I am glad to have a snapshot of the setup, but a
complete and refreshed backup remains the goal of the system.
I also had the pleasure of testing a Tetra portable at the reception of
the Super Bowl Champion Green Bay Packers on Monday. As our office is
located near the stadium here in Green Bay, when the team flew into the
airport, I took a walk to the stadium, and with a large collection of
fans, welcomed the bus parade into the stadium parking lot. Portable
coverage worked really well, and it was windy, with 20 or so mph winds
(the flags were rather extended, but not rigid) and temperatures in the
mid-teens.
Christian
Friday, February 11, 2011
More on TETRA Voice Quality
After having had a chance to use the TETRA equipment in my service van
while driving around the Fox Valley, I have to agree on the audio quality.
I have operated most digital modes like P25, TRBO /DMR, NXDN / IDAS,
even D-STAR.
TETRA has by far the best recovered audio I have heard from any digital
mode.
For those of you familiar with those other digital modes, you are
probably used to hearing a lot of digital "artifacts" and occasionally
"gargling" or metallic sounding recovered audio. TETRA seems to do a
superior job of reproducing a more natural sounding voice than any of
the other digital modes. I am impressed.
Bill
RF Technician & occasional climber of tall steel things :)
while driving around the Fox Valley, I have to agree on the audio quality.
I have operated most digital modes like P25, TRBO /DMR, NXDN / IDAS,
even D-STAR.
TETRA has by far the best recovered audio I have heard from any digital
mode.
For those of you familiar with those other digital modes, you are
probably used to hearing a lot of digital "artifacts" and occasionally
"gargling" or metallic sounding recovered audio. TETRA seems to do a
superior job of reproducing a more natural sounding voice than any of
the other digital modes. I am impressed.
Bill
RF Technician & occasional climber of tall steel things :)
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
NCI and TETRA in Radio Resource International
The TETRA system will comprise three IP-connected base stations from Rohde & Schwarz and more than 30 Sepura TETRA radios. The network will demonstrate the features and functionality of TETRA technology, along with showcasing vendor interoperability and the power of TETRA-enabled applications, a Sepura statement said.
Three local utilities have expressed interest in the technology, said Rick Nielson, president of Nielson Communications. He plans to supply the utilities with mobiles and portables and allow the utility staff to test the coverage. "Basically I’ve been watching this technology for 10 years, and it’s really interesting. It’s amazing actually," Nielson said. Complete Article: Link to Radio Resource International
Three local utilities have expressed interest in the technology, said Rick Nielson, president of Nielson Communications. He plans to supply the utilities with mobiles and portables and allow the utility staff to test the coverage. "Basically I’ve been watching this technology for 10 years, and it’s really interesting. It’s amazing actually," Nielson said. Complete Article: Link to Radio Resource International
Goals for Week of February 7
Work continues well for our TETRA Project, and we have some goals for this week.
1) Continue working on hardware integration with the telephone system.
One of the valuable features of the TETRA radio environment is that it will interface with the telephone system, allowing authorized radio users the ability to make a phone call through the radio system. We have radio to landline working, and are in the process of finalizing the configuration of a landline
person calling a radio device.
2) Continue real-world drive tests documenting signal strength.
We have data collected and will continue to gather and document additional signal strength test as well as verifying our RF plots with ground truth reports. I hope to analyze these details later this week and compare them with the analog system already installed at the base station locations. This means we can compare the radio styles, as the analog system uses the same antenna system as the TETRA systems.
3) Collect our documentation, and generate backups.
Want to demonstrate that with light effort the system is robust and can tolerate equipment failure.
1) Continue working on hardware integration with the telephone system.
One of the valuable features of the TETRA radio environment is that it will interface with the telephone system, allowing authorized radio users the ability to make a phone call through the radio system. We have radio to landline working, and are in the process of finalizing the configuration of a landline
person calling a radio device.
2) Continue real-world drive tests documenting signal strength.
We have data collected and will continue to gather and document additional signal strength test as well as verifying our RF plots with ground truth reports. I hope to analyze these details later this week and compare them with the analog system already installed at the base station locations. This means we can compare the radio styles, as the analog system uses the same antenna system as the TETRA systems.
3) Collect our documentation, and generate backups.
Want to demonstrate that with light effort the system is robust and can tolerate equipment failure.
Monday, February 7, 2011
Tetra Blog
I am Christian, the IT Network Engineer at Nielson Communications, and I
am excited to be working on the Tetra program here in Green Bay. I am
the Project Manager for the program, and I am also responsible for the
infrastructure design and implementation of the base station units. My
goal is to deploy the units (which we have done), and configure tools to
measure their performance, creating a baseline that we will build upon.
I am also heavily involved with the RF propagation analysis, so that we
may accurately predict where the system will work, given an arbitrary
distance from a site.
am excited to be working on the Tetra program here in Green Bay. I am
the Project Manager for the program, and I am also responsible for the
infrastructure design and implementation of the base station units. My
goal is to deploy the units (which we have done), and configure tools to
measure their performance, creating a baseline that we will build upon.
I am also heavily involved with the RF propagation analysis, so that we
may accurately predict where the system will work, given an arbitrary
distance from a site.
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Tetra voice quality
I am impressed with the voice quality of the Tetra system.
Very clear and crisp.
Rick Nielson, P.E.
President
Bay Electronics, Inc.
920-743-0190 Office
920-743-2914 Fax
rnielson@itol.com
www.bayelectronicsinc.com
Democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who are not. Thomas Jefferson
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)