Radio system tells bus drivers about road accidents
A radio system that tells bus drivers about road accidents and traffic jams has been set up in Changchun, the capital city of Jilin province in north-east China. Read more »
RF device 'sniffs' out illegal phones
Berkeley Varitronics Systems has released a handheld mobile phone detector fittingly called the Bloodhound that enables security officers to scan real time for unauthorised mobile phone activity in correctional facilities and detect the precise location of the caller using a direction-finding antenna. Read more »
Small antennas from metamaterials
The National Institute of Standards and Technology and partners from industry and academia have designed and tested experimental antennas that are highly efficient and yet a fraction the size of standard systems with comparable properties. Read more »
First GRN for India is a TETRA system
India's first exclusive government radio network will provide quick and secure communications between government agencies such as the police, fire service, hospitals, public works departments and the city corporation during this year of the Commonwealth Games. Read more »
US plans 700 MHz demo network
The National Institute of Standards and Technology and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration in the US have announced plans to create a demonstration broadband communications network for the nation’s emergency services agencies using a portion of the radiofrequency spectrum freed up by the recent transition of US broadcast television from analog to digital. Read more »
Flexible antennas can multiply tune
Antennas aren't just for listening to the radio anymore. They're used in everything from mobile phones to GPS devices. Read more »
Safety networks in the spotlight: a catalyst for change
Following both global and state government trends towards interoperable systems, impending budget deficits and ACMA’s plans for the 400 MHz spectrum band, now is the ideal time to reassess Australia’s safety communications infrastructure with the view to making wholesale improvements. Mark Ward, business development manager for Airwave Solutions Australia, explores the possibilities of a common network platform. Read more »
Keeping the mind up with IP technology - Part 2
Traditional land-mobile radio networks have not seen the scale of development and indeed opportunities experienced in other technologies. Radio-over-internet protocol (RoIP) will change that. Read more »
Dinner shows off industry’s strength
The 2009 Industry Gala Dinner, hosted by ARCIA, at the Palladium in Melbourne drew over 370 radio communications professionals from far and wide this year, demonstrating the industry’s strength despite growing concerns of stability during the financial crisis earlier this year. Read more »
Talking to each other - a major theme for 2009
For each of the last three years, I seem to have said the same thing - RadioComms Connect is better, bigger, more crowded; there is more enthusiasm, more positive feedback than the last one; and in 2009 I am saying it all over again. Read more »
TETRA poised to take on the world
This overview of TETRA was one of the 26 or so papers on a range of diverse topics that were presented at RadioComms Connect in Melbourne. Read more »
Aluminium cable no longer a lightweight
Telecom operators often find themselves pulled into a polarised situation that includes cost-control and planning for new bandwidth-hungry applications. Across the industry, operators are re-aligning their network strategies to preserve their operating margins. Read more »
Wireless motion detectors have low power consumption
Motion detectors have become ubiquitous in homes and workplaces as a form of protection, and as a means of triggering light sources indoors and out. However, these detectors need wires to function, making their installation laborious as well as costly. The good news is that this is all about to change. ABB, in cooperation with one of its partners, has developed a wireless motion detector. Read more »
Keeping the mind up with IP technology - Part 1
The internet changed the world. We can find information, gain visibility and communicate - basically anytime, anywhere. Not unlike why our predecessors built radio networks in the first place. Read more »
VoIP may solve problems of interoperability - Part 1
Lack of interoperability in radio communications is an urgent problem affecting all levels of government and it not only concerns Australia as this article reveals. Although US based, a lot of the problems discussed here also apply to this country. Read more »
HF set to take on new millennium
In the new millennium, when it seems everyone has a mobile phone and is networked and connected 24 hours a day, seven days a week, what is happening to the more traditional forms of communications such as HF radio? Read more »
Historical display keeps heritage alive
Today, there are few prouder staff at Tait Radio Communications than Ian Gardiner. One of the original 12 employees of Tait Electronics, Ian fulfilled the wish of late company founder Sir Angus Tait by developing the company’s historical display. Read more »
Radio keeps mine assets on track
Keeping track of mining vehicles and monitoring assets using radio telemetry can play a major role in keeping a mining company competitive and efficient. Read more »
Tetra - the latest dish on the menu
All of us have our favourite restaurant and many of us find it so easy to order ‘the usual’ rather than have a fresh look at the menu. Read more »
Challenges of handheld RF test equipment
In these increasingly challenging times where speed and reliability are virtually everything, radio communication field technicians need portable test tools they can trust. Read more »