From Djuba, South Sudan through to Kabul, Afghanistan dPMR works hand in hand with humanitarian agencies and local populations to help to establish more secure futures.
The very flexibility, scalability and all round technical capability is what suits dPMR so well to a wide range of non-standard circumstances. A dPMR network was the first radio system to be installed in, what was at the time, the world’s newest country of South Sudan. Different issues, born of conflict and geography brought challenges to the team designing the system for the UNHCR in Afghanistan. Here interference generated by constraints of landscape as well as hostile agencies jamming signals had to be worked around; to establish and maintain the security of the teams working on the ground.
The system installed in South Sudan towards the end of 2011 was a mixed analogue and digital radio network. dPMR Mode 2 equipment is used for the digital component of the system; 15 sites equipped with dPMR repeaters. Any 2 way radio within the coverage area can be called in either analogue or digital mode. The UNHCR needed a slow phased migration to digital; this was possible thanks to a third party device, the IP2AIR board, which established the facility for the two to work in parallel in the meantime.
IP2AIR is an advanced solution for professional two-way radios developed by ICOM FRANCE. The IP2AIR solutions enhances your experience of radio by bringing new functionalities. IP2AIR solutions is designed for ICOM equipment but it can be connected to almost all radio devices available on the market.
Photo: by U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt Bryson K. Jones
Remote Control Software
The radio operator monitor the traffic of all the repeaters around the country from a computer running a dispatch console; this Djuba radio base can be called at anytime from any location under the system’s coverage.
Digital Radio Check
A conventional radio check can take a very long time in a big network with more than 100 users but a digital radio check system will ask the user to enter a PIN code to the radio. If the user enters the correct PIN code, this confirms the full working order of the radio in the hands of its authorized user.
Easy Private Call
Digital dPMR allows users to make private call without disturbing all the users on the network.
Phone Capability
All users can receive phone calls with their dPMR radio terminal; authorized users can make a phone call as well. In an emergency instructions can be given on the radio network from a phone.
Repeater Link Control
Each authorized user on the network, on digital or analogue units, can activate a link to reach the base or a user within coverage of the distant repeater. When this is activated, the linked repeaters work like a unique repeater, so the user can communicate exactly the same way as if they were on the same repeater
In Kabul due to the high number of jammers and interference it was almost impossible to establish communication even in peer-to-peer mode; two-way radio was not efficient due to the very high location of the repeaters. Noise and interference were an issue to the system, the cell phone network was not working 24/7 and consequently some offices were not reachable during the night. The decision was taken to redesign the network entirely to improve communication and staff security.
dPMR offers a highly technical, scalable solution that is robust enough to deal with this fast changing and complex environment. A variety of added value solutions within the technology and its hardware enable UNHCR to deliver essential services.
Information kindly provided by Icom France S.A.S.
Coverage
The new network needed linked repeaters all over the country on a security channel and these were relocated close to the coverage working areas.
Private Calls
Security officers can establish private calls with other officers around the country. All repeaters installed in the country were connected to an IP network. Security officers can very easily establish a link with one or several repeaters from their portable radio in order to communicate with other security officers in different regions.
Simple Channels
A robust simplex network avoiding heavy interference. All analogue simplex channels using the same allocated frequencies were duplicated. The radio can still be reachable on a duplex channel in analogue or digital mode. The 6.25 kHz FDMA dPMR™ technology very easily allows the creation of 6.25 kHz simplex channels. Simplex is also used as a priority for the guards in operational mode.
Network Monitoring
With new radio room software a radio check can be carried out over the whole country from a single room, giving the operators the possibility to monitor and communicate with all the repeaters around the country at the same time.
Due to the security-sensitive nature in this application of dPMR technology, details are not available for public release.
Due to the security-sensitive nature in this application of dPMR technology, details are not available for public release.
Case study information is not available as it is restricted by commercial confidentiality.
Due to the security-sensitive nature in this application of dPMR technology, details are not available for public release.
Case study information is not available as it is restricted by commercial confidentiality.
Due to the security-sensitive nature in this application of dPMR technology, details are not available for public release.
Due to the security-sensitive nature in this application of dPMR technology, details are not available for public release.
Case study information is not available as it is restricted by commercial confidentiality.
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