Clear signals benefit lives at risk
New coastal systems need to meet existing operations.
“Systems need to be configured to meet the existing operational procedures of the coast station and not the other way around”, Peter Batt of ICS Electronics told Maritime Journal.
He added, “One of the key things we have learnt over the years is that everyone’s coast station requirements are not the same.”
ICS has been involved in the design, integration and supply of advanced GMDSS compatible coastal networks to over 25 countries so far, but Mr Batt explained this experience covers many different needs. These run from the largest coastguard requirements in countries such as Denmark, the Netherlands, Sweden, the UK and Coast Guard in the USa to emerging nations on Africa’s North and West Coasts. While there are essential components always required, the system has to be flexible enough to be worked around what’s already there, Mr Batt added.
Since simple and reliable communication is an essential element of a coastal station, whether it is for SAR operations, port control or the dissemination of maritime safety information, an IP system is the basis of ICS’ V4 Marine Communication System (MCS).
Mr Batt explained that whilst Voice over IP systems are well known inland, the V4 MCS brings IP based solutions into the port, and it is, by its nature, highly scalable. It can be used to build solutions from a simple single operator port station to a complete fully integrated national voice and data radio communications infrastructure.
He also pointed out the system’s cost advantage. “Previously, the coastguard stations often brought the signals back in from the radios over dedicated telephone lines running on copper wire, which is a very expensive way to do it. If you use voice over IP you can just about justify upgrading your system on the back of savings accrued from not having to rent the dedicated telephone lines.”
It works by taking signals from the radios, and converting them to a number of digital ‘voice packets’, which are then sent over a network, synchronised and presented to the operator. This digital architecture also adds flexibility to its application.
“An issue with radio is that these things hiss and crackle, so you can miss information, said Mr Batt. “Ensuring high quality signals reach the operator helps improve your response time and saving it into a digital voice recorder means you can listen over again to distress messages.”
A vessel at sea will be broadcasting out into an area, and so will probably be picked up by multiple receivers. So, built into the system is the ability to ‘elect’ the best out of these
and present the strongest, most coherent signal to the coastguard.
Mr Batt concluded, “Frankly, anything that can improve your chances of hearing a distress or emergency call it means the more lives you can save.”
Images for this article - click to enlarge
Unless otherwise stated, all images copyright © Mercator Media 2012. This does not exclude the owner's assertion of copyright over the material.
