2 minute read
New era for marine rescue radio and telephony systems
Technology upgrade delivers better communications
Marine Rescue NSW is on the cusp of a new communications era as the roll out of the new Frequentis consoles nears completion.
In June, the State Communications Centre at Belrose became a fully Frequentis site, with the decommissioning of the Omnitronics Alto system, with the only sites still outstanding those that do not hand over to the State Communications Centre.
While the bulk of work is now completed, some remains to be done to finish the most significant ever transformation of Marine Rescue’s radio, internet and telephony systems.
The project brings a number of benefits to the Service. The most significant is a dispatch system purpose-designed for organisations such as emergency services, air traffic controllers and those needing
high availability dispatch consoles in an integrated network that supports Radio over Internet Protocol (RoIP), internet and telephone services. RoIP is similar to Voice over IP (VoIP), but augments two-way radio communications rather than telephone calls.
The network has two telecommunication links with automatic failover should the primary link fail. The new telephone system will be integrated across all connected sites and will provide enhanced call flow and control once installed.
As the system comes online, radio operators will notice new telephones and quicker internet access, with installation of the new Frequentis consoles scheduled to commence in January.
Hidden from view is the investment in highly reliable servers supporting the Frequentis System, and the Telstra Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) network linking all sites and the Telstra telephone network.
While such a significant project has required the combined efforts of many people, several deserve a special mention.
Information Technology Support Officer Matt Sims has logged thousands of kilometres travelling to and from Marine Rescue bases, where he has been busy finding and installing NBN connections and cutting over the internet connections.
Kurt Mason, Karera Project Manager, has been instrumental in managing the Frequentis
configuration pushes to all sites and the deployment of Karera resources to remote locations.
As the driver of the project on the coalface, Emergency Systems Manager Colin Williams has handled the ups and downs inherent in any significant project with professionalism and skill, ensuring the project has stayed on track to deliver its important benefits to the Service.
Finally, as the ‘grandad’ of the project, former Director Operations Andrew Cribb provided the thought leadership required to bring about this significant transformational technological uplift for Marine Rescue communications.
In June, the State Communications Centre became a fully Frequentis site “ “
Radio operator Phillip Tremble inspects the technology that powers the new State Communications Centre. Photo: Brad Whittaker
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