Airservices Australia completes roll out Radio Upgrade Project

Systems Integrator Vertel installs new communications systems across 19 Airservices AustraliaAviation Rescue and Fire Fighting (ARFF) locations to support operational requirements. 

From the ground up Airservices Australia does it all; from providing safe and environmentally sound air traffic control management to airside services for the nation’s busiest airports.  Aviation Rescue and Fire Fighting (ARFF) is one of Airservices’ most important roles and is currently the world’s largest provider of ARFF services.

The challenge presented by Airservices was to upgrade their ageing radio network at 19 ARFF Service’s locations Australia-wide.  Two primary drivers were presented; firstly to meet Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) standards Airservices needed to improve incident response times, which are directly impacted by the communications systems in use.

Secondly the maintenance costs associated with running an obsolete system were continually increasing and becoming more difficult to manage.  

Other requirements included improved user familiarity, voice clarity and coverage, intrinsically safe portable radios, improved connectivity between sites and interoperability with other government agencies at select sites. 

Vertel, acting as Prime contractor and systems integrator designed a solution to meet the long term requirements of ARFF. The contract to upgrade Airservices communication systems across the 19 locations comprised Tait P25 digital radio, on site user training and both corrective and preventative maintenance agreement. 

Improving Clarity and Coverage with Tait P25 Digital

Vertel interfaced the new communications equipment to ARFF systems such as voice recorders, PA systems and ASA WAN, in Fire Control Towers and a variety of operational appliances.

It is important for Airservices employees to be able to clearly hear a request from someone standing next to a jet engine, when hose pumps are operating or sirens are blaring. Digital mobiles and portables provide this very real benefit, which is critical in emergency situations when lives can depend on communication and response times.

Vertel selected Tait P25 digital radios to design a solution to meet Airservices’ requirements. P25 digital technology is very effective at filtering out background noise and also maintains speech audio clarity right to the edge of the radio coverage area.

Tait’s TB9100’s voice over IP Ethernet network interface allowed for multiple sites to be linked together via Airservices’ existing local area network.  When a call is made, the bases operating on that channel at each site receive and compare the signal. The base with the best quality signal then instantly retransmits across all sites in that network.

The new system provides Airservices with improved coverage and reliable communications across the area of operations at each of the 19 airports.

Improving Safety 

CASA standards require that portable radios used around aircraft and aviation fuel to be Intrinsically Safe (IS). Tait TP9160 IS portables were chosen to meet CASA’s safety requirements. 

Interoperability/Fast Response times/Better Coordination with other government agencies

Interoperability has proven to be a real benefit for airport operations.  When an emergency occurs on the runway, Airservices are the first responders, but will often need to coordinate and communicate with other government agencies.

Tait P25 equipment has the ability to talk with other conventional analogue radios, as well as other agencies using P25 digital radios, which makes multi agency communication that much easier when the need arises.

Improving Connectivity

Using the built in Ethernet interface on the repeater equipment has also allowed Airservices to link the radio sites from each airport together, and monitor every channel from any location with access to the IP network.  This provides Airservices and Vertel the ability to be notified of and diagnose any problems that might arise from a remote location, lowering maintenance costs and system down time. 

System Support

Ongoing support was another requirement for Airservices. Vertel was chosen to provide a one-stop-shop for their communications needs.  Vertel has provided Airservices with a complete solution, from extensive system design and installation to product training and ongoing support.