Durban Metropolitan Council - South Africa

The Customer

Durban Metropolitan Council is the world's largest user of Tait Quasi-Sync simulcast systems with three systems used across the South African city.

The Challenge

Metro Electricity, Fire and Emergency Services - both divisions of Durban Metro - use Tait Quasi-Sync simulcast systems for reliable wide area radio communications over 2,000 square kilometres.

The number of users is set to grow to 4,000 so Durban Metro needed a system that could easily cope with the substantial growth.

The 15 site Greater Durban TaitNet Quasi-Sync Simulcast radio system covers the area from Zimball Lodge on the north coast to Illove in the south and Cato Ridge in the west.

The Solution

The Quasi-Sync technology has inherent redundancy so that if there is a complete failure at one site, users will still receive quality communications
because of planned overlap from adjacent sites.

It is relatively easy to expand the system and introduce additional sites without reconfi guring or replacing existing equipment.

"After months of investigating radio system technologies - both analogue and digital - operational requirements and product availability, we selected the Tait Quasi-Sync system," says Les Thorpe, Director of Electronic Services of the Emergency Services Unit at Durban Metro.

"The system proved to be very reliable and relatively easy to maintain. It is highly cost-effective which means that Great Durban ratepayers are ultimately benefiting."

The Outcome

Durban Metro was able to make effi cient use of its existing conventional VHF portable and mobile radios avoiding the cost of replacing these. Quasi-Sync is ideal for local authorities and councils, giving staff - spread over a wide area - access to the same information.

Quasi-Sync is a low maintenance form of simulcast providing simultaneous transmission of the same frequency from many transmitters.

It uses advanced technology to overcome the expensive maintenance normally associated with simulcast systems, which suffer from distorted audio in areas where transmitter coverage overlaps.