CITY OF WHITTLESEA WORKS DEPARTMENT
In mid 2005 the Works Department of the City of Whittlesea identified a need to upgrade their two way radio communications system. Their current system was delivering sub standard results and Silver Comm was invited to diagnose the problems and submit a plan of action to deliver an effective communications outcome.

The Department has a fleet of some one hundred vehicles. These vehicles are attached to various divisions and it is imperative that they have the facility to communicate efficiently with the maintenance depot and with each other where required. The divisions include:

• Parks and Gardens
• Operations
• Transportation
• Building Maintenance and Construction
• Waste Management
• Urban Road Maintenance and Cleansing
• Rural Road Maintenance and Cleansing
• Workshop
• Technical Services
• City Wide Service Solutions Pty Ltd

The department had several problems with their two way radio communication system, which we identified as the following.

1. A faulty local trigger base which locked itself on to transmit, effectively disabling their communications system.
2. Problems with rogue transmissions interfering with their legitimate transmissions, either by accident (e.g. drivers sitting on the microphone, and blocking a channel), or by persons deliberately interfering or jamming radio channels.
3. During power outages, the radio system battery backup was not reliable for a guaranteed minimum period.
4. The office handsets were old, and many were disconnected.

In order to overcome these problems Silver Comm made the following recommendations.

1. Reprogram all mobile radios to include an Automatic Number Identification (ANI) feature, which would cause the radio number to be displayed on suitably equipped handsets in the depot.
2. Reprogram the mobile radios to enable their Transit Time-out Timers (TOT), which would automatically turn off the mobile transmitter after a predetermined time, and also alert the driver by an audible beep.
3. Enable a Selective calling (SELCALL) facility in the radios so that they would only respond to the appropriate caller.
4. Remove many of the old radios which were incapable of having these features, and replace them with ICOM IC-F110S radios.
5. Replace the old AWA handsets in the office with Omnitronics 960HS or 960HC handsets, depending on which ones required SELCALL/ANI facilities.
6. Move the base station radio from the office location (behind a filing cabinet), and install it in a secure cabinet in the workshop area upstairs.
7. Install suitable backup batteries with associated trickle charging for the handsets and the base station radio.

Silver Comm then received approval to proceed with a detailed project plan, photographs, together with drawings showing the existing setup, and the proposed changes.

The work was carried out over a period of about 2 weeks, much of it after hours in order to minimise disruption to normal operation. The Department was provided with a full audit of their radio system, and a database containing details of each of their assets, and the radio equipment fitted. In addition full operating procedures were provided by way of manuals and handbooks.

The Council was delighted that the whole project was finished on time and on budget. Silver Comm have now established a mutually beneficial relationship with the Works Department which results in their radio communications system being kept in first-rate condition.