Groningen Seaports Upgrade Radio Dispatch to Omnitronics RediTALK-Flex
Groningen Seaports (GSP) is responsible for safe shipping in the North Sea ports of Delfzijl and Eemshaven in the Netherlands, bordering Germany. The Harbour Control Centre (HCC) is manned 24/7 and uses a VTS radar system, a camera system and a VHF system to communicate with shipping.
The current system was outdated and no longer met users’ operational requirements.
As such, Groningen Seaports were looking to upgrade their VHF system that operates within the Dutch ports of Defzijl, Eemshaven and the approach areas. The system is used for all reports and exchanges that are important for the proper, safe and efficient handling of shipping traffic in those areas.
Customer Profile
Groningen Sea Ports
North Sea | Netherlands
Application
Radio Communications Across 3 VHF Marine and 2x Private Channels
Products Used
– RediTALK-Flex Dispatch Consoles
– IPR400 RoIP Gateways
Business Benefits
A Seamless Transition
Simple to Deploy
Compatible with Multiple Radio Types
Simple to Operate
Minimal Operator Training
Business Needs
Upgrade Required
Groningen Seaports were looking for identical workstations to manage 3x VHF Marine channels and 2x private radio channels.
Both ports are required to work independently as a measure of redundancy.
In addition the solution needs an ATIS radar system, improved radio coverage of VHF channel 66, integrate existing base stations and antennas, work with Motorola and Kairos radios, whilst being easily expandable in the future.
Interoperability, reliability, high audio quality and easy operation were paramount requirements.
Product Focus
RediTALK-Flex
Interoperability
Connect technologies, protocols & vendors
Easy to Use
Clean & customizable user interface
Flexibility
Use the power of IP to connect & unify anywhere
Duress & Emergency
See who calls where and when
Geofencing
Easily set up zones & alerts to monitor movements
Radio Linking / Patching
Connect groups of radios in real time
Telephony
Receive, make calls & patch to radios
Location Services
Advanced people & asset tracking
The Solution
Future-Proof
Inspired by the Sonal solution implemented at the Antwerp Port area, Groningen Seaports opted for an Omnitronics RediTALK-Flex dispatch system comprising 5x RediTALK-Flex consoles on ELO touchscreen PCs, 2x located in their Harbor Control Center (HCC) in Delfzijl Port, 1x in the Emergency Room and 2x Emergency HCCs in Eemshaven.
The radio dispatch console connects to Omnitronics IPR400 S2 2in1 Interoperability & RoIP Gateways, allowing the 5 operator stations to simultaneously make a SIP connection with each connected base station.
All operators can now follow the two-way conversations of their colleagues on any channel via conference mode.
Custom Engineering
GSP required a customization to the RediTALK-Flex dispatch console, which Omnitronics implemented to suit their need to assign a PTT button per radio channel.
Using a Tipro BeFree desktop speaker box, function keys were linked to the radio channels.
The operator can now switch very quickly between various channels using the PTT key. Some workplaces were equipped with a USB foot pedal control per radio channel.
Case Study
Groningen Seaports Upgrade Dispatch to RediTALK-Flex
FNEW Marine VHF Dispatch Console at Dutch North Sea Port
Testimonial
Hear From Our Customer
“Extremely flexible serverless system, the perfect solution for controlling and local recording of maritime channels”
Marc Vermeulen, Technical Support & Project Manager Radio Communications at Sonal
ATIS Server Provides More Options
Sonal developed an ATIS server with a central database.
The operator now immediately sees ship names and additional information on the screen, incl. date and time of last receipt.
With a simple mouse click, the operator can add or change the vessel data.
ATIS Server Provides More Options
Sonal developed an ATIS server with a central database.
The operator now immediately sees ship names and additional information on the screen, incl. date and time of last receipt.
With a simple mouse click, the operator can add or change the vessel data.
Reusing Base Stations & Antennas
Existing base stations and antenna installation were reused.
Only the E&M connections were adapted to connect Omnitronics IPR400S2 gateways.
Sonal linked a 3rd gateway to the 4 channels to be recorded and connected it to the existing AIRBUS VTS Call recording system.
Both the transmit and receive audio are now recorded on the same track, making replay much easier.
Reusing Base Stations & Antennas
Existing base stations and antenna installation were reused.
Only the E&M connections were adapted to connect Omnitronics IPR400S2 gateways.
Sonal linked a 3rd gateway to the 4 channels to be recorded and connected it to the existing AIRBUS VTS Call recording system.
Both the transmit and receive audio are now recorded on the same track, making replay much easier.
Radio Coverage VHF Channel 66
Sonal replaced a base station in Eemshaven with a Radio Activity Kairos KA-160, a soft radio with extensive analog and digital capabilities.
A second repeater was installed in Delfzijl via the built-in IP simulcast and voting system and the coverage problem was solved.
Radio Coverage VHF Channel 66
Sonal replaced a base station in Eemshaven with a Radio Activity Kairos KA-160, a soft radio with extensive analog and digital capabilities.
A second repeater was installed in Delfzijl via the built-in IP simulcast and voting system and the coverage problem was solved.
Conclusion
Safety & Productivity
Groningen Seaports now have a bespoke system that suits their needs, is easy to use and that can be expanded in the future. We thank our partner Sonal for yet another successful Omnitronics installation in European Ports.
The Set-Up
Network Diagram
Case Studies
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