Two-way radio answer many operating queriel
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Do you understand the systems available and know whom to contact? Brian Chalmers-Hunt investigates
THE USE of two-way radio in the transport industry has rapidly increased during these years of high inflation as companies search for means towards more efficient operation.
Once the first cost has been justified most firms find there are several ways in which their operations benefit from two-way control.
Besides providing the company with greater flexibility, the reasons for investing in two-way radio are similar to those for the present and more familiar communication systems; to lower costs, introduce greater convenience and to speed up or increase the understanding of the flow of information generated within the company.
As complexities of management and technology increase, the established communications systems tend to suffer. They are becoming increasingly expensive, slow or ineffective to provide the necessary control and flexibility that are necessary.
In the transport business, vehicles form a major and ?,ssential investment and they must be worked hard to justify he investment. Most transport )perators can extend the earnng potential of their vehicles Nithout raising costs. The an>wer is two-way radio.
Any commercial vehicle has he potential of taking on or unoading part or all of its load at a 3reliminary stop along the route. t also has the potential for mak ing random collections along its route, saving the return costs involved in using another vehicle on a duplicate trip for a single call.
Two-way radio can be used to provide any extra information the driver may need to make these additional calls and increase vehicle use as he goes about his normal work schedule.
Most vehicles equipped with two-way radio will save their operators' money. Tyre wear and fuel costs are reduced and because additional calls can be fitted into the drivers' schedules the reduction in mileages also means less mechanical wear and tear on the vehicles.
No transport company would consider attempting to run its business without the facility of an ordinary phone. Two-way radio is an extension of this facility.
Many companies already use two-way radio equipment to their advantage over their competitors. Any company considering using this facility must analyse the needs first and plan an integrated system to cover all those contingencies which could, benefit the company more if given a radio facility.
To demonstrate what this does for costs, consider an installation comprising a remotely controlled base station.to provide a reasonable range, vehicle-mounted mobiles, portable units and pagers.
Say 29 people use the facility in the company, then a profile could be arrived at where 15 vehicles are fitted with radio and 14 portable sets are used in the warehouse, garage, yard and offices by managers, drivers of forklift trucks and the foremen of other manpower facilities.
Thecost per mobile per working week can be as low as £2.61 — 52p a day or 7p an hour.
Alternatively in the situation where there are only 15 users, for example eight vehiclemounted sets with overlay paging, six vehicles with both mobiles and portables and one vehicle with just a mobile radio costs could be £4.72 each person in working week, 94p a day, or 12p an hour. This is extremely attractive when it is considered that the £7,500 a year employee costs the company £160 weekly, £32 daily, £3.99 hourly — that is 7p every minute.
It is even more attractive when a 22-ton articulated, goods vehicle running 400 miles a week can cost £1.29 a mile to run or £23,296 yearly, £518 weekly, £104 a day, £12.94 an hour or 22p every minute!
Now that the eight-hour driving day is with us, one of the major advantages of radio control will lie in the fact that on many occasions transport operators will be able to have their drivers on spreadover time and not driving time. For example, a driver may have driven for seven and a half hours and have a nine-hour spreadover time.
With radio control the manager could stop the driver on his seven and a half hour driving time and tell him to return to the home area and carry out a ha Ifhour job using up his eight-hour maximum instead of using up his eight-hour driving time just to return to base.
The term mobile refers to vehicle-mounted equipment; equipment where the driver al passengers are kept in contz with a base station throw which they can receive and pa messages. The unit can also I used to incorporate other fur tions as well.
Most radio telephone syste manufacturers are able to offei model range for mounting in under the dash, installation the luggage boot with remo operation from a small contr unit fitted in the dashboard ar for use in the most rugged ar exposed conditions of service.
Portables can range in si from that of an executive brif case down to that of a cigaret packet. They can be carried the hand, worn on a belt or evr small enough to clip onto or in a pocket. There are attachmen which allow the radio to be USE while leaving the operator hands free or like the ordina phone handset.
Pagers and Overlay Pagir systems are fundamental contact ststems. The majori sound a tone sequence whii
iicates that someone is trying make contact with the user -ough their controller. With an erlay paging system the pager used in conjunction with a hide mobile and indicates to a driver that he is wanted back his vehicle to receive a mesge.
Control system's are usually of e type where the fixed base ]tion and aerial for the twoay system are located at a user's premises. There are uations such as low lying or id reception areas where a reote control system may proie the best solution. In this uation the base station and !Hal are located on high ound or on the top of a tall iilding and usually connected , a British Telecom landline to e controller at the user's base. Contact systems are available an extra to a base two-way dio system. Normally contact 1th the mobiles is made by issing a message through the Ise station operator. This, for ost local transport companies, perfectly adequate. With hers, however, where there is 9eed for more direct contact, a lave" controller or one or ore internal phones may be ;ed to provide direct access rough the base station from a anager's desk.
Selective calling is the system where individual radios can be contacted without activating other units within a company's network. By depressing a button the operator will signal the need for contact.
The selective calling facility will indicate that a call has been received and, when there is no immediate response, leaves a signal lamp on in the vehicle to let the driver know that someone is trying to make contact.
Silent or signal systems are now available in a number of forms. They allow a driver to depress a button and send a code which informs the base station of the vehicle's status without the need for speech contact.
This type of system can be used simply for vehicle and sta tus identification through a visual numeric display at the control point or they can be in terfaced with a computer or other data system to provide hard copy reports, records or as
part of a visual display on a TVtype screen for a continuous guide. This system is particularly attractive to bus operators.
The Rye Radiophone system, although using mobile radio technology, is an extension of the British Telecom public telephone system so that a driver can connect through the public system to any phone subscriber.
This system also provides the facility to receive as well as make phone calls to any subscriber in a large area of the UK.
The cost of having the Rye Radiophone system is approxi mately 75p a day with outgoing calls charged at peak operator rates. The obvious benefits to most transport companies are that in being able to maintain contact throughout the day-to-day activities, the flexibility and efficiency of operations are considerably increased.
Two-way radio may also bring about changes for the better within the operational structure, but the degree will remain a question until a transport company begins to use and gain experience in its own two-way radio system.
Two-way radio and radio phone systems will save money if they are used correctly and not treated as toys. The system will reduce unprofitable dead mileage, increase driver utilisation and as the Rye Radiophone system can be used in conjuction with phone answering machines for out of business hours contact, long-distance drivers need never be out of contact with base.
The advantages of two-way radio if used correctly include: Increasing productivity; fewer phone calls; improved security; greater management control; and improved staff safety —all with the overall result of contrib uting to the increase of overal company profitability.
There are several manufactur ers of two-way radio an( supporting equipment in the LP and many more specialists whc fit equipment. The manufactur ers offer a full consultancy an( after-sales service as well as ar ranging for fitment and staf training.
Dymar Electrics Ltd,
Colonial Way, Radlett Road, Watford, Herts. WD2 4LA.
Tel: (0923137321
Motorola Ltd,
Armstrong Road, Daneshill East, Basingstoke, Hants. RG24 °NW.
Tel: (0256) 58211
Pye Telecommunications Ltd,
St Andrews Road, Cambridge, CB4 1DW. Tel: (0223) 61222.
Storno Radio Communicatioi Systems,
110-114 Grafton Road, Kentish Town, London NW5 4BE.
Tel: 01-267 6707.