It’s a statement we often hear from first responders, “my portable radio does not work in my local hospital emergency department” With few windows, and typically none in the treatment areas, ERs present a challenge for radio coverage.
The good news is that a DVR in a vehicle parked outside the ER will typically provide excellent portable radio coverage. But what happens when the alarm is in another area of the hospital? Say the middle of the twelfth floor. Parking at the ER might not work quite so well.
As buildings get bigger and more complex, the location of the DVR starts to have a significant impact on radio coverage. Using our example of the twelfth floor, parking the DVR tight to the building means that the users on that floor are in the null on top of the DVR antenna. Just like portables, mobile antennas provide very little signal directly above or below the antenna.
However, stepping back from the building, will get them out of the null and coverage improve. A good rule of thumb is that a good vantage point is also a good place for the DVR. Standing right next to the building, it is pretty hard to see the twelfth floor, but step back 60 feet and it is easy.
What can you do to get the best coverage when using a vehicle repeater?
The first step is pre-planning, identify buildings with poor network coverage. Then determine weather a DVR will solve or at least help. When testing, it is important that portable radios are worn as they would be normally. Park the DVR in the standard location and determine if it solves the problem. If not, move the vehicle to a “good vantage point” location and test again.
We have found over the years that buildings will sometimes have a sweet spot that delivers optimal coverage. Usually, it is where no one would expect, but being radio, sometimes you can be surprised.
In situations where the building is too big or complex, it may need to be broken into zones. This is typical in malls, where one location will not provide end to end coverage of the structure.
Any results should be uploaded to the CAD so that users know a) it is a “repeater required” building b) is there an optimal location to park or c) is this a building where even the DVR does not work and talkaround and “human repeaters” is the only option.
Contact your local Futurecom Account Manager to discuss your RF coverage challenges and schedule a demo. sales@futurecom.com
