AT Electronic and Communication International have developed a series of digital modules using Bluetooth technology. Bluetooth will solve the following problems (tasks) of radio communication systems:
- Wireless control over the radio operation
- GPS monitoring of pedestrian users
- Mobile dispatcher communication and monitoring
Wireless control over the radio operation
Wireless hands-free control has been a long-wished-for function for many radio users. For that purpose some radios have been fitted with a VOX (Voice Operated Transmit) function. However, the operational experience of VOX revealed several drawbacks. The solution offered by the AT company BT set (BT module, wireless PTT button and standard Bluetooth headset) is free from the drawbacks of VOX.
Moreover, big diversity and accessibility of the wide-spread Bluetooth headsets are able to satisfy any needs and requirements for wireless control over the radio. By the way, if the wireless PTT button is fixed on the wrist, elbow or ankle, then the radio transmission will be activated by a single movement of the hand or foot and the expression «hands-free» will acquire the full meaning for the owner of the radio.
Additional to the ability of the user to exercise wireless control of the radio, the offered BT set provides secrecy and security of radio communication where the received signal is heard not from the speaker of the radio but directly in the ear of the owner via the BT headset.
All digital BT modules support signalling from dispatcher system DS and encryption.
Control over the radio via a wireless BT set can also be useful to:
- individuals, carrying out radiocommunication and for whom the radio on the waist or in hand is not convenient
- individuals, who need to conceal their radio communication
- dispatchers, who need to carry out tasks both by telephone and radio in privacy
- traffic officers and other individuals, who need to carry out radio communication both in- and outside vehicles, etc.
GPS monitoring of pedestrian users
Nowadays there is a great need to determine, via radio channel, the location of pedestrian employees by the dispatcher or duty officer. For that, the pedestrian employee should be equipped with a portable radio, system for data transmission and a GPS receiver.
Existing specialised solutions (like a portable system) have certain drawbacks, viz, they are difficult to operate, bulky, expensive, very often not able to adapt to the existing systems of communication, consist of several components that should be handled with special care and connected with wires. In the result the employee has to look after the wires that entangled him and operation of complicated and delicate equipment instead of performing his direct duties.
The emergence of Wireless Bluetooth GPS receivers on the market allowed for the exclusion of bundles of wires from the employee's equipment. There remained but one problem to be solved — how to fit the data transmission system into a portable radio? The AT company came out with this solution through an optional BT module for the Motorola GP340 (GP140) portable radio.
Mobile dispatcher communication and monitoring
The BT module supports the Bluetooth protocol and signalling from dispatcher radiocommunication system DS. Additionally, this BT module, has digital speech transformation capability to ensure complete confidence and security of radiocommunication.
Thereby, the dispatcher is capable not only to determine the location of the employee, but also control the radio of the employee with the following features: RadioCheck, complete block function (Kill in case of loss or theft of the radio), intercept mode (Listen), temporary restriction of radio for receiving or transmitting (Restrict/(silence mode), carry out talks in secured mode.
The AT company Bluetooth module for the Motorola GP340 (or GP140) radio — is a simple and reliable multifunctional means for transmission of GPS data from remote pedestrian employees.
Modern, small size, Bluetooth GPS receivers, can be secretly worn, as they «see» satellites even from inside pockets or waistbelts of the radio user.
This solution is also applicable for GPS monitoring of mobile users that use Motorola GM140, GM160, GM340, GM360, GM380 mobile radios and has been specially designed for security and law enforcement agencies that need control of the location of remote employees (sentries, security guards, duties, etc.).
