Prior to the event, Orbital carried out coverage mapping to ensure that all areas of the site, including the main stage, camping areas and transport routes from the site to the ferry terminal, could be reached using one base station. This is in contrast to the analogue coverage which often had gaps, leaving users out of communication reach in certain areas. The network was then deployed at the event within one day and an Orbital engineering team provided on site support for the duration of the festival.
The two-carrier system, operating on the 412-414 MHz spectrum, connected event producers, stage and sound crew, security and the operations team with 220 Motorola hand portable units. Each handset was programmed with seven talk groups and full individual contact lists before being deployed so that each user had access to all other colleagues and user groups as needed. For example, if a member of the operations team wanted to contact all security staff they could use the security talk group to communicate with users in that team. This avoids all users hearing every communication; only what is relevant for them. It also ensures confidential information is only communicated to specific people, which would be particularly important should an emergency situation occur.
Tim Sherratt, Head of Event Communications at Orbital commented, "Switching to the TETRA digital system was surprisingly affordable as we were able to avoid such a large initial outlay on equipment. As the digital solution uses less radio bandwidth, it's also cheaper to run as fewer licences are needed than with traditional analogue alternatives.
The quality of the sound was excellent and voices came across clear and free from background noise. Feedback from users on the ground has been excellent with coverage and usability being key, whilst the ability for users to speak to anyone on the system, be it individually or as part of a talkgroup, was something they found particularly beneficial."
One of the key benefits to using a TETRA digital radio system is the ability to call directly. The one-to-one or one-to-many calling options give users the flexibility they need to run a live event smoothly with colleagues within and outside their immediate team.
Having conducted coverage predictions, the team found this reflected directly onto the actual usability on site and the digital signal ensured that a consistent quality of voice was heard at all times. The ability to use the handset for text messages also added extra functionality for users and the simplicity of the handsets was extremely important as users needed to get to grips with the functionality quickly.
"This is the first time that the 412 spectrum has been used for an event of this size in the UK. We feel that the benefits of using a digital radio solution are invaluable when running a live event and the success of the TETRA system at the Isle of Wight festival paves the way for us to use this type of setup for other contracts of a similar stature in the future," concludes Tim.
Prior to the event, Orbital carried out coverage mapping to ensure that all areas of the site, including the main stage, camping areas and transport routes from the site to the ferry terminal, could be reached using one base station. This is in contrast to the analogue coverage which often had gaps, leaving users out of communication reach in certain areas. The network was then deployed at the event within one day and an Orbital engineering team provided on site support for the duration of the festival.
The two-carrier system, operating on the 412-414 MHz spectrum, connected event producers, stage and sound crew, security and the operations team with 220 Motorola hand portable units. Each handset was programmed with seven talk groups and full individual contact lists before being deployed so that each user had access to all other colleagues and user groups as needed. For example, if a member of the operations team wanted to contact all security staff they could use the security talk group to communicate with users in that team. This avoids all users hearing every communication; only what is relevant for them. It also ensures confidential information is only communicated to specific people, which would be particularly important should an emergency situation occur.
Tim Sherratt, Head of Event Communications at Orbital commented, "Switching to the TETRA digital system was surprisingly affordable as we were able to avoid such a large initial outlay on equipment. As the digital solution uses less radio bandwidth, it's also cheaper to run as fewer licences are needed than with traditional analogue alternatives.
The quality of the sound was excellent and voices came across clear and free from background noise. Feedback from users on the ground has been excellent with coverage and usability being key, whilst the ability for users to speak to anyone on the system, be it individually or as part of a talkgroup, was something they found particularly beneficial."
One of the key benefits to using a TETRA digital radio system is the ability to call directly. The one-to-one or one-to-many calling options give users the flexibility they need to run a live event smoothly with colleagues within and outside their immediate team.
Having conducted coverage predictions, the team found this reflected directly onto the actual usability on site and the digital signal ensured that a consistent quality of voice was heard at all times. The ability to use the handset for text messages also added extra functionality for users and the simplicity of the handsets was extremely important as users needed to get to grips with the functionality quickly.
"This is the first time that the 412 spectrum has been used for an event of this size in the UK. We feel that the benefits of using a digital radio solution are invaluable when running a live event and the success of the TETRA system at the Isle of Wight festival paves the way for us to use this type of setup for other contracts of a similar stature in the future," concludes Tim.
