The 721S Emergency Radio is designed to be simple to use
You can think of the ATC tower as the
conductor of the orchestra that is any
airspace. To successfully direct traffic, ATC
uses great attention to detail and ultimately
keeps our airspaces, both civilian and
military, safe. But what happens when
something like a natural disaster or an
environmental threat requires the ATC team
to leave its post? Any aircraft within 20
nautical miles of the tower’s airspace is still
reliant on the ATC team for guidance.
To address these situations, the controllers
require a product that places all of the core
communication capabilities of an entire ATC
tower into a form that fits into a backpack for
grab-and-go portability in the event of
evacuation.
Iversen provides a better understanding of
the technology required to address the needs
of controllers when the airfield is closed or
has limited capability. He also describes how
the military airspace would benefit from
Emergency Transceiver Radio. He discusses
three key factors for success:
Frequency interoperability: “Because
ATC is required to manage military and
civilian aircraft, this radio must be equipped
to communicate with both UHF and VHF
frequencies,” Iversen says.
Fool-proof operation: “The lynchpin is
that at this point, you’ve lost all of your
primary and even most of your backup
systems. Your last resort is this portable
radio. It’s a no-fail mission; the radios must
work, and they must be easy to use,” Iversen
says. Reliable, rugged hardware is a must for
the mission.
Clear, fail-safe audio: “In a situation like a
natural disaster, there is bound to be some
background noise that controllers have to
account for when trying to communicate
with remaining aircraft in their space.”
Iversen says.
He notes the complexity of delivering
a ground-fixed site capable radio in a
portable package.
“The purpose-built Emergency Radio is
based on the 721S Blade radio. Collins
Aerospace tactical radios have the filtering
necessary to allow multiple radios to operate
in close proximity,” Iversen says. “This makes
crystal clear audio of utmost importance in
72 AIR TRAFFIC TECHNOLOGY INTERNATIONAL 2020
an emergency situation for ATC and explains
why controllers are seeking a reliable
solution that portably addresses those
communication needs.”
Collins Aerospace already uses its Clarity
Noise Reduction algorithm to tackle this
challenge for ATC within the existing
ground-fixed radio solution.
Iversen says, “The result is clearer, more
intelligible audio. It means that the controller
doesn’t have to work nearly as hard to
understand the same message. And in a
scenario where the ATC team could be
dealing with severe weather, taxiing aircraft
and other background noise, that clarity
is critical.”
Every day, in battlespaces around the
world, Collins communications equipment
performs with precision and reliability in
highly demanding conditions. The company
was founded on the delivery of innovative
radio communications technologies. It is the
trusted source for V/UHF battlemanagement
solutions that provide
capability and flexibility for continually
evolving missions.v
COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEMS
You’ve lost all of your primary and even most of your
backup systems. Your last resort is this portable radio.
It’s a no-fail mission, the radios must work.