Records under threat when RadioComms Connect opens

Once again RadioComms Connect is set to break new ground and set new records when it opens at the Etihad Stadium in November.

Five years ago when the event was first held, there were 15 stands. This year there are over 60 exhibitors taking up some 75 stands and the prospects are that the 400 visitors of 2010 will be well and truly exceeded this year.

Organised by Westwick-Farrow Events in association with the Australian Radio Communications Industry Association (ARCIA) and supported by TETRA, this major event in the two-way radio calendar continues to gain recognition and strength from year to year.

Today its platinum sponsors are GMG, Sepura, Hytera and Auria Wireless. Gold sponsors are ComGroup, Control Synergy, Harris Corporation, Zetron Australasia, Communications Australia and Tait.

Again, in conjunction with the exhibition, there is a full program of conference topics presented in two streams. The opening keynote address by Garry Kerr, manager of the Queensland Department of Community Services, will look at the response to natural disasters, especially the recent floods and cyclone Yasi.

Gerry Wright of Daniels Electronics will discuss the latest developments in P25 technology.

Computers and radio technology are intrinsically entwined these days and this is reflected in a paper by Monique Princen, who will look at remotely programming radios. SCADA will come under scrutiny on the first day when John Yaldwyn, chief technology officer of 4RF, talks about the contrasting requirements of today’s SCADA applications.

The communications challenges set by the Christchurch earthquakes feature in a presentation by Paul Daigneault from MiMOMax when he discusses the real meaning of ‘mission critical’.

Peter Clemons, director and board member of the British TETRA Association, may well introduce some controversy with a series of questions that includes Do critical communications have a future in the broadband age? He will follow this with other questions including Where will the spectrum come from? and Will existing technologies (TETRA, P25,TETRAPOL,DMR) survive or be replaced by new solutions?

Spectrum is an area that cannot be ignored and Chris Cheah, acting deputy chairman of the ACMA, will give an overview of the various reviews in progress and the current trends in spectrum management. A highlight of the ACMA’s presentation will be a field demonstration of the latest techniques in tracing radio interference.

Day two will see Mike Wright, executive director - networks and access technologies, Telstra, deliver a keynote address on global trends for mobile communications. Latest developments in dPMR, especially in Tier 3, will be discussed by Paul Guerra, who will look at this technology meeting the Australian market and in particular, why business will consider this digital radio system. Later the same day there will be a comparison between DMR and dPMR. Standards and case studies for DMR will also be up for discussion.

In fact, case studies will feature in several presentations. China Light and Power will talk about Petrochem; aviation and transport at Perth airport will come under scrutiny; and a panel discussion will follow a presentation on aspects of the oil and gas industries.

David Cox, ARCIA mover and shaker and operations director of Pacific Wireless, will look at the power and performance of mobile radio networks.

Other speakers include Ranjan Bhagat of Zetron Australia, Maurie Dobbin of TeleResources Engineering, Alex Stefan of Telstra and Roger Kane from Vicom.

One of the now traditional highlights of RadioComms Connect is the annual gala dinner that this year will again be at the Palladium at Crown restaurant. Last year more than 400 attended this evening of networking, entertainment and awards presentations, including the prestigious Jonathan Livingston Seagull prize.

For more information on RadioComms Connect, email: lcrossley@westwick-farrow.com.au.

For more information on the gala dinner, email: info@arcia.org.au.