Radio Coverage Enhancements for Commercial Vessels
International fire codes generally require more stringent levels of fire protection when dealing with environments that have a high potential for loss of life — especially, when coupled with individuals that have self-preservation difficulties. These areas of concern are significant when discussing sea-bound cruise liners with thousands of passengers. The levels of protection must be high and include both passive and active life safety systems working in coordination for the protection of all souls on-board.
Business Overview | Crew Communications Via Two-Way Radios
The year 2020 was a trying experience for many industries worldwide. For the cruise ship lines, this was especially true — resulting in the cancellation and delay of dozens to hundreds of trips. At the same time, with ships temporarily moth-balled, cruise operators had the opportunity to inspect all their ships to a greater extent than normal. These expanded inspections led some to test the signal strength of their shipboard radio systems — leading them to identify major gaps in coverage. With many cruise lines looking forward to resuming normal operations this year, those coverage gaps must be filled to meet passenger and crew safety requirements.
Current Challenge | Poor Shipboard Radio Coverage
Crew members need to stay in constant contact with one another to ensure the safety of all on-board. Many cruise liners are discovering that when radios are used in some areas of there ships they experience poor to non-existent coverage. They hear crackles, static, and otherwise garbled transmissions that make communicating difficult to impossible.
Whether these poor signals are a result of the ships construction materials, the distances between radio users, or the presence of a sub-par radio enhancement system depends upon the ship in question. But what is not in question, is the need to resolve the issue fast, no matter the ultimate cause.
Solution Overview | Signal Boosting DAS Solutions for Vessels
The average cruise liner features several decks spanning over hundreds of thousands of square feet — comfortably housing over 3,000 passengers and crew members. Coordinating the daily activities of hundreds of employees working to ensure passenger safety and satisfaction is no small task. Most often, cruise companies provide team members with two-way radios to enable communications across the ships labyrinth of decks and compartments — comprised of crew quarters, passenger suites, guest attractions, and more.
When properly configured, installed, and tested, Distributed Antenna Systems (DAS) enhance a vessels radio coverage from bow to stern, port to starboard. These components are vital parts of your ships overall life safety systems, ensuring that radio bearing crew members have access to clear and concise communications during standard and emergency operations. Whether crew members are communicating from the same deck or are several decks and a thousand feet apart, signal strength should be consistent and strong.
Our Team | Solution Engineering, Installation, and Support
For over 30 years, MCA has provided expert solutions to public and private agencies in need of two-way radios and signal enhancement systems. We provide top-tier support for all aspects of your critical communications projects. Our techs and install teams assess your needs, engineer customized solutions, and install hardware and software that fit your requirements.