I've been to the site again, getting more of the installation completed and sites tuned to meet coverage requirements, and if anything, it's a bit problematic to confine coverage to a limited area!
Yeah...too much coverage is an issue I have to contend with. It's nice to have such problems!
I'm covering a surface mining pit operation that's nearly a square mile and several hundred feet deep at the deepest point, and had to tune the power output down to just 2.5 watts (That's not a typo. Two and a half watts) in order to confine the surface area coverage to designed limits. Coverage in the pit areas is confirmed as 100 percent with a signal strength lower limit of -95 dBM measured at the worst coverage point. I could actually drop another 10 dB if I really wanted to but I want some leeway to cover the eventual equipment issues that are bound to come up.
Our first operating IDAS network consists of four repeaters running more or less in a line down a long road path, using two repeater pairs, alternating from the first to the second, then back to the first, then back to the second, so two channels in a subscriber radio is all that is needed for coverage. At any point along the coverage path, you're in full communications across the entire path. You simply need to be tuned to the channel that works with the nearest repeater. This works, and it works extremely well. Range has again exceeded any initial expectations. We're well into the BONUS!!! territory and this makes the customer very happy.
To say I'm impressed by the real world performance of IDAS digital radios is an understatement. I think IDAS is a killer product and my only gripes about it is that Icom simply does not have the comprehensive level of support for its products that Motorola offers for theirs. However, support costs money, and Icom gives you decent support although for some applications you'll have to find the solution for yourself.
Elroy
