New YPG radio system upgrades service
When a team of testers are 50 miles down range and the potential for mishaps exist, it's crucial that radio communications are reliable, because time becomes precious in critical circumstances.
Larger than Rhode Island and with thousands of potential radio users, it's imperative that radio communication systems function properly to support Yuma Proving Ground's mission.
In late March, the Smart Zone Radio Communications System was implemented at YPG to upgrade the proving ground's 15-year-old analog system.
Taking nearly three years to complete and costing some $10 million, the project enhanced three pre-existing repeater sites and utilizes approximately 900 miles of fiber optic cable buried underground throughout the proving ground. Each repeater site was enhanced by increasing the four existing radio frequencies per site to 12, which significantly improves service.
Radio communications are now faster and more secure, with service from remote locations better than ever before. Additionally, the Smart Zone System is encrypted, meaning users can encrypt frequencies or channels being used, thereby, making transmissions secure. The new system transmits nearly three times faster.
The three-man crew consisting of Wade Dennis, Tom Kelly and Bret Moore assigned to YPG's Radio Maintenance Shop worked long grueling hours during the past several months, upgrading thousands of hand-held radios and hundreds of vehicle radios, consolette radio base stations and console systems used in Mission and Range control and Emergency Services.
Each Smart Zone radio costs about $3,000, and each vehicle radio console system costs between $4,000 and $5,000.
“A great advantage of this system is that it has a seamless roaming feature that connects each site together, like a cellular phone system,” said Moore, YPG Network Enterprise Center electronics technician.
“If a user leaves one site area and travels to another, it changes automatically.” Prior to the upgrade, the user had to toggle back and forth between zones.
Personnel in the Radio Maintenance Shop will continue to steadily upgrade users for the immediate future to ensure everyone has successfully integrated to the Smart Zone System.
Mary F. Flores writes for The Outpost, the newspaper at Yuma Proving Ground.
