American Red Cross "Go Teams" Use Vertex Standard eVerge Digital Radios at Presidential Inauguration

Vertex Standard helps volunteers achieve their mission of keeping guests safe!

 

May 30, 2013 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- In a new case study, the American Red Cross shares details of how its Disaster Relief "Go Teams" were deployed to provide public safety assistance during U.S. President Barack Obama's inauguration on Jan. 21, 2013, when nearly one million people gathered at the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Trained in CPR and First Aid, Go Team volunteers are positioned strategically within the crowd at major events, like the Inauguration, to monitor well-being and offer assistance.
Vertex Standard had just introduced its new eVerge(TM) line of digital radios which were used by American Red Cross volunteers at the Inauguration. Gary Gilham, Coordinator of Operations and Planning, Emergency & International Services for the American Red Cross, had depended on Vertex Standard two-way radio communications for many years and was interested in the benefits digital radio communications could deliver for enhanced security and expanded call capacity using existing frequency licenses.
Armed with reliable Vertex Standard eVerge radios, the American Red Cross Go Teams were able to communicate more efficiently and add a critical layer of security to ultimately achieve their mission of helping keep inaugural guests safe and secure throughout the event. The eVerge EVX-531 portable radios not only provided secure communications, but also superior audio quality and enhanced clarity up to the edge of the transmit range.
"I've never been a big fan of the digital quality I've heard in other radios; however, when we tried out Vertex Standard's eVerge EVX-531, we were impressed with the audio quality. It was crisp, clear and so much better than other digital radios I've tested," said Gary Gilham.
eVerge digital radios are designed to provide customers with a new, affordable solution to evolve to better communications - getting the right radio, with the right protocol and right performance - all at a better cost to connect without compromise. eVerge digital radios use TDMA (Time Division Multiple Access), for optimum power and spectrum efficiency. Based on the fact that TDMA is compliant to the DMR (Digital Mobile Radio) standard, eVerge digital radios are compatible with more than 74 percent of the digital radios used worldwide.
For more information about eVerge product specifications and evolving to better communications visit: www.LakelandCom.com   847-245-4800

About Vertex Standard
Established in 1956 with headquarters in Tokyo, Japan, Vertex Standard LMR, Inc. is a global manufacturer of two-way radio communications equipment sold and serviced through more than 1,000 dealerships in North America. All Vertex Standard radios sold in North America are covered with a 3-year warranty backing of quality and reliability for maximum value. For more information on any Vertex Standard land mobile radio, visit http://www.vertexstandard.com, follow on Facebook, YouTube or email: vertexstandard-na@vertexstandard.com.
http://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=bwnews&sty=20130530005236r1&sid=cmtx4&distro=nx
SOURCE: Vertex Standard LMR, Inc.

Invest Today in Digital – Convert from Analog as Needed

Do digital: The two-way radio industry is gradually evolving from analog to digital technology. This change is primarily the result of the radio frequency spectrum becoming overcrowded and causing interference in communications. As the airwaves have become increasingly crowded, there is an increased need for more radio users to share the available spectrum, which is where the need for digital emerges.
Do digital right: Converting to a digital radio solution has different criteria to consider compared to an analog radio system. There are protocol differences to understand within digital radio choices that directly impact performance, cost and potentially future system needs. Here are the key points to consider in adopting a digital radio solution.

Digital Advantages

Digital Delivers Improved, Consistent Audio Quality
Digital technology provides better noise rejection and preserves voice quality over a greater range than analog, especially at the farthest edges of the transmission range. Users can hear what is being said more clearly over greater distances since digital voice retains better audio quality than analog as signal strength decreases.

Digital Transforms Communication

Greater Privacy than Analog – No extra encryption hardware is required to ensure private communications when operating in digital mode. When encryption is used, only the intended recipient(s) hear what is transmitted and there is no significant loss in voice quality that analog scrambling can cause.
Expanded Direct Calling Options – Get more flexible call control by addressing one radio, a group of radios or all radios with a press of a button. Each digital radio has its own unique ID that can be selectively called by others. No special pre-programming is required making communications more efficient on-the-go.
Text Messaging for Flexibility – Digital enables sending/receiving free-form or pre-set text messages. Users are empowered with more communication options when voice communications is not feasible or messages need to be stored for reference.

Not all Digital is the same.
Know the difference.

Know the Difference in Digital Protocol
For conventional licensed, commercial digital radio communications, there are two digital protocols available known as TDMA and FDMA. Unlike the analog radio world where a wide variety of radio brands can work together, these two digital protocols are not compatible with each other. It is important to understand the differences where advantages can be realized with TDMA versus the limitations of FDMA.

TDMA Protocol
Time-Division Multiple Access

TDMA uses the full 12.5 kHz channel and divides it into two independent slots to achieve 6.25 kHz efficiency. It doubles the calling capacity of one frequency channel. Two digital conversations can take place simultaneously from a single channel. Or, one slot can be used for voice while the other slot is used for data such as text messaging. No relicensing or re-banding is needed and there is no degradation in range performance or additional risk of interference with adjacent channels.

Get two digital voice paths from one 12.5 kHz channel.

Additional Benefits of TDMA

• Reduced equipment cost – No extra repeaters or combining equipment is required to get double the capacity of analog. No extra equipment also means no additional power usage or extra maintenance required.
  
  
• Longer battery life – Achieve improvement in battery life performance. Since TDMA cuts the call transmit time in half, this directly increases the length of talk time on a single charge.
  
  
• More choices – TDMA is the most widely used digital mobile radio protocol in the world with more brand choices available for users to operate a more dynamic and flexible digital radio system.

FDMA Protocol
Frequency-Division Multiple Access

FDMA splits a frequency band into narrow sub-channels and does not use the full capacity of the entire 12.5 kHz channel. As a band narrows, there is greater risk of interference, reduced sensitivity and potentially reduced range for overall reduced performance quality. Relicensing or re-banding is necessary, adding more cost to implement.

Only one digital voice path is achieved in one 12.5 kHz channel.

Other Limitations of FDMA

• Increased equipment cost – a dedicated repeater is required for each channel. Combining equipment is also required for multiple frequencies to share a single base-station antenna.
  
  
• Increased licensing cost – relicensing or re-banding will be necessary to achieve increased capacity.
  
  
• Limited choices – FDMA provides limited radio options since there are fewer manufacturers offering compatible radios with this protocol.

  

EVX-530 Series

Evolve to Better Communication and Value

You can afford to enhance your communications with the digital performance of eVerge™ two-way radios. eVerge™ radios are compact and precision-engineered to deliver value without sacrificing quality -- giving you more capabilities and the flexibility you need to communicate at your best.

• 32 Channels / 2 Groups (EVX-531)
• 512 Channels / 32 Groups (EVX-534, EVX-539)
• 5 Watts VHF and UHF
• VHF: 136 – 174 MHz
• UHF: 403 – 470 MHz; 450 – 512 MHz
• 3 Programmable Keys (EVX-531)
• 7 Programmable Keys (EVX-534)
• 9 Programmable Keys (EVX-539)
• 8-Character alpha numeric display (EVX-534, EVX-539)
• 500 mW Audio Output

View Vertex Standard EVX-530 Radio Series Information

 

 

 

EVX-5300/5400 Series

Evolve to Better Communication and Value

You can afford to enhance your communications with the digital performance of eVerge™ two-way radios. eVerge™ radios are compact, precision-engineered to deliver value without sacrificing quality -- giving you more capabilities and the flexibility you need to communicate at your best.

• 512 Channels / 32 Groups (EVX-5400)
• 8 Channels / 1 Group (EVX-5300)
• 50 Watts VHF / 45 Watts UHF
• VHF: 136 – 174 MHz
• UHF: 403 – 470 MHz; 450 – 512 MHz
• 6 Programmable Keys
• 8-Character Alpha Numeric Display

View Vertex Standard EVX-5300/5400 Radio Series Information

 

 

 

EVX-R70 Series

Evolve to Better Communication and Value

You can afford to enhance your communications with the digital performance of eVerge™ two-way radios. eVerge™ radios are precision-engineered to deliver value without sacrificing quality - giving you more capabilities and the flexibility you need to communicate at your best.

• 16 Channels
• Output Power VHF: 1 - 25 W, 25 - 45 W
• Output Power UHF: 403 - 470 MHz: 1 -25 W, 25 - 45 W
• Output Power UHF: 450 - 512 MHz: 1 - 40 W
• Frequency Range VHF: 136 – 174 MHz
• Frequency Range UHF: 403 – 470 MHz; 450 – 512 MHz
• AMBE+2TM Digital Vocoder

 

 

Video

VXD Series Digital Radios Video

Vertex Standard's VXD Series conventional digital land mobile radios provide a new digital choice for users seeking to maximize their radio investment. The VXD Series also operates on the most widely-used digital mobile radio protocol known as DMR, which uses 2 slot TDMA (time division multiple access) in 12.5kHz channels. The VXD Series includes: VXD-720 portable radio, VXD-7200 mobile radio and VXD-R70 repeater.
Watch Vertex Standard VXD Series Video