Case Studies

Celtic radios go digital

by Mark Rowe

Celtic Football Club’s radio estate was a mix of models and makes which had been purchased over the years, with no collective overview.

There was no systematic, consistent method of programming the radios, many of which were analogue and operating on VHF in simplex mode. Equally, there was no centralised repeater to amplify the signal.

Sponsorship Manager, Suzanne Reid, said: “We needed a complete review of our radio infrastructure from top to bottom. The system had to be robust and future-proof, taking into account the different business requirements including match-day operations as well as Lone Worker and Man Down functionality, as well as site to site links connecting the training ground to the main stadium.”

Hytera radios were chosen. After a site survey, recommendations were made and Hytera re-seller, Vital Comms were selected provide the new Hytera 2-site XPT system.

The radios were asset tagged and deployed by the Celtic FC IT staff to each department, with user guides. Site-to-site IP links were configured and tested to ensure that the Lennoxtown Training Academy could communicate with security teams at Celtic Park.

The club required reliability of communications between two locations: the Lennoxtown Training Academy and the main site, Celtic Park. With site-to-site IP links configured, the teams are able to stay in touch at critical times. Equally, on match days, with the old analogue system, coverage could be poor. The move to digital has improved both coverage and quality of transmission. Noise cancellation ensures that the various departments are able to use their radios without fear of not being heard, and the extended coverage means that there is no worry about not having reception.

The ‘Man Down’ and ‘Lone Worker’ functions are also important to the club. With contractors working in potentially perilous situations such as on the roof, or in other isolated parts of the stadium, it is important for teams to know where each worker is and whether they are safe. Celtic FC selected a Hytera XPT (Extended Pseudo Trunking) solution. In traditional DMR, groups are tied to a single channel resource. This can lead to one channel resource being busy whilst others are idle. XPT works by taking the channel resource given to site and pooling (or “trunking”) them. This leads to reduced infrastructure and licensing costs.

The radios extend across teams, from operations and car park attendants to security, facilities, retail and hospitality staff. The radio estate charges within one hour.

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