Radio over IP(ROIP):VOCALITY

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Beyond Line-of-Sight (LOS)

Devices such as BASICS Radio Relay or BASICS Hybrid allow the direct connectivity of several handsets into the unit, and the push to talk radio conversation and associated signalling is converted into IP.

Unlike a straightforward gateway application, the BASICS units have a special functionality that cannot be found in other gateways. Vocality's PACE functionality allows the radio calls to be extended over IP with the maximum reliability, but the minimum of bandwidth overhead.

A combination of silence suppression, packet aggregation, de-jittering and efficient but clear voice compression bring significant bandwidth savings to the network operator, and importantly, the calls are clearer and more reliable to the user. In this way, users can extend a PTT radio network over -

Mobile satellite terminals (Thuraya+, Inmarsat BGAN)

Field deployed tactical IP (via line of site connectivity, satcom or fiber)

Terrestrial IP (extend radio networks for ambulance, taxi or emergency comms)

Radio over IP Communications PTT Gateway

Vocality supports Radio over IP (RoIP) allowing a number of push to talk radio handsets to be connected locally into an existing SIP based voice switching network, such as...

CISCO Call Manager or Juniper VoIP

Asterisk PBX

WAVE 5000 from Motorola (formerly WAVE from twisted pair)

Commercial SIP based VoIP PBXs

In this way, a push to talk network can interface with existing VoIP handsets, can connect calls onward to phones or mobile phones on the PSTN, to smartphones and to specialist PTT Android or iOS applications.

Cross-banding Interoperability

By connecting multiple radios on different bands into a Vocality solution, different radio networks can be cross-connected.

By using this solution, different agencies or blue light services can have an easy and effective way to interconnect their service, removing the possibility that their services cannot work together in the case of an event.

Remote Control

By using either in-band E&M signalling, or by using a data circuit (sync or async) carried alongside the radio extension or gateway, remote radio networks can be controlled from a central location.

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Sample of Supported Radios

• Public Safety Radios from:
  • Motorola, Harris, Codan, Barrett, Kenwood, Thales, ICOM, Relm
• Commercial Radios
• Ritron, Midland, Cobra
• Military Program of Record Radios such as:
  • N/PRC 1xx
  • MBITR
  • SINCGARS
  • MUOS
  • FALCON (Harris)
  • JEM
  • EPLRS
  • JTRS
  • HMS / Rifleman
  • Aselsan 4700 SK2 Mobile Radio




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Technical Notes


Flexibility: Form factors are available from desktop to rugged to rackmount chassis. Units offered with 2, 4, 8, 12, 16, 20, 24, 48, and 64 channels.


Silence Suppression: To reduce the amount of bandwidth used, silence suppression can be enabled on the devices.


Voice Activation Detection (VAD): Voice Activation Detection (VAD) can be used to detect active audio packets on both the radio connection and also the SIP connection in order to activate the Push to Talk (PTT) on the radio for it to transmit.


Manual Activation: As well as VAD, manual activation can be used to key the remote radios. This enables the units to be used with push-to-talk (PTT) headsets or operations center systems.


PTT Timers: Adjustable timers are available on the Vocality system to prevent bouncing of the PTT to the radio and also from the radios falsely keying each other due to the squelch feedback experienced on some radios.


Switchable Full Duplex / Simplex Operation: A feature is available to force the network into a simplex operation by having the ability to kill all receive audio whilst the PTT is active.


Bandwidth Optimization: The Vocality devices can be used as standalone media converters to interconnect with a larger network or they can be used as a pair, or hub and spoke, in order to reduce bandwidth and increase the quality of the link by removing jitter.


Powered/amplified Audio Circuits: If you are using radio sets which do not have line level inputs and outputs, you should choose the BASICS Hybrid, which can directly accept microphone inputs and drive microphone output levels. The additional gain is in the analogue domain, so as to avoid degrading signal to noise ratios, and it is switchable and adjustable, to allow the port to be used with normal line level inputs too.


RTP Unicast Streaming Support: If you need to minimize delay and avoid loss of audio when devices start transmitting, this will allow transmission of audio without the need for SIP signalling, via media servers and devices which also support RTP unicast.


RTP Multicast Streaming Support: If you need to minimize bandwidth usage. In a network with one media server and several devices, each device would normally need to be sent audio independently, even when the content is the same. If your media server supports this protocol you are able to send only once and have each device receive the same audio.


Direct Headset Connection: Either a microphone or radio set can be directly connected to the BASICS Hybrid. A DC bias can be provided for microphone only operation, controllable from software. Most popular headsets can be used, though they will need to be wired appropriately to match our ports.