With the help of TC Communications’ versatile JumboSwitch® products, RavnTech implements a cost-effective solution for San Mateo County's fire department radio network by converting a dated T1 system to Ethernet over fiber using the TC3846-6 and TC3845-1. The project involved converting and connecting 38 sites throughout the county, which covers 450 square miles on land.
Situation
San Mateo County, located in California’s Bay Area, needed to upgrade its analog two-way radio communications linking system supporting the county’s fire departments. The scope of the county-wide system—comprising nine simulcast radio channels across 38 non-centralized sites—posed a challenge to modernize while remaining cost-effective and, at the same time, enable a simple migration that would support the county in its long-term upgrade to digital IP simulcast.
Due to a limited budget, the San Mateo County Pre-Hospital Emergency Medical Services Group, the fire and EMS joint powers authority (JPA) which represents the county’s fire departments and provides fire support and paramedic/EMT services, sought a solution that would support an existing infrastructure then operating over T1 lines, running on dated Adtran products.
Figuring out how to update the county’s radio network to fiber without having to implement an entirely new system was only the first issue. Less than two months before the year’s end and 90% into the deployment process of the first phase of the project (conversion to fiber backhaul), the JPA’s T1 provider issued a notice that it was discontinuing T1 services by December 31 of that year.
The JPA’s legacy vendor brought to their attention three other T1 lines that needed a conversion solution. With a ticking clock, the county needed an addition that could seamlessly integrate with the newly upgraded network, or risk severely impacting communications for some first responders.
Before
After
This diagram shows an example of when the TC3846-6 is far more efficient. To learn more, watch this video.
Solution
A Clear First Choice
To approach the task of upgrading San Mateo County’s communications system, the JPA hired RavnTech, a Denver-based telecommunications consulting company, to develop a solution. Lincoln Unruh, the founder and CEO, with over 40 years of telecom engineering experience, formulated a plan to convert the JPA’s two-way radio network from T1 backhaul to Ethernet over fiber as the first phase of a multi-phased project.
“I researched my options and felt that the only company worth contacting was TC Communications,” Lincoln said. “And it turns out that was a very good decision, project-wise.”
JumboSwitch Provides Cost-Effective Flexibility
During his initial communication with TC, Lincoln was impressed by Sales Director George Spencer’s commitment to assisting him, even long before Lincoln had committed to anything himself.
“George’s willingness to put some resources in and help answer any questions we had, and to develop diagrams to make sure we knew exactly what we were purchasing and what it was supposed to do—you don’t find that very often anymore,” Lincoln said.
The Sales and Engineering teams at TC Communications’ headquarters in Irvine, CA determined that the TC3846-6, a product linking or extending up to four channels of 600-ohm 2/4-wire and dry contacts, and part of their flagship JumboSwitch® product line, was the right solution.
The TC3846-6 was chosen for its ability to route audio to multiple devices. As the county’s two-way radio system comprised 38 remote locations in a non-centralized architecture, the JumboSwitch was critical to connecting the sites using the most cost-effective number of interface cards possible. The TC3846-6 ports could be individually addressed to any other port in the system.
TC Communications collaborated with Lincoln on a system design and once approved, fully built and configured system components prior to shipment to ensure ease of deployment.
After TC Communications provided onsite training, Lincoln set up an integration lab near the San Francisco International Airport to test the products, which proved advantageous: By the time the TC team, led by Jay Su, Engineer, came on-site to do final configurations and IP link testing, they were able to breeze through the process, upgrading all 38 boxes in the lab in less than three-fourths of a day.
“When we deployed in the field, it was a flawless, implementation,” Lincoln said. “It was a matter of lifting the actual boxes out of the rack and the integration lab carrying them to the site and plugging them in. And we knew it was going to work.”
A Late-Stage Addition
In November, the JPA’s T1 service provider issued a notice stating that it was exiting the T1 business for good, effective December 31 of that year. The problem was, the JPA’s legacy vendor informed them about three extra T1 lines that also needed to be converted so connectivity could be maintained.
“If we didn’t have everything switched over by then, it was just going to be too bad,” Lincoln said. “They were simply going to stop providing T1 service.”
The answer was the TC3845-1, another product from the JumboSwitch series. A T1/E1 over IP device that transports up to four channels over Layer 2/3 Ethernet/IP, it was a matter of programming six cards and configuring them within the nearly fully deployed fiber system connected by the JumboSwitch TC3846-6. With mere weeks to switch the remaining system over, the straightforward integration was a relief.
“I really left it up to TC Communications to tell us what we needed to do and how it needed to be configured. Then they came out and programmed everything,” Lincoln said.
Results
Seamless Integration
With TC Communications’ hands-on training and Lincoln’s planning, the implementation of both TC solutions was executed smoothly and efficiently. Training was an integral part of this success.
“The product is already so well-designed and very straightforward, but at any rate, the training is a must-do and completely worth the couple of days to get your fingers on the product and spend some time with it,” said Lincoln.
Improved Audio Quality and Extremely Low Latency
The integration of the TC3846-6 JumboSwitch unit enabled uncompressed audio, ensuring flat audio responses that allow for clear audio and 100% passing of in-band audio signaling, which is crucial for first responders using an analog radio system. In addition, the TC3846-6 and TC3845-1 provide very low and consistent latency, ensuring compatibility with all voting and simulcast systems.
Reliable Tech Support
TC Communications customarily provides six months of Level 1 tech support with each purchase, which can be extended with customizable support packages up to and including 24/7 support. TC Communications’ TCView Network Management Software makes it possible to manage the network and to alert maintenance staff remotely in the event of a system error. Software and firmware upgrades and biweekly reports of any detected technical issues are included. TC also can maintain spare equipment for immediate dispatch in rare cases of hardware failure.
For both RavnTech and the San Mateo Pre-Hospital Medical Emergency Services Group, TC Communications’ superior tech support has brought peace of mind.
“Paying the additional money for support is critical,” Lincoln said. RavnTech and TC Communications set up an external portal to give TC engineers easy access. “Jay checks in every month just to keep it refreshed. But if we have any issues, he has immediate access to our network. And I cannot stress that enough.”
18-Month Follow-Up
A year and a half after RavnTech installed the original TC3846-6 boxes for San Mateo County, we followed up with Lincoln to see how things were going.
“Technically,” Lincoln said, “while I do not actively plan to use any vendor until I understand the situation, if I ran into a similar situation, it would be an immediate phone call to TC Communications. They are my vendor now for anything T1- or conversion-related.”
Lincoln reported that there had been zero issues with the JumboSwitch equipment.
“We haven’t had a single failure. Not even so much as a glitch,” Lincoln said. “Your equipment is absolutely rock-solid.”
According to Lincoln, the pre-installation support TC engineers provided played a huge role.
“I think working closely with TC’s engineers to test and configure everything prior to deployment was the magic bullet that set us up for success,” he said. “I actually haven’t had to interact much with tech support since then because everything was so thorough the first time around.”
We asked him if that ever gets boring.
“It’s a dream come true, really,” Lincoln said. “We’ve had issues with other equipment in the network. You name it, we’ve run the gamut. But the JumboSwitch equipment has been smooth sailing ever since.”