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Case Study: Comm Failure and Catastrophe

Light Brigade
The following line’s are a testament to the heroic charge of the UK’s famous Light Brigade in the battle of Balaclava.
Remarkable bravery was shown by men who knew their orders were incorrect.
Charge of the Light Brigade
Officers and men of the 13th Light Dragoons, survivors of the charge, photographed by Roger Fenton
Cannon to right of them,
Cannon to left of them,
Cannon in front of them
   Volleyed and thundered;
Stormed at with shot and shell,
Boldly they rode and well,
Into the jaws of Death,
Into the mouth of hell
   Rode the six hundred.
 The Charge of the Light Brigade
BY ALFRED, LORD TENNYSON

 

What you might not have heard is the contrasting epic poem of the success of ‘The Charge of the Heavy Brigade’ by the same author. A man named Scarlet, only weeks away from retirement, was reactivated and led a brilliant campaign. He lost only 20 men in a battle that cost enemy lines more than 200 men!

What was the key difference that led one to success and the other to failure? Certainly, no one could question the loyalty or bravery of the soldier in either case. The answer lies in the revealing lines:

Was there a man dismayed?
Not though the soldier knew
   Someone had blundered.
It is still a matter of conjecture to this day who’s fault it really was. Some say it was that the original order didn’t make it through because the orders were misquoted. Others say that even if they made it through the casualties would still have been absurd because of bad strategy.
One thing is for certain, if they’d been wearing Dalcomm Tech gear, they would have had perfect, clear comms, and quite possibly avoided this massive tragedy.
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Which ICS is Best?

Things to consider when choosing intercom systems

Not all intercom systems are the same. If you’re shopping for one presently you’ll find there are a plethora of choices. So where do you start? Just as there are many hats for many different purposes from baseball cap to fireman’s helmet, there are many different specific use case ICS systems. Some are for buildings, some portable, some for vehicles, some for marine vessels. Usually the manufacturer will tell you what the system is designed and marketed for but sometimes a marine system might work well on a fire truck. It’s up to the buyer to research their needs and what’s out there so they get the best tool for their specific job. Here are some points that will help you with that process.

What are the specifics needed?

The first thing to do is nail down exact details of what you need your system to do for you. Ask questions like: Does it need to have any parts of it outside, exposed to the elements? Does it need to be waterproof? Does it need to have any specific ratings for safety? How long does it take to set up? Some systems require complex on/off/pairing/system setting/purging situations and your situation may need immediate use without fussing with all that. Ask for a demo to see for yourself and try it yourself. Don’t let the sales guy just quickly zip through the steps of using it and make it look easy when in reality you’ll have to train people how to use it.

How many users?

You might have 5 people on your firetruck and the system you need starts as a four man system and adding a 5th man costs an extra $1200 and adds two modules to the system. Make sure you ask all the questions and get layout plans from your sales rep so you know the costs. Don’t forget that the more modules in a system the more work you have to pay an installation tech to do and the more stuff there is that can break.

What is the support like?

Does it require a technical doctorate with a laptop to work on it? Is it field repairable or are you going to be down for weeks? Do all the parts of the system carry a warranty? Can you get a hold of the company via email or phone? If you have trouble getting a response from the company even regarding a quote you can bet you won’t have an easy time claiming a warranty repair.

How many features do I really need?

Will my crew actually use all the features of the system or can you hammer out a more basic version of what you need? Nowadays with so much technology available some brands are basically providing a TV studio worth of features when all you might really need is for your guys to all talk to each other. Often times too many bells and whistles can be a distraction and an irritation for workers. Often times it’s better to just have one big push to talk button and that’s it. Too many buttons and too much set up work not only distracts from the work but means there are more things that can go wrong with a system. Simple is better especially in demanding environments.

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Which Intercom App Do You Use?

Smartphones are being used to extend communications networks in dozens of applications including public safety, construction and mining. There are places where it’s better to have a radio and places where it’s better to have a smartphone. It’s a fantastic new frontier adding flexibility and versatility to critical communications.

There are lots of intercom system apps that allow you to turn your work group’s smartphones into and intercom. As with wired intercoms there are as many different apps as there are different places you’d need an intercom. There are some that link to radio networks like the Motorola WAVE app. There are some that are being used in airports to coordinate ground support services. There is an app called Zello for Work with 10’s of millions of downloads and ratings at 4.6 stars https://zellowork.com/lmr   Long story short, ICS apps are a real thing and are really growing. Additionally, there are a surprising amount of people using this app in industrial applications and many need hearing protection. That’s why we’ve launched our new SBG-4 cable for smartphones. It works with the G-Series headsets.

The top intercom manufacturers are also now using apps so that you can link in wirelessly to existing wired intercom systems and radio networks. An outstanding example of this is Clearcom’s Agent-IC app.  As the Clear-Com website describes: “Agent-IC is a mobile intercom app enables a smartphone or tablet device to operate as a fully-featured mobile user panel and… it can connect over Wi-Fi, 3G, 4G and LTE networks.” Brilliant stuff!

What Apps have you tried with your Dalcomm Tech headsets? Email to sales@dalcommtech.com to let us know what works best for you.