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Everyone loves a good carnival, and the usually peaceful market town of Bishop’s Stortford sure knows how to throw a party!
Once a year, the town holds a carnival parade and fun day, transforming the streets into a colourful medley of floats, costumes, music and dancing. This year’s theme was All Around the World, which saw participants celebrating a rich variety of sights, sounds and cultures from all over the globe.
The parade, which meanders through the town centre, eventually comes to a halt on Sworders Field, a large open expanse on the edge of town, where a fun day packed full of rides, stalls, food and drink, theatrical performances and live music is already in full swing.
Brentwood has provided two way radio support previously for the carnival. As with any event that takes place over such a large area, the main challenge is achieving satisfactory coverage so staff and volunteers working the event are always in touch with colleagues.
Last year, there were issues with the signal range, so for the town’s Christmas Fayre we tried a different solution built around repeater units. That was better, but there were still some issues around the edges of the site.
Cellular Push-to-Talk
Determined to find a way to deliver 100% coverage, we decided to take a completely different tack altogether this year and move away from two way radio. The Sworders Field site is a big open area with excellent mobile network coverage, so we opted for a relatively new solution shaking up events communications – cellular push-to-talk.
On the face of it, the Lugra L400 device looks and behaves like a modern compact two way radio handset. It features a screen much like a standard pre-touchscreen mobile, a simple four-button navigational control on the front panel, and, critically, a push-to-talk (PTT) button on the side. A mainstay of two way radios for decades, PTT buttons allow for rapid, convenient one-touch operation – when the button isn’t pressed, you can listen to colleagues talking in real time, when you want to respond, you simply push the button. No scrolling through contact lists or beginning and ending calls.
The difference with the Lugra L400 is that it operates over the 4G LTE mobile network rather than the radio frequencies used by two way radio. This gives it two big advantages – one, as long as the mobile signal is good, you don’t get the network range limitations you get with two way radio. Two, you don’t need a license to use them, helping to reduce costs.
The feedback from the parade’s organisers was that the L400s delivered exactly what they needed – 100% coverage throughout the parade and fun day, with devices that were simple to use and no trouble to carry. And making use of 4G, it even meant we were able to stay in touch with organisers throughout set up and the event itself from our offices, adjusting settings and user group configurations in real time as required.
Interested in finding out more about cellular PTT devices and other cutting edge wireless communications solutions? At Brentwood, we always have our finger on the pulse of the very latest and best innovations, so get in touch with our team today on 01245 403520 to find out how we can help you.