Norwich International Airport (NIA) has a site based fire station, used as preventative, control and reactive to fire and similar emergency issues and events at the airport.

The airport fire station was experiencing staff communications difficulties, particularly during ‘turn out’ alerts. Abletek visited the site to investigate. Our testing and investigation found an aging audio system installation with limited speaker qty and coverage – deemed past economical repair we advised a new audio system installation.

Audio Applications

• Public Address (PA) / Tannoy
• Audio activation system (message playout)

Audio Specification & Technologies

• 100v line, high impedance
• Traditional audio message player (MP3)

Installation Details

Our design solution was based on traditional 100v line. Cables to speakers were installed through existing cable ducting between the main support building and fire engine bays. A single audio broadcast zone was created (all audio to all areas/speakers).

Paging microphones were installed within the main fire station control office (manned 24/7) and to the operational areas on the ground floor.

The installed system was used for general use Public Address (PA) / Tannoy announcements – operated from a standard paging microphone based in the service control room. The duty control officer was responsible for instigating ‘turn out’ alerts via the microphone and/or activation playback of recorded audio message files.

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The Wellington Fire station nr. Telford required a multi-functional audio broadcast system to assist in site communications (fire station tannoy) and in support of incident ‘turn out’ alerts triggered from the county HQ contact centre.

This fire station is typically configured and constructed, with a training tower and main building containing offices, training areas, control and management. Multiple fire engine bays are integrated with access from the front and rear yard areas. Our customer required

Audio Applications

• Public Address (PA) / Fire Station Tannoy
• ‘Turn Out’ alert / sonix alarm (audio message playout)
• Doorbell voice alerts (audio message playout)

Audio Specification & Technologies

• 100v line, high impedance
• Traditional audio message player (MP3)
• Single audio zone, multi-microphone for voice input

Installation Details

Our design solution was based on traditional 100v line. Cables to speakers were installed through existing cable ducting between the main support building and fire engine bays. A single audio broadcast zone was created (all audio to all areas/speakers).

Paging microphones were installed within the main ground floor fire station control office (manned 24/7) and within the crew room area on the first floor.

The installed system was used for general use Public Address (PA) / fire station tannoy announcements – operated from standard paging microphones based in the service control room. The system was integrated to the main Shropshire HQ control offices. The system received a basic contact change signal from the control centre – this trigger was used to playout the recorded ‘turn out’ sonix alert throughout the fire station.

The site contained a number of main door access for personal and visitor access. We installed separate weatherproof doorbells. These were connected to the audio system and to dedicated audio message files so that staff could determine which door to attend to eg. “ding dong, front door…” or “ding, dong, back door”

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MAGPAS Air Ambulance is an emergency medical charity that provides pre-hospital emergency care, in the air or on land, including treatments normally only available in hospital.

The MAGPAS management team required an audio system installation to help improve communications and activation response and to alert the doctors / pilots across the support building and helicopter hangars.

Audio Applications

• Public Address (PA) / Tannoy
• Audio activation system (message playout)

Audio Specification & Technologies

• 100v line, high impedance
• Bespoke signal relay interface used during alert activation
• Traditional audio message player (MP3)

Installation Details

Our design solution was based on traditional 100v line. Cables to speakers were installed through existing cable ducting between the main support building and helicopter hangars. A single audio broadcast zone was created (all audio to all areas/speakers).

The system was used for general use Public Address (PA) / Tannoy announcements – operated from a standard paging microphone based in the service control room.

A series of wall buttons were installed to the office block and helicopter hangars – these were to be used by staff to instigate a response ‘call out’ alarm. Medical staff, doctors and pilots used this alarm to respond and ready for service and flight as required.

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Do singe site audio installations get bigger than this?

With 100’s of speakers spread across a huge military site containing 50+ separate buildings, this is a seriously large audio installation. RAF Coningsby ‘station tannoy’ system and audio altering systems provide site wide communications and incident reporting as well as instructional alert state update and instruction.

The wider audio design solution for this site is based on key ‘broadcast’ points, with priority audio routing through a series of ‘ring’ cabling infrastructure. Of particular challenge is the sheer scale of the site, distances involved and sensitivity with regard to any broadcast (including testing and commissioning).

Audio Applications

• Public Address (PA) / Station ‘Tannoy’
• Audio alert tones & messages (eg. crash alarm)

Audio Specification & Technologies

• 100v line, high impedance
• Line level audio distribution
• VOR (voice operated relays) used to firewall building entry
• Traditional audio message player (MP3)
• Bespoke microphone console units (military grade with physical button protective measures)

Installation Details

Most of the wider existing line level audio distribution network is some 20-40 years old. Forming a series of ‘rings’ audio transmission as pro line level (LL) enters strategic building entry points via radial taps from the primary LL distribution. VOR’s are used to firewall and isolate local building mixer / amplifiers, which provide local audio service to one or more buildings (from a few speakers to 100’s of speakers).

Following an increasing number of partial system failures and performance issues, Abletek were contacted and asked to perform a series of test and inspection surveys around the site. The results of which would determine upgrade and improvement plans. Time Domain Reflectometer (TDR) testing, electrical and functional audio level testing was carried out over the course of a number of planned project visits. Given the size and scale of the site, this was extensive work, much of the testing phases taking weeks to complete.

Various upgrade and improvement projects followed. Of particular note was our swap out of the primary broadcast point audio systems. These systems (x5) provide audio input to the wider station tannoy, including priority audio routing and broadcast of all military alarm messages.

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Wiltshire Air Ambulance is an emergency medical charity that provides pre-hospital emergency care, in the air or on land, including treatments normally only available in hospital.

A new airbase site location on the outskirts of Melksham – a newbuild construction required an integrated audio system to help communicate and control the activation response and to alert the doctors / pilots across the support building and helicopter hangars.

Abletek had previous experience with similar air ambulance and emergency response services, we discussed this and any site specific requirements. Our detained design solution was created and provided to the project engineering consultants. Following approval, the audio systems were installed by the project electrical contractors, with Abletek site support for testing and commissioning.

Audio Applications

• Public Address (PA) / Tannoy
• Audio activation system (message playout)

Audio Specification & Technologies

• 100v line, high impedance
• Bespoke signal relay interface used during alert activation
• Traditional audio message player (MP3)

Installation Details

Our design solution was based on traditional 100v line. Cables to speakers were installed through existing cable ducting between the main support building and helicopter hangars. A single audio broadcast zone was created (all audio to all areas/speakers).

The system was used for general use Public Address (PA) / Tannoy announcements – operated from a standard paging microphone based in the service control room.

A series of wall buttons were installed to the office block and helicopter hangars – these were to be used by staff to instigate a response ‘call out’ alarm. Medical staff, doctors and pilots used this alarm to respond and ready for service and flight as required.

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Our US Military customer on the RAF Lakenheath air force base required an RAF station sound system installation to improve audio communications within a large office block, warehouse and deployment centre.

A traditionally cabled audio design was specified and installed, distributing a zoned solution to enable targeted audio from a centralised security / reception location.

Audio Applications

• Public Address (PA) / Station ‘Tannoy’
• Mass Notification

Audio Specification & Technologies

• 100v line, high impedance
• Audio matrix for ‘zone’ control and routing
• Line level audio distribution
• Bespoke microphone console units (military grade with physical button protective measures)

Installation Details

Initial project discussion and site visits were made to better understand the customer requirement and to define the scope for this project. The installation site covered a number of multi-service operational work spaces as well as an admin office block.

We specified and installed an RAF station sound system, multi-zone audio solution, providing the customer with control of audio routing throughout the project site into the different work space areas as required. It was not possible to consider using IP audio for this project as the customer networks were not available for us use. New / additional wired or wireless networks were also not available for us to consider due to rigid policy and understandable network security concerns.

Our installation works were carried out directly through the US military projects team. Coordinating works around general operations and avoiding/limiting times around any sensitive operations and scheduled workforce military exercises / actions. Out going speaker zone cabling was specifically specified by the US customer to meet other local ELV cabling designs / technologies.

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