PBS brings digital radio technology for grander staging of Champs

As the Inter-secondary Schools Sports Association ( ISSA) gets in the full swing of things for the 2022 staging of the ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys and Girls’ Athletics Championships (Champs), the event has forged a partnership with PBS Technologies to utilise modern digital radio technology. The recently launched digital two-way radio product is an evolution of the analog radios that are popular in Jamaica. The digital two-way radio allows greater functionality that is far superior to analog versions.

Shenia Wright, business development manager at PBS Technologies, noted that the partnership with ISSA is an important one, as reliable, clear communication is critical to the safe and successful delivery of large-scale sporting events such as Champs. “ISSA made the decision to use our digital radios after we outlined the many benefits of digital services. ISSA is one of our anchor customers utilising radios on the new wide area platform that, among other things, offers private, one-to-one calling with custom call groups, instead of only the traditional one-to-many mode on analog systems. ISSA’s commitment to deliver a world-class event has been evident, and our radio team is simply here to ensure effective communication throughout the event,” Wright said.

This technology comes with GPS, noise suppression, and even text messaging. It also has a mobile application for users who may need access to other radio users without having a physical radio in hand. “Digital radio users are guaranteed a clean, continuous stream of audio within reception of a digital radio signal. Right now, we have about 75 per cent coverage of all the populated spaces in Jamaica. We will be working assiduously to, over time, provide full coverage across the island.” Wright added.

PREFERRED PARTNER

After offering ISSA a tailor-made package to meet their needs, the company was selected as the preferred radio communication partner.

Digital audio broadcasting, also known as digital radio or high-definition radio, is an audio broadcasting method in which traditional analog audio is converted into a digital signal and transmitted on an assigned channel over a specific frequency.

Digital radio offers compact disc - quality audio on the FM broadcast band and FM-quality audio on the AM broadcast band. That is why digital radio is the choice for critical communication situations.

The key breakthrough feature in digital radio transmission systems is that they require lower transmission power and improve audio quality thereby allowing the same radio frequency to be reused at shorter distance. Digital radio transmission can also carry any kind of digital information, thus, when needed, can integrate with business software applications and other systems.

PBS is the Motorola radio integrator for the Caribbean and has been in the radio business for more than 50 years. The company serves many businesses across the Caribbean, including companies in Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados and Guyana.