GPS Repeaters For Fire Stations
When parked inside a fire station, most appliances can’t receive a GPS signal due to the blocking effect of the building structure.
This is not necessarily an issue when the appliances are parked; however when they leave the station it can sometimes take several minutes to re-acquire a GPS fix.
During these first few crucial minutes on a callout, the appliance would be transmitting incorrect (stale) location data to the command and control centre.
Any other satellite navigation kit (such as TomTom/Garmin devices) will be similarly affected, potentially increasing response time.
A GPS repeater system installed in a fire station ensures that:
- All appliances receive a “live” GPS satellite signal while parked.
- Satellite navigation equipment in all rescue vehicles is locked-on to the GPS satellites at all times when indoors.
- When appliances leave the station they already have GPS lock and will transmit accurate location data to the command and control centre.
- There is zero satellite-acquisition delay when exiting the fire station.
- No need to reboot the on-board system while en-route to an incident.
In most cases a free survey and test/demo installation is available on request.
GPS Repeater – System Components
A GPS receiving antenna is mounted on an outside wall or roof space; anywhere that has a good view of the sky.
A coaxial feeder cable connects the antenna to the repeater unit inside the building.
A repeater is a small device (110 x 143 x 28mm) that can be wall-mounted or ceiling-mounted, depending on the size and shape of the building.
The picture to the right shows a repeater installed at a height of approximately 5 metres, with a view across the top of the appliances to ensure line-of-sight with GPS receiving antennas.
When mounted horizontally at a height of 10 metres, for example on a roof beam, the coverage radius would be approximately 35 metres.
The best position for the repeater unit is where there is line-of-sight to the GPS receiving antennas on the appliances.
Further Information
A repeater kit comes with all you need to get indoor GPS signal in a fire station.
For larger areas where one single repeater is not enough we can offer you a custom-designed-system to meet your exact requirement.