Communications Vehicle System Design

The Force Protection / Emergency Response Laboratory designed the technical systems for the Tampa Police Department's new Hostage Negotiation Van as well as a new communications trailer for Pinellas County Emergency Communications.

For the Tampa Hostage Negotiation Van, all primary communications systems, including both voice and data, will interconnect over an internal high-speed ethernet backbone, with analog voice traffic handled as VoIP packets.  The design features an encrypted mesh Wi-Fi network for external telephony, VoIP workstation telephones, domestic and satellite television reception, an onboard weather station with weather data available to all network clients, police helicopter video downlink, satellite-based internet access, a mast-mounted camera, communications interoperability systems as well as supporting conventional VHF, UHF and 800 MHz communications transceivers.

The completely self-contained, self powered Pinellas Count Emergency Communications trailer will employ up to sixteen VHF, UHF and 700/800 MHz transceivers in a communications interoperability system, a centralized serial-based rapid reprogramming system that will allow single-point access to each transceiver and a five station trunked repeater system.  All equipment will be housed in an onboard shelter with a 100' telescoping tower and a 15 KW generator.