Velcourt understand that good communication is the key to the safety of remote farm workers. Communication ensures staff are kept informed of potential hazards and are easily able to raise the alarm if an emergency occurs. As well as responding to emergency situations, communication is essential to the efficient day-today running of the farm. With up to 12 remote farm workers spread across Velcourt's vast farm in Kent at a time, effective group coordination can save dozens of working hours each day. This is vital to ensuring Velcourt's customers (which include household names like Warburtons*) only receive the best, top quality crops.
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User
Velcourt's Kent Farm, UK -
Project Time
2016 -
Market Segment
Farming -
Product
MD65X Mobile Radio
RD62X Repeater
Challenge
Staff at Velcourt Kent had been making use of mobile phones which were difficult to use while operating machinery and only allowed for one-to-one conversations. Network coverage was also poor in various areas.
It was clear that Velcourt needed a group communication solution that was user-friendly, reliable and capable of covering their huge site.
Solutions
Velcourt turned to the UK's most experienced radio systems provider, Smye-Rumsby for the answer.
After listening to Velcourt's requirements, Chris Brown (Account Manager for Smye-Rumsby) recommended 17 Hytera MD65X VHF digital mobile radios to be fitted in Velcourt's various agricultural vehicles. These included combine harvesters, tractors and trucks. An MD65X desktop mobile was also fitted in the farm's office.
Senior staff and staff with particularly hazardous roles at Velcourt were offered Hytera SM27W1-A1 bluetooth remote speaker microphones which connect to a vehicle's MD65X mobile radio wirelessly.
The SM27W1 wireless speaker mics would give the users the flexibility to be up to 10 metres from their vehicle's MD65X radio and still make radio calls.
To overcome the challenge of radio coverage on Velcourt's huge Kent farm site, a Hytera compact, powerful RD62X repeater was recommended.
This would be connected to an antenna located high above the roof of one of the main farm units.
Whilst this repeater would cover a vast amount of Velcourt's Kent farm, there were always likely to be certain blackspots with poorer coverage due to the hilly rural landscape.
To counteract this, Velcourt could make use of a back-to-back radio channel which allows them to communicate to those in closer proximity when they are out of the repeater's coverage area.
About Velcourt's Kent Farm, UK
Health & Safety is extremely important to Velcourt. The UK Health & Safety Executive stated that farmers have the most dangerous job in the UK, so when employees are operating complex heavy machinery, and are working in remote areas across the farm, they need the ability to communicate easily and quickly.
Benefits
Velcourt Kent now has a reliable and advanced digital radio solution which is perfect for group communication. The Hytera MD65x radios themselves are very easy-to-use, meaning farm staff can keep their full attention on operating their vehicles.
Exceptional coverage has also been achieved thanks to Hytera's robust and cost-effective RD62X VHF repeater with communication being achieved “well over 10 miles” from repeater site at the main farm.
As a result, Velcourt's farm staff in Kent have a robust communication system which saves them time, providing a return-on-investment and giving users peace-of-mind from a health and safety standpoint.
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