 |
 |
Broadcasts help
control SUNY-Buffalo
parking acres. |
 |
The station
directs
motorists in a
3-mile radius
(28 square
miles). |
 |
Steve Barry of
University
Police provide
technical
support. The
electronics
enclosure is
housed indoors,
above his
office. |
 |
The antenna is
on the roof. |
|
State University of New York
at Buffalo |
September 2005 |
SUNY
Buffalo Uses Advisory Radio to Inform On-Campus
Travelers. |
Communication
Goals
By acquiring our new
radio system, first, we
wanted to improve
communication to
on-campus travelers
regarding daily and
event-driven traffic
issues. Second, and
perhaps even more
important, we wanted to
broadcast emergency and
weather related
information that would
affect campus travel.
Finally, the radio
system helps us provide
additional parking and
activity information for
guests. We host many
extracurricular
activities that bring
visitors to the SUNY-Buffalo
campus i.e., concerts,
football games and
sporting events.
Implementation
Team
The project was
conceived after talking
with contacts from the
New York State Thruway
Authority. Chief John
Grela sought funding for
the project via Student
Affairs. University
Police was asked to
select the site and
install the station,
while Parking and
Transportation Services
produces ongoing
programming. Information Station Specialists tuned
the antenna and trained
university personnel.
Information Station Specialists also helped up front
with specific
information regarding
installation issues
unique to the nature of
the low frequency
equipment. We also
enlisted Information Station Specialists’ help with
FCC license application
and Special Temporary Authority license
acquisition while
waiting for the
permanent license to be
granted. Information Station Specialists performed a
check-out of the
equipment installation
and field strength
measurements to assure
FCC compliance.
System Setup
We purchased an
Information Station
from Information Station Specialists. Our station is
located at the Campus
Mail Center/University
Police garage and is
controlled and
programmed via telephone
line. The antenna is
center-mounted on a
metal roof, which is the
groundplane for the
antenna system. We
selected this location
because the metal roof
simplified groundplane
installation and because
of the height of the
building. The tip of the
antenna can only be 45
feet above average
terrain. Most buildings
on campus are
multiple-floor
structures and would
exceed this limit. Our
station callsign is
WQCT657, transmitting on
1620 kHz. The station
covers a 2.5-to-3-mile
radius from its antenna
centerpoint. We use road
signs, parking-lot
signs, campus shuttle
frame advertising and
our website to announce
the station and its
frequency to listeners.
Many folks, coming onto
campus, note the
entrance signage and
tune in to assist with
wayfinding, etc.
Success
Measurements
We consider our
advisory radio station
to be a valuable tool
for interfacing with the
University community.
Recently, for example,
it was used during the
aftermath of the Law
Library O’Brian Hall
fire. Broadcasts told
students how to find
rescheduled classes and
temporary classrooms. We
are still exploring
overall use and trying
various audio formats
and campus voices to see
what’s most effective.
We conducted an on-line
survey about our parking
services. Of those
reporting that they had
experience with UB Alert
1620, 77% rated it
“Good” to “Very Good." (Contact
Linda Velazquez at
SUNY-Buffalo to request
detailed survey results
and articles.)
Challenges
The biggest
problem we encountered
was mounting the antenna
on the metal roof. The
roof had a recently
renovated rubber
covering that had to be
penetrated according to
code. University
Facilities engineered
and installed guying and
made appropriate
penetrations for the
coax, ground wiring and
guy mounts. (See
installation photos,
left.) An additional
challenge was educating
departments on the
purpose of the station;
many had hoped to market
programs, events, guest
speakers, etc., through
this medium (we received
requests to broadcast
games, market various
research labs, venues on
campus and clubs). Since
our station's purpose is
to provide on-campus
traveler advice to
improve day-to-day and
event-driven traffic,
our messages include
general parking and
transportation tips,
special large events
that impact traveling or
parking on campus, road
repairs/lot repairs,
campus closures, early
dismissals, and
emergency notifications.
Words of Wisdom
We recommend
limiting the number of
persons with access to
changing messages. As
the word spreads about
the service and its
usage, more and more
departments are reaching
out to us. We have a
specific team with
authority and access to
broadcast messages. In
the middle of the night,
someone needs to be a
point person; and
someone also needs to
maintain scheduling of
aired messages if time
sensitive. Also, it's
important to establish
guidelines for message
content. With the
exception of an
emergency message, only
those messages with a
direct impact on campus
travel or parking should
be accepted for
broadcast. Develop a
message plan with slots
in place in the standard
format. New messages can
be inserted without
reloading or changing
the basic message.
Supplier
We had a
terrific experience with
Information Station Specialists. Everyone involved
from licensing,
installation and field
checkout was
experienced,
knowledgeable and
professional. Information Station Specialists has
been great.

|
|
© 1983-2021 • Information Station Specialists,
Inc. • All Rights Reserved
PO Box 51, Zeeland, Michigan, USA, 49464-0051, Phone
616.772.2300, Fax 616.772.2966,
Email the Editor
• • •
|
Information Radio Stations is a generic term
synonymous with Travelers Information Stations (TIS), Highway
Advisory Radio Stations (HAR) / Highway Information Systems &
Low Power Radio Stations (LPR). Operation of the stations is
governed by FCC Part 90.242 Rules. A FCC license is required.
Information Radio Stations may be fixed or portable.
Subcomponents may include transmitter, antenna and ground
system, digital voice player, wattmeter, cabinet with
conventional or Corbin locks, lightning arrestors for RF, power
and telephone lines, coaxial cable. Most stations employ black
maximized antennas to discourage ice accumulation and security
measures to prevent unauthorized program access. Options include
synchronization, battery backup, solar power, remote programming
by local, network or telco, multi-station audio distribution via
RF or LAN / WAN or wireless network. |