ICOM IP-100H Two Way Communications System Instructions

IP-100H Two Way Communications System

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Specifications:

• Product: School Radio Communications System
• Manufacturer: Icom America Inc.
• Primary Use: Two-way radio communication for school
  campuses

Product Information:

The School Radio Communications System by Icom America Inc. is
designed to provide efficient and reliable two-way communication
for educational institutions. This system is crucial for enhancing
campus security, emergency response, notification/alerts, and
facilitating various school activities such as field trips, event
transport, and daily bus routes.

Usage Instructions:

Introduction:

Choosing the right two-way radio communications system for your
school is essential. Answering the following questions will help
define your school’s communication needs and assist in determining
the best solution:

Identifying School Needs:

Understand the immediate problems or needs that require an
improved communication system. Determine the criticality of the
system and the specific activities within the school that will
utilize it.

Talkgroups Prioritization:

Identify groups that require higher priority communication due
to urgency or volume. Determine if individual-to-individual select
calls are needed and specify who should have this capability.

Location Consideration:

Describe the locations within your school and specify if users
operate locally, regionally, nationally, or internationally.
Consider how different structures or communication challenges may
affect system operation.

FAQ:

Q: What problems should I consider when choosing a two-way

radio system for my school?

A: Consider immediate needs, criticality of the system, and
specific school activities that will utilize the system.

Q: How can I prioritize communication for different groups

within the school?

A: Identify high-priority groups based on urgency or volume of
communication. Determine if individual-to-individual select calls
are necessary.

Q: How important is location in determining the effectiveness

of the radio communication system?

A: Location plays a crucial role as different environments may
impact system performance. Consider whether users operate locally,
regionally, nationally, or internationally.

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Attendance Arrival / Departure Extracurricular

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Campus Security Emergency Response
Notification/Alerts

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Field Trips Event Transport Daily Bus Routes

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IT Custodial Maintenance Food Services

School Radio Guide
Two-Way Communications System Overview

An Overview prepared by Icom America Inc.

Introduction
As you consider implementing a two-way communications system, identifying the key needs is essential. This user-friendly guide will help define the top- level operational needs the system must address. Scoping the needs is like creating a list or a blueprint. This helps in the decision making process that will make up the initial communications system architecture. Once the system architecture is defined, another set of inquiries can be made at an engineering level and this survey/overview will not drill down to that level. The survey is divided into sections. Each section will include a discussion of the topic and related open-ended questions. It is best to be specific and detailed when answering the questions while staying within the topic discussed.
Choosing the right two-way radio communications system for your school’s campus is an important decision. The answers you provide to the questions below will help define what your school’s primary communications needs are and will help Icom determine the best solution.
2 School Radio Guide: Overview

What problems are you trying to address?
It is helpful to understand the immediate problems and/or needs promoting your interest in an improved or new two-way communications system. It is also useful to know the school’s activity in which you want to use the system. The criticality of the system also provides insight into the system architecture.
Question: What school needs are driving your interest in a new or enhanced system? Answer:

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Question:
What type of school (private or public, elementary, junior high, secondary) will the system be used in? Answer:

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Question: What is the level of importance for the communications system in your school? (e.g., critical for safety, essential for daily operations, or valuable for improving efficiency) Answer:

3 School Radio Guide: Overview

Talkgroups – Who’s Talking to Whom?
In a two-way system, communication occurs within groups. Groups typically have a common function requiring frequent, routine interaction and communication include administration, security, maintenance, and teaching staff. Think of these as “one-to-many” conversations. Each group constitutes a “talkgroup.” Question: In your organization, how many talk groups exist? List them, as completely as possible. Also, note the number of individuals in each group and the amount of talk each group might engage in (heavy, moderate, or light). Answer:
It is not uncommon for individuals in one talk group to occasionally need to talk to another talk group. In a two-way system, this is done by selecting another talk group on their device. However, it is also possible to monitor other talk groups in the background so any request for communication can be heard and responded to. Question: Are there any groups that need to monitor and communicate with other talk groups? Identify the groups that monitor, which groups they monitor, and how frequently cross-group communications occur (frequently, occasionally, rarely). Answer:
4 School Radio Guide: Overview

Some groups either have a consistently high volume of two-way communications or have high urgency and need to communicate. These groups typically demand a higher priority over other routine communications. Security is an example of this. Question: Do any of the groups in your organization demand a higher priority? List and explain the nature of their priority. Answer:
Most two-way communication is done as a one-to-many call ­ one person initiates it, and everyone in the group hears it simultaneously. However, there are direct, individual-to-individual select calls and emergency calls. Emergency calls may be all calls that go to all groups. Text and status messages can also be sent with two-way devices. Question: Will your school use any call types beyond the one-to-many calls? If so, explain how you anticipate using select calls in your operation. Answer:
Question: Will your school use individual-to-individual select calls beyond the one-to-many calls? Do you want everybody to have this ability or just a subset of individuals? If so, explain how you anticipate using these other call types. Answer:
5 School Radio Guide: Overview

Location Matters
Now, consider where users will be located and how they move about. · Some two- way systems are used solely at a single location and never roam beyond the specific campus or building. Others are used on several campuses separated by some distance, but the two-way devices aren’t used outside the campuses. · Still, others may need to access the communications system anywhere within a region, nationally, or globally. · In addition, some groups on the system may stay local to campus while others may roam far from the campus regularly.
Question: Describe your schools locations. If some groups are always local to a campus while others roam, identify them and explain where they operate. It is particularly important to identify whether users travel only locally, regionally, nationally, or internationally while requiring two-way communication services. Answer:
Communications solutions can vary depending on the environment in which they exist. For example, a structures composition can interfere with a radio system’s reception and performance, making communication challenging. Similarly, certain solutions are available in urban areas that aren’t remote rural areas.
Location, Location, Location. Icom’s solutions can provide coverage for users in urban and rural areas as well as those located locally, regionally, nationally, and even internationally.
6 School Radio Guide: Overview

Question: If there are numerous different structures or communication challenges, please identify them and provide some indication of how often, or which groups, the system will operate in each. Answer:
Question: Describe the existing communications environment in which your organization operates. Is the cellular coverage good, do you have WiFi coverage, or are you currently using a traditional Land Mobile Radio system at any of the locations? Since each location may be different, answer this for each location. Answer:
Desired Features
As technology marches forward, new and intriguing features are available. Each may be critical to a particular operation. However, in our experience, too many features can confuse the user and negatively impact the quality and reliability of the core functionality of real-time, one-to-many push-to-talk communications. Consider the features you need to ensure they are truly needed and choose wisely so they don’t interfere with the primary mission: push-to- talk and release-to-listen. Decide if you need basic push-to-talk communication or advanced features like GPS tracking, text messaging, safety alerts, or encryption for sensitive information. Question: What features are needed in your two-way system to improve your organization’s operational efficiency or safety? Answer:
7 School Radio Guide: Overview

Interoperability – Connecting the Dots
You might need to interface with third-party products or make sure that the system is interoperalbe between different entities. This level of integration often adds operational benefits to the two-way communications system. A mapping application can show device location or implement geo-fencing to alert when a device roams beyond pre-set boundaries. A console system can amplify communications by monitoring many groups, patching them, or connecting them to telephone lines. Other systems allow machines to alert the two-way devices as well as send emails or text messages. Some operations may need access to public address systems or building controls. Do you need to interface with another existing communications system? On the device side, specialized accessories like Bluetooth® or hardwired connections might be needed. Question: What other systems integrations are required for your organization? Answer:
Question: Although not strictly an Interoperability consideration, what are your future plans? Is this a first step in a series of upgrades to your communications system? What is the entire scope of your communication plans? Answer:
Understanding the purpose of two-way radio integrations helps set priorities.
8 School Radio Guide: Overview

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Bringing It All Together
You naturally want to know the cost of the system upfront, but a precise

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figure can be challenging without sufficient details. Be aware that any early

estimate is a “Rough Order of Magnitude” (ROM) and may vary

considerably. The goal is to strike a balance between system capability

and cost. Identifying the top-level operational needs that inform the system

architecture is necessary before any ROM can be floated. The engineering

design is then necessary before a quote can be created.

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This guide will help define the two-way system architecture that might be best for your school. If you would like Icom to analyze your needs and provide you with a system architecture, please contact us at:
Marketing@IcomAmerica.com

About Icom
Icom started in Japan in 1954 and quickly became a leader in amateur radio products. In the following years, Icom has grown to provide radio equipment for marine, land mobile, and avionics applications. It has become a leader in designing and manufacturing radio equipment that reaches across the spectrum from simple radios to sophisticated IP-based systems. Icom America is responsible for representing Icom products within the entire Western Hemisphere and U.S. Territories in the Pacific.
Unified communications Inside, Campus-wide, Nationwide, Worldwide
Let Your Mission Define Your Device

©2024 Icom America Inc. The Icom logo is a registered trademark of Icom Inc. 43518

9 School Radio Guide: Overview

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