User's Guide

First InterComm ™ System User Guide
Page 2 A29798
November 2007
• Connectivity with civil and military communications Systems; and
• Digital technology which supports radio upgrades.
The optional Incident Commander Talkgroup Control Software (ICTCS gives the
Incident Commander the option to monitor VCA100 status and control communications
using a standard laptop computer with Wi-Fi capability.
NOTE
THE ICTCS ADDS SIGNIFICANT CAPABILITY TO THE SYSTEM, BUT IS
NOT REQUIRED FOR VOICE INTEROPERABILITY WHICH IS PROVIDED BY
THE VCA100S AND ASSOCIATED ANTENNAS.
The First InterComm™ System in Action
Turning on two or more VCA100 units establishes an ad hoc wireless mesh Incident
Area Network (IAN). In Figure 1, the Group A first responder, whose radio operates at
453.95 MHz, is talking to a Group B first responder whose radio operates at 154.57
MHz. The process that makes this happen is as follows: When a Group A portable or
mobile radio is keyed up, its voice transmission is translated into digital Voice-over-
Internet Protocol (VoIP) packets that are placed onto the IAN. Every VCA100 unit
registered in the network (in Figure 1, Group B) receives these digital packets, which
are then translated back into voice transmissions compatible with each frequency
associated with the receiving VCA100.
First InterComm™
VCA100
First Responders Group A Radio Net
453.95 MHz
First InterComm™
VCA100
Incident Area Net
First Responders Group B Radio Net
154.57 MHz
First InterComm™
VCA100
First Responders Group A Radio Net
453.95 MHz
First Responders Group A Radio Net
453.95 MHz
First InterComm™
VCA100
Incident Area Net
First Responders Group B Radio Net
154.57 MHz
Figure 1. The FICS in Action
As other first responder departments arrive on scene and turn on their VCA100s, the
units automatically connect to one another. When local first responders are joined by
other agencies (e.g., Public Health, Disaster Recovery, Federal Agencies, and National
Guard), their VCA100 units also connect to the IAN, thus establishing cross-