TOC-0 Multi-Channel Full-Duplex Call System Based on Public Network Transmission
In recent years, the number of outdoor sports events such as marathons, dragon boat races, car rallies, and bicycle races has been increasing, with the number of participants and spectators growing continuously. In 2019 alone, there were 1,828 marathon events held in 31 provinces and regions across China, with a total of 7.12 million participants.
2019 China Marathon Annual Report
TOCTEC is a professional wireless internal communication solution provider, offering complete internal communication systems to customers. Our products include dedicated wireless internal communication systems with low latency and high-quality voice calls, as well as flexible and convenient public network wireless internal communication systems with no distance limitations. Our product range includes standard 1U host, desktop stations, waist packs, headsets, apps, PC programs, and more. All our products support multi-channel full-duplex voice calls. They are widely used in military and police tactical communication, firefighting and rescue, large-scale sports events, emergency command, production scheduling, high-altitude operations, and other fields.
To successfully broadcast a marathon event, the coordination of signal transmission and job scheduling is crucial. Unlike traditional studio production, live event broadcasting has the following characteristics:
Large broadcast venues
Changing environments/scenes
Large number of event participants
Marathons often have a half-marathon race with a total length of 21 kilometers, and car rallies have sections of around 30 kilometers, which exceeds the transmission performance of traditional studio production equipment. In terms of video transmission, we have abandoned the image transmission solution and switched to 4G/5G backpack or microwave solutions. In terms of internal communication systems, we have abandoned the U-band and 2.4G internal communication system solutions with a range of 200-1000 meters. In order to provide live coverage of marathon participants, cameramen have had to switch to 4G public network walkie-talkies, which require long pressing of the PTT button for conversation and cannot accommodate multiple people speaking at the same time. There is a risk of occupied channels preventing the director from giving instructions.
Most events take place in outdoor scenic spots, and due to preservation reasons, it is not possible to build permanent facilities on site. Common transmission methods such as signal relay coverage or dedicated line pulling are very costly and time-consuming.
The production team needs to collaborate and communicate with other departments. For example, one mobile camera position requires the cooperation of three personnel: a cameraman, a 4G technician, and a driver. Interviews with athletes require close coordination between the director, on-screen reporters, and cameramen. The director needs to communicate with the referees about athlete penalties, etc. In front of key leadership positions, multiple walkie-talkies and internal communication devices on different frequency bands need to be placed, resulting in low communication efficiency and the risk of dropped signals. These are urgent wireless communication technology issues that need to be addressed during live broadcasts.
Reporters use waist packs and supporting earphones, and cameramen use waist packs with earphones or headsets. They can connect with the studio host via various public network conditions such as 4G/WIFI. They can also communicate in real-time with the studio director before arriving at the news scene.
Support full-duplex communication on the main channel, and customize 128 communication groups. Similar to a digital matrix, any node can be selected for communication, including private conversations. This meets the full-duplex communication needs of large-scale events with hundreds of participants, such as the director reminding the cameramen at mobile positions to capture the leading athlete, communication between the director and on-site reporters about athlete appearances to avoid advertising information, communication between the organizers and logistics personnel for supplies, communication within the medical support team, and more.
