RACOM is delighted to announce that Czech Radiocommunications (CRA) is the next Czech Telco operator to select RAy as its Microwave link of choice.
One of the largest Telco operators in the market, CRA owns key, strategic communication towers throughout the Czech Republic, from where it distributes television and radio broadcasts and provides data services.
RACOM was invited and participated in the tender with its partner SUPTel, a long-term certified CRA supplier.
Our Microwave links passed a demanding tender process, which lasted from January to May 2020. Due to Covid-19 lockdown and quarantine restrictions, the entire tender process was conducted without the possibility of personal meetings and presentations. Thankfully, CRA technicians had been testing RAy links since 2018 and were already familiar with many of the key benefits of this radio.
By the final phase of the tender only two products were being considered – RAy3 and a well-known Italian product. RAy3 strongly outperformed its competitor on technical specifications: e.g. instead of a fixed duplexer in the middle of the band, RAy3 uses a SW defined polarization switch with a narrow bandwidth (18 MHz) that can be placed anywhere in the band. Combining this with narrow channels (3.5 – 112 MHz) and the option to assign them asymmetrically allows maximum use of the available spectrum. CRA also appreciate RAy3’s speed of up to 1 Gb FDD compared to 500 Mb generated by the competition.
We are confident that CRA will be satisfied with RAy links as are Cetin (O2) and other Telco operators who have been enjoying them for many years.
Happy Birthday!
RACOM’s Microwave link calculator has recently reached a special milestone in its life. It is six years since it was published on our website.
Since then, this product has been performing calculations for our customers, over 120 times per day, every day!
So why is it such a popular product?
It is easy to configure and perform calculations. Additionally, RACOM’s complete portfolio of Microwave radios and antennas are already predefined in the product; you do not need to access any data from external sources.
The product calculates how good the availability of the link will be. It also shows the level of signal strength you should get when routing and displays the elevation profile. And of course, it is a simple matter to enter new parameters and recalculate. All of this helps simplify the link design process.
Because of the effectiveness of the RACOM link calculator and the simplicity to configure, it is regularly used by Universities in Czechia, Austria and beyond, as a tool to teach students about Microwave link calculation – helping train future generations of Microwave engineers.
And because of the popularity of the link calculator, we have even included a version in RAy tools, the suite of mobile Apps we launched that can be used for Antenna alignment and link management.
Find out more about Microwave link calculation
The Czech Telecommunications Office recently reviewed and updated General Authorisation No. 14 governing the conditions of operation for the license-free 10 GHz band. From 1st July 2020 it will be possible to use a 56 MHz channel, i.e. RAy Microwave links can now operate at their full speed of 360 Mbps.
The 10 GHz free-band is very popular in Czech Republic especially for longer hops. With the option of a wider channel, it will be even more attractive. 56 MHz now provides the opportunity to double the capacity of backbone connections which will result in lower overall costs for the provider.
The popularity of 10 GHz means many sites have high occupancy and only equipment like RAy with high resistance to interference works reliably on these busy sites.
RACOM is happy to be part of this continued revolution to improve backhauls and high speed last miles for Telco operators and ISP’s throughout Czech Republic.
Covid-19 forced the whole world further toward remote communication. RACOM are also more active on social media now keeping the RACOM community updated with important information.
We have completely redesigned our profiles on all main platforms and bring news at least once a week:
Facebook is used to provide important product and company information, shares information from partners and also provides inside information about what is happening at RACOM.
LinkedIn also provides product and RACOM community news and is where we will publish information from regulatory authorities and our industry sector.
YouTube’s RACOM channel hosts product and training videos, shares videos from partner events and all other video content related to RACOM business and social events.
Follow us on social media and be the first to get all the news!
During the current Covid pandemic we hear stories daily, from around the world of initiatives to help communities and countries survive this current global crisis.
Czech citizens are well known for their community spirit. Many people are sewing face masks at home and in local communities for use wherever needed; in hospitals, retirement homes, for essential workers etc. As part of this national initiative we are happy to report that RACOM and our staff are doing what we can to support local efforts. Many of us have been making face masks for the local communities where we live. As part of our collective efforts, we have even designed and made the latest must have RACOM face mask fashion accessory.
Worthy of a special mention, our mechanical designer is supporting a cause of particular note. He came across another nationwide initiative ‘3D printing against Covid’ on Social media. This initiative provides printing and distribution of protective face shields to be used by doctors, nurses and other front line workers in the fight against Covid-19. Fortunately there was already a local group in our region organized by Scouts. Milan quickly decided he should support this worthy effort and discussed the possibility with his line manager at RACOM.
As a Covid home-office worker, Milan transferred all RACOM 3D printing equipment home, set up his own printing lab and got to work producing shields in accordance with strict guidelines. After refining the manufacturing technique, reducing printing time by 40%, he has been producing 10 shields a day and will continue as long as there is a demand for this essential equipment. Milan is fully supported by RACOM and his work RACOM duties have been minimized to support his community action.
The initiative was started by Prusa Research, a Czech producer of 3D printers who developed a prototype over 3 days making the designs and CAD available to others for free.
Anyone wishing to join this initiative can get more information here and watch a video of the fabrication technique here.
RACOM management has adapted structures to meet new COVID requirements, applying smart new strategies taken from rescue services and utility organizations. Such measures ensure production levels and other activities continue unaffected in the functioning of the company.
Many staff are working from home and following government quarantine guidelines.
Those who can only perform their job by being present at RACOM premises at our HQ, mechanical and SMT plants are now split into shifts and with no physical contact with each other.
Personal hygiene is a priority; everyone must wear a face mask at all times and staff are working in isolated spaces, using all the extra available offices with maximum consideration for social distancing. Each shift works alternate days, ensuring the whole work place can be thoroughly disinfected between each shift.
All meetings with more than 2 people are conducted remotely using teleconferencing tools. All RACOM visits are prohibited and we communicate with our customers and partners remotely.
Material receipt and expediting operate on a non-contact basis with forwarders.
All these measures ensure that any health issue would affect a very limited part of RACOM.
Our purchasing department is constantly in touch with our component suppliers to ensure we have no outages in component supplies.
Our staff and their health are our number one priority and we are confident we meet all our obligations being able to support and supply our customers without any outages. However we apologize in advance if you experience any minor disruptions or delays.
For as long as emergency measures of this sort are required, you can be assured that RACOM is ready to cope and supply the world with essential communication equipment.
As the COVID-19 virus brings uncertainty to our world, please know RACOM stands with you. Our resilient business procedures allow us to navigate the effects of this pandemic and keep our employees safe. We are here to support you.
• Our production continues without any outages
Our infrastructure and production are robust. Production and shipping continue as normal and we anticipate that we will be able to respond well in any situation.
We are in regular communication with our suppliers and have not heard any negative information to concern us. Whilst we expect no change to our service levels, we apologize in advance if you experience any minor disruptions or delays. If we become aware of any potential problems, we will inform you in a timely manner and look to provide the most suitable solution.
• RACOM is ready to support others regardless of profit
Since many people are now working from home, there is a much higher requirement for internet connections. RACOM is ready to provide special conditions and prices for its Microwave links used for internet connections and SW keys for higher speed. Contact us for details.
• Safety and health of our staff is our first priority….
• Where possible, people work from home office
• Higher hygienic measures in place at all workplaces
RACOM has had tools in place for many years to support working from home, communicating remotely in one-to-one and group situations. This has made it a relatively easy process to encourage all staff, not physically required to be at RACOM’s premises, to self-isolate and work remotely from home.
For those colleagues who need to attend work, measures have been introduced to guarantee higher levels of hygiene and to ensure maximum ‘social distancing’ becomes an everyday part of life at RACOM. This also includes non-contact with visitors and mechanisms in place to ensure deliveries and collections can continue without the need for personal contact.
• All government recommendations and regulations are fully implemented in RACOM
RACOM management is closely monitoring the situation and carefully tracks all recommendations and regulations regarding COVID-19 announced by the Czech government. All are immediately put in place.
RACOM is fully committed to supporting the Americas having dedicated resources to establish the infrastructure needed for this expansive and diverse market. We always enjoy the challenge of proving the reliability and robustness of our products and North and South America are continents that provide these extreme challenges with high mountain ranges, great plains, deserts, jungles and expansive artic regions. From the North of Canada to Argentina and Chile in the South, our Radio modems, Cellular routers and Microwave radios are meeting customers’ requirements and providing solutions, working in the background for the benefit of everyone.
RACOM places special emphasis on the close and lasting relationships we enjoy with our partners. We look at all potential opportunities and make decisions based on a number of criteria to ensure partners are right for RACOM and RACOM are right for our partners. Over a number of years we have developed an extensive partner network and can proudly say we are represented in over 90% of the countries that make up the Americas. These partners are serviced by six RACOM staff members supporting the North and South American markets. Five of these colleagues serve the Commercial needs of the market while the 6th is a specialist Support Engineer based in Lima, Peru.
Many of our customers have made the trip to our HQ in Czech Republic for product training and to visit our facility. Our own Technical Support team is no stranger to the Americas having made a number of trips to deliver onsite training for new applications we have supported. And now that we have a specialist Support engineer based in Peru, we are in a position to offer even higher levels of support in the field, to our partners and end-users throughout the region.
Since releasing our latest products over the last eighteen months, RACOM has successfully gained homologation with all the key authorities, ensuring our products meet all standards required to be used in the Americas and Canada. This ensures the market has full access to the latest state-of-the-art, best-in-class technology. Your regional Sales manager will be able to advise details of accreditations specific to your country.
RipEX’s reputation for reliability, performance and robustness is proving well founded as is the ability to operate over long distances and using low power options in many applications.
Our RAy microwave radios are attracting ever increasing levels of interest and customer benefits such as Asymmetric channels, Resistance to interference and ease of installation and management make them the optimal solution in many situations.
RACOM specialized Migration and Hybrid solutions have also been helping end users upgrade their networks and provide optimal solutions for now and in to the future.
In Mexico, the state owned electric utility company operates the largest RipEX network in the world and our Radio modems are also operating effectively in SCADA networks for other utility companies in smaller applications throughout the continents. Our products support flood protection systems in the Amazon basin and in the Andes Mountains and provide exceptional capacity for data transmissions in applications underground.
As we continue to develop a deeper understanding of the needs of the local markets throughout the Americas, now and for the future, we can confidently say the Americas will continue to be an extremely important market for RACOM.
Please contact us for more information about our products or how best to meet specific requirements in your area of operation.
New proposed dates:
2nd – 4th September 2020
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Windsor Barra Hotel
March 18 – 20, 2020
Hotel Palacio Mundo Imperial, Acapulco
Acapulco, Mexico
Meet us at the Solstand Booth
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