How do you guarantee constant, deterministic communication for cableways and funiculars operating in tunnels, blind bends and extreme mountain terrain? In both France and Czechia, operators turned to RipEX to ensure the highest level of passenger safety.

RipEX in 160 MHz ensures 100% link availability despite blind bends and tunnels

In the Rhône-Alps region of France, operators of the Saint-Hilaire du Touvet funicular sought to implement a positive-safety communication system. The funicular connects Montfort with the alpine village of Saint-Hilaire du Touvet, climbing 600 metres and famously transporting participants of the Icarus Cup, one of Europe’s largest free-flight festivals.

The challenge:

• the route includes two blind bends and a tunnel, making radio communication extremely difficult
• the system required a continuous “OK” heartbeat from each train every two seconds
• any missed frame must trigger an immediate stop for safety

After evaluating multiple technologies, only RipEX provided a signal with 100% availability, thanks to its exceptional sensitivity and robust performance in obstructed terrain.

How it works:

• each funicular car is equipped with a RipEX radio
• a fixed RipEX acts as the base station
• every two seconds, the train sends an “OK” frame
• if any device sends an alarm or fails to receive its regular heartbeat, the system immediately stops the funicular

The system uses 169.4 MHz, a license-free band under strict conditions. RipEX’s high data rate ensures each frame uses only a few milliseconds – comfortably below the 1% duty cycle limit even with Flexible protocol and acknowledgements.

RipEX at 400 MHz adds a second independent safety system for gondola operations

In Horní Hanychov (Liberec), Easy Control Morava sought to strengthen safety on the gondolas transporting tourists to the top of Ještěd mountain, a major regional landmark with panoramic views into Germany and Poland.

To increase operational safety, a second independent communication channel was required between:

• the gondola drivers and the central control system

Multiple technologies were tested, but only RipEX provided the reliability required for this safety-critical application.

The system architecture:

• each gondola driver communicates with a PLC
• the PLC enforces an emergency stop if communication fails
• the application uses TCP/IP over RipEX
• operation is in the 400 MHz band, using Base Driven protocol and 16DEQAM modulation

Both installations benefited from close cooperation between the operators and RACOM’s support engineers, ensuring smooth deployment and commissioning.

In both France and Czechia, RipEX technology now plays a key role in:

• increasing passenger safety
• delivering stable communications in harsh and obstructed terrain
• enabling deterministic safety logic with immediate reaction
• complying with regulatory and operational requirements

Both operators report high satisfaction with the improved safety levels delivered by RipEX.

How do you deliver real-time video and telemetry from seven major traffic arteries – through a dense urban environment full of RF noise, reflections and limited installation options? Prague found the answer in RAy.

Prague’s road traffic has grown dramatically in recent years. To keep the city moving, the Prague Technical Maintenance Communication Centre launched a project to monitor traffic flow across key routes. The solution was designed and delivered by Kapsch TrafficCom Construction & Realization together with CAMEA and was deployed in 2015, with partial EU funding.

The system needed to transport:

• High-volume video streams from roadside cameras
• Telemetry and traffic-flow data
• Signals from visual-detection sensors
• All of it aggregated over repeaters placed along road corridors

Given the amount of data and Prague’s challenging RF environment, microwave links were the only viable choice.

After extensive comparison of technologies, CAMEA selected RAy as the backbone for all traffic-monitoring links.

Why RAy proved the optimal solution:

• High resistance to interference in dense urban environments
• Very low power consumption
• Full outdoor design and compact dimensions
• Ability to mount directly on existing street-light infrastructure
• Smaller antennas thanks to excellent sensitivity and system gain
• Simplified installation with no need for new power circuits or construction work

RACOM provided full path-analysis consulting during the design phase – recommending the ideal frequency (10 or 24 GHz) for each route based on potential interference and topology.

More than 60 RAy links are now in operation across the city, reliably carrying video and telemetry from seven arterial routes into the central control room.

Jan Sedláček, Head of the CAMEA IT Department, explains:

“The reliability of the RAy units was a key factor for us. Any microwave outage would interrupt the entire chain of data further along the route, and physical access for repairs would be costly and disruptive. After a year and a half of operation, our decision has been fully validated – there have been zero stability issues since day one.”

RAy has become the backbone of Prague’s traffic-flow monitoring system – delivering stable, interference-resistant connectivity in one of Europe’s busiest capitals.

How do you ensure reliable communication for mountain rescuers operating at 1,700 metres – in an area with steep cliffs, deep valleys, unpredictable weather and no line of sight? For TOPR, the Tatra Mountain Rescue Service, the answer was RipEX.

TOPR (Tatrzańskie Ochotnicze Pogotowie Ratunkowe), founded in 1909, is responsible for:

• mountain rescue operations
• avalanche and weather reporting
• supporting helicopter rescue teams
• protecting hikers and climbers in the Tatras region

A key element of the rescue infrastructure is a permanently staffed mountain shelter located at 1,700 m altitude. While the PMR base station near the shelter provided local radio coverage, it had no backhaul connection to:

• other PMR base stations in the valley
• dispatch teams
• helicopter crews

As a result:

• rescuers at the shelter were isolated from the main communication network
• GSM service was extremely unreliable due to mountainous blind spots
• tourist traffic often congested the mobile network
• coordination during emergencies was significantly hindered

TOPR needed a private, reliable, trunked PMR backhaul link between the mountain base station and the valley.

A 5 GHz microwave solution was evaluated, but link analysis showed it was impossible due to NLOS conditions.

RipEX was selected because it could reliably operate:

• in full NLOS,
• over a 15 km mountain path,
• with high interference resistance,
• and with sufficient throughput for PMR backhaul.

Technical design:

• 450 MHz UHF operation
• 50 kHz channel
• 16DEQAM modulation
• 140 kbps throughput
• 2 W RF power

Despite the challenging terrain, RipEX delivered stable connectivity for Kairos trunked PMR communications.

Benefits for TOPR:

• continuous interconnection of PMR base stations
• reliable communication between rescuers in the shelter and teams in the valley
• restored coordination with helicopter crews
• independence from unreliable GSM networks
• robust operation in freezing temperatures, wind and snow
• resilience to multipath propagation across steep terrain

RipEX now plays a critical role in ensuring that TOPR can coordinate rescue missions quickly and safely.

With its proven reliability and rugged industrial design, RipEX will continue supporting life-saving operations in the Tatras for many years to come.

How do you deliver a reliable, high-capacity last-mile solution for one of the world’s largest telecom operators – with zero maintenance costs and hundreds of links across the country? The answer is RAy.

A major global telecommunications provider – serving more than 450 million mobile and fixed customers across Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Asia-Pacific – required a standardised, license-free microwave platform for its Czech corporate last-mile network.

The new solution had to deliver:

• High reliability in all weather conditions
• Coverage across dozens of sites nationwide
• Support for 10, 17 and 24 GHz bands
• Simple deployment via local partners
• Zero or near-zero maintenance requirements
• Remote diagnostics with full network visibility

After extensive evaluation, the operator selected RAy as its official license-free microwave platform for all 10 GHz, 17 GHz and 24 GHz point-to-point links.

Deployment was carried out in cooperation with RACOM partners NHK Solutions and SUPTel – DISK.

Why RAy was chosen:

• Exceptional reliability proven in large-scale deployments
• Full outdoor design with low power consumption
• Remote diagnostics and monitoring – enabling instant status overview
• Stable performance in demanding urban and rural environments
• Consistent installation experience across all frequency bands

To date, hundreds of RAy links have been installed at numerous sites throughout Czechia – with the network continuing to expand.

Customer feedback confirms:

• Near-zero maintenance cost, thanks to high reliability
• Fast and trouble-free commissioning
• Immediate visibility of network health through remote monitoring
• Uniform performance across all frequencies

RAy has become a trusted standard for the operator’s corporate last-mile connectivity – a backbone component enabling high-quality services for businesses across the country.

How do you manage heavy freight traffic on a 180 km single-track railway – in extreme desert heat, with no fixed timetable and only a handful of repeaters? Ferronor found the answer in RACOM’s MR160.

Ferronor operates over 1,800 km of private freight railways across Northern Chile. The busiest corridor runs from an iron-ore mine through the remote Atacama Desert to a Pacific port – an area known for:

• Temperatures exceeding +50 °C
• Vast, unpopulated terrain
• Zero local infrastructure
• Long distances with no line-of-sight continuity

With rising production, manual coordination of trains on the 180 km single-track line became impossible. Ferronor needed an automated train-management system that would:

• Track locomotive positions in real time
• Securely manage desolate crossing zones
• Support non-fixed itineraries of mining convoys
• Provide reliable communication between conductors and the central control room
• Operate under extreme climatic conditions

After extensive evaluation, Ferronor selected RACOM MR160 radio modems, integrated with GPS, as the backbone of the new train-management system.

Why MR160 matched the requirements:

• Integrated GPS for continuous locomotive tracking
• Mobile roaming protocol enabling automatic handover between base stations
• Multiple Ethernet and serial interfaces for parallel applications
• Rugged design suitable for +50 °C desert operation
• Flexible architecture capable of acting as mobile unit, repeater or base station

Only three repeaters were needed along the 180 km route. Placed at dominant high points, they provided complete coverage in the 160 MHz band, thanks to MR160’s excellent propagation characteristics.

Network design

• Frequency A: Locomotive ↔ repeater ↔ main base station
• Frequency B: Main base station ↔ control centre

This two-frequency setup ensured high reliability and optimal airtime utilisation.

The MR160-based system delivers several critical capabilities:

• Transparent switching of communication routes through repeaters
• Real-time position information for conductors
• Alerts on approaching trains and passing points
• Text-message communication with dispatchers
• Seamless management of non-fixed mining-convoy itineraries
• Integration of proprietary rail-automation applications

Ferronor emphasised that RACOM’s support was fundamental to the project’s success – including assistance with modem selection, repeater placement, MR160 configuration and remote validation.

Thanks to its success, the system has been replicated in another region of Northern Chile, improving:

• Personnel safety
• Protection of rolling stock
• Efficiency and coordination of freight operations

MR160 now forms the communication backbone for one of the most demanding rail environments in the world.

How do you ensure real-time water monitoring and flood-warning capability across Morocco’s largest and most economically important river basin – where cellular coverage is unreliable and climatic extremes are common? For the Sebou Hydraulic Basin Agency, the answer was RipEX.

The Sebou basin contains one third of Morocco’s surface water, with more than 10 dams supporting agriculture, industry and regional development.

The agency is responsible for:

• monitoring water resources
• protecting the region from floods and drought
• operating hydro-climatological stations across rugged terrain
• delivering continuous real-time data for early-warning systems

The original telemetry system used GSM communication, which suffered from:

• unreliable network coverage
• limited throughput
• unpredictable delays and outages
• poor performance in remote or mountainous areas

A new solution was required – one that would be modern, robust and future-proof, while still operating alongside the existing GSM system as a backup.

In 2014, after a public tender, the agency selected RACOM RipEX as the core of its new hydrological monitoring network.

Why RipEX:

• native IP communication
• extremely low power consumption – ideal for solar power
• robust operation in harsh climates
• Flexible protocol enabling dynamic routing and long-range multi-hop topologies
• integrated web interface for simple configuration and remote management
• support for backup routes and hybrid operation with the existing GSM network
• reliable 4CPFSK modulation for long-distance communication

The initial phase included:

• 3 stations
• 2 repeaters
• 1 acquisition centre at headquarters

Using RACOM’s Migration Solution, the rollout expanded seamlessly over four years into a full-scale network:

• 25 remote stations
• 4 repeaters
• 1 central acquisition centre

Key achievements:

• remote sites up to 80 km from HQ communicate without signal degradation
• some RipEX units operate simultaneously as stations and repeaters
• fully solar-powered network with no need for grid connection
• reliable real-time hydrological data for early flood detection

The ongoing performance met the agency’s demanding requirements for availability and data quality.

The upgraded RipEX network now provides:

• stable real-time data for flood-warning and drought management
• long-range communication across the entire basin
• a robust alternative to GSM, which remains as backup
• simplified administration using remote management
• the ability to expand further as new hydrological stations are added

Due to the success of the project and high satisfaction among engineers, plans are already underway to replicate the RipEX-based solution for additional water-management clients throughout Morocco.

How do you run a modern water-distribution network across rugged hills, scattered reservoirs and scarce freshwater resources – all while upgrading from a legacy UHF system? ADALSA found the answer in RipEX.

ADALSA (Aguas de Alcalá la Real) has managed potable water supply in Alcalá la Real, Andalusia, for more than 20 years. The region’s dry climate and dramatic terrain make water distribution extremely demanding:

• 15 catchments
• 29 regulation tanks
• 8 pumping stations
• More than 50 sites spread across challenging countryside

With a legacy UHF radio network reaching its limits, ADALSA needed a modern solution to improve:

• Robustness and long-term reliability
• Flexibility for future expansion
• Data throughput for increasingly complex SCADA applications
• Communication between SIEMENS S7-1200 RTUs across the entire network

After evaluating several technologies, ADALSA selected RipEX as the backbone of its upgraded SCADA communication network.

Key reasons for choosing RipEX:

• High reliability and industrial-grade robustness
• Strong performance across long distances and mountainous terrain
• High throughput suitable for modern water-management automation
• Flexibility to support both centralised and peer-to-peer communication

A major advantage for ADALSA is that RipEX supports direct remote-to-remote communication – for example between a pumping station and a reservoir level sensor – without involving the base station. This reduces latency and improves operational responsiveness.

The network upgrade connects the control centre with all remote SIEMENS S7-1200-based RTUs, forming a resilient communication infrastructure for water distribution.

Although the full migration is still in progress, ADALSA is already seeing major operational benefits:

• Increased robustness and reliability of SCADA communication
• Higher efficiency in water distribution and resource monitoring
• Improved flexibility for expansion and future automation needs
• More responsive control through direct remote-to-remote links

Encouraged by these early results, ADALSA is already planning further expansion of the RipEX network – helping secure the long-term water needs of Alcalá la Real and its 22,000 inhabitants.

How do you modernise a mission-critical water management network after 17 years of reliable operation – without disrupting service and while enabling future IP-based SCADA? For VaKHB in Czechia, the answer is RipEX2.

Vodovody a kanalizace Havlíčkův Brod, a.s. (VaKHB) provides drinking water to more than 71,000 residents, operates 3 water treatment plants and manages 888 km of water mains. It also handles wastewater services for 55,000 people, including 11 wastewater treatment plants and 325 km of sewage pipes.

Since 2003, VaKHB has operated two independent radio networks based on RACOM MR25 and MR400 radio modems. These systems:

• connected legacy RTUs over RS232
• used serial telemetry protocols
• remained highly reliable even after 17 years

However, the increasing demand for telemetry and SCADA data outpaced the old network’s capacity. VaKHB needed a system that:

• significantly increased throughput
• maintained high reliability and coverage
• enabled migration toward modern IP-based communication
• supported enhanced cybersecurity features
• allowed multi-year, phased migration without service interruption

VaKHB compared RipEX2 with competing solutions and quickly confirmed that RACOM’s platform offered superior performance and long-term sustainability.

The project was designed and implemented through close cooperation between:

• VaKHB’s SCADA engineering department
• RACOM’s technical team
• system integrator Tele Data Control (TDC), a long-time RACOM partner

Key technical features:

• new radio network operating on a third frequency with a 25 kHz channel
• 16DEQAM modulation providing double the capacity of the legacy network
• continued use of serial RTU communication during migration
• future-ready infrastructure for TCP/IP and report-by-exception
• Flexible protocol enabling communication through up to four repeaters
• preparation for a second control centre with full network access

As migration progresses, the number of parallel networks will be reduced from two to one – or potentially unified completely.

RipEX2 has already delivered major operational improvements:

• doubled data throughput
• full compatibility with existing legacy RTUs
• seamless, disruption-free migration
• significantly improved coverage over long repeater chains
• readiness for future upgrades to fully IP-based communication

As Vratislav Straka from VaKHB’s SCADA department states:

“RipEX2 helped us solve the problem with data capacity in our radio network. It is also the first step toward migration of the entire network to a modern IP solution meeting the latest demands on data communication in mission-critical SCADA networks.”

RipEX2 now forms the cornerstone of VaKHB’s long-term SCADA communication strategy – robust today and ready for tomorrow.

How do you run multiple independent applications – including SCADA and security – on a single 25 kHz radio channel across more than 100 sites? BVK does it with MORSE.

Brněnské vodárny a kanalizace (BVK) needed a communication solution for:

• Water distribution monitoring
• Remote telemetry
• Security system communication

Traditionally, such requirements demand separate networks, increasing cost and complexity. BVK wanted a solution capable of merging all applications into a single, reliable RF system.

Key technical requirements included:

• Support for Siemens Simatic S7 and Siemens 95U
• Compatibility with MARS-A and Siemens 3964R protocols
• Combined polling and report-by-exception operation
• Operation on one 400 MHz simplex channel, 25 kHz
• Coverage for 100+ remote sites

The MORSE system with MR400 radio modems enabled BVK to run several fully independent applications on a single RF channel – without interference or performance degradation.

Why MORSE was chosen:

• Proven stability in 400 MHz band
• Efficient anti-collision mechanisms allowing mixed traffic
• Flexible interface options for Siemens RTUs
• Ability to run telemetry and security data concurrently
• Remote supervision via the Internet

The network also supports both traditional polling and fast report-by-exception for alarm conditions.

The MORSE network now provides BVK with:

• Reliable communication for SCADA, telemetry and security
• Significant cost reductions by eliminating the need for a separate security network
• Centralised remote supervision directly from RACOM headquarters
• Stable operation across all 100+ sites

MORSE proves that even complex multi-application environments can operate seamlessly on a single shared frequency – delivering efficiency, reliability and long-term value.

How do you modernise multiple water and wastewater utility networks plagued by obsolete radios, repeated communication failures and unstable multi-repeater paths? In the Midwest, Opto Solutions and Perceptive Controls turned to RipEX – with remarkable results.

Opto Solutions and its sister company Perceptive Controls – now united under UpT Reliability Solutions – bring over 135 years of combined experience delivering turnkey automation and SCADA projects.

Their recent work involved upgrading three separate water utility networks, each suffering from:

• obsolete radios with no support
• chronic communication failures
• unstable links caused by multiple chained repeaters
• reduced SCADA visibility and delayed alarms
• difficulty integrating modern RTUs and protocols

The reliability of all three networks had deteriorated to the point where maintenance teams were spending more time fixing communication than improving operations.

To avoid downtime, each network was migrated using RACOM’s Migration Solution – running the legacy radios and RipEX in parallel over two frequencies while gradually replacing RTUs and links.

End users immediately appreciated the simplicity and robustness of RipEX:

• easy, intuitive configuration
• automatic handling of security and encryption
• seamless integration with any RTU or protocol

One operator summed it up perfectly:

“Whatever the RTU, it just seems to work. It feels like everything is hardwired straight into the SCADA computer.”

Three Utilities, Three Architectures – One Result: Reliability

Portage, Michigan

• 82 radios
• RTUs: Opto 22 EPIC
• communication: custom protocol developed by Opto Solutions

Union Township, Michigan

• 22 radios
• RTUs: Opto 22 EPIC
• communication: Modbus TCP

Plainwell, Michigan

• 12 radios
• RTUs: Allen Bradley ControlLogix
• communication: standard TCP/IP

Across all three networks, RipEX eliminated communication failures – including those linked through multiple repeaters.

With RipEX, the utilities now operate stable, maintenance-free communication networks that simply work.

As Todd Reynolds, Partner at Opto Solutions, concludes:

“Not one of our 25 engineers has found fault with RipEX. It does what it says on the box – and then just keeps on doing it.”

RipEX has now become a trusted standard for water utilities seeking reliability, easy migration and long-term communication stability.