RadioScape Helps Design Eureka-147 Tunnel Alert System

RadioScape has helped to develop a way for Eureka-147 DAB radios to receive signals in long tunnels. Called the RadioScape Tunnel Alert, when there is an incident in the tunnel, the system overrides the audio on these radios and replaces it with a live emergency message. While such systems exist for FM radio, the company says its product is the first for DAB.
The EU recently mandated long tunnels to have an emergency broadcast system to automatically change in-car entertainment to an emergency channel.
Some 2,000 tunnels in Europe would require the system, RadioScape believes.
RadioScape has partnered with Tyco Traffic & Transportation for the product.
Tyco provides emergency radio broadcasts systems for new and existing tunnels. RadioScape created the DAB portion of the system, which normally monitors specific DAB transmission multiplexes outside the tunnel and re-transmits the DAB signals inside the tunnel and then dynamically updates the in-tunnel DAB multiplex system. In an emergency, the in-tunnel multiplex can replace the re-broadcast signal, encoding messages in real-time.
RadioScape says the switch is designed to be seamless.
The first tunnel to have the TunnelAlert installed will be the Rotherhithe Tunnel in the U.K., which is set to go live early next year.