UPDATE: Thursday, October 21st, 2010
In addition to developing a comprehensive training curriculum for rural ITS communications, one of the primary tasks for this project is to organize and facilitate a pilot course. Based on the results of a literature review, needs assessment, and gap analysis, along with feedback from the Curriculum Review Committee, the project team chose the plant wireless subject area for the first actual course offering. After presenting the potential topics to a number of subject matter experts and vendors, RF System Basics was the specific topic chosen for the pilot course.
Check back soon to read more about the RF System Design pilot course!
In the mean time, we’ve included some photos and descriptions of the communication network at Caltrans District 2. These should give you an idea of some of the challenges faced in deploying such a system.
The following photos of an advanced rural RF deployment were taken several years ago in Caltrans District 2. Thanks go to Ian Turnbull for a great tour of these sites, and sharing design and implementation details.
This equipment is located on top of District 2 Headquarters. The antenna on the right is pointed at Bass Mountain to the north of Redding.
Photo by Doug Galarus
Here’s the other side of the RF link, the tower on top of Bass Mountain:
Photo by Doug Galarus
And here’s a view from the top of the tower. You can see why this location is strategic for coverage of the road below and beyond. And, you can also see why rural ITS communication systems can be challenging, even when close to urban areas. The mountains and irregular terrain severely limit the line of site options for radio links.
Photo by Doug Galarus