At one Midwest utility, poor quality communication at a gateway radio was hampering successful operation of S&C's IntelliTEAM II Automatic Restoration System in the S&C 5802 Automatic Switch Controls, in conjunction with the utility’s SCADA system. Low “tickle” and data acquisition percentages at the gateway radio were making the teams go out of ready.
S&C’s field service technologists conducted a site survey of the communication system and methodically tried a number of possible solutions to improve communication, including:
- Replacing the existing UtiliNet Series II Integrated WanGate Radio at the gateway with a current production Series 3000 Radio.
- Increasing the output power of the gateway radio.
- Repositioning the existing gateway radio antenna higher on its tower.
- Replacing the coaxial cable of the existing gateway radio.
With the above-described solutions implemented and three additional repeater radios installed, the IntelliTEAM II System is now fully functional in conjunction with the SCADA system. One existing repeater was found to be unnecessary and was subsequently decommissioned.
Based on this excellent performance, the utility is now considering replacing the existing UtiliNet Series II WanGate Radio at each of their 5802 Automatic Switch Controls with a Series 3000 WanGate Radio.
