Public Safety Audio Quality
Modified Rhyme Test
CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
The results of the subjective testing show that there are environments where analog radios had higher intelligibility than the digital radios, and also that there are environments where none of the systems perform very well. Section 7 of NTIA Technical Report TR-08-453 provides a detailed conclusion.
Of course, proper use of any radio system is key to communications performance. Proper operational procedures can mitigate many intelligibility issues. The IAFC’s Digital Project Working Group has developed a set of best practice recommendations in its Interim Report and Recommendations: Fireground Noise and Digital Radio Transmissions. Following are a few example recommendations:
Train all personnel to properly use the assigned radio equipment in conjunction with all components of the protective ensemble.
Incident commanders should evaluate background noise in the environment as a safety consideration in task assignments. Additional personnel may need to be assigned to a task to ensure communication capability when there are high levels of background noise in the environment.
Fire departments should be actively involved in the design and development of requirements for any communication-system implementation from the beginning.
-
System managers and users should work with their vendors to ensure that their radios and accessories are compatible and configured with the optimal system settings to maximize audio intelligibility in high-noise environments.
