Vertex Standard announces DMR portfolio

LAS VEGAS — Vertex Standard yesterday announced that it will offer a suite of TDMA products that mark the company’s entry into the Digital Mobile Radio (DMR) space, based on the ETSI standard.

Although it was a charter member of the DMR Association, Vertex Standard has not had DMR products until the unveiling of its portfolio — portable, mobile and repeater — during this week’s International Wireless Communications Expo (IWCE) show, said Chris Lyons, director of product management for Vertex Standard.

“We’ve had digital radios over the years, but these are our first digital DMR radios,” Lyons said.

The Vertex Standard DMR portable is ruggedized, can operate on more than 500 channels, has a full display and keypad, and supports analog voice, digital voice and radio-to-radio text messaging, Lyons said. The mobile solution offers the same feature set but does not support text messaging, he said.

Operating on two time slots in a 12.5 kHz channel, the Vertex Standard DMR is considered to be 6.25 kHz equivalent, meaning implementation would not be subject to further FCC narrowbanding mandates in the foreseeable future.

Vertex Standard plans to ship its DMR equipment after getting FCC approvals, which are expected during the second quarter, Lyons said.

In addition, Vertex Standard this week will introduce a new series of “full-featured” analog mobile and portable radios targeted for the mid- and high-tier public-safety and rugged-construction industries, Lyons said.