Ross & Baruzzini

Communications and dispatch centers are complex facilities that require a multi-discipline approach to design a mission critical, resilient and secure facility.  Macro’s engineers and consultants have the public safety experience to provide a design that is both operationally efficient and technically sound.  Working with our architects, engineers and public safety communications consultants we take practical knowledge and operational expertise combined with sound engineering and architectural practices to design our client’s communications and dispatch centers.  Our experience in designing radio system infrastructure includes prime and back-up sites, console electronics layouts, dispatch furniture design and ergonomics, data networks and centers, and facilities.  We can provide a complete facility design including electrical, mechanical, structural, HVAC, systems, and network infrastructure.

Clients engage Ross & Baruzzini to perform coverage analysis to determine if their LMR system is providing the appropriate level of coverage within the operating area for both signal strength and geographic coverage. Our engineers have the software tools to perform modeling for single and multi-site simulcast, in-building and distributed antenna systems. We provide both 2D and 3D terrain views overlaid with the coverage model.  Ross & Baruzzini performs both uplink and downlink testing combining the data to produce contour plots of the measured values superimposed with the terrain maps.  Our engineers consider terrain, climate, vegetation, antenna patterns and site location when modeling RF propagation and utilize the latest GIS tools in our analyses.

In-building and subterranean wireless coverage has become a mission critical communications necessity for both existing and new facilities.  Macro has the experience and tools to design Distributed Antenna Systems (DAS) to support public safety and other wireless applications.  Whether the client requires an off-the-air or fiber-fed donor system, Macro has the expertise.  Our engineers have successfully designed repeater amplifier systems in some of the harshest and most complex environments.  We can design a DAS to support hi-rise building fire ground systems using base stations or repeater amplifiers, subway and tunnel systems for public safety and rail operations and neutral host systems for all modes of wireless communications

Many of our engagements require us to identify the appropriate spectrum to meet the client’s needs.  Acquiring the licenses typically includes identification of available spectrum, interference analysis per TSB-88, preparation and filing of the license request, meeting with the local coordinators or regional planning committees and responding to questions and inquiries. Macro prepares the necessary documentation and engineering analysis to support the client’s request for spectrum.  Our consultants have identified lightly used or vacant spectrum and successfully negotiated sharing, purchasing or exchanging the spectrum to allow the client to proceed with their system design and construction. 

Our consultants come from the public and private sectors and have managed all aspects of the procurement process from proposal evaluation and negotiations to final acceptance testing. We can be engaged as trusted advisors or functional members of the client’s team; in either scenario, we bring years of knowledge and practical experience to the engagement. As project managers, our goals are aligned with the client’s and we efficiently manage the implementation of the system ensuring the system is built to specification and performs as designed. Ross & Baruzzini's multi-disciplined project management team includes consultants, architects and engineers which allow us to provide all necessary implementation and commissioning services; there is no need to contract with other firms to complete the work. We perform all levels of factory and acceptance testing and can support the client with additional services such as interference mitigation, permitting and FCC licensing.

Macro brings years of RF engineering experience in analyzing our client’s public safety Land Mobile Radio (LMR) systems identifying coverage issues, features and functionality requirements and technical design parameters to provide a fully compliant and resilient mission critical wireless communications network.  Typical engagements include system design, site selection, requirements definition and system loading analyses to design a LMR system to improve the safety and efficiency of the public safety users and their citizens.   Macro’s engineers and consultants create a conceptual design that incorporates the operational, dispatch, maintenance and administration.  We provide all facets of design, construction management, commissioning and policy development to support the client through the entire procurement and implementation process.  The typical design process includes business process re-engineering for the users, administrators and maintainers of the new system. Macro’s engineers and consultants also have experience designing and commissioning LMR systems for public rail and transit, public works and utilities. Macro is current on all applicable design, coverage and construction standards for Land Mobile Radio systems.

Public safety and critical infrastructure networks require reliable backbone networks for interconnection both within the network and to the dispatch centers. Macro designs resilient and reliable interconnect systems using all available transmission options.  Typical engagements consist of developing traffic and bandwidth requirements and determining which types of transport best fit the requirements.  Our engineers design the interconnect network to be fully redundant by specifying diverse paths, redundant equipment and mixed modes of transport.  We consider costs to construct and maintain, and determine the best path forward.  Macro’s engineers identify the throughput requirements and design an appropriate solution using existing infrastructure where available and new transport when required.  For microwave networks, we identify the radio type and spectrum, potential sites and microwave paths.  We perform all phases of design and coordination once the paths have been identified, and support the client throughout the licensing process with engineering and documentation. 

With the popularity of smartphones and advent of Next Generation 911 the public safety communications and wireless environment is rapidly changing.  Ross & Baruzzini's engineers and consultants can bridge the technology gap and integrate these new capabilities into public safety, and rail and transit systems. Our system engineers can advise our clients on systems such as wireless callboxes with integrated video and Wi-Fi access points, wireless cameras and surveillance systems, Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) detection into existing or new wireless networks.  Our network engineers can design resilient fiber optic and microwave networks to transport data among data centers, command sites and operations centers for reliable and secure communications.