Batboard

I was wondering if anybody could direct me in the right direction on installing a led display sign/board at our station , What I mean is we have a networked printer that we get CAD on at our station (rip & run ) is there a product out there that can be hooked up to that system so that the board will display the incident location ???

" the board will display the incident location ???"

For the guys who get there late....

I've never heard of anything like this but that's not to say it doesn't exist as I've never looked... Not being familiar with your current setup, is this "networked printer" connected to a local PC? If so, does this PC also display the information on the screen?

I'm guessing you would need a scrolling LED display that emulates a network printer over Ethernet? Being PoE as well would be even neater?

Assuming it would have to be at the very least a PC connectible, software driven device, I'd imagine that the software would need to be specifically tailored to your needs which could be a) tricky to set up; and b) expensive to set up?

OTOH, if there is no local PC and the current printer is fed remotely across a WAN or simular then I would say you're screwed unless there is a product out there which has been specifically designed for your purpose?

Andrew

Hmmmm, Locution Systems might have something?

How's the printer networked? Ethernet, you mean?

Maybe google for 'ethernet connected scrolling LED Sign'?

The printer is connected via ethernet cable from our wireless router ,not from a pc . The communication center sends via a CAD vendor to the printers IP address . I will google the topic . I know that a fire department in Maryland has something like this but I do not know anyone on a personal level at that station to be able to call and ask how they did it !!! Thank You

I'd say then that would mean some intervention by your comms/dispatch centre will be required here also, the LED display will need to be issued an IP address by your department's IT guys (you can't use the same address as the current printer or they will conflict) and they will also have to add that IP address to the 'callout list' (i.e. send the CAD to both the printer and the LED from their end)?

I guess the display you purchase would need to have some kind of programmable time-out feature as well or the message will continue ad infinitum until the next CAD is received.

I just did a quick Google search and it turned up a couple of promising leads, but you'd need to know a lot more about how the current system is set up, I think your first move here should be to approach your IT guys, who knows, they may have even been through the exercise with another brigade already?

Please let us know how you go, it might help/inspire others?

Andrew

I sure will , I've got some very good leads from pm's that I need to follow up on . Thank you to those who took their time to answer my questions and to those who pointed me in the right direction . I will post a update as soon as this project is mid-flight and so on .....

This will depend on what your county supports via CAD. Our county sends us our CAD data via a email and we have a computer program called ADI. This can output to a LED display but we use standard monitors in the station and have another program that displays the call. when not on a call it scrolls thru drills, events, and call history.

Can they e-mail / text to a paging service from CAD?

you could use this: http://www.apollowireless.com/shtml/ite ... d/583.html