 |
This sign
in Calexico, California, marks the location of the
US/Mexican border for motorists seeking to cross. |
|
 |
High
above ground, Technician Geoff Penna installs the
Information Radio Station antenna at Laredo, Texas. A
Vertical Profile Antenna Support and Grounding System was utilized to minimize
size and visual impact and to reduce installation time. |
|
 |
Left: Overhead
changeable message signs announce the radio frequency to
motorists approachi8ng the El Paso, Texas, entry port.
Right:
Motorists line up in
Mexicali, Mexico, to enter the USA via the Calexico
(east), California, entry port. |
|
Points of
Entry |
October
2012 |
Customs and Border Protection Deploys First National
Network of Information Radio Stations |
WASHINGTON, DC: Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is
in the process of installing
special information radio stations, referred to as a
Travelers Information Station/Highway Advisory Radio
(TIS/HAR) system, at key land border ports of entry,
providing information to approaching motorists with the
intention of expediting their passage across the border.
Federally licensed 10-watt AM radio stations are
currently installed in El Paso, Laredo, Texas; San Luis,
Arizona; and Calexico (East), California. Additional
sites are planned on the southwest border; and locations
on the US/Canadian border are also being considered.
Information Station Specialists of Zeeland, Michigan, is
providing the design, electronic equipment and
installation services for this new, pilot project.
The stations provide the capability of broadcasting
time-sensitive messages developed at the local ports of
entry, in addition to messages developed at the national
level by CBP Headquarters.
On October 10, 2012, GSN Government Security News
reported that the newest station is located at the
Bridge of the Americas (BOTA). The public can tune to
the 10-watt signal at AM 1620. “The goal of the radio
broadcast is to communicate important border crossing
information to members of the traveling public who are
in the vicinity of the port of entry,” said CBP El Paso
Port Director Hector Mancha. “From one end of the radio
dial to the other, CBP in El Paso is now broadcasting
vital bilingual travel information 24 hours a day, seven
days a week.”
The BOTA system supplements a similar low-power radio
that went live at the Ysleta crossing in February.
According to the CBP, each signal broadcasts a bilingual
message several miles away from the ports. The CBP has
indicated that the pilot program is being monitored for
effectiveness and will inform further system
installations and messaging.
As stated above, to date, The CBP has installed AM radio
frequency transmitters at six locations on the southwest
border including the two in El Paso, and one each in
Brownsville and Laredo, Texas; San Luis, Arizona, and
Calexico, California.
CBP project manager
Daniel Piscopo states
that the broadcast
messages will include
“how to use high-tech
travel cards,
information about CBP's
Trusted Traveler
Programs, basic border
crossing rules and
regulations, emergency
travel information and
updates, and border wait
times.”
Results of the pilot
survey conducted by CBP
at El Paso, Texas,
indicate that there is
considerable awareness
and favorability
regarding use of the
radio stations and
agreement that they
would be especially
valuable as a tool to
gauge wait times.
CBP is now able to
communicate directly to
travelers about how to
expedite their border
crossing, for example,
by broadcasting
information about CBP
programs such as the
Ready Lane — an
expedited travel lane
for people with radio
frequency identification
technology enabled cards
-- and Trusted Traveler
lanes for pre-approved,
low-risk travelers.
Radio broadcasts can be
heard for several miles
around the ports, giving
CBP the ability to
provide necessary
information to travelers
as they approach the
border. Perhaps someday
it will be common
practice for motorists
to reach for their
radios as they reach the
US.
CBP news release,
"CBP Launches Border
Radio Pilot; AM Radio
System Installed to
Inform Land Border
Crossers."
See
also an update to this
story. |
|
Information Radio Stations is a generic term
synonymous with Travelers Information Stations (TIS), Highway
Advisory Radio Stations (HAR) / Highway Information Systems &
Low Power Radio Stations (LPR). Operation of the stations is
governed by FCC Part 90.242 Rules. A FCC license is required.
Information Radio Stations may be fixed or portable.
Subcomponents may include transmitter, antenna and ground
system, digital voice player, wattmeter, cabinet with
conventional or Corbin locks, lightning arrestors for RF, power
and telephone lines, coaxial cable. Most stations employ black
maximized antennas to discourage ice accumulation and security
measures to prevent unauthorized program access. Options include
synchronization, battery backup, solar power, remote programming
by local, network or telco, multi-station audio distribution via
RF or LAN / WAN or wireless network. |