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New Zealand Forestry Industry Use Icom

Icom New Zealand has recently come up with an interesting application called Roadstop for the IC-F12 VHF Hand portable transceiver, which will help improve the safety of forestry workers throughout the country’s national parks.

Cutting gangs are obviously at risk when felling trees, but more often makeshift access roads created for logging trucks and other related vehicles on a temporary basis provide other hazards. The entrance to these roads is only erected for as long as the felling occurs, very often the temporary gate is left open which creates a dangerous environment for the workers in the forest (there is the chance of being hit by passing trucks). The Roadstop system was set up to improve safety and efficiency.

The basis of the “Roadstop” system is that the cutting gang can erect temporary gates with a red “letterbox” containing the IC-F12 and microphone mounted on the front of the box (See attached photos). The driver stops at the gate, picks up the microphone and talks directly to the head of the cutting gang who either tells the driver whether he can. Once the truck driver is given permission to proceed, he drives through the “spring loaded gates” (rubber prongs.) The driver need only leave the truck once to use the radio. The “gates” spring back into place once the truck has passed, solving the problem of open gates.

The IC-F12 was chosen for this project because of it’s simplicity of operation, cost effectiveness and ability to be used by the forestry gang when not needed in the “Roadstop”. Total versatility. More than 200 units will be employed in this system throughout New Zealand.

Icom UK Marketing - marketing@icomuk.co.uk