At two TETRA radio sites recently installed for the UK’s Airwave public safety network, special care has been taken to blend the equipment into the environment.

At the summit of Snake Pass in the north of England, what appears to be just a road sign is in fact a four-metre high mast. Supporting equipment, including the generator and diesel fuel tank are buried in an underground chamber.

“The site is in an area of protected natural beauty, so we took great care to make the TETRA mast blend in to its surroundings as much as possible”, said Martin Benké, Airwave’s UK network services director. “Feedback from local groups, including the Friends of the Peak District, has been really positive.”

Rocking on

Another base station, this time disguised as a mountain rock, can be found in Wales, in the Snowdonia National Park on the Lleyn Peninsula. Here Airwave worked with the National Park authority, the local planning authority and the Countryside Council for Wales to come up with a suitable design. It was agreed that the best solution was to disguise the transmission equipment inside a specially-designed ‘rock’ made of glass fibre.

“This approach ensured that our equipment is camouflaged to match the surroundings, and does not impact the beauty of the national park”, commented Mr Benké. “We take particular care to work with the relevant authorities on design when operating in Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs), national parks, and Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs).”

The Airwave network, a secure TETRA system purpose-built to meet the needs of emergency service bodies, now covers 99 per cent of Great Britain’s landmass.