Another great example of our Wireless Point to Point system saving time and improving safety.
A local shooting club recently approached up for help with a remote-control warning flag solution.
All shooting ranges have strict safety requirements that includes warning flags. This shooting club had multiple entry points so needed two warning flags and wanted to improve range officer safety by remotely controlling of the flags. The club location is rural but is also adjacent to a road and the flags need to be mounted about 320m and 420m from the club house.
A feedback signal is also needed to confirm that each flag is fully extended.
The flag actuator module and 12V DC supply were supplied by the club. A normally open limit switch was also provided, which closes on full flagpole extension. This switch is wired into a digital input of the WP2P module.
Typically, WP2P systems are supplied as a matched pair of modules. However, there are two custom options available each allowing up to four modules to be used. The I/O is then automatically mapped between the modules. These options are called “star” and “star blast” and they have different I/O mapping depending to match your project requirements.
This shooting range project is suited to the WP2P star blast option. By using the QTech WP2P star blast system, the flag operator can now safely operate the flags from the club room and a green light indicates when the flags are fully extended.
The items required for this project are:
Qty 3x WP2P Modules – Part Number PD8810E – Configured as “star blast”
Qty 2x DC power lead (for flagpole WP2P modules) – Part Number CB-QDR-PWR
Qty 1x Power supply Plug Pack – Part Number PD5412 (for the club room)
Qty 3x 900MHz Whip antennas – Part Number PD9241
The WP2P star blast option is a popular choice and gives the following automatic mapping of the I/O. This project only used 2 slave modules but can be extended to the 3 shown below.
Of course, our popular 4G SMS Lite can also perform this type of control and monitoring requirement by sending text messages. However, this was not a preferred option for this customer.
There must be a sign at the main entrance to a shooting range and any secondary or alternate access point to the range. Signage must contain the range or range complex name, contact details for the shooting club or shooting range operator.
Shooting ranges must fly a large RED warning flag to indicate that the range is in use. The flag must be of a size and condition to stand out and be visible from the access point to the range. The flag must be flown from a flagpole at a height that can be easily seen. The flag should be a minimum dimension of 600 mm x 1200 mm.
The flagpole needs to be in a prominent position, clearly visible to those approaching the range. If there is more than one entry point to the range and they are not visible to each other, then a flagpole is required at each entry point. The location and number of flagpoles depends on the design and layout of the range.
Flagpoles must not be placed in a location that poses a hazard to anyone operating the flags, e.g. not on a backstop where the flag operator would be exposed to fire from an adjacent range.
If the range is used for night firing activities, the red flag(s) are to be replaced by suitably visible red flashing lights.
Send the SMS Lite a text message and it activates the roof sprinklers. The SMS Lite is also very low power and can easily be solar powered. Roof mounted sprinklers are very popular as a bushfire defence tool and are also used in New Zealand and the USA. The Rural Fire Service NSW website has some great resources and a very useful bushfire preparation guide.
Please check out the Rural Fire Service guide by clicking the link below. Be prepared for this bushfire season – Do not leave it too late.
If the water supply to the bushfire protection sprinklers is pumped via a generator, you may need to consider a way to switch the genset on remotely. We have possible solutions for that too. Click this previous article for more info.
allows you to send and receive a 4-20mA analogue signal. It provides a low power radio link between the flow meter and the VSD setpoint control at a PLC.
The customer’s existing system uses a central PLC for overall site control. However, a new flow meter and pump with a VSD control was added. The application needed to integrate the new 4-20mA flow meter signal and allow the regular changing of the setpoint and speed of the pump to suit the overall water demand.
QTech WP2P solutions can provide a radio alternative to cables over a distance of up to 3km, although this project only needed to travel 1800m.
providing a cost effective way of routing around an obstruction such as a hill or a building.
Additionally the WP2P analogue also has two digital inputs and two digital output relays. These can be easily incorporated into the project for remote start, stop or fault monitoring and reset of the remote pump.
Key Features of the WP2P Analogue and Digital system include: Low power consumption No programming or configuration and easy mounting and installation Line of sight operational ranges of ~350m with the supplied antennas, ~2km with optional whip antennas, and up to 4km with Yagi antennas Link status LED provides confirmation that the two modules are communicating Isolated 0-20mA Analogue I/O and relay outputs for maximum diversity State of the art digital radio using 900MHz Digital Modulation technology All operating distances are indicative only and are terrain dependent.
We have a selection of DC power supplies including mains plug packs and even 110V AC input power packs for centre pivot irrigation solutions.
Please remember that each WP2P module requires both an antenna and a power supply.
These solar powered rotating animal warning signs use the 4G SMS Lite for remote control.
When livestock is being moved, or there is a report of stray animals in the location, a text message is sent to the SMS Lite.
The text message required to control the sign is simply “ON Sign”.
When the warning sign receives the text message, the SMS Lite operates it’s relay outputs. The sign then starts to rotate and the amber warning lights start flashing. The photos show the warning sign rotating at its installed location in regional NSW.
A key requirement for our customer was to notify five people that the sign has been activated. The notification message they all receive will be “Sign has switched ON”.
The SMS Lite easily achieves this requirement as up to eight mobile numbers can be added to it’s address book.
As the warning signs are solar powered, the power consumption of the SMS Lite was also an important project consideration. With a current draw as low as 13mA, the system designer was able to easily integrate our controller within the system power budget.
The SMS Lite is easy to set up – simply by sending it a few text messages. The SMS Lite also has some powerful features like pulse outputs, supply voltage monitoring and input debounce options.
Please check out our YouTube channel for a selection of SMS Lite videos including getting started, troubleshooting and how to select power supplies.
If you need remote control of animal warning signs, sheep ahead alert systems or even flood warning signs, our 4G cellular products will help provide a solution.
Relay Contacts – The output relay contacts in the SMS Lite are low power DC contacts. They will need interface relays or contactors to operate high current and AC mains powered pumps.
The QTech QDR are low power radios that provide wireless RS232 or RS485 serial cable replacements.
The QDRs are lower power and more cost effective than conventional radio systems. They use a sophisticated digital modulation technology, have an outstanding receiver sensitivity and can operate at up to 9600bps data rate.
The QDR radios are powered from our range of DC power supplies including plug packs and power packs.
Workbench is the software application used to configure the QDR radios via USB.
The QDRs can be configured in Point to point, point to multipoint and repeater configurations. This helps extend the system design options and increase the potential transmission range. The radios also have “radio ID” settings – these settings tie the QDR modules to a specific customer and a specific system. This helps ensure security and you can use multiple radios all in the same area.
We have a selection of high gain antennas compatible with the QDR, these give you options to increase the range to several kilometres. In the Water Treatment Plant design above, the master QDR in the control room used the 6dB whip antenna and all the bore sites used our Yagi antennas.
When designing your remote monitoring system, it is important to consider what happens to the output signals if the radio link goes down or is interrupted, ie “failsafe”.
Failsafe in this context means causing a piece of equipment to revert to a safe condition in the event of a malfunction or breakdown. A good example is effluent pump control – Do you want the connected pump to continue pumping or is it better to switch the pump off for the duration of the comms fail?
Our WP2P, MPC and Q48-P2P systems all give you failsafe options if the radio comms link is interrupted, ensuring that the consequences are minimised.
The Q48-P2P system controls the state of the outputs if the radio link is interrupted, ie comms failure. Normally, if a comms fail happens the modules retain their last known state (eg if an output is on, it will remain on during a comms fail). However, this does not suit some applications.
A factory configuration option is available for Q48 P2P systems. It is called “failsafe” which must be requested when you order a Q48-P2P system.
Using the failsafe feature, the digital outputs will all switch off for the duration of the comms fail. Similarly, the analogue output signals will go to 0mA.
on both failsafe and how long a comms failure will take to establish.
Note – The Q48-P2P failsafe feature is subtly different to the WP2P and MPC systems. Please be mindful of this if you are already familiar with our WP2P systems.
We are helping to change the way industries approach cable control systems. Whether you’re managing an irrigation system at a golf club or controlling the warning flags at a gun club, our WP2P remote control system provides a seamless, efficient, and reliable alternative to underground control cables.
Golf Club Auckland NZ: One of our recent success stories involved a golf club in Auckland, where the existing underground cables from the water pump to the irrigation controllers had started to fail, creating disruptions in irrigation. Replacing the cables would have been costly and time-consuming.
Instead of digging up the course, we installed our WP2P wireless system, which uses low-power radio technology to replace the faulty cables. The result? A reliable, cost-effective solution that allowed the club to control the pump remotely—without disturbing the landscape or disrupting operations.
This helped provide an interlock when the pump was running and it even used the existing solar supplies.
Key Benefits for the Golf Club:
No Digging Required: The WP2P system eliminated the need to disturb the golf course by digging up cables.
Reliability: The system provided a long-lasting solution that ensured smooth water pump operations.
Cost-Effective: Avoided the high costs associated with replacing underground cables.
Flexibility: The WP2P system can easily adapt to future needs, offering long-range control options.
Greyhound Racetrack Control: We also used the WP2P system to solve a similar issue for a greyhound racetrack. The existing underground cable controlling the starting gates had begun to fail. Avoiding any disruption to the track was a main priority.
Once again, QTech’s WP2P system was successfully installed. By replacing the cable with a low-power, wireless radio solution, we ensured reliable starting gate control without disturbing the racetrack surface.
Why Choose the WP2P?
Range: Reliable performance over 2000m with optional high gain antennas.
Ease of Integration: Simple interfacing into existing systems, providing immediate results with minimal setup.
Reliability: A secure and long-lasting solution that works where traditional wiring has failed.
Whether you’re managing a sports facility, agricultural systems, or industrial equipment, the WP2P system can help eliminate the need for costly infrastructure changes.
If you’re facing challenges with old or unreliable cables, now is time to consider a wireless cable replacements.
Get in touch with us today to discuss how the WP2P system can help improve your operations, save costs, and boost efficiency.
Use the Analogue Wireless Point to Point WP2P system to send the water pressure signal from the end of a centre pivot to the pump’s VSD controller.
Connect a 4-20mA sensor at one end, the analogue WP2P system then transmits the 4-20mA signal to the other end over a low power digital radio link.
For some applications, you also need to know the water flow, the level of a remote reservoir or the speed of a VSD pump – all this can be provided with the Analogue WP2P system.
Each Analogue WP2P module provides one analogue (0-20mA) input, one analogue (0-20mA) output together with 2 switch inputs and 2 relay outputs.
The WP2P analogue interface supports the industry standard 4-20mA signal which is used by many pressure, level and temperature sensors and industrial equipment such as Variable Speed Drive (VSD) and PLC controllers.
Using 900MHz digital modulation technology, the Analogue WP2P modules transmit these 4-20mA signals up to 4km when using appropriate high gain antennas. There is also a link status LED that confirms the comms link is OK, and radio repeater modules are available to extend the range.
The analogue output signal can be used to show flow, level, pressure or even be integrated into a PLC control system.
We also have suitable DC power supplies for the WP2P systems. Choose from plug packs, power packs, solar or even a 110V AC input option which is ideal for centre pivot power supplies. If the control panel has an existing 12V DC supply, then a DC power cable with a 2.1mm jack can be used.
Installing the analogue WP2P on the end of the pivot, you will need to use an omni-directional antenna (whip) and ensure that it is mounted high enough that the pivot structure does not come between the WP2P antenna at the pump station. Also check there is no vegetation etc that would interfere with the communications as the pivot moves through its entire rotation.
Sending a 4-20mA water pressure from pivot to pump can be achieved with our analogue WP2P.
The products required for this project are:
Qty 1x WP2P Analogue system – Part Number PD8812-WP2P-A (includes two WP2P modules)
Qty 2x 900MHz Whip antennas – Part Number PD9241
Qty 1x Power supply – Plug Pack – Part Number PD5412 (for the pump shed)
Qty 1x Power supply – 110V AC Power Pack – Part Number PD5413 (for the pivot)
Our other wireless solutions, such as our popular Digital WP2P, supports digital inputs and relay outputs which provide an on/off capability, ideal for when 4-20mA signals are not required.
If you need to remotely start or monitor your veggie growing facility, we are sure to have a 4G cellular or radio system to suit.
The DATRAN Australia 4G cellular controllers and low power digital radio systems are used in many industries including vegetable growing. These systems help provide you with remote control and monitoring and can be used for both Indoor or outdoor vegetable growing operations.
The following is a selection of the typical uses for veggie growers of our wireless systems:
Pump control
Remotely start and stop the water pump and get a text message if the pump faults.
We also have a wide range of long range antennas and power supplies to best suit your project and requirements. This includes custom solar power solutions and radio repeaters to increase the range.
Veggie growing is an essential industry – use our wireless systems for early notification of problems and the convenience of remote control.
Please get in touch now for more information on our:
