Under a new partnership signed in April, BWMS will be the exclusive master distributor of the C1000 through-the-earth (TTE) communications system to the North American mining industry, which can obtain the technology in the US or through Becker Wholesale Mine Supply Canada for Canadian operations.

Vital Alert’s system, which does not depend on line-of-sight for effective operation, was designed to be a cost-effective backup to leaky feeder and wireless mesh communications systems.

It also does not need wireless access points and repeaters, known as the heart of mesh-style systems, as it does not involve cables that need to be installed or maintained.

Vital Alert C1000 extends the reach of existing communications and warning systems and can be deployed in complex, hard-to-reach areas, such as drill faces where leaky feeder systems do not exist.

“Part of what makes the C1000 really exciting for the mining and tunneling industries is its flexibility,” Vital Alert marketing and technical sales vice-president Sandi Jones said.

“Instead of locking you into a specific connection method, the C1000 offers a solid link that can interconnect with many proven mining and tunnel communications products both above and below ground.”

The system has both chat and voice functions on directly-connected headsets with Ethernet, WiFi, RS485 and many other audio and data options.

“You can also connect your existing two-way radio, RFID personnel and equipment tracking, gas and environmental sensors and more to the C1000, extending those solutions into areas currently unserved by traditional line-of-sight or wired connections and connecting them in real-time to above-ground applications,” Jones said.

BWMS president Bill Hensler called TTE technology “the wave of the future for the industry” and the way successful mine communications are made.

“The C1000 is a game-changer in the way miners communicate with one another and with surface operations, and the successful TTE technology that this system possesses has done nothing short of turning the entire communications sector on its ear,” he said.

The system, which is now commercially available, has received IEC 60950 approval and is currently undergoing certification through the US Mine Safety and Health Administration.