EDACS
Encyclopedia
EDACS stands for The Enhanced Digital Access Communication System, a radio
communications protocol
and product family invented in the General Electric Corporation in the mid 1980s.
Childress and the team demonstrated that a smart controller could be adapted to a variety of applications, but his interest was really in fault tolerance. The competition dealt with fault tolerance by means of the "brute force and ignorance" approach, deploying double the hardware for their controllers, and interconnecting them with massive and problematic relay banks .
The EDACS system architecture supported large communications footprints. By making the GETC's "trunk" among themselves, one GETC per channel, the system was designed to be inherently fault-tolerant. If one channel, or device, experienced problems, the others voted it off the network, and calls continued to be processed with the remaining resources . This provided substantial hardware reductions, and the required software efforts yielded a variety of unique features and options.
This was not a new concept in systems design; however, few other teams have embodied it cleanly into such wide distribution.
, public transit, and industrial two-way radio communications field .
EDACS was developed in competition with Motorola
's Smartnet trunking system. It claimed, and continues to hold, significant market share. GE
teamed with Sweden
's Ericsson
, and the company became Ericsson GE. Later, GE exited the business. Ericsson eventually sold the Private Radio Systems (PRS) unit to Com-Net in 2000, resulting in Com-Net Ericsson. M/A-COM Inc., a holding of Tyco Electronics
, acquired the business and technologies in May 2001, including many of the original team members, some of their children, and a few grandchildren who continue to manufacture and support the product family.
EDACS has the largest customer base of any technology in M/A-COM's portfolio (i.e. EDACS, OpenSky
, P25
and TETRA
). Over 500 large-scale EDACS radio systems have been sold - with the State of Florida being the largest. Hundreds of thousands of radios have been sold to function on these EDACS systems .
In April 2009 Harris Corporation (NYSE:HRS), an international communications and information technology company, acquired the Tyco Electronics Wireless Systems business (formerly known as M/A-COM). Harris RF Communications already had been a major supplier of radio technology, including software-defined multiband radios for interoperability and upgradeability, high-level encryption capable of supporting top secret communications, and digital waveform technology. In addition, Harris has access to well-established business channels for the Department of Defense, U.S. federal agencies, and international customers.
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
communications protocol
Communications protocol
A communications protocol is a system of digital message formats and rules for exchanging those messages in or between computing systems and in telecommunications...
and product family invented in the General Electric Corporation in the mid 1980s.
History
A young designer, Jeff Childress, created an autonomous radio base-station controller, known as the GETC (General Electric Trunking Card). The GETC was a general-purpose controller with input/output optimized for radio system applications.Childress and the team demonstrated that a smart controller could be adapted to a variety of applications, but his interest was really in fault tolerance. The competition dealt with fault tolerance by means of the "brute force and ignorance" approach, deploying double the hardware for their controllers, and interconnecting them with massive and problematic relay banks .
The EDACS system architecture supported large communications footprints. By making the GETC's "trunk" among themselves, one GETC per channel, the system was designed to be inherently fault-tolerant. If one channel, or device, experienced problems, the others voted it off the network, and calls continued to be processed with the remaining resources . This provided substantial hardware reductions, and the required software efforts yielded a variety of unique features and options.
This was not a new concept in systems design; however, few other teams have embodied it cleanly into such wide distribution.
Current status
The EDACS system continues to be sold and supports a sizable portion of the market today for the public safetyPublic Safety
Public safety involves the prevention of and protection from events that could endanger the safety of the general public from significant danger, injury/harm, or damage, such as crimes or disasters .-See also:* By nation...
, public transit, and industrial two-way radio communications field .
EDACS was developed in competition with Motorola
Motorola
Motorola, Inc. was an American multinational telecommunications company based in Schaumburg, Illinois, which was eventually divided into two independent public companies, Motorola Mobility and Motorola Solutions on January 4, 2011, after losing $4.3 billion from 2007 to 2009...
's Smartnet trunking system. It claimed, and continues to hold, significant market share. GE
General Electric
General Electric Company , or GE, is an American multinational conglomerate corporation incorporated in Schenectady, New York and headquartered in Fairfield, Connecticut, United States...
teamed with Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
's Ericsson
Ericsson
Ericsson , one of Sweden's largest companies, is a provider of telecommunication and data communication systems, and related services, covering a range of technologies, including especially mobile networks...
, and the company became Ericsson GE. Later, GE exited the business. Ericsson eventually sold the Private Radio Systems (PRS) unit to Com-Net in 2000, resulting in Com-Net Ericsson. M/A-COM Inc., a holding of Tyco Electronics
Tyco Electronics
TE Connectivity, Ltd., previously known as Tyco Electronics, Ltd., and formerly a segment of Tyco International, is a leading global provider of engineered electronic components, network solutions, undersea telecommunication systems, and specialty products for customers in more than 150 countries...
, acquired the business and technologies in May 2001, including many of the original team members, some of their children, and a few grandchildren who continue to manufacture and support the product family.
EDACS has the largest customer base of any technology in M/A-COM's portfolio (i.e. EDACS, OpenSky
OpenSky
OpenSky is a registered trademark of Harris Corporation and is the trade name for a wireless communication system, invented by M/A-COM Inc., that is now a division of Harris RF Communications...
, P25
P25
Project 25 is a suite of standards for digital radio communications for use by federal, state/province and local public safety agencies in North America to enable them to communicate with other agencies and mutual aid response teams in emergencies...
and TETRA
Tetra
thumb|right|250px|Pristella tetra — [[Pristella maxillaris]].thumb|right|250px|Golden Pristella tetra, a [[morph |morph]] of [[Pristella maxillaris]].thumb|right|250px|[[Silvertip tetra]] — Hasemania nana....
). Over 500 large-scale EDACS radio systems have been sold - with the State of Florida being the largest. Hundreds of thousands of radios have been sold to function on these EDACS systems .
In April 2009 Harris Corporation (NYSE:HRS), an international communications and information technology company, acquired the Tyco Electronics Wireless Systems business (formerly known as M/A-COM). Harris RF Communications already had been a major supplier of radio technology, including software-defined multiband radios for interoperability and upgradeability, high-level encryption capable of supporting top secret communications, and digital waveform technology. In addition, Harris has access to well-established business channels for the Department of Defense, U.S. federal agencies, and international customers.