Live From PyeongChang: The P.A. People Keeps Clear-Com Intercom Systems Running

A mix of comms approaches is deployed at the 15 locations

Proper communications during Olympics venue operations are of paramount importance to everyone involved. At the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics, it has fallen on the team at The P.A. People and OneUp Solutions to ensure that the Clear-Com systems in use are keeping a large portion of key venue personnel in touch before, during, and after events.

Dominic Jones, Scott Davidson, and Chris Dodds of The P.A. People are on hand at the Olympic supporting venue intercom operations.

“The Clear-Com system is used for the sports A/V presentation in the venue. Timing and results and that all link back to OBS and into the actual sport federation itself,” says Scott Davidson, senior systems engineer, event communications, The P.A. People. “We also have three venues here that are fiber-trunked together, and that provides some real good flexibility to join the three systems together while also giving autonomy.”

Chris Dodds, managing director, The P.A. People, notes that every system has three major components: the matrix, the partyline, and the FreeSpeak devices. “To our knowledge,” he adds, “this is the first time that serious quantities of full-duplex comms have been used for an Olympics.”

A mix of Clear-Com intercom systems is deployed at each of the 15 locations, including the Eclipse HX matrix system as a central system, FOR-22 module cards for two-way–radio interfacing, LQ-R4W8 IP interface for eight rings of audio interface to HelixNet, HelixNet digital partyline Main Stations, and a FreeSpeak II Base Station or E-QUE card.

Field equipment used by the operators includes 400 FreeSpeak II wireless intercom beltpacks and headsets (for mobile users), 115 FreeSpeak II transceivers and 30 splitters, 180 V-Series Lever keypanels, 440 HelixNet digital beltpacks, 100 CC110 lightweight headsets, 100 CC200 lightweight headsets, 500 CC300 headsets, and 300 CC400 headsets.

According to Dodds, Sydney-based The P.A. People has the world’s largest Clear-Com rental inventory and is working with Korea-based OneUp Solutions on the project. “We try to work with the local distributors and leave a legacy,” he says. “We started working with OneUp Solutions three years ago on this project, which includes 14 venues and the Medal Plaza.”

The systems are not cookie-cutter and require different quantities of certain elements (particularly at the endpoints), and Davidson says the flexibility of the system and the HelixNet beltpacks has been good for all involved.

Adds Dodds, “All of the endpoints are IP-capable, so we can deploy the system using network switches for all elements. HelixNet adds to that versatility because we can put every channel of the partyline system on one cable and select the required channels at the beltpack. You can’t do that with any other system.”