Abstract :
This paper describes an actual case design for two UHF/VHF radio repeater base stations located remotely at hill top sites in the northern part of the province of Quebec, Canada. These two stations are part of a continuous link of facilities providing radio communications between the Canadian National Railway Company trains, track maintenance forces or other railway personnel in the area, and the dispatcher located at a central dispatching office in Montreal, some 300 km southward. Design objectives for these facilities aimed for the highest possible operational reliability and ease of maintenance under uninterrupted operation and extreme environmental conditions of temperature, wind, icing and humidity. Reliability, capital costs, operating costs, equipment operating environment and maintainability were all key system design constraints. A total energy budget for many proposed solutions subject to the above constraints lead to the conclusion that a solar photovoltaic (PV) power plant supplying equipment housed in an underground shelter was the optimum approach. Following the first year of operation, in summer and winter temperature extremes, the PV power system and the fiberglass reinforced plastic (FRP) underground equipment shelters have performed well and met or exceeded the design expectations. Also provided is an internal environment that is conducive to the maintenance free operation of the electrical and radio communications equipment they house. Fig. 1 shows an aerial view of the complete and operational energy self sufficient radio repeater base station at Falrie, Quebec.
