The Lee County Emergency Operations Center (EOC), located in Fort Myers, Florida, is the official county warning point for natural or man-made hazards such as hurricanes, water shortages, and wildfires that may threaten the area.
Lee County’s EOC is a state-of-the-art facility that makes extensive use of audiovisual equipment—and to ensure trouble free audio, the facility utilizes Lectrosonics’ Aspen audio processing technology.
Tampa, FL-based Encore Broadcast sales manager Douglas Taylor was responsible for working with the Lee County Emergency Management design team to develop a cost effective solution that met the requirements of the EOC.
Additionally, he was responsible for the sales, on-site installation, training, and the project’s continuing technical support program.
Recognizing the importance of an audio infrastructure capable of handling the EOC’s operations without requiring an on-site attendant, he deployed a Lectrosonics Aspen SPN1624 16 input / 24 output digital audio processor.
“For this facility, the Aspen processor handles automixing, level and muting control, some signal processing, and output matrixing,” Taylor reports. “The unit is installed in a dedicated AV equipment room outfitted with three racks necessary to hold all the equipment.
“As part of the unattended system functionality, the Aspen processor is interfaced with an AMX NI-4100 NetLinx Integrated Controller through a LAN/Ethernet connection.”
Having made use of numerous Lectrosonics AM- and DM- Series processors for many years, Taylor has been a long-time fan of the fundamental simplicity and versatility of Lectrosonics’ designs
“We selected the Aspen unit fully expecting the same level of positive experience we’ve had in the past with Lectrosonics equipment,” he explained. “We were extremely pleased that the processor exceeded our expectations. The Lee County EOC is a mission critical operation, so we required equipment that is designed to operate in this type of environment. The Aspen processor delivered the goods.”
The Lee County EOC’s AV system went operational in July and, since that time, the Lectrosonics equipment has been performing well.
“Our client report that the new equipment is really helping them be more effective,” says Taylor. “The Aspen processor is another example of a well-thought-out Lectrosonics design. We look forward to the next opportunity to specify and install another Aspen system.”