Four Winds Resort and Casino using mototrbo two Way Radio

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Four Winds Resort and Casino needed a communications system that would enable employees to deliver premium service to guests while ensuring casino security. MOTOTRBO exceeded these critical requirements, radically expanding capabilities and opening up a range of new opportunities for enhancing security and service levels.

Everything Is Riding on Security and Service

Paying homage to the heritage of the Pokagon Band of the Potawatomi Tribe, the Four Winds Resort and Casino is situated near their ancestral homeland on 52 acres of beautiful terrain in New Buffalo, Michigan. This full-service, around-the-clock leisure complex comprises 135,000 square feet of gaming space, 3,000 slot machines, 110 table games, six restaurants, a hotel, and a 10,000 square foot child care center.

Security is imperative in any gaming environment where unscrupulous individuals may scan wireless communications in an effort to “improve their edge” at the tables and throughout the casino. John Walker, VP of Security at Four Winds, explained that this entertainment center required “a system that could provide security personnel with a separate and secure talk-group as well as capabilities to enable all staff to always be in contact with one another.”

High levels of service are also demanded in this sophisticated gaming environment, and an efficient two-way communications system would enable individual teams within the casino to communicate quickly and efficiently with one another, responding to customer needs and delivering the high-quality service that casino patrons expect. Of particular concern was the need for technicians to monitor the operation of thousands of slot machines and respond to technical problems immediately.

Four Winds required a cost-effective solution that would enable the casino to grow in response to increasing nationwide enthusiasm for gaming.

After considering the options, it was clear that the right solution for Four Winds would be MOTOTRBO, Motorola’s professional digital system that is reshaping the way users think about two-way communications.

With this innovative two-way digital solution, the Four Winds security team has their own talk group, as do IT, maintenance, slot supervision, and many other work teams throughout the casino. Four Winds had originally asked for only four talk groups; however, within months of implementation, the value of talk groups became so dramatically clear that there were soon 15 talk groups divided by department, with the promise of more in the very near future. MOTOTRBO software provides 23 talk-group templates, separated by users, making it possible to cut and paste individual groups as needed.

To ensure consistent, fault-free communications among security staff, the MOTOTRBO system at Four Winds has base station battery back-up as well as critical redundancy built into the system:
if the security repeater needs to be reprogrammed, another repeater immediately moves in to handle the load. Because MOTOTRBO utilizes highly efficient TDMA, four repeaters have the capacity to do the work of eight repeaters, ensuring consistently smooth and cost-efficient communication.

MOTOTRBO seamlessly enhances service. Clearer audio quality provided by digital technology means that all casino and resort personnel are able
to connect with one another and communicate more efficiently, ensuring that customer service issues are resolved on-the spot.

In support of higher service levels, digital Walkie Talkies provide improved battery life: casino and resort personnel receive 12 hours of operation with a standard nickel metal hydride battery – that’s about 40% more operating time than with analog radios. Because batteries are used more efficiently, talk-time is extended, so personnel spend more time serving guests and less time returning to base to recharge their units or pick up fresh batteries.

Unobtrusive service is always preferred, and MOTOTRBO supports discreet communications through such functions as text messaging, which enables personnel to communicate silently with one another. Any phone or computer can send an email to a MOTOTRBO host server application,
which then forwards the text message to designated MOTOTRBO subscriber units, supporting tighter, more coordinated communications management.

In addition, as Walker explains, because security personnel have earpieces that attach to microphones “we can walk and discuss all kinds of issues without disturbing our guests, who don’t get blasted by a loud noise when someone with a traditional radio walks past.”

In emergencies, MOTOTRBO’s emergency signaling capability enables users to pull the whole team together, immediately, to respond to the situation and maintain the comfort and safety of casino guests.

In a resort area, aesthetics are always a consideration, and through a multi-coupler and combiner, it was possible to mount just two antennas on the roof of the casino, minimizing visual interference with the natural beauty of this Lake Michigan property.
Staying Ahead for the Long Run

Four Winds Resort and Casino selected MOTOTRBO, in part, because it was flexible enough to grow with their business. Within months of installation, the system was already growing, with additional repeaters and talk groups being added to meet demand by staff for radios that helped improve customer service and increase casino security.

Walker is confident that this is just the beginning: “I’ve talked to each of the vice presidents that have received these radios, and they’re just ecstatic. MOTOTRBO has helped them handle their departments and their staffing, dispatching people to the right locations whenever they’re needed. Now, we’re up to about 335 radios, and several departments would like more. MOTOTRBO has done so much for us, increasing our efficiency and decreasing response time. The whole system has been a boon for us, and now every department is talking about getting a MOTOTRBO.”

MOTOTRBO – The Gaming Industry’s Ace-in-the Hole
Digital technology enables MOTOTRBO to adapt to a number of different work environments,
seamlessly supporting industry-specific applications, and it has proven to be an exceptionally productive communications tool for gaming and hospitality.
In addition to the applications deployed by Four Winds Resort and Casino, the digital platform enables location tracking via built-in GPS so that the location of field units can be displayed on the dispatcher’s computer screen for more efficient operations and tighter asset management. GPS-based Location Services is just one of MOTOTRBO’s continuing series of remarkable applications – made possible through digital technology – that extend the power of MOTOTRBO, enabling it to be customized to work at maximum efficiency in any environment, in any industry.

Which Major Discoveries led to the Invention of the Walkie Talkie

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The modern two-way radio, which is a direct descendent of the WW2-era two Way Radio, first became recognizable in the years just before the outbreak of World War 2. Its origins are an interesting story in their own right (but I’ll condense it here).

Three names are usually mentioned with regards to the invention of the walkie-talkie…

The first is Canadian inventor Donald Hings (1907 – 2004), who invented an early version of the technology back in 1937 (although it wasn’t widely acknowledged or used). Then, there’s American inventor Al Gross (1918 – 2000), who patented the name ‘walkie-talkie’ for his own invention a year later in ’38. Because of the ubiquity of the name, Gross became the best known ‘inventor’ of the technology at the time, even though it had technically existed for 12 months beforehand. However, this isn’t to detract from Gross’ claim, because his version of the walkie-talkie was actually quite different from Hings’ (despite operating on the same essential principles).

Then, there’s Dan Noble (1901 – 1980), a Motorola employee who, although he definitely did not invent the technology, certainly did lead the team that created the widely used WW2-era walkie-talkies. Hings’ version of the technology wasn’t used by the military until 1942, which led to Dan Noble being credited with the invention.

So, make of that mess what you will…

Now, to go back further (and get to the meat of your question), here is a list of discoveries that led to the creation of the two-way radio.

James Clark Maxwell (1831-1879), a mathematical physicist (and one of a seemingly endless line of genius Scotsmen) demonstrated that electromagnetic waves could propagate in free space in his 1865 paper ‘A Dynamical Theory of the Electromagnetic Field’ (of which the most famous fan was Albert Einstein). This led German physicist Heinrich Hertz (1857 – 1894) to build on Maxwell’s pioneering work by conclusively proving the existence of electromagnetic waves in 1887.

After that, Serbian-American inventor, physicist, vegetarian and absolute genius Nikola Tesla (1856 – 1943) demonstrated the transmission of radio frequency energy in 1892. After that, Italian inventor Guglielmo Marconi (1874 – 1937) built a wireless system capable of transmitting signals over unprecedented distances in 1895 – which is pretty much the birth of radio.

This was an important area of study at the time; the first wireless telephone conversation took place in 1880 and was made by Alexander Graham Bell (1847 – 1922), who was another Scot, incidentally. A lot of people were working on similar technology, so it would not have been unlike the ‘space race’ of the 50’s and 60’s at the time.

Marconi went about taking over pretty much all business related to the invention of the The two way radio (which was, eventually, credited solely to him) and, by 1907, he had established the first commercial transatlantic radio service (and also pretty much screwed Tesla out of any/all royalties he would have been owed. Nice).

Thanks to the work of Julio Cervera Baviera (1854 – 1929) the Spanish army became the first to use radio for military purposes (at least, as far as I’m aware, anyway) in the early 1900’s.

Canadian inventor Reginald Fessenden (1866 – 1932) (who also helped to develop sonar and TV, incidentally), invented AM radio (no, not the ‘Breakfast Show’ –it means that more than one station can broadcast signals) when, on Christmas Eve 1906, he played some violin and read from the Bible.

Eventually, all ships were equipped with radio transmission capability, with Marconi owning a total monopoly over ship-to-shore communication. Ship-to-shore contact became a subject of increased awareness and importance following the Titanic disaster of 1912 and radios began to be seen even more as a crucial safety measure in all areas of industry as a result. Look up the 1913 ‘International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea’ (it has a Wikipedia page, I just checked) for more info.

Skipping forward a bit, now. Throughout the 1930’s, there were a ton of minor (and major) improvements made to the technology, more than a few made by Marconi and his engineers. Some really clever people made their mark on the fledgling technology here, but if I mention them all, we’ll never get to the end.

Oh, by the way, FM radio was subsequently invented by American electrical engineer Edwin Armstrong (1890 – 1954) in 1933.

By the late 30’s, Hings comes into the picture, as does the rising spectre of a terrifyingly advanced Nazi Germany. The race was on to have the best equipped armies out there fighting the Axis powers and the allies wisely put a huge amount of manpower into the development of portable radio communication. It was a decision which led directly to the rapid co-opting of Hings and Gross’ work, as well as the later improvements made by Noble.

This is a long and fascinating story (about which many books have been written), but, as a ‘potted history’ of sorts, I hope that answers your question.