Instalments

(Editor Joss Joselyn opened his editorial with an important announcement...)
"It's official. The final details of the merger between the Security Systems Inspectorate (SSI), which is the systems inspection arm of the BSI, and the NSCIA have been hammered out. At a special ceremony held in London, NACOSS was officially launched, to become operative on January 1, 1991. "They finally thought better of calling it NACSS, presumably because NACKERS isn't nice!"

History lesson

(Derf Mockford of Scantronic gave us a bit of historical background for digital communicators...)
"Before World War Two there was little or no security communication industry in the UK, except for a few very simple Direct Line installations. Then, around 1946, the first commercial Direct Line equipment was installed. Units employed simple voltage 'on/off' keying on a two-wire line that went directly from one security installation to a police control room. At the same time, the first disc diallers were developed for use on the normal telephone system.

"In the late 1950s, disc diallers were being replaced by tape units. These were modified reel-to-reel tape recorders using 0.25in wide tape.

"During the late 1960s reel-to-reel tape recorders were superseded by smaller, endless tape loop diallers. These machines used a continuous loop of 0.25in wide tape stored in a box. This box protected the tape and allowed the unit to be ready for a second triggering as soon as the message had been played once, the tape did not need rewinding.

"Now, with the introduction of integrated circuits or 'chips' in the early 1970s, the stage was set to change tape loop diallers to fully electronic units with no moving parts (except for relays). The growth of central stations also started at this time.

"During 1973, two fully electronic designs of digital dialler from Ademco and Franklin were introduced into the UK from America. These 'Digis' dialled, and passed data directly to automatic electronic receivers. Communication was by a series of tone beeps that represented numbers (0-9). One format or protocol of beeps predominated. This was called Slow Format.

"In the mid 1970s, a second format was introduced, also from America. This was called Fast Format and offered several important advantages over Slow Format. In particular, it could transfer more data, and in less time."

Seeing is believing

(In his article on video entry, John Hodge, Managing Director of bpt Security Systems (UK), described the advantages of the new systems...)
"Video entry systems have grown naturally out of the older market for telephone entry systems and are now taking an increasing share of the total business, aided by a progressive reduction in the cost of TV components – especially tubes. Today, the advent of reasonably priced VE monitors with small, clear screens is opening up the market in a way that would have been impossible with the old-style large TV screens.

"As the market has grown, so video entry systems have become more sophisticated through the addition of many new features. Options now available with some systems include internal intercommunication between the monitors, central supervision from a porter's switchboard, access control facilities, and panic alarm monitoring.

"Most systems are currently installed in up-market houses and apartment blocks, but vast opportunities also exist in the local authority sector – and in commercial premises, of late."