[Nov 23, 2009 14:09] Web access to Microsoft Live@edu accounts now works.
The paging system was initially purchased and installed by the hospital in the early 1980s. The currently installed central component is from Amcom Software and was placed into service as part of the Year 2000 remediation effort. Amcom had purchased the old vendors, Ring Medical/AIS, a few years earlier and chose not to upgrade the Ring Medical system software to be Year 2000 compliant. There have also been periodic upgrades to other system components to improve radio frequency coverage and maintain the overhead paging system. The paging system, as it exists today, is fully integrated with other telephone system components from Amcom Software providing a single point of management for several functions.
The overall operation of the hospital paging system is probably best described via the interactions between its three main components:
- Console Automation
The Console Automation component is used by the operators when handling pages and answering calls. This component also acts as the central control system and handles functions such as staff calling into the system to page a user via their Personal Identification Code(PIC). This part of the system also implements the links to external paging companies. - Overhead Paging
The Overhead Paging system consists of the amplifiers, speakers, and wiring, located throughout the hospital. The overhead paging system is interfaced to the Console Automation component to enable overhead pages to be sent when needed. - Radio Frequency (RF) System
The radio frequency system component transmits the signals that are used to activate U.Va.-owned pagers. The primary transmission system within the hospital consists of a leaky coax cable infrastructure that ensures that pagers function correctly in all portions of the hospital. Outdoor transmitters also exist on Hospital West, KCRC, Jordan Hall, and on Carter's Mountain to serve the general Charlottesville region.