How to Get Reliable Radio Alarm Transmission with the RAD-8LS

Large sites like municipal campuses, military installations, and universities often operate fire alarm infrastructure that spans multiple buildings, protocols, and communication generations. For many of these operations, upgrading alarm transmission methods is complicated by old cabling, legacy signaling paths, and limitations on trenching or infrastructure replacement.

The RAD-8LS from Digitize directly addresses these challenges by delivering a fully supervised, code-compliant radio-based alarm transmission system. It eliminates dependency on hardwired connections while maintaining critical standards for zone supervision, battery backup, and integration with central monitoring stations.

Fire Code Requires More Than Just Signal Transmission

NFPA 1221 and related codes require that fire alarm signaling equipment maintains functional integrity at all times. This includes continuous supervision of initiating device circuits, backup power support, and guaranteed signal delivery to central monitoring systems.

Many legacy systems can't meet these newer standards. Their radios may transmit signals, but they fail to notify when circuits are open, batteries are depleted, or transmitters become unresponsive due to voltage drops or system crashes.

The RAD-8LS supports your current compliance expectations by integrating internal supervision mechanisms, protocol compatibility, and status indicators. This is all housed in a single, field-deployable unit.

Review the Core Capabilities of the RAD-8LS

The RAD-8LS is a self-contained, eight-zone interior fire alarm radio transmitter engineered to interface with both conventional and digital alarm systems. It uses supervised end-of-line resistor circuits (4.7K Ohm) on both conductors of each zone input to detect alarms, troubles, and tampers. These are transmitted as tone-modulated signals to Digitize receivers, including the System 3505 Prism LX.

System components include:

• A microprocessor control board that manages zone scanning, signal formatting, and internal diagnostics
• An AM or FM radio transmitter (1-watt output) for long-range signal transmission
• A 12VDC battery backup and integrated AC transformer for primary and reserve power
• A watchdog timer and auto-restart circuit that recover operation after processor faults or voltage drops below 8.5VDC
• A crystal-controlled 24-hour test clock that maintains timing accuracy during AC power loss
• Local zone bypass switches, audible and visual trouble indicators, and a FORM C trouble relay
• Compatibility with multiple programmable protocols: Digitize, Digitize 99ZN, Eagle Signal, King Fisher IRAC, and Harlow

The RAD-8LS is fully compatible with NFPA 1221-compliant transmission formats, enabling straightforward replacement of aging systems without altering downstream receivers or infrastructure.

Utilize Key Design Advantages for Your Deployments

Digitize's RAD-8LS offers multiple designs features that help make the device so effective:

1. Zone-Level Supervision

Each of the eight input zones provides full supervision. The system continuously monitors for open circuits, ground faults, and shorts. This allows operators to detect wiring issues and device failures before an alarm is missed or falsely triggered. Statuses are reported to the central receiver in real time, supporting proactive maintenance and compliance documentation.

2. Radio-Based Communication

Unlike legacy dial-up or hardwired systems, the RAD-8LS operates independently of physical cabling. This removes the need for trenching, conduit installation, or local utility disruption - especially critical in urban environments, historical campuses, or remote bases.

Tone-modulated signals sent from each RAD-8LS are decoded by the Prism LX with a 1221 radio input card. These systems can receive transmissions from dozens or hundreds of RAD-8LS units, creating a scalable, centralized alarm collection network.

3. Built-In Redundancy

The integrated battery system provides 60–75 hours of standby operation, depending on load conditions. The watchdog timer makes sure the processor remains operational.

In the event of a crash or power anomaly, the auto-restart circuit brings the system back online without manual intervention. This supports high uptime standards required for your mission-critical facilities.

RAD-8LS Can Be Used Across Facility Applications

The RAD-8LS has been deployed across a wide range of your facilities where alarm communication must remain reliable despite infrastructure limitations.

Municipal Fire Networks

Cities and counties with legacy box alarm networks or historical infrastructure benefit from wireless alarm zones that report back to a central fire monitoring station. The RAD-8LS enables code-compliant upgrades without disturbing roadways or underground utilities.

University and School Campuses

Educational institutions often have buildings with incompatible wiring, older fire panels, or limited IT support. RAD-8LS units provide a method to unify these systems via wireless supervision, transmitting to a central location where alarms, troubles, and supervisory statuses are monitored using Prism LX.

Military Facilities

Bases and naval yards use the RAD-8LS to support perimeter monitoring, fuel depot alarms, and warehouse safety systems. Since the transmitter operates in isolated environments without dependency on IP infrastructure, it often automatically meets common DoD safety and survivability standards that are mostly concerned with LAN. The watchdog and battery features allow the unit to function in unstable power conditions typical of mission-critical sites.

Transit Systems and Industrial Sites

Rail control stations, subway ventilation units, emergency egress monitoring zones, and industrial safety panels rely on the RAD-8LS for relay of alarms over radio when Ethernet or phone service is unavailable. Using the Prism LX to aggregate signals allows centralized monitoring of wide-area facilities such as depots, substations, and tunnels.

Simple Integration with the Prism LX Monitoring Platform

The RAD-8LS integrates directly with the System 3505 Prism LX, a multi-protocol, high-capacity alarm monitoring server developed by Digitize. Each RAD-8LS unit transmits its zone signals as tone-modulated messages. These are decoded and logged by the Prism LX, enabling centralized visualization of alarm conditions across large deployments.

The Prism LX gives you:

• Real-time status of each RAD-8LS zone
• Historical event logging for compliance reporting
• Alarm filtering by type, priority, and location
• Mixed-media input handling (radio, RS-485, Ethernet, fiber, DACT, telegraph)

Facilities can deploy the RAD-8LS as a drop-in upgrade without modifying existing receivers. Over time, sites can consolidate into the Prism LX platform to gain centralized supervision, analytics, and alarm correlation across fire, security, and environmental monitoring systems.

Configuration and Field Maintenance

The RAD-8LS is field-configurable without special software or tools. Zone bypass switches allow technicians to disable or test circuits on-site. Local indicators (LEDs and buzzers) provide immediate feedback during maintenance. The test clock ensures periodic signal confirmation to the receiver, and the unit supports manual transmission verification for post-installation QA.

Because the RAD-8LS is self-contained, it minimizes setup time in the field. Its durable metal housing protects components during transit and installation in harsh environments.

Path to System-Wide Radio Modernization

Organizations upgrading fire alarm infrastructure can use the RAD-8LS to phase out unreliable or non-compliant radio boxes. Deployment can occur site-by-site, without disturbing centralized monitoring operations. Each transmitter can operate independently, but when used in volume across facilities, the full benefits of central visualization and supervision become available.

Key steps for implementation include:

• Surveying legacy infrastructure to identify panel connectivity and wiring gaps
• Determining ideal RF pathways for transmitter-to-receiver communication
• Configuring Prism LX to log and respond to incoming signals from new radio transmitters
• Scheduling a controlled cutover during maintenance windows to ensure easy transition

Receive Critical Reliability in a Field-Tested Package

The RAD-8LS addresses persistent fire alarm transmission challenges with a field-tested, code-compliant, radio-based architecture. It has eight supervised zones, wide protocol compatibility, onboard power backup, and watchdog functions. That means you get the reliability required for modern life-safety applications.

It eliminates dependence on buried cabling and telecom lines, making it ideal for municipal, military, educational, and industrial deployments. When combined with the System 3505 Prism LX, operators gain full real-time visibility across large territories with a minimal hardware footprint.

Contact Digitize to Start Your Deployment

Digitize engineers understand alarm communication across challenging infrastructure. Whether you're replacing an aging municipal box alarm network or connecting distributed facilities to a central monitoring platform, the RAD-8LS gives you a scalable and compliant solution.

Call 973-663-1011
Email info@digitize-inc.com

We'll help design your RF path, select the right protocol, and integrate with your central station. Digitize is ready to support every phase of your alarm system modernization.