Sepura adds Intrinsically-Safe (ATEX/IECEx) products to market-leading range of terminals

Sepura will be using the Tetra World Congress 2011 in Budapest to announce the addition of Intrinsically-Safe products to its already market-leading range of TETRA radios.  The launch strengthens still further Sepura’s leadership of the global TETRA terminals market and extends its reach into hazardous “Gas and Dust” sectors, such as fire, oil and gas exploration and opencast mining where Intrinsically-Safe ATEX/IECEx certified products are required.

Mark Barnby, Senior Product Manager explained “We paid attention to how real users around the world used their Intrinsically-Safe radios and their accessories in a wide variety of market segments.  Loud, clear audio, the ability to use the radio whilst wearing bulky gloves and a new level of ruggedness were all key attributes that were not being met in the market.“

The new STP8X embodies all of these requirements, and more. It is the first IP67 submersible TETRA Intrinsically-Safe radio and is designed to meet the newly-clarified and extremely demanding ATEX and IECEx robustness tests.

In addition to offering a robust, rugged, feature-rich radio - all attributes for which Sepura has become renowned - the new product, under the STP8X name,  inherits a host of unique features normally only available with Sepura’s flagship STP8000 hand-portable range.  These include missed event notifications, a Micro-SD image viewer - ideal for looking up hazardous material data - and a display which offers crystal-clear viewing under all viewing conditions, including harsh sunlight.  Extended battery life is a feature not normally associated with ATEX/IECEX radios, but is another key benefit that the STP8X inherits.  Sepura’s market leading Man-Down application, capable of indentifying when a user has become incapacitated, notifying rescue crews via TETRA and sounding a local alarm to assist rescuers in locating their  colleague, will certainly be of interest to a wide variety of users.

As Mark Barnby adds “Naturally, we are also launching a range of high quality accessories, which will meet a wide range of user requirements.  The STP8X and its accessories will provide a complete, body-worn communications solution for TETRA users who demand a high performance product which is designed and approved to operate in hazardous environments around the world”. 

Jens Thorstrup, SVP of Sales and Marketing at Sepura commented “With the STP8X, Sepura is extending the reach of the already market-leading STP8000 series of hand-portable TETRA radios into the emerging and specialist Intrinsically-Safe market.  Not only does it inherit many of the STP8000 range’s key benefits, it also combines these with innovative design to make the STP8X the toughest and most robust TETRA Intrinsically-Safe product on the market.  This is a well thought-out and valuable addition to our hand-portables range, which we are proud to be launching.