Installation at West Virginia underground coal mine marks first deployment of ActiveMine’s full wireless communications and tracking capabilities
TORONTO, May 22, 2008 – Active Control Technology Inc. (TSX-V:ACT) announced today the second commercial installation of ActiveMineTM, the premier wireless communications and locating system for mines, at an underground coal mine in West Virginia.
The installation, at Magnum Coal Company’s IO Coal Mine, began earlier this month. The deployment is part of a five-mine purchase order by Magnum announced last November.
“This is another major milestone for Active Control and for mining companies seeking a better communications and tracking solution,” said Steve Barrett, President and CEO, Active Control.
ActiveMine provides excellent flexibility and value over the life of any mine. The system can be expanded and enhanced with additional features to meet changing demands as mine operations grow, while providing a profitable ongoing revenue stream for Active Control.
The IO Coal Mine installation follows an earlier ActiveMine deployment at Magnum’s Winchester mine in West Virginia, under a separate purchase order.
“We are delivering on our promise to customers to install ActiveMine successfully and on-time,” Barrett said. “At the same time, we are advancing discussions with many operators to secure additional purchase orders.”
The IO and Winchester installations both include ActiveMine’s new “StarfishTM” feature, which for the first time makes it possible for miners who become isolated due to an accident, explosion or other event to stay linked, even when they are distant from one another and cut off from the outside world.
About Starfish
Starfish operates on top of ActiveMine’s 100 percent wireless Wi-Fi MESH network. The strategic placement of nodes creates multiple wireless paths, making it possible to maintain communication links in the event any node fails or is damaged.
With Starfish, even if a node or series of nodes becomes isolated from the main network, voice communications will automatically be re-established within an isolated area. The analogy in nature is that of a starfish: If a starfish’s arm is severed, a complete new starfish is naturally regenerated by the severed section.
This capability is currently not possible with analog walkie-talkie radios used in leaky feeder systems.
About ActiveMine
ActiveMine’s communications, data and tracking system enables monitoring of production, personnel and equipment in all types of surface and underground mining environments, including coal and base metal mines. The system is designed to:
Operate on a 100 percent wireless Wi-Fi network backbone.
Be less susceptible to water and mechanical damage of all sorts, including rock fall.
Use open-standards technology.
Meet federal MINER Act requirements for wireless systems as established in MSHA policies.
Provide four-day intrinsically safe battery back-up and power supply.
Provide a wireless communications and data network above-ground, linked seamlessly to underground networks.
