PNH-201C
Sealed button with a cancel key at the dock, labelled with the dock number: the call repeats every 30 s until cancelled on the spot. Battery-powered, IP44.
Quantity: 24
Example configurationLogistics and transport
“Dock 18 needs attention” — calling an operator to a specific loading dock
Buttons with a cancel key at the docks, the dock name on the receiver in the dispatch office and its number on the forklift operators’ pagers, and a repeater that carries the signal to the far end of the hall.
- 24docks with a call button
- 3forklift operators with pagers
- 30 srepeated until cancelled
01 / Investment context
What problem does this configuration solve?
The distribution centre has 24 loading docks along one wall of the hall, a dispatch office at one end and three forklift operators per shift. At a dock, a driver or warehouse worker regularly needs a forklift operator — for unloading or loading.
Today the request goes over a two-way radio and is anonymous: the dispatcher hears that “someone needs a forklift” and has to ask which dock. In the noise of the hall some calls are lost, and a truck stands at the dock longer than unloading requires. For the centre that means slipped time slots and a queue of trucks in the yard.
The investor’s goal: An unambiguous request from a specific dock that reaches the dispatcher and the forklift operators and lasts until someone has dealt with the dock.
How does this configuration work?
At each dock, inside the hall, is mounted a sealed button with a cancel key (PNH-201C) labelled with the dock number. The driver or warehouse worker presses it once, and the call repeats every 30 seconds until someone cancels it with the key at the same dock — the dock is not forgotten even if the first call comes at a moment when everyone is busy.
In the dispatch office a receiver with a text display (IDO-1000U/E) shows “Dock 18” instead of a transmitter number, and the forklift operators see the dock number on their pagers (OBI-4SH), which receive the call directly from the buttons. The dispatcher calls no one — they only decide who goes when several calls come in at once.
High-bay racking and the hall’s metal structure attenuate the signal, so a repeater (RTS-1000) powered at 12 V DC works at the far end of the hall. It repeats only the buttons programmed into it, so it does not pass on other radio traffic.
02 / Operating principle
From signal to action.
A button at the dock calls a forklift operator, and the dispatch office and the pagers show the dock number.
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01 / Signal source
PNH-201C Button with a cancel key at the dockThe driver or warehouse worker presses it once to call a forklift operator.
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02 / Transmission
RTS-1000 Repeater at the far end of the hallRelays the signal from the farthest docks, which the racking attenuates.
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03 / Notification
Dock number Receiver and operators’ pagers Dispatch office + PagersThe dispatcher sees “Dock 18”, and the forklift operators see the dock number on their pagers.
The forklift goes straight to the right dock. The call repeats every 30 seconds until someone cancels it at the same dock, so no dock is forgotten.
A simplified functional diagram.
03 / Installation components
Devices in this configuration
An example selection — the number of devices depends on the site.
IDO-1000U/E
Receiver in the dispatch office: displays the dock’s label, e.g. “Dock 18”, instead of the transmitter number; labels are entered from a computer via USB.
Quantity: 1
OBI-4SH
Forklift operator’s pager: the call with the dock number comes straight from the button, wherever the forklift is. Charged by USB or wirelessly.
Quantity: 3
RTS-1000
Repeater at the far end of the hall: passes the signal from the farthest docks on to the dispatch office and the pagers; repeats only its programmed transmitters.
Quantity: 1
Installation component
12 V DC power supply
Power supply next to the repeater at the far end of the hall; the repeater needs 12 V DC.
Quantity: 1
Catalogue figures describe a device under stated conditions, usually in open terrain, and are not a guaranteed range in every installation. Device quantities in the examples are indicative.
04 / Value for the investor
What does this solution give you?
The dock number at once
The dispatcher and the operator know where to go without asking over the radio — the forklift reaches the right dock first time.
No call gets lost
The call repeats until it is cancelled at the dock, so no dock is forgotten at peak times and trucks spend less time standing at the docks.
Less radio traffic
The two-way radio is kept for unusual matters, and routine dock calls no longer take up the dispatcher’s attention.
05 / Before installation
What needs to be settled for a similar investment?
Before devices are chosen, what matters is the site’s conditions and how the system ties into the final installation.
Requirements to verify
- The buttons are IP44-rated and work from −10°C — they are mounted under cover, inside the hall; in an unheated hall the winter temperatures need checking.
- This is a channel for calls from the docks, not a delivery-booking system, a time-slot schedule or a WMS.
- A range test by the high-bay racking; its result decides where the repeater with its 12 V DC supply goes and whether one is enough.
- The number of forklift operators on each shift, the dock numbering, and who cancels the call — the operator or the warehouse worker.
Example configuration — it needs a technical selection for your site.
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