Non-maintained operation is usually favoured wherever possible, being cheaper in terms of energy consumption and the life of the fitting's components. In some premises, however, such as theatres and cinemas, the luminaires must always be lit, i.e. in maintained mode, so there is sometimes no choice in the matter.

Emergency escape lighting is defined as "that part of emergency lighting that is provided to enable safe exit in the event of failure of the normal supply".

"Emergency routes and exits requiring illumination must be provided with emergency lighting of adequate intensity in the case of failure of their normal lighting".

In detail, as noted in the HM Government publication Fire safety risk assessment: offices and shops (p 100), an emergency escape lighting system should normally cover the following:

Band passfilter calculator

Standby lighting is defined as "that part of the emergency lighting provided to enable normal activities to continue in the event of failure of the normal mains supply".

With the focus increasingly on protecting the environment as well as energy and cost saving, the LED (light emitting diode) is becoming an increasingly popular choice of light source for emergency lighting luminaires. In addition, the government is currently offering a financial incentive to switch to low energy products: the Enhanced Capital Allowance (ECA) scheme enables businesses to claim a 100% first year capital allowance on investments in certain energy saving equipment, against the taxable profits of the period of investment.

"The responsible person has to be able to demonstrate that the hardware of fire safety systems and their maintenance are adequate to protect the occupants. Fire protection products and related services should be fit for their purpose and properly installed and maintained in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions or the relevant British Standard." (A Guide to Emergency Lighting Second Edition, 2012, p 211)

Emergency lighting is part of the fire safety provision of a building and cannot be ignored: as noted by the Industry Committee for Emergency Lighting (ICEL), which is the foremost UK authority on emergency lighting and provides third party accreditation for components and products for emergency light fittings under the auspices of the Lighting Industry Association (LIA):

If a building is occupied at night, there must usually be provision for emergency lighting in all areas, including those that are naturally lit during the day. One exception may be in the case of 'borrowed' light from external street lamps (switched on during the hours of occupancy of the premises): if this is a reliable source of lighting and reaches sufficiently inside the building to illuminate the escape routes, it can sometimes be considered sufficient, depending on who will be using them. As noted by the HM Government Fire safety risk assessment: large places of assembly (May 2006, p 28): "Exceptionally, in the parts of the premises used by staff and where the escape routes are simple and straightforward, borrowed lighting, e.g. from street lamps where they illuminate escape routes, may be acceptable". In other words, people who are familiar with the building may be able to evacuate safely in the hours of darkness by borrowed light; it is never acceptable practice, however, for members of the public to use escape routes that are only illuminated by such means. Emergency lighting must always be provided in this case.

Band passfilter transfer function

Band passfilter graph

The responsible person can be anyone who has some control over a building or areas within it, including inter alia facilities management companies, landlords and lettings agents.

Full legal amateur power handling within a 3x safety margin ensures that the filters can be safely placed between the linear amplifier and antenna in a station fitted with a linear amplifier.

"The legal requirement is that non-domestic buildings must be safe at all times, even if mains power failure occurs. Therefore, nearly all such buildings must have emergency lighting fitted".

Please note that self-illuminating and photoluminescent signage do not count towards the emergency illumination requirements for a premises and still require a standard luminaire be installed near them as though they are plain plastic signs.

"For the purposes of the British and European standard BS EN 1838, 'emergency lighting' is the generic term for equipment that provides illumination in the event of failure of supply to the normal lighting" (p. 1). There are two main types of emergency lighting: (i) emergency escape lighting; (ii) standby lighting (p. 2).

The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order (RRFSO) 2005, which came into force in October 2006, charges the responsible person in control of non-domestic premises and the common areas of a House in Multiple Occupancy (HMO) with the safety of everyone in the building, whether working, visiting or living there. This duty of care includes the provision of emergency lighting. Article 14 (2) (h) of the RRFSO states:

At the cutting edge of emergency lighting technology is DALI - an international standard created specifically for digital lighting control. It guarantees the compatibility of products from different manufacturers and thus enables the combination of lighting solutions and various types of luminaire in a single installation. A DALI addressable emergency lighting system also performs all the requisite scheduled tests to BS 5266: each luminaire in the system reports its test results back to the central panel or computer and, if a fault is detected, the unique address of the luminaire means that the source as well as the nature of the problem is immediately identified. Up to 120 luminaires can be controlled and monitored by a DALI touchscreen panel and, with the possibility of networking up to 10 such panels, a maximum of 1200 emergency luminaires can be monitored, with minimal maintenance costs.

It is not necessary to provide individual lights (luminaires) for each item above, but there should be a sufficient overall level of light to allow them to be visible and usable.

This yields several advantages. First, filtering is in line after final amplification allowing maximum reduction of transmitted broadband noise and harmonic energy. Secondly, station signal routing and switching is greatly simplified vis-a-vis systems that switch low power filters (multiple sets in a SO2R or multi-op configuration) inline between transceivers and amplifiers. Less complex and more reliable. Further, simpler signal routing systems cost less and will substantially offset an investment in a set of Series XL filters. Additional expense offset comes from needing only one Series XL filter per band available to all station transceivers whereas other bandpass filter systems require a complete set of filters for each transceiver.

"Emergency escape lighting can be both 'maintained', i.e. on all the time, or 'non-maintained', which only operates when the normal lighting fails. Systems or individual lighting units (luminaires) are designed to operate for durations of between one and three hours after the mains power supply fails. In practice, the three-hour design is the most popular and can help with maintaining limited continued use of the premises during a power failure (other than in an emergency situation)" (p 100).

Photoluminescent marker tape, paint and floor discs are also useful for low level marking of escape routes, particularly at changes of level in the building, e.g. stairwells and uneven floors. As noted in the HM Government guidance reference above (p 101):

A few words about bandpass filter specs. First of all, 55 dB is a lot and 75 dB is, well, incredible! The well regarded (and rightfully so) 3 pole W3NQN BPFs sold by Array Solutions, rated at 200 W ICAS, typically yield about 40 dB rejection on adjacent contest bands (the exact figure varies between 28 & 60 dB depending on the bands compared). The Dunestar BPFs claim 40 dB adjacent band rejection which is to expected from a 3 pole design. The 5 pole 4O3A designs yield significant additional filtering.

Band passfilter formula

All filters and combiners are designed for maximum mechanical stability. This is an important aspect because mechanically unstable coils often get deformed and that causes the filter to become detuned. The coils made from hard copper coated wire are the most common mistake in filter design – they are elastic and easily deformed.In our series XL filters each coil is mechanically supported by three Teflon pillars that keep it mechanically stable.The coils are made from special alloy copper tubes, custom created for our products. They are then coated in silver to decrease losses.

Depending on the type of installation, trained members of staff should be able to carry out most of the routine tests by themselves. As the test methods will vary, there may be some doubt, in which case it is recommended that advice is sought from the supplier or another competent person.

The self-contained luminaire, as it name suggests, contains all the essential components (i.e. battery, charger, control unit, lamp, diffuser and any test or monitoring facility) for it to function as an independent emergency light. As noted in the Fire Protection Association (FPA) Emergency Lighting Handbook (2012), this is the most common form of emergency lighting and is usually designed to be fitted to a wall or ceiling to illuminate a certain area or building feature. A typical example is the surface-mounted, rectangular bulkhead luminaire, although a wide range of self-contained luminaires is available including square, round and recessed / inset models.

Contest stations using Triband antennas to cover 20m, 15m and 10m can use the 4O3A High Power HF Triplexer/Combiner in conjunction with Series XL Band Pass Filters to operate simultaneously with a high level of isolation on all three bands with multiple stations sharing the same antenna!SO-239 connectors are standard; N and 7/16-inch DIN connectors optional.

Band passfilter applications

There are two main types of luminaire, the relevant standard for which is BS EN 60598-2-22: self-contained and centrally supplied.

Note the 160m Series XL filter is a 5 pole low pass filter, not band pass.All 4O3A devices come standard with SO-239 (UHF) female coax connectors. N and 7/16″ DIN connectors available on special order – please contract us for more information.Bandpass, low pass, high pass and other filters available for non-amateur frequencies and power levels. Contact us with your requirements for a price quote.Series XL filters and other 4O3A Advanced Contest Solutions are helping achieve big scores at some of the world’s greatest contest stations including 4O3A, OH8X, PY5EG, S51A and many others.

Bandstop filter

Every building will have its own specific requirements in respect of emergency escape illumination, the role of which, as noted above, is to take over from the normal lighting provision in the event of a power or circuit failure. Of course, these levels of 'normal' lighting will vary, even within an individual building. Different areas inside will have different levels of natural illumination: for example, rooms with external windows have the benefit of daylight, while unglazed, internal areas such as corridors and stairwells must always have lighting provided.

Contest stations operating in SO2R and multi-operator modes will frequently have dedicated antenna systems for each HF contesting band. Installing 4O3A Higher Power Band Pass Filters in the antenna line after the linear amplifier and antenna switch means the right filter will always be in circuit on the band/antenna combination in use and the operator will never have to worry about switching filters between transceiver and linear amplifier.

All Series XL filters now have 12 VDC 40 ma cooling fans standard at no extra cost. Generally no additional cooling is needed at amateur power levels however transmit duty cycle, ambient room temperature, humidity and antenna VSWR all factor into the heat dissipation formula. See the Power Derating chart below for guidance on VSWR related power capability.

The Series XL BPFs are carefully designed for extreme (0.5 dB is typical) insertion loss to avoid overheating and power loss. Balance between each of the five poles of the filter is carefully engineered using high quality high-voltage components to ensure many years of reliable and safe operation.

Emergency lighting requirements: what you need to knowWhat's the difference between maintained and non-maintained emergency lighting?

There are three main aspects of emergency escape lighting: 1) escape route lighting; 2) open area / anti-panic area lighting; 3) high risk task area lighting.

Reviewed: 20/08/2019 (doc:68 V1.1). Our articles are reviewed regularly. However, any changes made to standards or legislation following the review date will not have been considered. Please note that we provide abridged, easy-to-understand guidance. To make detailed decisions about your fire safety provisions, you might require further advice or need to consult the full standards and legislation.

Band passfilter PDF

The above distinctions serve to emphasise the role of emergency escape lighting in fire safety and how it is adapted and applied, on a case by case basis, according to the specific use and occupancy levels of a particular building and / or areas within it.

Following the fire risk assessment (FRA), which will surface the various issues that have to be addressed, the procedure in respect of emergency lighting will be:

Centrally supplied luminaires, also known as 'slaves' because they cannot function independently, are defined by BS EN 60598-2-22 as follows: "luminaire for maintained or non-maintained operation which is energized from a central emergency power system that is not contained within the luminaire". Slave fittings contain the lamp and some of the control gear but the charger, battery and often the changeover device are located remotely and provide the supply to a number of luminaires. Again, the luminaires themselves come in a range of shapes and styles. The FPA handbook, referenced above, contains a useful table highlighting the pros and cons of slave versus self-contained luminaires (p 21):

Particular care needs to be taken following a full discharge test. Batteries typically take 24 hours to re-charge and the premises should not be re-occupied until the emergency lighting system is fully functioning, unless alternative arrangements have been made.

The umbrella standard for emergency lighting is BS 5266-1 (Code of practice for emergency lighting). The British Standards Institution (BSi) guide to this code describes the duties of the "responsible person" as follows:

Maintained emergency lights usually have two values for lumens (the measure of luminous flux, i.e. light flow, from a light source) in their technical description: a value for the output when the light is powered by the mains supply and another for the output when the emergency light is powered by the back-up battery. The latter is usually around 10 per cent of the full output.

A typical test is via a key operated switch that is located either near the main fuse board or adjacent to relevant light switches. This is also known as a 'secret key' switch, as it designed to allow testing of emergency lights while preventing non-authorised operation of the test switch.

Government guidelines (Fire safety risk assessment: offices and shops, p 101) state that all emergency escape lighting systems should be regularly tested and properly maintained to an appropriate standard (i.e. BS 5266 - Code of practice for the emergency lighting of premises). This testing has traditionally been undertaken manually although, as noted above, emergency luminaires are available with a self-test facility.

In respect of maintained emergency lighting in areas where high levels of light are normally required, for example in the corridors of office blocks, a combined or sustained emergency luminaire can be installed. This type of unit contains two or more lamps, at least one of which is energised by the emergency supply and the rest by mains electricity. The mains powered part of these lights can usually be controlled by ordinary light switches. Typically, all the lamps will be lit under normal circumstances, but if the electricity supply should fail just the emergency lamp(s) will come on, powered by the battery.

Another type of illuminated sign is the photoluminescent or 'glow-in-the-dark' style, which again shows the man running with directional arrow and doorway, plus the words 'Exit' or 'Fire Exit'. These are available in three different sizes for wall mounting. These are not luminaires as such, but do serve to mark the fire escape route.

A disadvantage of non-maintained emergency lighting is that the condition of the lamp can only be ascertained through regular testing; it is no good waiting for a power cut to discover that it isn't working. This problem can be overcome, however, by installing self-testing emergency lights.

These high-power (4,500 W ICAS) Band Pass Filters are to be fitted on the output side of your linear amplifier, filtering out not only harmonics but also broadband noise from the PA.

Emergency luminaires are also available as signs; a typical example is the pictogram of the man running either through or towards an open doorway, with a directional arrow. Others may also bear some text, e.g. 'Fire Exit'. These lighting units are available in both maintained and non-maintained versions in a range of styles, from the simple box type through to the elegant 'blade' design with a slimline body. They can be wall or ceiling mounted or suspended from high ceilings with decorative chains. Pictograms and pictograms with text should not be mixed in the same premises.

LEDs contain no mercury and their low energy consumption, high efficiency and long life (typically 10 years) mean they are more environmentally sound than almost any other type of light source. They come on instantly, unlike some energy saving bulbs, and the fact that they are much smaller than, for example, the traditional fluorescent tube means that there is scope for much more stylish designs in emergency luminaires. State of the art models even incorporate three self-tests: a continuous battery test, a lamp test and a duration test. Over the lifetime of the product, this represents a significant reduction in maintenance costs.

For example, the 20m Series XL filter reduces transmitted and received signals on the 40m and 15m bands by approximately 55 dB or more with higher rejection figures on bands further removed from the primary band. See the VNA plots in this section for typical units. Series XL filters are hand tuned and there are small variances between units.

Band passfilter circuit

The guide further offers this important distinction between emergency escape lighting and standby lighting: while the former constitutes part of the fire protection of a building, the latter does not (unless it meets the same equipment design and installation requirements as emergency escape lighting systems). As such, from the point of view of fire safety provision, emergency escape lighting is the significant type of emergency lighting, and will be the focus of the remainder of this article.

Robust components and construction employing silver-plated high-Q coils, high-current military grade capacitors and heavy duty aluminum enclosures with mounting flanges for secure installation on your bulkhead system or elsewhere in your shack.

Maintained emergency lights are often available as switchable units. This means that they can be switched between maintained and non-maintained modes of operation using an ordinary, wall-mounted light switch. This is useful in areas where there is no requirement for constant lighting, e.g. stairwells in a high-rise block of flats, where the light is only required when somebody takes the stairs instead of the lift. The emergency lights will, of course, still come on in case of a power failure, even when the switch is in the 'off' position. However, as indicated above, the emergency light output will be about 90 per cent lower than usual.

"To complement emergency escape lighting, people, especially those unfamiliar with the premises, can be helped to identify exit routes by the use of way-guidance equipment. Way-guidance systems usually comprise photoluminescent material, lines of LEDs, or strips of miniature incandescent lamps, forming a continuous marked escape route at lower level. These systems have proved particularly effective when people have to escape through smoke, and for partially-sighted people. They can be particularly useful in premises where they can provide marked routes on floors and in multi-storey premises they can direct people to escape routes which are seldom used."

Even though this duty of care can in practice often be shared or delegated, it remains a daunting prospect for lay people who have no knowledge of fire safety and find themselves in the position of being legally accountable for the protection and well being of others in this regard.