Water and Wastewater Management Systems
Dexter Fortson Associates, Inc. (DFA) supplies and installs fully integrated Telemetry/SCADA Monitor and Control Systems, control panels, and other electronic products and services or may custom engineer electronic products to the customer’s needs. Specializing in customer owned licensed VHF/UHF radio networks, DFA has installed Radio Telemetry/SCADA Monitor and Control Systems throughout the United States in applications ranging from water, wastewater, and environmental monitoring to natural gas, electrical, industrial, and irrigation applications.
The DFA Telemetry System is designed, manufactured, and programmed in Bessemer, Alabama, in a UL508A certified shop and varies according to the customer’s specifications and application. The DFA programmable Remote Terminal Unit (RTU) is the basis of each system and is easily networked by VHF/UHF radio, hardwire, phone, cellular, fiber optics, Ethernet, or internet.
Utilizing an open architecture and open communications protocol developed by DFA, the DFA remote terminal unit (RTU) is designed to be a utility grade, non-proprietary unit, programmable, configurable and capable of human voice interface. Every DFA RTU is a repeater with “store and forward” capabilities and “peer to peer” communications. Its modular design allows upgrades or expansion and works with a wide range of external devices from various vendors. The owner of a DFA Telemetry/SCADA system should not have to replace any equipment in the process of extending the system.
The DFA RTU has a battery backup designed for continued operation during power outages and protects inputs/outputs against surges and spikes. During a catastrophic power outage, a car battery attached to this RTU can provide weeks of operation until power is restored.
All required parameters at a remote site are monitored, logged and controlled by the DFA remote terminal unit (RTU) that also provides alarms and executes commands from the Telemetry/SCADA System Controller defined in a PC desktop computer known as a System Control Computer (SCC), a PLC, or another intelligent RTU or Area Remote Terminal Unit (A-RTU) which may or may not have an operator interface.
Technical services offered for all DFA Telemetry/SCADA systems include a radio path survey, FCC radio frequency license coordination, complete installation, startup, system integration both hardware and software, site and system programming, customer operator training, and 24/7 remote support both software and hardware. A one-year DFA warranty is provided on labor, materials, and system performance.
In this section
Manufactured Products
Area Remote Terminal Unit (A-RTU) is a stand-alone, programmable cluster controller for up to eight (8) remote terminal units (RTU).
Technical Services
System Control Analysis, Design, Development, Manufacture, Install, Startup and Integrate Control Systems.
SCADA / Telemetry Monitor and Control System
SCADA, an acronym for Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition, is the remote control and monitoring of devices such as pumps, valves, pressure transducers, etc.
System Control Computer
DFA uses a Dell® computer with a Microsoft Windows® operating system for the system controller in most Telemetry/SCADA Systems.
Have a question about water and wastewater systems?
Call DFA toll free at (800) 239-4890 or (205) 432-2700. Our hours are Monday – Friday, 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM CST.
