From 15–18 July 2026, Stornoway welcomed performers, visitors and local music lovers for the 29th Hebridean Celtic Festival. Celebrating Celtic music, Gaelic culture and the community of the Outer Hebrides, HebCelt brought people together for four days of music and entertainment.
Behind the performances, dependable communication helped the festival’s operational teams work together. Caltta UK dealer partner Scotia Radio supplied a professional two-way radio hire solution built around Caltta PH660 handheld radios, PM790 units configured for desktop use and three PR900 repeaters, utilising Caltta’s ECS Trunking solution.
The deployment combined Caltta technology with Scotia Radio’s event communications expertise, supporting the people responsible for keeping the festival running.
The challenge: dependable communications in an island setting
Delivering an outdoor music festival requires coordination between numerous teams. Production, site management, security, stewards, technical personnel and organisers all need to exchange information quickly while working across different operational areas.
For HebCelt, the communications system needed to support this activity in a busy island festival environment. Changing weather, temporary infrastructure and personnel moving around the site made practical, straightforward equipment particularly important.
Relying on individual mobile calls would make it harder to share information with whole teams simultaneously. The festival needed immediate group communication, reliable coverage and fixed radio positions from which key personnel could monitor activity and coordinate responses.
Scotia Radio supplied a Caltta network to meet these requirements, connecting staff on the move with colleagues at operational control points.
The solution: an integrated Caltta radio network
Caltta PH660 handheld radios gave festival personnel instant push-to-talk communication. At the press of a button, users could contact the appropriate team and share information without dialling individual numbers.
This helped operational updates reach the people who needed them together, supporting coordination between colleagues and reducing reliance on separate telephone conversations.
An All-Call function was also available for incidents requiring a site-wide message. This allowed all radios to be brought into a call without users having to change their settings or take additional action, providing a way to communicate shared instructions when required.
Caltta PM790 units, configured for desktop operation, provided fixed communication points at key operational positions. These gave control and coordination personnel a consistent means of monitoring radio traffic and contacting teams working around the festival.
Together, the handheld and desktop radios supported the different ways personnel needed to work: moving between tasks, managing a particular area or maintaining an overview from a fixed location.
Extending coverage with PR900 repeaters and ECS trunking
To support coverage across the required festival areas, Scotia Radio deployed three Caltta PR900 repeaters as part of the ECS Trunking solution.
Repeaters receive and retransmit radio signals, helping communications reach farther and address coverage challenges associated with distance and physical obstructions.
For HebCelt, this infrastructure supported a network designed around the festival’s operational coverage requirements. It connected portable and fixed radio users within a shared system, helping information move between teams across the site.
The combination of PH660 handhelds, PM790 desktop installations and PR900 repeaters provided a flexible solution for the demands of the event.
The partnership: Caltta technology and Scotia Radio expertise
Professional radio equipment delivers its value when it is matched to the needs of the people using it. At HebCelt, Scotia Radio supplied the equipment and specialist radio hire and service support, bringing practical event experience to the deployment.
As one of Caltta UK’s dealer partners, Scotia Radio connected the festival’s requirements with an appropriate Caltta solution. This partnership combined the radio technology with the expertise needed to put it to work in a demanding outdoor setting.
The result: keeping the people behind HebCelt connected
While audiences enjoyed the performances and festival atmosphere, the radio network supported communication between the teams working behind the scenes.
Personnel could share operational information quickly, coordinate activity and remain connected to fixed control positions throughout the required festival areas.
For Caltta UK, HebCelt 2026 demonstrates how our technology, delivered through an experienced dealer partner, can support a major live event.
For organisers considering two way radio sales, hire or service, the deployment highlights the value of a complete communications solution built around their teams, their site and their operational needs.
