Posted on Nov 11, 2013
What are cool trends in tactical communications?
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What do you think is cool with tactical comms? What needs to happen? What do you think the future entails? Differences in what the services require?
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Communications
Communications
Posted 12 y ago
Responses: 13
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One that was popular my last deployment was the DTCS radios. It's a really small handheld that if memory serves right has about a 250 mile range. Ultra light and portable for individual soldiers to use.
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SFC (Join to see)
wow DTCS radios? I've never heard of those. Must be some cool hi speed radio. I thought that MBITR was cool.
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CPT Aaron Kletzing
I've never used DTCS radios but some of my friends have told me positive things about them. Based on your description, it sounds way better than the MBITRs we used in OIF, which seemed to have a reliable range of 100 meters. :-)
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Seamless integration of Tactical Comms into Mobile Devices. <br>- Leveraging FM as well as TACSAT comms for SA, BFT and FMV<br>- Interoperability (tying in multi-bands onto your Mobile Device<br><br>What Should happen?<br>Government PMO's should leverage COTS solutions /apps to expedite injecting these technologies into the forces. <br><br><br>
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SGT Thomas Sullivan
I am currently trying to push for mobile apps using Tablets and smartphones for satcom. Got some stuff in the works for training and simulation, and hopefully one day full tactical operations capability.
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Maj Eli Edelkind
I agree that we don't use our existing comms paths enough for SA, BFT, or FMV. Something that drives me nuts is seeing people use modern radios for just voice comms. Most modern radios can do SA/BFT/PLI while doing voice and some can even stream FMV at the same time. Crazy cool.
What do you mean by multiple bands on your mobile device?
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Wow, I didn't think people would actually respond. This is a good dialogue. Glad there are some fellow techies on here.
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I had recently attended Rajant radio training in Arizona for their Breadcrumb wireless mesh networking system. Their Breadcrumbs support TRoIP (Tactical Radio over IP) and I believe that they have been used Downrange. Just thought that I'd share that.
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SGT (Join to see)
Hi Eli,
Rajant offers several different models: BreadCrumb Jr 2 (Single radio, either 2.4 or 5GHz); ME4 (Dual radio using a combination of 900MHZ, 2.4, 4.9 and/or 5GHz); LX4 (Quad radio using a combination of900MHZ, 2.4, 4.9 and/or 5GHz).
As you may already know, the range depends on what frequency is being used, and other factors. The 900MHz can get you about 10 miles (approx 16km) (this was tested by Rajant); I was able to get a little bit over 3 miles (approx 5 Km) testing doing some vehicle to vehicle testing at 2.4 GHz, point to point; and I believe that you can get about 1.5 miles (2.5 Km) from 5Ghz.
The application that I'm looking to use the BreadCrumbs for offshore applications. These will be intergrated with our GNSS units.
Rajant offers several different models: BreadCrumb Jr 2 (Single radio, either 2.4 or 5GHz); ME4 (Dual radio using a combination of 900MHZ, 2.4, 4.9 and/or 5GHz); LX4 (Quad radio using a combination of900MHZ, 2.4, 4.9 and/or 5GHz).
As you may already know, the range depends on what frequency is being used, and other factors. The 900MHz can get you about 10 miles (approx 16km) (this was tested by Rajant); I was able to get a little bit over 3 miles (approx 5 Km) testing doing some vehicle to vehicle testing at 2.4 GHz, point to point; and I believe that you can get about 1.5 miles (2.5 Km) from 5Ghz.
The application that I'm looking to use the BreadCrumbs for offshore applications. These will be intergrated with our GNSS units.
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Best advice I can give on Tactical comms and what all the new and up and coming stuff is check out the Network Integration and Evaluation (NIE) and WIN-T Inc 1.5 and 2. Alot of comms on the go kind of stuff.
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MESH.. Harris ANW2, persistent systems and others. What I have seen and we have had ANW2 running across 8 aircraft in-flight running, VTC, voice and data traffic is that the PRC117G networks will slow down when running ad hoc mesh. So much so that our customer separated his ANW2 network in half.
Today the PRC-152A is now out and that is half the size of a 117g and can supposedly do 1/2 the datarate running ANW2 of a 117G.
Still the ability to do voice and data securely is incredible. Not to mention now you can roll over to a first responder P25 network.
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Maj Eli Edelkind
Doppler effect in high speed aircraft is a pain with TDMA waveforms. Also, with TDMA your bandwidth goes down as you put more nodes on the network.
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Memory Lane... A very smart retired Navy Senior Chief working as a government civilian at Bragg was also a very geeky and extremely smart ham radio operator. In his ham life he did voice, morse and packet over VHF, UHF and HF bands. To tie in all of those bands they used this little company out of the UK named Twisted Pair to "bridge" over multiple bands and allow radio and voice relay through this thing called the internet. On a whim he brought that software to work in 2001 and by Spring 2002 he and two Senior SOF COMMO NCO's had it working on TACSAT, VHF and UHF. I. Eleven the ability to leverage technologies such as WAVE to assist in MARS communications as you have the ability to dispatch! cross-patch over the internet or radio datalink. As an App you can us that technology on your ipad, smartphone etc and now "transmit" a radio call back in your command center etc.
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Maj Eli Edelkind
http://www.echolink.org/
EchoLink® software allows licensed Amateur
Radio stations to communicate with one another over the Internet, using
streaming-audio technology. The program allows...
They have civilian HF over VOIP already... The only issue I see with relying on that in a disaster scenario, your network could be down which would be why you are using HF. It would provide a bridge though for support agencies outside of the disaster zone. Echolink is a cool network that does this on computers and has apps for tablets/phones.
EchoLink® software allows licensed Amateur
Radio stations to communicate with one another over the Internet, using
streaming-audio technology. The program allows...
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Maj Eli Edelkind
Thanks SPC Pradeep. Not looking for any more work at this time ;-) But you did touch on something I've been wanting to do for a while. I've always wanted to get a HAM license. Part of the reason why I haven't is that I just haven't carved out the time. The other reason is because I have a thing for antennas and my wife would probably kill me if I had my way and turned our roof into an ant-farm. Thanks for posting about D-STAR. First time I've heard of that.
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What do you think software defined routing will do, if anything, to tactical networks?
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I made a similar thread in here that no one responded to. WIN-T is an awesome program that I work for directly at the PM level. There is alot on the burner waiting to come out, just getting all the tech through the red tape and "everyone needs to sign this to get credit" phase is glacial.
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SGT Thomas Sullivan
Your statement is only partially true. There has been pressure from PEO-C3T and J6 joint chiefs to keep WIN-T relevant as it is supposed to be. I know that the army will always be behind, but its a matter of controlling how behind we are and streamlining certification processes.
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MAJ Bryan Zeski
I understand that the PM would LIKE to keep things relevant, but the problem remains that, based on the current schedule and pending capabilities, WINT will not only remain behind, but will continue to get further and further behind as technology advances. I'm not saying that the military is doomed to technological doldrums, but I am saying that programs should really not be bought and paid for more than a reasonable technological distance apart. Trying to speculate future tech needs and capabilities out past a decade is probably a fools errand in the defense industry.
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SGT Thomas Sullivan
Honestly I would think even 10 years is too far out, maybe not for RF communications but definitely for IP based systems.
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Maj Eli Edelkind
In my last gig as a CommO at a Navy command I worked a little bit with the Army Harbormasters. I think they call it the "Harbormaster Command and Control Center" (HCCC) and I think it is a part of WIN-T. That thing was a beast!!! Really cool capabilities.
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What are challenges to using commercial handheld devices on the "tactical edge?"
*Please keep it unclass folks ;-) Just conceptually speaking.
*Please keep it unclass folks ;-) Just conceptually speaking.
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SGT Thomas Sullivan
One challenge is most definitely keeping them secure and jam resistant to enemy counter measures. The enemy could just as easily shut your stuff down as much as see what you are seeing depending on how it transmits.
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