Triad RF Systems has unveiled an innovative series of amplified radios, leveraging technology from industry leaders like Silvus Technologies, Domo Tactical Communications, Microhard Systems, and Doodle Labs. These advanced radio modules are designed to enhance the operational range of unmanned systems, catering specifically to the command, control, and data throughput requirements of UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles), USVs (unmanned surface vehicles), and UGVs (unmanned ground vehicles) in challenging environmental conditions.
The newly developed turnkey radio solutions were crafted by Triad in response to the difficulties customers encounter when integrating a bi-directional amplifier (BDA) into a mobile ad hoc network (MANET) or a multiple input multiple output (MIMO) wireless mesh radio. triad reports that these in-house integrations often fall short of meeting the size, weight, performance, and cost (SWaP-C) benchmarks essential for establishing reliable long-distance radio links.
A prevalent approach to extending a radio link’s range involves connecting the BDA directly to the microwave radio’s RF port and antenna. In MIMO radio scenarios, it may be necessary to deploy up to four separate BDAs to achieve the required power enhancement. Establishing a robust long-range radio link through this method demands important expertise in optimizing RF margins.
Engineering teams working on unmanned systems that experience subpar data link performance after assembling their own amplification setups often encounter a range of challenges, including:
- Mitigating free space path loss over extended distances
- Ensuring the signal reaches the receiver (RX) with the precise signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) needed for reliable reception and demodulation
- Producing a clean signal that stands out against electromagnetic interference (EMI) from nearby systems or man-made RF noise in the operational area
- Variability in gain, power, SNR, and other parameters due to temperature and frequency changes
- Co-channel radio frequency interference (RFI) issues
- inadequate RF and/or DC bus filtering to address EMI/RFI challenges
- Suboptimal cables and interconnects
- Challenges in antenna selection and positioning
- Errors in video encoder optimization and radio configuration settings
- Neglecting maintenance and the establishment of pre- and post-flight tests to ensure optimal link performance
Triad’s fully integrated and optimized Amplified Radios are the culmination of extensive expertise in developing high-data-rate, long-range wireless links tailored for the intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) sector. These radios tackle power drift challenges by incorporating elegant active power control and equalization circuitry, ensuring that both the RF output power and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) delivered to the antenna remain exceptionally stable, even amidst fluctuations.
