products
Connectors and cable prep tools
Times Microwave Systems has unveiled a series of EZ style connectors and cable prep tools for use with LMR-240 low loss cable. The ST-240EZ tool prepares the cable to the exact dimensions in one simple step while the DBT-02 tool removes the burrs from the exposed center conductor facilitating field installation of the EZ non-solder connectors, which are supplied with an adhesive-lined ATUM boot.
www.timesmicrowave.com
DC-AC inverter
Series 1405 DC/AC inverters from Wilmore Electronics provide 50 volt-amperes of 120 VAC, 60 Hz power in a choice of compact enclosures. They are available in a small, rectangular, flange-mount enclosure or a 1.75 inches high (1U) rack-mount package compatible with both 19-inch and 23-inch equipment racks. Standard input voltages are 12, 24 and 48 VDC, and all versions provide an isolated, regulated, frequency-stable output.
www.wilmoreelectronics.com
P2T handset
Nokia has introduced the 6230i tri-band handset, which offers push-to-talk service over GPRS, and features a video camera system that enables the recording of video of up to one hour in length. The handset also offers a high-resolution screen (208 × 208 pixels) and a stereo digital music player. In other news, Nokia has decided to drop its plans, announced last year, to produce fuel-cell-powered mobile handsets, the Dow Jones Newswires reported.
www.nokia.com
PalmSource includes Qualphone’s P2T
PalmSource said it has reached an agreement with Qualphone to incorporate the latter’s push-to-talk-over-cellular client to the Palm OS operating system for mobile information devices. The collaboration is designed to provide users with an easy-to-use and reliable P2T experience on Palm-powered phones and mobile devices, PalmSource said. Qualphone’s PoC client is certified to meet the end-to-end interoperability standards of Nokia’s back-end infrastructure, enabling PalmSource to leverage mobile operator networks worldwide that have standardized their mobile services offerings based on Qualphone’s technology, the company said.
www.qualphone.com
www.palmsource.com
Firetide introduces mesh network
Firetide introduced the HotPort wireless mesh network that operates indoors and outdoors and supports multiple simultaneous applications and services. The network offers data rates of 25 Mb/s and is designed for high-bandwidth/low-latency applications such as video surveillance, voice-over-IP and metro-scale Wi-Fi. The network is self-configuring, self-healing and scales quickly and easily, the company said.
HotPort 3000 nodes feature an integrated Ethernet switch for connecting standard Ethernet devices to the mesh and for providing local line-rate switching up to 100 MB/s per port. HotPort 3100 indoor nodes are plenum rated and have a built-in 4-port 10/100 Ethernet switch, a dual spectrum backhaul radio and two dual spectrum omnidirectional antennas. HotPort 3200 outdoor nodes — in addition to the dual spectrum backhaul radio and two dual spectrum omnidirectional antennas — have weatherproof NEMA 4X enclosures, a built-in dual-port 10/100 Ethernet switch supporting 802.3a/f power-over-Ethernet, and a removable sun shield.
www.firetide.com
C-AT gets patents for interoperability solution
Communications-Applied Technology (C-AT) recently announced that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office awarded the company 13 patents related to its Incident Commanders’ Radio Interface (ICRI), a portable device that provides radio interoperability to first responders. The ICRI links commercial and military, VoIP equipment, satellite phones, cell phones, landline phone and hybrid cellular/walkie-talkie devices such as Nextel Communications’ Direct Connect handsets, allowing users of the disparate technologies to speak to each other at an incident scene.
Each ICRI has five radio ports, one telephone input/output port, and a handset port that allows a user at the ICRI to communicate without using a handset device that might be better deployed in the field, President and CEO Seth Leyman said. To activate the link, users simply need to plug their device into the ICRI while their volume control is at a medium level, he said. Each user’s range does not change from their normal coverage area, although an ICRI can be deployed as a repeater to increase range, Leyman said.
www.c-at.com
Anritsu’s new vector signal generator
Anritsu recently introduced the MG3700A, a vector signal generator designed to test satellite receivers and highly secure military communications systems in a laboratory environment. The MG3700A’s built-in high-speed arbitrary waveform baseband generator allows users to select an arbitrary waveform pattern to output a modulation signal corresponding to the systems being tested. The MG3700A also features a 1 GB ARB memory — which allows waveform patterns to be stored in memory rather than on the unit’s hard drive — and a 20 Mb/s bit error rate analyzer.
www.anritsu.com
ZigBee-based utility meters introduced
Korea-based NURI Telecom said it plans to introduce to the U.S. market an automatic meter reading system based on the ZigBee wireless LAN standard. The company said that in addition to eliminating the need to manually read meters, the solution also would provide utilities with the opportunity to develop new revenue-producing opportunities such as home security, anti-fire systems and home appliance control. Other capabilities include electricity overload control, gas leakage detection and power-cutoff notification.
The system, which will be marketed under the brand name AIMIR, is integrated with Ember Corp.’s ZigBee-ready semiconductors and networking software to create a bi-directional wireless network that links meters with the utility’s corporate office, NURI Telecom said.
SandCherry, Datria intro voice-enabled productivity solution
SandCherry and Datria Systems have jointly developed a solution dubbed Ticket Master that enables utility and enterprise personnel equipped with two-way radios to talk to Datria’s self-service applications using SandCherry’s Voice4 Radio platform.
By enabling field personnel to talk directly to the application, Ticket Master reduces the load on operators and dispatchers, the companies said. Self-service applications have become popular in the consumer sector, where they are used to pay bills, check bank balances or purchase products.
Originally Web-based, such applications later became voice-enabled, but were limited to wireline and wireless phones. But the Voice4 platform allows voice-enabled applications to be simultaneously deployed for two-way radios and push-to-talk handsets as well, according to SandCherry.
www.sandcherry.com
www.datria.com
High-gain rubber duck antenna
This portable 7 dBi high-gain rubber duck antenna stands 11 inches tall and attaches directly to standard connectors found on industrial radios or 802.11b/g access points. Range of reception in many environments is effectively tripled, reducing the need for extra access points, amplifiers or repeaters. In addition, link quality is improved, reducing packet loss and increasing effective throughput.
www.nearson.com
Firmware for P25 radios
Thales Communications said it has introduced firmware designed to upgrade early versions of its Project 25-compliant radios. Version 5.11, for Model 501 radios, includes priority scan improvement, enhanced keypad with side button lockouts, unit identification display and backlight enhancements. Version 7.1, for Models 503 through 506, increases sensitivity while scanning, improves receiver response time and provides more reliable shadow channel selection, the company said. The firmware can be obtained free of charge at the company’s Web site.
www.thalescomminc.com.
Push-to-all solution
Samsung Electronics recently unveiled the prototype of a push-to-all solution — which combines push-to-talk and video conferencing capabilities — at its Suwon, Korea, telecommunications research and development center. In addition to enabling virtual meetings over push-to-all handsets, the solution also allows users to send images and video clips to multiple users. Samsung said the solution eventually would support EV-DO, EDGE, UMTS and Wi-Fi.
www.samsung.com
Two-way radio device for pre-teens
Tiger Electronics, a division of Hasbro, has introduced Chatnow, a two-way radio communicator that enables pre-teens — whose parents might not think are ready for the responsibility of a cell phone — to communicate with friends without incurring airtime charges or committing to a calling plan. Users are assigned a seven-digit number that works just as a phone number would, so kids can dial their friends directly to send private text messages. Chatnow devices have a 2-mile range.
www.hasbro.com
Link Communications unveils interoperability software
Link Communications has introduced a software solution that enables first responders to remotely operate the company’s Tactical Communications Bridge (TCB-2) interoperability solution over an Ethernet port or a network. The TCB-2 allows up to 10 radios of different brands to reliably communicate over different frequencies and allows the creation of five different talk groups, the company said.
An interconnect option enables analog telephone lines to be interfaced with the TCB-2, a useful feature for first responders who have traveled out of region. For example, the TCB-2 would call a user on his cell phone when the user’s emergency network became active and then connect the user automatically into the communications bridge.
www.link-comm.com
Motorola, Nextel launch Direct Talk handset
Motorola and Nextel announced the launch of the Motorola i325 IS handset, which offers Direct Talk, a back-up walkie-talkie service launched in December that Nextel customers can use when they are outside the carrier’s coverage areas. The service provides a range of up to 6 miles (though terrain, weather, foliage and use in vehicles or buildings could diminish range). The i325 IS handset complies with Military Standard 810 F for blowing rain, humidity, dust, shock, vibration, temperature and air pressure extremes, solar radiation and salt fog, the companies said. It is approved in environments where flammable gases or vapors may exist. It also has a sealed bottom connector cover to protect against liquid or dust damage, a fixed antenna, and offers GPS-based location capability.
www.motorola.com
www.nextel.com
