News Briefs – Friday, March 31, 2006
Defense contractor uses software-defined radios in aeronomic research
Spectrum Signal Processing landed a contract from Lockheed Martin for three flexComm SDR-3000 software-defined radio (SDR) platforms and related engineering services that will be used for research and development of advanced satellite communications applications. Lockheed will focus on radio performance and deployment in future net-centric space systems that support the Department of Defense and other government organizations.
The SDR-3000 includes a real-time operating system and an associated board support package that enables the core framework to identify and manage the platform resources. It is a heterogeneous processing platform incorporating Xilinx field programmable gate arrays, IBM and Freescale PowerPC processors and Texas Instruments digital signal processors, according to Spectrum.
Federal agency approves data signaling for real-time traffic information
The Federal Highway Administration has approved Traffic.com’s cellular signaling data platform for real-time traffic information in Salt Lake City. Traffic.com partnered with the Utah Department of Transportation to build and operate the system, which provides traffic flow information gathered from cell phone data. Advanced technologies employed in the initiative include wireless digital traffic sensors, toll tag tracking and GPS-derived data, Traffic.com said.
Mobile printers act as a back-up connection for hand-helds
Zebra Technologies introduced dual-radio support for mobile printers, which lets users leverage Bluetooth technology as a back-up connection for hand-held devices. In application, the printer communicates with the Bluetooth hand-held and acts as an intermediary to the network, allowing for real-time information capture, Zebra Technologies said.
Zebra’s dual radio option will be available on its RW 420 and QL Plus series of mobile printers in the United States, Canada and Europe and will feature a Bluetooth radio and a Symbol Compact Flash 802.11b radio, according to a company statement.
Hybrid coupler combines two signals to increase power output
Innovative Power Products announced the Model IPP-2013, a high-power, 3 dB, 90 degree hybrid coupler for the 500-2500 MHz frequency range.
The IPP-2013 combines two signals with up to 200 W (CW) of total output power. The coupler offers insertion loss of less than 0.5 dB, VSWR of less than 1.3:1, amplitude balance of less than ± 0.65 dB, and isolation greater than 18 dB, according to the company.
Mobile data system offers countywide coverage
Dataradio’s announced that it has deployed a mobile data system in Sedgwick County, Kan. The system includes 400 Gemini mobiles with GPS receivers for automatic vehicle location and four Paragon base stations. All sites operate as a single-system using a multi-site controller with high availability, Dataradio said.
Once the Sedgwick County installation is complete, the total system will consist of five sites and more than 400 mobiles. The result will be countywide coverage and practical data interoperability between fire, law enforcement and medical personnel throughout Sedgwick County, according to the company.
IP-based base station combines mobile voice, data
UTStarcom joined with QUALCOMM to develop the QUALCOMM Deployable Base Station based on UTStarcom’s MovingMedia2000, an IP-based, CDMA core infrastructure technology.
The base station is designed to provide a portable 800/1900 MHz mobile voice and 153 kb/s data network in stand-alone scenarios or in conjunction with other networks. The device is light enough to be vehicle-mounted and forward deployed in remote locations, according to a joint company statement.
Sprint Nextel certifies rugged GPS location device
TechnoCom announced that Sprint Nextel has certified its Location Messaging Unit (LMU)-4000 for use on its CDMA and iDEN networks. The LMU-4000 is TechnoCom’s fourth-generation, GPS-based location device. Each unit is embedded with an on-board alert engine, which monitors and reacts to vehicle conditions based on pre-determined rules or thresholds. Its rugged design meets U.S. Military and SAE specifications for harsh environments. The LMU is targeted to the transportation, logistics, dispatch, government and field service sectors, according to a joint company statement.
