P25 radio, satellite-backhaul system

M/A-COM (www.macom-wireless.com) introduced the P5400, a P25 radio that is among the smallest in the industry for a public-safety-grade LMR device, said Greg Farmer, M/A-COM product manager.

“It continues to have Class A RF performance to be pretty durable and easy to use, but the biggest change is that it’s smaller and lighter than our other P25 radios,” Farmer said.

Indeed, the functional characteristics of the P5400 — performance, versatility and battery life — are virtually identical to M/A-COM’s P7100 radio, Farmer said. However, with improvements in component technology, the P5400 is 5.33 inches tall and weighs 13.2 ounces with a battery, while the P7100 is 6.25 inches tall and weighs 21.8 ounces — a smaller form factor that can be beneficial to public-safety users.

“Every bit of weight they save improves their ability to carry out their primary mission, which is not to carry a radio but to do other things,” he said. “And the smaller size just makes it more convenient.”

In addition, M/A-COM announced the availability of its P25 rapid deployment satellite system that leverages the company’s VIDA strategy and NetworkFirst technology to link land mobile radio (LMR) systems deployed in remote locations to the outside world.

The solution transforms all communications to IP, allowing LMR links via any broadband connection, said Blake Nylund, M/A-COM’s director of network products. In addition to providing LMR coverage in remote areas, the solution can link LMR radios and other voice and data devices in the remote area to communications devices outside the area, including LMR, cellular, landline telephone and IP-based systems.

“We’ve had systems all along where you can … set them up real quick with crank-up towers and stuff,” Nylund said “What we haven’t had is the ability to talk back to the people who are supplying the guys on the front lines — the people who are going to bring supplies in and help find resources for the guys on the ground. That’s the piece that has been missing.”

In a remote area, the rapid deployment satellite system typically includes a M/A-COM P25 onsite repeater and related equipment, a portable generator, a portable omnidirectional antenna, a voice-over-IP (VoIP) telephone, VoIP console, wireless access port, satellite modem and “self-pointing” satellite reflector. All equipment is housed in rugged containers and can be deployed within an hour, Nylund said.