RF-7800W-TK - Harris Corporation

Antenna
Tracking
System
RF-7800W-TK

Antenna Tracking System
RF-7800W-TK
Overview
Harris, your trusted supplier for broadband, mobile data
links, has enhanced the capabilities of the field-proven
RF-7800W HCLOS broadband radio. The RF-7800W-TK
Antenna Tracking System (ATS) allows for higher
throughput and longer range links in mobile scenarios:
air to ground, ship to ship, and ship to shore. The ATS
coupled with the robust RF-7800W radio with its builtin-waveform
provides secure data links over the tactical
HCLOS products.
Site Survey
A successful demonstration is dependent on a
comprehensive site survey. In this trial, both the multiple
sites and types of installations warranted an in-country
site survey to ensure the most efficient equipment
configuration. The survey included analysis of the ships
and coastal towers for mounting locations and power
options. An analysis of the aircraft was conducted using
photos in lieu of inspecting the actual platform.
Capabilities
The RF-7800W ATS is ideal for high bandwidth, mobile
applications due to the use of high gain directional
antennas. This system was developed for seamless
integration with the RF-7800W-OU440 radio. Harris
offers the complete product suite and systems integration
capabilities to provide a comprehensive system solution.
The ATS can be deployed in:
> > Air-to-Ground high throughput data links ideal for real
time aerial surveillance applications
> > Ship-to-Air off shore aerial reconnaissance applications
> > Ship-to-Shore network extension applications off shore
allowing connectivity back to command centers on
shore
> > Ship-to-Ship fleet wide data network application
> > Other high bandwidth, mobile, line-of-sight
applications
The ATS was developed based on the current RF-7800W
Closed Loop Antenna Alignment System (CLAAS). The
system is designed to be flexible and configured per the
deployment requirements.
Real-time
Video
72 Km
32 Km
Recent Success Story
The ATS capabilities were successfully demonstrated
in a trial that included ship-to-ship tracking, ship to
shore tracking and ship to air tracking. The RF-7800W
equipment was installed on two customer supplied ships,
two coastal towers and twin engine aircraft for this
demonstration. Milestone data links demonstrated to the
customer included:
> > Ship-to-Ship data link of 6 Mbps or greater at distances
up to 32 km
> > Ship-to-Air data link of 6 Mbps or greater at distances
up to 72 km
> > Ship-to-Shore data link of 18 Mbps or greater at
distances greater than 80 km
80 Km
Tac Chat IP
VOIP

Installation
Conducting the site survey was critical for risk mitigation
as it allowed installation to be conducted in a shorter
period of time when the planned week of installation
was shortened to 2 days due to unexpected delays in
the arrival of equipment. Day one of the installation
included inventory of all equipment as well as installation
on the two ships located on the naval base. The second
day the aircraft equipment was installed, including
externally mounting the three required antennas. The
aircraft was located at the airport approximately a 30
minute commute away. The last day involved traveling
2.5 hours to the two coastal sites and mounting the radio
equipment on the existing towers.
Demonstration
The demonstration consisted of a two day exercise during
a prescheduled week long ship deployment. During this
deployment Harris was asked to show capabilities of shipto-ship,
ship-to-shore, and ship-to-air communications
at maximum distances. During ship-to-shore testing, the
RF-7800W Antenna Tracking System was able to link up
with the first tower as the ships sailed out to sea. The link
was maintained with no user interaction required. During
ship-to-ship testing, the connection was maintained as
the two ships traveled away from each other to a distance
of 32 km where logical constraints prevented ships from
traveling further. The customer was more than satisfied
at the distance and link quality demonstrated. On day
two, ship-to-air testing was conducted. The aircraft
departed from the airport approximately 200 km away. At
a distance of 120km, the aircraft began reporting its GPS
position to the ship board tracking system. At distances
of up to 72 km the RF-7800W provided the same robust,
high bandwidth data link. Video was transmitted from
the plane to the ship and from the ship to the plane with
communication via VoIP.
Results
The RF-7800W ATS exceeded all the customer’s
expectations during this exercise. Beyond demonstrating
the data link with VoIP, Video conferencing and data
transfer, the customer was able to integrate the
system with the in country IP network. The RF-7800W
ATS demonstrates that it is a viable real world data
link solution, showing not only the broadband data
capabilities, but also video conferencing from ship to land
command center. The RF-7800W link provided a single
communication platform that allowed for internet access
and integration into the telephony network. Using this
network, the commander demonstrated the ease of use
and versatility of the system by using it to call his wife’s
cell phone. The RF-7800W is the easiest to integrate,
most capable product to provide the total solution for
IP connectivity, wherever and whenever it is required.
This system is an example of Harris’s commitment to
quality products and building system solutions. The
team set up a network of RF-7800W equipment at five
physically different locations on five different platforms in
a matter of days. As demonstrated, Harris is committed
to providing a comprehensive, practical, and easy to use
system solution to meet and exceed customers’ needs.
Product Availability
The RF-7800W-TK Antenna Tracking System is currently
released and fully functional with all RF-7800W radios.

Extend your Communications
Network with ATS Capabilities
To learn more about the Harris RF-7800W product family, please visit
http://rf.harris.com/capabilities/tactical-radios-networking/rf-7800w.asp
Communications solutions for today and beyond.
Harris is an international communications and information technology company serving
government and commercial markets in more than 125 countries. Headquartered in
Melbourne, Florida, the company has approximately $5.5 billion of annual revenue and about
15,000 employees – including 6,000 engineers and scientists. Harris is dedicated to developing
best-in-class assured communications ® products, systems and services. Additional information
about Harris Corporation is available at harris.com.
Harris Corporation
RF Communications Division
1680 University Avenue
Rochester, NY 14610 USA
1-888-711-7295
rf.harris.com
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© 2013 Harris Corporation 07/13 B2240A