IN ITS PRIME, THE WHIP ANTENNA WORKED WITH ONE RADIO ... BUT TODAY’S BATTLEFIELD REQUIRES MULTIPLE SOLDIERS WITH VARYING MISSIONS,
USING DIFFERENT RADIOS LARGER
VOLUME OF DATA THAN EVER
TO SHARE A TO
INCREASE SITUATIONAL AWARENESS—VIDEO, IMAGES, GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATIONS, AND OTHER DATA.
manufacturers to change their hardware design, but instead allow us to change and edit the software to fit the different needs of Soldiers. Because SDR allows us to tinker with software rather than con- stantly change hardware or radio type, we are able to incorporate different wave- forms to meet the individual dismounted Soldier’s needs.
For instance, incorporating the Sol- dier Radio Waveform (SRW) on SDR allows the Soldier in the field to talk with another Soldier hundreds of meters away. SRW is targeted to the individual Soldier and small units; it searches for available radios within the same unit, then hops through nodes to create a path for data and voice communications.
This is a big plus for a number of reasons, one being that because SRW oper- ates at a high frequency, its size can be reduced greatly, down to 6 to 9 inches. With that reduction, we can place the antenna elements
around the body
while still ensuring enough signal pro- cessing to communicate. So, regardless of whether the Soldier needs to com- municate with another Soldier far away, or to share large amounts of data, the diversity-based
system is able to
determine where and how to process the signal.
To prove out this concept, we worked with OSU to create a rudimentary prototype. Following that successful experiment, we replicated changes we made to the soft- ware in an SDR.
CONCLUSION Five years from that first demonstration, Soldiers are asking for something better than the whip antenna they currently use. We are working with program managers to incorporate the prototype technology we have developed with OSU into another program that will
take
it to a higher level of maturity. At that level, we can work with the radio pro- gram managers as they design a feature into their radios that can provide the needed processing.
We are planning to have this mature prototype ready for Soldiers to evaluate in the 2013-14 timeframe. In addition to further development, we need to take the time to see how the proto- type antenna will fit into the network and what effect
it will have on trans-
porting information to and from command centers.
Our ultimate goal, fundamentally, is to ensure that we provide the Soldier with a capability that is flexible enough to adapt to the dynamic nature of the operational environment regardless of the mission. It is probably not reasonable to think that one antenna system will be a silver bullet. But it will be a system that pushes technology a little further while enhancing capability, reducing risks, and providing our Soldiers a much better communications platform.
For more information, go to http://www.
cerdec.army.mil.
STEVE GOODALL is Chief, Antenna Technologies and Analysis Branch in the Antenna and Spectrum Analysis Division, part of the U.S. Army Communications- Electronics Research, Development, and Engineering Center’s Space and Terrestrial Communications Directorate. He holds a B.S. in electrical engineering from Kansas State University and an M.S.
in electri-
cal engineering from Fairleigh Dickinson University. Goodall
is Level III certified
in systems engineering, has two patents on antenna
high-voltage protection devices,
and is a licensed professional engineer in New Jersey. He is a U.S. Army Acquisition Corps member.
ASC.ARMY.MIL 79
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
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