RF Communications

Multiband and SDR

Public Safety
Communications

Dan Sullivan
[email protected]

XG-100, September 2008

Background - Principal Products

• Tactical radios
– Interoperable Falcon® II,
software-defined tactical radios
– Falcon® III multiband, multimission,
JTRS-compliant tactical radios
– HF, VHF, UHF, and multiband –
manpack, vehicular, handheld, secure
personal radios

• Cryptographic solutions
– NSA-recognized leaders in embedded
encryption - Sierra,® Citadel,®
– Core differentiator and competitive
barrier
– Communications security terminals

XG-100, September 2008

 Multiband comms for the US Military

Which would you rather carry?

• Different communications use
multiple frequencies & modes
– Grd-Grd: Low band VHF-FM
– Urban Comms: UHF-FM
– Grd-Air: UHF-AM
– Grd-SATCOM: UHF-Complex
Modulation
• Operational Drivers:
– Special Forces
– Multi-force operations
– Has become the standard
• Warfighters needed an integrated solution - one radio, one battery
• Now moving toward a networked solution – basis behind Joint Tactical
Radio Program (JTRS)

XG-100, September 2008

Harris Legacy: Software-defined and
Multiband

FALCON® I FALCON® II FALCON® III

RF1033M(LMR)
30-512 MHz
AN/PRC-117D AN/PRC-117F
30-512 MHz AN/PRC-152(C)
30-420 MHz 30-512 MHz

AN/PRC-138 AN/PRC-150 (C) AN/PRC-117G

1.6 – 60 MHz 1.6-60 MHz 30-2000 MHz

1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2007 2008

The key competency of radio products is interoperability

XG-100, September 2008

SDR Defined

The SDR Forum defines SDR as:

"Radio in which some or all of the physical layer
functions are software defined”
This does not imply a particular architecture.
Rather, it opens up the possibility to modify
things like modulation and demodulation that
were formerly immutable.

XG-100, September 2008

Software Defined Radio Evolution

Software Defined
3rd Gen Open
Open Software
Software
Architecture
Architecture

2nd Gen Vendor

Vendor Specific
Specific
HW/FW/SW
HW/FW/SW Architectures
Architectures

1st Gen Vendor

Vendor Specific
Specific
HW/FW
HW/FW Architectures
Architectures Programmable

Vendor
Vendor Specific
Specific
HW
Hardware Only
HW Architecture
Architecture

XG-100, September 2008

LMR SDR General Benefits

• Flexible design (soft keys, user configuration)

• Standard interfaces allows porting of features between products and
vendors
• Reduced cost of product development
– Single software package for multiple hardware platforms. (Family of
radios)
– Single hardware platform for multiple software applications. (FDMA
now, TDMA in P25 Phase 2).
– Components can be tested individually based on where changes have
been made.
• Reduced cost of upgrading communications.
• Segmented architecture improves opportunities for code re-use.
• Provide a pathway to future technologies such as cognitive radio.
• Improved battery life and reduced heat emissions via software
control of radio components and CPU usage

XG-100, September 2008

Design Considerations

• Multiband means different things to different customers.

– Some want to operate in one band or another.
– Some need to be able to have multiple bands in one scan list.
• Key design choices include component granularity, allocation
of performance requirements, data flows.
• Software solutions need to be monitored closely for latency
and timing issues as the product evolves.
• Use of a comprehensive SDR architecture like SCA can
introduce unnecessary software “baggage”. Select an
architecture that appropriate for the product you are
developing.

XG-100, September 2008

Lessons Learned

• SDR ≠ SCA. Don’t assume that you must use SCA to build a
Software Defined Radio.
• Critical system timing (key performance parameters) must be
benchmarked periodically during development as features are
added.
• Interoperability is more than just software.
Harris has decades of experience in developing multiband antennas and
multiband transceivers for mission-critical applications.

XG-100, September 2008

The Magnitude of It All

Overlapping jurisdictions and missions create the need for interoperability

• US Federal Government (non-DoD)
– Approximately 100 agencies and 200,000 agents/officers
– Primarily VHF-High and UHF-Low bands
– Large areas of responsibility
• State and Local First Responders
– Approximately 48,000 agencies and 2.5 million first responders
– ~18,000 Law Enforcement Agencies, ~24,000 Fire Departments, ~6000
Rescue Squads
– 757,907 FCC issued licenses to these agencies (per analysis by APCO
in 7/2006)
FREQUENCY BAND PERCENTAGE USAGE
VHF Low 30-50 MHz 10%
VHF High 136-174 MHz 47%
UHF Low 380-470 MHz 25%
UHF High 470-512 MHz 5%
700 MHz 764-806 MH ?
800 MHz 806-869 MHz 13%

XG-100, September 2008

Unity™ XG-100 Multiband Radio

Multiband Software-Defined Radio

• 136-174 MHz, 380-520 MHz, 762-870 MHz
• Full APCO P25 Compliance
• Designed for P25 Phase 2 with SW-only upgrade

Delivering Interoperability to the Hands of the User

• Jurisdictional Overlap
• Regional Systems
• Joint Operations
• Large Areas of Responsibility
• Interoperability when infrastructure goes down
• Ability to switch bands, eliminating dead zones

XG-100, September 2008

Unity XG-100 Operational Scenario
136-870 MHz

FEDERAL POLICE FIRE EMS

Channel 1: Channel Channel

1: 2: Channel 3: Channel 4:
Channel 2:
3: Channel 4:
VHF Digital UHF Digital
VHF Digital UHF Analog 800 Digital
UHF Analog
UHF Digital 800 Digital
136.1 MHz 136.1 MHz469.1 MHz 469.1 MHz469.1 MHz 869.1 MHz
869.1 MHz

VHF Low VHF High UHF Bands 700/800 Bands Broadband

30-50 MHz 136-174 MHz 380-520 MHz 762-870 MHz 4940-4990 MHz

TALK AS ONE – WORK AS ONE

XG-100, September 2008
Harris RF-1033M Portable LMR Radio

• Key Characteristics
– Multiband Frequency Coverage
Including:
• VHF-low: 30-50 MHz
• VHF-high: 136-174 MHz
• UHF: 380-512 MHz
– Multimode Capability
Including: P25, FM, AM
– Secure Communications
– Software Defined Radio
– Most rugged LMR available
– Standard 5-year Warranty

• Field Proven Multi-band

Software Defined Radio

First Multi-band, Multi-mode Land Mobile Radio - available today

XG-100, September 2008
 Unity™ XG-100 Multiband Radio
16-Channel
Multiband
Selector
Antenna Capabilities:
Top Status • Frequency Range: 136-870 MHz
On/Off –
Display
Volume Knob • P25 Conventional and Trunking
• Analog FM Backwards Interoperability
Intergral
GPS Speaker • Channel Scanning across all bands
• Analog, Digital, Dual-Mode, Priority Scanning
Microphone • Integral GPS allowing for situational awareness
• Security: AES, DES-OFB, P25 OTAR
• Software-Defined – Supports future standards
Push-To-Talk 256-Color
Button 2.2” Display Specifications:
• 1000 Active Channels per Mission File
• Capable of storing multiple Mission Files
Soft-Keys
• Dimensions: 6.5”H x 2.3”W x 1.8”D
Programmable • Weight w/ battery < 24 ounces
Buttons (3x) 5-Way • 12+ hours battery life
Navigator
• FCC/NTIA certified
DTMF • TIA-102/603 compliant
Keypad
• NIST FIPS-140 certified
• MIL-STD-810F rugged and submersible
AVAILABLE MID-2009
XG-100, September 2008
Summary

• Software Defined Radio that has power and flexibility to support your
missions now and into the future.

• The Harris Multi-Band, Multi-Mode Radio offers First Responders

and LMR with TRUE INTEROPERABILITY
– 1033M (30-512Mhz) Available today
• Provides multiple frequency bands in one radio
– Unity XG-100 -- Demos late 2008, Available Mid 2009
• Customer driven design using 1033M using field trials with first
responders
• Internally-funded development - full flexibility to meet the customers
needs

• Design focus

Harris is Committed to First Responder Interoperability

XG-100, September 2008

Questions

XG-100, September 2008