Datron launch new handheld tactical radio

Datron showcases its new SPECTRE-M HH1300 handheld radio series at the DSA 2018 event in Kuala Lumpur. The radio covers a 30 megahertz/MHz to 512MHz waveband and can carry up to 100 programmable channels in its memory. It has three power settings and an embedded global positioning.

Communications security is provides via the company’s SPECTRE-V 64 bit and 40 bit encryption, alongside AES-256 standard encryption. Three distinct versions of the radio have been developed including the HH3100V which covers a 30MHz to 68MHz waveband, the HH3100A covering 30MHz to 136MHz and the HH3100M covering 30MHz to 512MHz. Several waveforms are included in the transceiver including an AM protocol to allow air-to-ground/ground-to-air communications, plus a digital vocoder and a frequency-hopping waveform.

Nevertheless, company officials from Datron told MONCh that the radio has growth potential to accommodate new and existing waveforms in the future. In addition, the firm is aiming the SPECTRE-M at its existing customer base and emphasises that the radio is backwards-compatible with other Datron transceivers allowing interoperability between new and legacy radios.

Moreover, the HH3100 series is ergonomically designed with dual push-to-talk buttons mounted on either side of the transceiver to allow ambidextrous operation, with the antenna centrally positioned to ensure that the radio has a well-balanced weight.

The SPECTRE-M HH3100 family is being aimed at squad leaders/platoon commanders and presently carries up to 64 megabits-per-second (mbps) of data, although the company added that there is growth potential to increase this to 128mbps in the near future.

Thomas Withington