Domo Tactical Communications details new SDR

Speaking to MONS at the GPEC police equipment exhibition being held in Frankfurt 20-22 February, officials from Domo Tactical Communications (DTC) provided some additional details regarding the company’s recently-announced SOL8SDR-H handheld tactical radio. The radio uses the company’s SOL08 software defined radio as its core, and covers a frequency range of 320 megahertz/MHz to 470MHz, and 1.14 gigahertz/GHz to 1.5GHz.

Company officials continued that the radio can perform both point-to-point and MANET (Mobile Ad Hoc Networking) communications and that crucially the radio boasts a good non-line-of-sight performance. This latter capability is particularly important for users who will deploy the radio in urban areas where buildings can block line-of-sight ranges. To this end, the company disclosed that it is aiming the radio at the special forces and paramilitary communities, and envisages the radio being used to support video and data communications primarily, with a secondary voice role.

Using the radio as a back-up for voice communications is particularly important in situations where conventional cellular or V/UHF communications may be jammed, or deactivated locally, to prevent the use of such communications by terrorists or suspected criminals, for example. Regarding data, the radio can carry 14.8 megabits-per-second (mbps) when operating in a CMO mode and up to 32mbps when operating in a MIMO mode. Similarly, the power outputs for these modes are one and two watts respectively, and although the radio can perform both CMO/MIMO transmissions, it cannot do this simultaneously. The radio can also receive a Global Positioning System (GPS) input, and an HDMI (High Definition Multimedia Interface) to accept an imagery feed from optronics such as a body-worn camera. In terms of waveforms, DTC’s COFDM software is housed in the radio which is used across its frequency bands.

Officials told MONS that the firm has won orders for the SOL8SDR-H although declined to reveal their identify for reasons of confidentiality. Deliveries of the radio are expected to commence before the end of the year.

Thomas Withington