24 January 2019

Silvus Technologies unveils enhanced MN-MIMO radio waveform

by Andrew White

Silvus Technologies has unveiled an enhancement to its Mobile Networked-Multiple Input and Multiple Output (MN-MIMO) waveform, designed to support connectivity of forward deployed troops operating in contested environments.

The Los Angeles-based communications company has designed the Mobile Ad Hoc Networking (MANET) Interference Avoidance (MAN-IA) feature to provide cognitive radio capabilities to its StreamCaster family of software-defined radios (including the SC4200 and SC4400) operating in the presence of electromagnetic interference.

Jimi Henderson, vice-president of sales at the company, told Jane’s the MAN-IA algorithm could ‘sense interference’ within a network before automatically switching to a more efficient channel to maintain connectivity.

Silvus Technologies’s StreamCaster SC4200 is one of two software-defined radios capable of supporting the company’s new MAN-IA feature. (Silvus Technologies)

“MAN-IA is constantly monitoring a plurality of channels or operating frequencies of all radios within the network,” Henderson said. “MAN-IA uses that sensing to assess the network quality on each channel. If MAN-IA detects the onset of electromagnetic interference in the current channel anywhere in the network, it will rapidly switch all radios in the network to a more suitable band or channel.

“This feature was designed to allow tactical users to operate through intentional or unintentional interference at operational tempo,” Henderson said. He added that the technology could also support video surveillance applications, where MAN-IA can “react sufficiently fast” to the onset of a jammer so that the network maintains a “glitch-free” video stream.

According to Silvus Technologies, the MAN-IA user interface can support an unlimited number of connected nodes across an area of operation, and the interface can support unlimited ranges in communications associated with any line-of-sight MANET. Henderson also said the technology could support the full range of gigahertz-operating frequencies.

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