SHeesh! Much ado about nothing. Sounds like a slightly beefed up, broadband (spread spectrum frequency hopping?), linked/repeater version of the military's standard HF and VHF radios and communications. Maybe where every radio is a repeater, and depending on the software coding in both your radio and in the message, you may be allowed to hear the message. If you are not authorized to hear the message, it just gets repeated/relayed through your radio (transmitter cycling on and off) to it's destination, without breaking your radio's receiver squelch to be able to hear it. Unfortunately the linked rah-rah article didn't mention the frequencies used for the new radios, I could probably guess some more on certain specifics.
To me the headache is going to be keeping all the radios synchronized (timing clock) so that the frequency hopping will work. Another headache will be to make sure all the radios have the same crypto/software downloaded (at the same time). Unless both the synch timing clock and the crypto/software are going to be broadcast from a "master" radio to all the lower level radios. Hmmmm. . .. .
Interesting, but nothing particularly new or earth shaking. Just a refinement and taking things to the "next step".
I'm with Anon/6:36. That description is just word salad.
Reading between the lines, it's spread spectrum packet radio. They are just running some sort of digital voice in the regular data transmissions. That's it. It's the same sort of mesh network that hams setup with APRS, only they are doing it on a high-bandwidth spread spectrum layer.
Unless both the synch timing clock and the crypto/software are going to be broadcast from a "master" radio to all the lower level radios. Hmmmm. . .. .
They'll use GPS. It's a known atomic clock and you can adjust for xmission time based on your location, which you pinpoint with... GPS.
Of course, sat signals are inherently weak and easy to jam or spoof.
Phelps 12:57PM, The original SINGARS radios didn't use GPS, they either used their own independent internal clock for synch (synching whenever they transmitted to each other), or they based their synch on a master radio, synching whenever the master radio transmitted a message. But things progress and change.
Right, but SINGARS started development in 1983, while they were still in the process of launching the GPS Block I proof of concepts. GPS wasn't even really usable until they started launching Block II in the late 80s. It was of marginal use in Gulf War I in 91, and didn't really come into its own until the 21st century.
Disagree on usefulness of GPS in 1992. Immensely useful for timing, when compared to delivering precision clocks "hot" by road/air or depending on end-users getting WWV.
GPS can give you correction data after-the-fact, but it's not "awesome" like even having a single Cesium Beam Frequency Standard in your local console. Serious accuracy and precision in real-time costs serious money and requires people to build and run it. The USAF can do it world-wide, the CIA can piggyback on the USAF, USNO does it, HP/Agilent in Santa Clara do it. The limiting factor is people "this" smart to set it up and run it, and a Command with the will to fund such a thing. Ask your USAF recruiter how many prospects could get into 324x0 or whatever the new code is: Air Force Specialty Code 2P0X1 - Precision Measurement Equipment Laboratory (PMEL). That was the 5-wheeled Chair Force: from tool box to phone to PAMS in a rollie chair.
GPS can be jammed and spoofed. That's why you have local instrumentation.
11 comments:
SHeesh! Much ado about nothing. Sounds like a slightly beefed up, broadband (spread spectrum frequency hopping?), linked/repeater version of the military's standard HF and VHF radios and communications. Maybe where every radio is a repeater, and depending on the software coding in both your radio and in the message, you may be allowed to hear the message. If you are not authorized to hear the message, it just gets repeated/relayed through your radio (transmitter cycling on and off) to it's destination, without breaking your radio's receiver squelch to be able to hear it. Unfortunately the linked rah-rah article didn't mention the frequencies used for the new radios, I could probably guess some more on certain specifics.
To me the headache is going to be keeping all the radios synchronized (timing clock) so that the frequency hopping will work. Another headache will be to make sure all the radios have the same crypto/software downloaded (at the same time). Unless both the synch timing clock and the crypto/software are going to be broadcast from a "master" radio to all the lower level radios. Hmmmm. . .. .
Interesting, but nothing particularly new or earth shaking. Just a refinement and taking things to the "next step".
B Woodman
III-per
Hey, I've got one of those in my car! It's an Icom 2820H ham radio. It does VHF, UHF, data, position reporting, all the good stuff.
Or I can use a Yasue 857D on 160 to UHF.
I'm with Anon/6:36. That description is just word salad.
Reading between the lines, it's spread spectrum packet radio. They are just running some sort of digital voice in the regular data transmissions. That's it. It's the same sort of mesh network that hams setup with APRS, only they are doing it on a high-bandwidth spread spectrum layer.
Unless both the synch timing clock and the crypto/software are going to be broadcast from a "master" radio to all the lower level radios. Hmmmm. . .. .
They'll use GPS. It's a known atomic clock and you can adjust for xmission time based on your location, which you pinpoint with... GPS.
Of course, sat signals are inherently weak and easy to jam or spoof.
Gary M,
Yep, just the stuff already out and in use, under new and fancy names, so the contractor can charge more to the Gooberment.
B Woodman
III-per
Phelps 12:57PM,
The original SINGARS radios didn't use GPS, they either used their own independent internal clock for synch (synching whenever they transmitted to each other), or they based their synch on a master radio, synching whenever the master radio transmitted a message. But things progress and change.
B Woodman
III-per
Right, but SINGARS started development in 1983, while they were still in the process of launching the GPS Block I proof of concepts. GPS wasn't even really usable until they started launching Block II in the late 80s. It was of marginal use in Gulf War I in 91, and didn't really come into its own until the 21st century.
Anything with a receiver can be jammed.
Gary W. Anthony
MSgt USAF, Ret.
Compass Call AMT
Disagree on usefulness of GPS in 1992. Immensely useful for timing, when compared to delivering precision clocks "hot" by road/air or depending on end-users getting WWV.
GPS can give you correction data after-the-fact, but it's not "awesome" like even having a single Cesium Beam Frequency Standard in your local console. Serious accuracy and precision in real-time costs serious money and requires people to build and run it. The USAF can do it world-wide, the CIA can piggyback on the USAF, USNO does it, HP/Agilent in Santa Clara do it. The limiting factor is people "this" smart to set it up and run it, and a Command with the will to fund such a thing. Ask your USAF recruiter how many prospects could get into 324x0 or whatever the new code is: Air Force Specialty Code 2P0X1 - Precision Measurement Equipment Laboratory (PMEL).
That was the 5-wheeled Chair Force: from tool box to phone to PAMS in a rollie chair.
GPS can be jammed and spoofed. That's why you have local instrumentation.
We should have that if the internet goes down.
You can have that if the internet goes down. It's called "ham radio".
Post a Comment