Army eyes all-digital SATCOM terminal to augment today's analog SATCOM Earth stations
ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md., 31 Dec. 2012. U.S. Army researchers are making plans to develop an all-digital satellite communications (SATCOM) terminal intended eventually to replace today's analog SATCOM terminals, which convert digital data to an analog signal in the modem.
SATCOM experts at the Army Communications Electronics Research & Development Engineering Center (CERDEC) Space & Terrestrial Communications Directorate (STCD) at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md., has issued a request for information (BAA-08-R-P415) to industry for the Advanced Technologies for Fixed and Transportable Satellite Earth Terminals program.
CERDEC STCD officials are surveying industry to find companies able to build a digital SATCOM modem for use in an all-digital satellite communications terminal. Researchers particularly are interested in companies with experience in SATCOM, real-time embedded computing, modems, high-speed digital interfaces, and open standards.
The Advanced Technologies for Fixed and Transportable Satellite Earth Terminals program will build on technologies developed in the Army's Future Advanced Satcom Technologies (FAST) program, which moves the analog portion of the Earth terminal closer to the antenna, and implements formerly analog functions using a digital architecture.
The FAST program is seeking to digitize the full receive spectrum at intermediate frequency (IF) and digitally process to provide separate digital interfaces to the modems. FAST developed a digital modem interface standard, which will be used in this digital modem for SATCOM development.
Companies interested should submit a statement of interest; demonstrated products, projects, and applicable experience; expertise in design and development; a description of existing or planned work in this area; and a description of experience in developing digital modems for SATCOM.
Companies wishing to participate should email responses no later than 9 Jan. 2013 to the Army's Steve Lescrinier at [email protected].
For questions or concerns contact the Army's David Greaves by phone at 443-861-4648 or by email at [email protected], or Gregory Ropiski by phone at 443-395-7777 or by email at [email protected].
More information is online at https://www.fbo.gov/notices/d328b0abc71a446e57bc03b3492b709e.
John Keller | Editor
John Keller is editor-in-chief of Military & Aerospace Electronics magazine, which provides extensive coverage and analysis of enabling electronic and optoelectronic technologies in military, space, and commercial aviation applications. A member of the Military & Aerospace Electronics staff since the magazine's founding in 1989, Mr. Keller took over as chief editor in 1995.
