Revision #01. January 2015
COMMS-ON-THE-MOVE
Best-in-class tri-band
mobile satellite terminals
PRODUCT INFORMATION
& SPECIFICATIONS
Phone: +61 7 3414 0700
#01. January 2015
Email:Revision
sales@emsolutions.com.au
www.emsolutions.com.au
Revision #01. January 2015
SAT-TRACKER
from EM SOLUTIONS
Designed initially for the military to operate at Ka-band on WGS satellites, and subsequently
tailored for civilian use in emergency services, EM Solutions Sat-tracker family of on-the-move
satellite terminals combines rugged design and mil-spec quality at an affordable price and is
now available with interchangeable kits for operation in both Ku- and X-bands.
Sat-tracker is a complete integrated satellite communications solution that includes tracking
antenna, satellite receiver and transmitter, closed-loop beacon tracking system, and a terminal
management system to support multiple communications streams. It also includes its own
integrated GPS compass and INU (inertial navigation unit), unlike other systems where these
can be expensive add-ons.
The very first Sat-tracker terminal was proven off-road in mid-2010 by its successful testing
atop an Australian Defence Force (ADF) Bushmaster vehicle. As a result, EM Solutions was
awarded a follow on contract by the ADF Capability Development Group to engineer this
comms-on-the-move terminal to achieve Technical Readiness Level Seven (TRL-7) and to
conduct WGS certification for the first batch of terminals.
In 2012, EM Solutions’ systems engineering and testing teams spent several months working
through the rigorous WGS testing procedure using a six-axis motion table to simulate
vehicle and vessel motion, while Sat-tracker remained connected to the Optus C1 Ka-band
transponder managed by the ADF. Sat-tracker met all Phase 2 WGS SOTM performance
requirements, and has accrued hundreds of operational hours on a Ka-band satellite.
X- and Ku-band capability is now available, based on swapping a custom-engineered, modular
‘kit’ comprising feed, SSPA/BUC and LNB’s with the Ka-system on the Sat-tracker platform.
This delivers maximum flexibility in the field for either military or commercial customers across
three important satellite bands using a single base terminal.
Sat-tracker uses a rugged, single parabolic reflector and horn with combined waveguide feed
for both transmit and receive signals to achieve higher gain, coverage of the entire bandwidth,
automatic alignment of receive and transmit beams, and tighter control of sidelobes than
any other equivalent antenna or phased-array system. Gimbal-mounted with three axes to
eliminate keyhole effect, and driven by a closed-loop tracking control system, Sat-tracker
achieves unsurpassed pointing accuracy and reacquisition time once locked, providing superb
communications availability. Even while traveling at 100km/hour on the highway or 40km/hour
off -road, connectivity is assured whenever the satellite is in line of sight.
Sat-tracker uses EM Solutions’ own powerful lightweight RF transmitters and receivers,
developed over many years and proven to meet demanding MIL-STD specifications. Fully
designed, made and tested for reliability and resilience in harsh Australian conditions,
Sattracker performs to military requirements, at a reasonable price.
Now in commercial production, and operable at both military and civilian Ka-band frequencies,
with conversion kits for X-band and Ku-band, Sat-tracker is more than a world first – it is
available now, offers unsurpassed value for money, and achieves best in class broadband
communications performance.
KEY FEATURES
•
•
•
•
•
Three-axis system eliminates keyhole effect
Fully integrated system uses closed loop tracking to eliminate
expensive INUs
Achieves exceptional pointing accuracy
Lowest DC power consumption
The affordable tri-band mobile satellite solution
Phone: +61 7 3414 0700
Email: sales@emsolutions.com.au
www.emsolutions.com.au
Revision #01. January 2015
SAT-TRACKER
BENEFITS
Increased system availability
Due to best-in-class pointing accuracy, a result of using closed-loop beacon signal processing
and tracking. Sat-tracker’s proprietary pointing system minimises the pointing loss to nearzero, which preserves the link budget and improves performance on marginal links.
Quickest re-acquire time after obstruction
Due to use of an innovative gyro-lock mode that predicts satellite direction during signal loss
and readies the unit for immediate operation after the satellite reappears into view.
Continuous coverage over all ranges of motion
Sat-tracker uses a three-axis gimbal mount system, eliminating keyhole effect and sync losses
when the satellite is close to overhead and where two-axis systems need to rotate violently to
maintain direction.
Reduced maintenance and power consumption
Due to the use of high life, sealed brushless motors, and the balanced inertial system mass that
minimises internal movement of the antenna and reduces power consumption to a mere few
watts over the BUC power.
Cost effective
Since the system price includes low-cost INU and GPS systems, which can otherwise prove very
expensive, and due to its modular design.
Complete end-end design, manufacture, and support
EM Solutions manufactures and designs its own RF and control electronics, so has full control
over the system supply chain, enabling terminal customisation and rapid turnaround.
Configurable to customer needs
Deliverable now for both linear and circularly polarised signals, in a variety of sizes, and with
EM Solutions own BUCs, the customer can optimise their configuration to suit local conditions.
The heat exchanger and EMC design of the Ka-band on-the-move terminal were first developed for
NICT under research and development funding provided by NICT Japan.
Phone: +61 7 3414 0700
Email: sales@emsolutions.com.au
www.emsolutions.com.au
Revision #01. January 2015
SPECIFICATIONS
SPECIFICATIONS
X-BAND
KU-BAND
KA-BAND
KA-BAND
Antenna Size
60cm (23”)
60cm (23”)
48cm (19”)
60cm (23”)
RF Frequency
Rx: 7.25 to 7.75 GHz
Tx: 7.90 to 8.40 GHz
Rx: 10.95 to 12.75 GHz
Tx: 13.75 to 14.5 GHz
Rx: 19.7 to 21.20 GHz
Tx: 29.5 to 31.0 GHz
(switchable)
Rx: 19.7 to 21.20 GHz
Tx: 29.5 to 31.0 GHz
(switchable)
G/T at midband
9 dB/K
14 dB/K
12 dB/K
15 dB/K
Antenna Gain
29dB
35dB
39.8 dB
42.5dB
SSPB
44 dBm (sat)
42 dBm (linear)
43 dBm (sat)
41 dBm (linear)
39 dBm (sat)
37.5 dBm (linear)
39 dBm (sat)
37.5 dBm (linear)
EIRP (higher powers available)
43 dBW (sat)
41 dBW (linear)
48 dBW (sat)
46 dBW (linear)
48.8 dBW (sat)
47.5 dBW (linear)
51.5 dBW (sat)
50.0 dBW (linear)
Beamwidth 3dB (Receive)
4.8°
3.1°
1.9°
1.8°
Beamwidth 3dB (Transmit)
4.5°
2.5°
1.4°
1.2°
Polarization (axial ratio Rx/Tx)
circular,1.2/2.0 dB
linear, N/A
circular, 1.5/1.0 dB
circular, 1.5/1.0 dB
Pointing Error (off-road)
<0.5 degrees (<0.1dB)
<0.4 degrees (<0.1dB)
<0.2 degrees (<0.1dB)
<0.2 degrees (<0.15dB)
Height (radome)
765mm
765mm
650mm
765mm
Base footprint
750mm
750mm
650mm
750mm
Weight
67kg
67kg
62kg
67kg
Satellite reaquire time after blockage after initial lock
DC Power
<1 sec
300W Peak
Max vehicle speed (highway or unsealed road)
120kph
Max vehicle speed (off-road)
80kph
Environmental
MIL-STD 810F qualified
Supply voltage
90-260V AC / 48V DC / 28V DC
Operating temperature
Coverage
-40°C to +55°C
azimuth: 360 continuous (n x 360°)
elevation: horizon to horizon without keyhole effect
Pedestal type
3 axis
Tracking type
Closed loop
ACU
1RU (5kg)
Beacon receiver
Embedded
INU and gyros
Embedded
Modems
Interfaces
MTBF (estimated)
Agnostic to modem, any IP-based
Ethernet
10,000 hours
Phone: +61 7 3414 0700
Email: sales@emsolutions.com.au
www.emsolutions.com.au