Long Range, Flexible, Reliable, No moving parts
Sonora configures long-range man-portable ground stations and equipment suites customized to any display, distribution and terrain requirements. The Dragoon compatable Long Range Ground Station pictured below delivers LOS video from a surveillance aircraft 140 miles away to a satellite reach back data link (SATCOM) allowing it to be viewed, real-time, from anywhere in the world.
This ground station has no moving parts yet provides 12dBi gain over 360° azimuth. The integrated UHF/VHF voice radio and antenna allows ground authorities to stay in voice communication with the aircraft out to the range of the video link. Simultaneous to the SATCOM reach back interface, the Ground Station provides video in a variety of digital and analog formats for large screen display and recording and video streaming through a LAN or internet.
- Greater than 100 mile reception range (140 mile typical)
- 128-bit or 256-bit encryption
- High Definition or Standard Definition or both
- SATCOM interface
- Simultaneous digital and analog output for recorders, displays or projectors
- Simple front panel frequency tuning and video display
- Integrated UHF/VHF voice comm radio
- High gain 12 dBi, 6-panel antenna array and voiced comm antenna
- 28 foot graphite antenna mast and tripod
- Three-case man-portable packaging: Electronics, Antennas, Tripod
- Easy, quick setup: less than an hour including mast and antenna.
Sonora’s Receiver Test Kit
End-to-end test of remote-site receivers and distribution networks with Sonora’s Receiver Test Kit eliminates the exorbitant costs of most airborne test and training flights. The kit, which includes a low-power test transmitter, is ideal for frequency and encryption code verification and economically supports operator and ground agent training. Similarly, end-to-end test of aircraft camera, computer and video down link systems with a hand-held receiver is a recommended mission pre-flight procedure. These practices virtually eliminate setup and coordination errors that can put critical, high-value missions at risk.
Sonora’s Receiver Test Kit is battery, vehicle or AC powered to accommodate the variety of locations that hand held receivers and ground stations can be deployed.
Cursor On-Target & KLV Meta Data
Side-by-side display of the live video and the real-time meta data on a moving map is a powerful enhancement of any situational awareness presentation.
Sonora Systems down links provide meta data in a variety of formats including MISB KLV meta data. We present this meta data on a separately displayed moving map. A typical presentation includes aircraft location, flight path, current camera vector, target location and camera path. This data can be displayed on any moving map including Cursor-on-Target software or publicly available Falcon View.
Another huge benefit to KLV meta data encoding is that video imagery data can be archived, sorted and retrieved by either time or location parameters imbedded in each KLV frame.
Custom Antenna Arrays for long range
A key performance advantage to Sonora Receiver Ground Stations is their reception range. Multiple diversity channels allow our engineers to arrange up to eight separate antenna beams and combine them into a composite beam that is optimized to your area of operation. In the figure below a simple array of six, 60° azimuth antenna panels provide continuous 12dBi gain in all directions with no tracking gimbal – no moving parts.
In the figure below three of the same six channels are fitted with different antennas and arranged to optimize reception along a border surveillance area of operation. Reception range can be extended to beyond 200 miles along the border so long as altitude sufficient for line-of-sight (LOS) is maintained.
