Capabilities and experience in provision of ship to shore, ship to ship video downlink systems
Navtech Systems Limited has been designing, manufacturing, supplying and installing video link equipment for more than 12 years. The company has acquired considerable experience in this specialist field, particularly with surveillance operators involved in security provision. We have an established customer base of Police and paramilitary organisations covering the USA, Europe and the Middle East.
Navtech airborne downlink equipment has been selected on two recent occasions to provide the principle video link facility for the security surveillance aircraft used at both Summer and Winter Olympic Games. The most recent high-profile application of the COFDM link technology offered by Navtech was the FIFA World Cup in Germany, where it provided video downlinks for the German Police helicopters.
In the UK, Navtech has successfully provided and supported airborne equipment to Police Forces in London, Manchester, Merseyside, Durham, Northern Ireland and Leicestershire. In addition, the technology currently utilised in virtually all UK Police aircraft to enable long range analogue links with automatically tracking antennas is designed and supplied by Navtech. In recognition of its achievements, Navtech was awarded a UK Government DTI
‘Foresight’ award in 2001 to endorse the previous ‘Smart’ awards for our down link technology.
With the development and evolution of digital transmission systems and their increasing adoption in video link applications both for airborne and marine applications, Navtech has invested heavily in this technology. Using private and customer's aircraft and marine craft, we have completed a development and testing regime that has resulted in a competitively priced, high performance COFDM product that is available now.
We have worked closely with partner companies to assess and evaluate a variety of technologies, with the emphasis on developing a system optimised for our security surveillance operators. Navtech’s principle technology partner for COFDM digital video links is Tandberg. Tandberg is a multi-million pound turnover, world-class European company at the forefront of video compression, digital modulation and digital delivery techniques, backed up by a particularly strong RF engineering capability. Navtech and Tandberg have worked closely over the past few years to develop high performance, reliable digital link systems for airborne, marine and terrestrial surveillance.
The equipment offered by Navtech is field-proven by both security and broadcast users in both airborne and ground–based applications. Our airborne transmission equipment is already fully aircraft-approved (certified) to Eurocopter standards for the latest generation of aircraft and is in current use by European Police Air Support Units. These same high specification manufacturing and performance standards apply to our marine systems such that reliability and performance are not compromised. From an integration perspective, the transmission equipment is a very compact ‘single-box’ solution. It incorporates integral redundant forced air cooling fans and a comprehensive remote control facility giving operational status information and warning of loss of output power, antenna faults or video loss.
The systems offered by Navtech include the latest generation MRC (maximal ratio combining) diversity technology to provide optimal reception capability. Central receive sites are non-tracking diversity combining antenna arrays. This technique provides the ability to receive images at one site from multiple transmitters (ships) simultaneously. Using a diversity array, one set of antennas and down-converters can supply two or more receivers without any control system being required. Navtech offers this flexibility in equipment choice to its customers. In addition to central receive solutions, Navtech provides a range of very competitively priced equipment for portable applications and mobile command posts, again making use of MRC diversity (which is of particular importance in urban environments and with mobile equipment).
The same diversity equipment that is utilised for portable ground receivers is also used for attendant fast response patrol craft to return images to the main ship. A compact dual antenna diversity receiver is offered which can feed ship to ship camera images to the Cutter’s on-board video management system. This in turn can be combined with the Sea Flir video and relayed by the main link to shore command.
Designing and supplying complete system level microwave link solutions for airborne surveillance operators on a ‘turn-key’ basis has been at the core of Navtech’s activities for the last 12 years. We are a specialist company in this field, employing highly experienced staff, dedicated to providing optimal solutions to our customer’s needs. We have the proven capability to support and service the equipment anywhere in the World. Whilst being a relatively small company (which allows flexibility in our services) we are backed and supported by the technological and financial capabilities of our carefully selected partners, who are all World leaders in their respective technological fields.
To provide comprehensive after sales service to our customers Navtech has three experienced, UK-based field service engineers (supported by office-based engineering staff) who are available to investigate and resolve any reported downlink problems at a customer’s site. As a measure of Navtech’s capabilities, we are regularly engaged by clients to undertake field servicing and fault investigation tasks in overseas locations for equipment and systems manufactured by other microwave vendors.
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