GPS Antenna Prepares Indian Soldiers For 21st Century Battlefield
The Saathi, which means 'friend' in Hindi, is a tactical GPS enabled PDA with integrated radio and a customized GIS application for displaying military maps and location of other devices. Weighing 875 grams, the Saathi can fit into a soldier's palm and also has a remotely operated self-destruction and activation feature for preventing misuse by unauthorized persons.
Encore Software integrated Sarantel's high performance miniature GPS antenna in the Saathi to ensure soldiers have stable GPS reception in unstable conditions. While conventional antennas de-tune and become inefficient when in contact with RF-absorbing materials like the soldier's hand or head, Sarantel's GeoHelix GPS antennas are able to stay on frequency regardless of how they are used.
The Sarantel antenna also works in random orientations because of the antenna's omni-directional capability. This important capability removes the burden on soldiers to think about orienting the Saathi in order to achieve reliable performance.
Mr. Mark Mathais, President of Encore Software Mobile Computing Products says: "The Sarantel GeoHelix antenna is the only antenna we could source for use on the Saathi. A patch antenna was not acceptable to the customer."
"The Saathi is the first time the Sarantel GPS antenna has been used in a large scale military application," says Sarantel CEO, David Wither. "GPS is an invaluable tool for the soldier. The Sarantel GPS antenna provides exceptional reception in extreme conditions and enables Indian soldiers to carry out their duties without having to worry about GPS performance."
Joe Murray, Sarantel's Asia/Pacific President, commented, "This is Sarantel's biggest India win and more will follow. Our relationship with Encore began over two years ago. Encore's position in India's electronics industry is strong, and their military PDA design has potential beyond India".
SOURCE: Sarantel