High Power Hopping Filter

Mobile command and control vehicles must communicate on several communication nets. With several radio systems on board, the antenna signature of these vehicles can get very large and increase the vehicle’s rate of identification by unfriendly forces. Co-site interference is also an issue on these vehicles, and the interference gets worse when multiple radios share a single antenna to reduce the antenna signature. Current systems for reducing co-site interference in command and control vehicles are large and consume a significant amount of power. DataSoft proposes to research a high power multiplexer design that is much smaller and uses much less power than the existing systems. This will be accomplished with DataSoft’s innovative tunable filters that can handle high power levels yet have a very small form factor. These narrowband, high Q tunable filters have excellent linearity and will enable the USMC to operate up to eight SINCGARS radios using a single antenna. With the DataSoft system, the USMC command and control vehicles can operate up to eight SINCGARS nets without increasing their antenna signature and with minimal impact on maximum communication range.