KNL’s CNHF Manpack radio – the new standard for operational communications
KNL launched its new line of portable manpack HF radios to meet the increasing environmental and operational communications requirements for clients operating across the globe. Lighter and more durable than before, the KNL CNHF Manpack radios are engineered with superior usability in mind.
Manpack radio’s fast link establishment means that an operational communication channel can be established anytime, anywhere
Interference that can affect critical communications is an unfortunately common issue. Common interference can be divided into three categories – internal or self-interference, external interference, and intentional jamming. Regardless of the reason, interference can have a severely adverse effect on operational safety communications and can completely paralyse communications at worst.
When interference occurs, an operator or the radio itself must be able to find an interference-free frequency as quickly as possible to resume operational communications. Traditionally radios have been able to monitor one frequency at a time, which presents a major issue in this context. If interference occurs on one or more frequencies in a row, establishing a connection can take minutes – a critically long time in many situations.
Underscoring these issues, KNL’s CNHF Manpack radio is always capable of finding a way to resume safe communications, even in the case of severe interference on multiple frequencies. The approach can be split into two key stages:
- Instead of listening to only one channel, KNL’s CNHF Manpack radio listens to 4000 calling channels simultaneously (HF and VHF).
- When interference is detected, the KNL’s Manpack HF radio switches to an interference-free channel in less than 500 milliseconds – a significant improvement to other radios that can take up to one minute to form a connection.
Finding free frequencies quickly is a game-changer especially in conditions where forming a connection with another party or a signal station is difficult due to bad weather or other reasons. On top of lightning-fast connectivity, the signal is naturally encrypted with AES256 algorithm.
Monitoring multiple channels simultaneously on a manpack HF radio means accurate broadcast messaging
In situations where multiple recipients need to receive same message simultaneously, connecting with each of them separately is not a viable option. This is where the Manpack’s geocasting and multicasting features can be utilised, and with the capability to accommodate the full spectrum, accuracy increases drastically.
Geocasting, as the name suggests, means broadcasting a message to a pre-determined area where the recipients are known to be located. Most often situations that necessitate geocasting are operations where patrols or other personnel are scattered over a vast geographical area, and they must be kept updated with mission-critical information.
Owing to its capability to monitor a high number of channels at the same time, manpack operational communications can be used to broadcast messages to recipients residing in an area down to 10 kilometres by 10 kilometres.
The KNL Manpack HF radio also supports multicasting, which is another highly efficient one-to-many traffic delivering technique in which a message is conveyed simultaneously to selected users.
Read more about mission-critical communication
The manpack HF radio’s long battery life enable even longer missions
The long battery life of KNL’s Manpack HF radios means that carrying a backpack loaded with heavy batteries is a thing of the past, leaving carrying capacity for other equipment, such as water, food, and clothing.
To ensure even smoother and easier operational communications use during missions, the KNL Manpack HF radio has been put through strenuous environmental testing, which gained it the MIL-STD-810H standard.
To be awarded the MIL-STD-810H standard, the radio endured KNL’s harsh environmental testing conditions and physical stress. Some examples of the environmental testing are:
- High temperature
- Low temperature
- Rain
- Humidity
- Shock and pyroshock
- Ballistic shock
- Freeze/thaw
In addition to the capability to withstand extreme physical stress, the KNL Manpack HF radio comes with charging technology that allows the radio to be charged from non-power grid sources, such as solar panels or a cigarette lighter plug from a passenger vehicle. This capability makes advancing possible even in circumstances where there is no access to a power grid outlet, or the grid is unbalanced and distorted.
The manpack HF radio’s complex technology ensures smooth and safe operational communications
The KNL Manpack HF radios are loaded with cutting-edge HF technology that ultimately serves one goal: to ensure that you can conduct your operations as safely and smoothly as possible. If you are a professional looking to find out more technical information regarding manpack operational communications, please see the complete product sheet you can find in product page. You can also contact us below, as we are excited to discuss what manpack communications can do for you.