San Diego, CA. At WInnComm 2017, Pentek Inc. announced an addition to its family of Talon Sentinel signal-recording systems. The new RTR 2613 combines Pentek’s intelligent signal-scanning software with real-time recording in a lightweight, portable, and rugged package. The RTR 2613 allows SIGINT engineers to scan the 3-GHz spectrum for signals of interest and monitor or record instantaneous bandwidths up to 40 MHz once a signal of interest is detected.
The RTR 2613 is housed in a rugged, lightweight chassis measuring 16.0″ W x 6.9″ D x 13.0″ H and typically weighing less than 30 lbs. This briefcase-style portable workstation
features 100% aluminum alloy construction, reinforced with shock absorbing rubber corners, and an impact-resistant protective glass for the 17″ high-resolution LCD monitor. The RTR 2613 recorder is a grab-and-go recorder suitable for test and measurement, mobile military, security, and government intelligence (SIGINT, COMINT, and ELINT) applications.
“By targeting spectral scans of 3 GHz, this new cost-effective recorder is priced at 20% less than other Sentinel family members,” said Rodger Hosking, vice-president of Pentek. “The rich feature set makes this an essential test and measurement tool for spectrum evaluation,” he added.
A Pentek Model 78621 Cobalt software radio module serves as the data-acquisition engine of the Talon RTR 2613. Its 200-MHz 16-bit A/D converter provides 86 dB of spurious-free dynamic range and 75 dB of SNR. A digital downconverter (DDC) provides frequency zooming for signal bandwidths from 40 MHz to as low as a few kHz. The Model 78621 is driven by a 3-GHz RF tuner front end.
Pentek’s Sentinel recorders add intelligent signal monitoring and detection capabilities to Talon real-time recording systems. The intuitive GUI allows users to monitor the entire spectrum or select a region of interest, while a selectable resolution bandwidth allows the user to trade sweep rate for a finer resolution and better dynamic range. Scan settings can be saved as profiles for quick setup in the field. RF energy in each band of the scan is detected and presented in a waterfall display. Any RF band can be selected for monitoring and real-time recording.
Talon/Sentinel recorders are built on Windows Server 2016 with an Intel Core i7 processor and provide both a GUI and API to control the system. Systems are fully supported with Pentek’s SystemFlow software for system control and turnkey operation. SystemFlow software has been enhanced to include intelligent scanning and integrated control of the RF tuner and optional RF upconverter. The software provides a GUI with point-and-click configuration management and can store custom configurations for single-click setup.
Post-processing and analysis software tools like MATLAB can be installed directly on the Talon RTR 2613 platform. Data files are recorded to the Windows native NTFS file system, which allows operators immediate access to recordings without the need for any file format conversion.
SSD array capacities between 480 GB and 61 TB are available, with support for RAID levels 0, 5, and 6. Additional options include recordable GPS time and position stamping and 10GbE or 40GbE offload facilities. The Talon RTR 2613 starts at $61,595. Delivery is 12-14 weeks ARO for all options.