THE EVOLUTION OF HF RADIO – BARRETT COMMUNICATIONS

High-frequency (HF) radios have been in use for over a century. In fact, it was through HF radio that the Titanic sent its distress signals in 1912 after hitting the infamous iceberg. With the advent of modern communications technology, it was wrongly predicted that HF radio would become obsolete, and outdated by the higher data rates provided by satellites and the internet.

Modern innovations, such as the addition of automatic link establishment (ALE), have improved HF radio capabilities even further by enabling anyone to operate a radio and send a message without technical knowledge of the ionosphere. ALE automatically determines the optimal channel to connect to another receiver using link quality analysis (LQA), which evaluates previous transmissions (2G and 3G ALE). Additionally, 3G ALE builds a database to select the right channel by adapting to fluctuations in the HF ionosphere.

In the past, operators would need to manually account for variables such as solar weather, noise, transmission type, radio power, and antennae to calculate the best available frequency for transmission. With ALE, this can be done automatically by any operator regardless of their expertise.

Providing the HF radios that set the standard for 21st-century skywave transmissions is Barrett Communications. Founded in 1976, the Australian company was created to supply HF radios to aircraft and has expanded significantly since, now selling its products in 150 countries across the world.

The centrepiece of the Barrett range of HF radio communications equipment is the 4050 HF SDR transceiver. Combining Software-Defined Radio technology with an intuitive easy-to-use system, the 4050 transceiver provides secure voice, email, data transfer, and telephone connectivity within HF radio networks, and outwards to international telephone and internet networks.

The 4050 transceiver can also be controlled from all major mobile and desktop platforms, including iOS, Android, and Windows devices, integration with modern technology being a further advantage of the next-generation HF radio devices.

Barrett provides a comprehensive offering, including antennae, masts, encrypters, and tracking software that can act as an alternative to satellite-based GPS. All devices are equipped with the latest ALE and 4G software that makes them user-friendly without compromising on transmission quality.

As the world becomes increasingly dependent on satellites, the internet, and digitisation, alternative methods of communication have never been more important. Offering more wide-ranging and dependable global coverage than satellites, HF radio is an essential tool to connect people in remote areas, units in military operations, and communities during natural disasters.

Barrett’s HF radio equipment meets the requirements established by the US federal enforcement’s PACE (primary alternate contingency and emergency) methodology, which establishes methods of communications to be used if all others fail.

Modern innovations in 4G HF and ALE mean HF radios have never been easier to use, or more effective at transmitting data. Far from becoming obsolete, HF radio has defied predictions and will continue to prove its importance in the 21st century and beyond.

image: Barrett PRC-4090 HF Tactical manpack transceiver