Error-free data delivery.

To engage in reliable, error-free tactical communications one would need a system that can overcome the effects of noise, interference and multi-path whilst operating on the slow haft-duplex channels. A family of Data Controllers from ViaSat has been developed with the company's ADC protocol that provides for clear and clean comms in a cluttered environment. ViaSat's ADC can transfer data over radio channels that are too noisy for voice, overcoming channel error-rates in excess of 20 per cent. There are currently over 12,000 ViaSat Data Controllers (VDC) in use by military combat teams. The VDC connects to a variety of radios and use the MIL-STD-188-184 protocol, which was developed by ViaSat, to overcome the effects of interference. There are four VDC sizes, from the credit card-sized VDC-400, which allows a soldier to work with palm-top computers, to a special model for airborne use or IP-based networking. The VDC family brings e-mail with attached images to wireless networks. Besides providing error correction, VDC models feature networking capabilities, which allows users to share a single RF channel without a centralised network controller.

This information was, unfortunately, received too late to be included in our communications article on page 82.