Image: Focus Telecom
Focus Telecom has introduced a new timing product for defense and mission-critical applications, the Time-Loader.
The Time-Loader can be deployed in environments where GNSS signals are denied or disrupted, to support any ground, naval and airborne system that needs real time of day (TOD) and 1PPS external synchronization aligned to UTC or GNSS.
In this emerging era of rapid tactical deployment of defense systems, communications intelligence, missile defense systems, radar/electro-optical sensors and UAS batteries in the field are often in GNSS-denied or jammed environments. This situation creates challenges for access to real time and accurate time of day.
To solve this problem, the Time-Loader generates a GPS L1 C/A code RF output as if the signal were coming from a live-sky GPS antenna. It provides full-constellation GPS output and is compatible with external GNSS receivers. It encodes times with nanosecond accuracy for GPS timing receivers.
The Time-Loader’s GPS-disciplined oscillator (GPSDO) is the Microsemi MAC-SA53/55, which provides excellent UTC accuracy with outstanding hold-over rubidium clock performance.
The Time-Loader is the size of a suitcase, hand-carried and easily deployed. It activates quickly from a cold start or when sensors are deployed for the first time.
Included in the Time-Loader is a self-contained, miniature GPS simulator that provides real-time extremely accurate signals. The 18-channel full-constellation simulator stores location/time/date data in internal memory and stores complex vector data to simulate dynamic scenarios. The simulator also can be used to transcode NMEA or SCPI position/velocity/time (PVT) data into GPS RF signals.