CTIA Super Mobility Week, Las Vegas, Sept 4th, 2014 – For M2M and IoT companies working in oil & gas, mining, maritime, construction and emergency services, Taoglas, a leading M2M and IoT antenna provider, today launched an Iridium certified smart antenna transceiver that will leverage the Iridium® satellite network’s reliable, global, low-latency coverage to provide connectivity in remote or extreme environments. Called the Spartan STS.01, it includes an Iridium certified Taoglas antenna complete with an Iridium 9602 SBD transceiver, all encased within Taoglas’ robust Spartan enclosure. Visitors to the Taoglas Booth # 6029 and 7611-B in the M2M Pavilion at CTIA’s Super Mobility Week, September 9-11, will see the Spartan STS.01 first hand.
“For any M2M company working in vehicle telematics, or remote tracking where cellular connectivity is not available, the Spartan STS.01 transceiver provides a low-cost, low-risk solution to deliver critical information from anywhere on earth via the Iridium satellite network,” said David Wigglesworth, Vice President and General Manager, Americas & Global M2M Services, Iridium. “For example, the all-in-one STS.01 reduces the cost to add Iridium M2M service to an existing cellular solution by providing the satellite hardware solution, only requiring the developer to complete the software integration by interfacing to an existing serial port.”
“When M2M companies include the Spartan STS.01 transceiver in vehicles, they don’t have to get separate certifications from Iridium or industry associations. The Spartan is certified for use on the Iridium network. In the future, we’ll be adding GPS/GLONASS and Beidou capabilities to the receiver,” said Dermot O’Shea, President, Taoglas USA.
The Spartan STS 01 Transceiver has many advantages:
Efficiency: The Iridium 9602 SBD transceiver and Taoglas’ Iridium certified IP.1621.25 antenna are housed together in a single waterproof (IP67 and IP69k) industrial grade enclosure. This eliminates the expense of installation costs and performance losses associated with the coaxial cable normally used to connect the antenna to the Iridium transceiver. As a result, it is among the highest overall performing transceiver implementations of its kind in the market.
Load dump: The device is SAE J1113 and IEC16750 compliant versus electrical transients and noise. It is the only product of its type to withstand vehicle load dump transients with no user intervention. The product does not have to be removed from the vehicle to change a fuse after a transient event. The unit also features a brown-out protection system to ride through short power interruptions.
Certification: The Spartan is Iridium certified as a whole device. Companies can buy it, register on the network and start using it. The product meets automotive IEC/ISO 16750 and SAE J1113 certifications and the stringent rail EN50155 and marine IEC 60945 standards for mechanical, environmental and electrical characteristics.
At a height of 50mm (2 inches) and a diameter of 150mm (6 inches), the Spartan has a ribbed, curved, low profile housing that suits roof mounting on vehicles or covert installations for outdoor equipment. It also has a heavy-duty, extra thick thread and nut, which prevents the transceiver being snapped off, damaged or vandalized. The base and thread is made of a one-piece cast metal functioning as a highly efficient integral ground-plane, removing the need for an external or extra ground-plane to couple to. This setup prevents noise interference from the RF module or nearby electronic equipment entering the antenna. It also directs antenna radiation away from the module, increasing isolation.
The Spartan STS.01 is available directly from Taoglas or through their distributors. For more information visit www.taoglas.com.
