Narda Safety Test Solutions is expanding its SignalShark series with an extremely powerful variant of the highly efficient RF receiver and direction finder.
With the new SignalShark XT, the measurement technology experts from Pfullingen have successfully combined an integrated high-performance computer with their modern, true “open platform” concept. For integrators, KRITIS, and security agencies – but especially for the entire defence sector – this breakthrough offers users unprecedented flexibility.
For the first time, SignalShark XT users can run computationally intensive third-party software directly on the compact precision measurement instrument without relying on an external PC during field operations.
An increasing number of wireless services and highly dynamic signals – such as drones, 5G, and IoT – are causing the radio spectrum to become increasingly dense and complex. Given this, sensor technology must continue to capture changes seamlessly in real time, while increasingly sophisticated software must process ever-larger volumes of data simultaneously, leading to continuously rising demands on the devices’ computing power and analytical depth. Now, Narda STS is meeting all these rapidly growing needs across various markets with its powerful and flexible SignalShark XT, which is particularly well-suited for demanding field applications.
Ideal scenarios for the new SignalShark XT include deployments within large distributed monitoring networks and TDOA-based localisation of signal sources, sensor fusion – such as for stationary border surveillance – as well as, in addition to container solutions, all operations on platforms such as vehicles or masts.
The greatest advantages of the SignalShark XT for field deployment stem from the conceptual reduction of system complexity. The mere fact that no external laptop is required saves space and costs and eliminates the need for a separate operating system that must be maintained, an external power supply, and measures for weather protection.
With fewer system components and, consequently, fewer interfaces and connections – which also means lower susceptibility to errors, including reduced cybersecurity risks – the measurement instrument is easier to set up and is ready for safe operation much more quickly. Designed for large-scale and automated frequency monitoring solutions, the SignalShark XT ultimately proves to be exceptionally efficient and scalable.
The CPU, which is approximately four times more powerful, combined with the Open Platform and the SignalShark XT’s higher level of system integration, also has an extremely positive impact in many ways within the defence sector. Narda STS has tailored the entire concept to the specific requirements of field operations. The compact device does not need to be connected to other systems via radio. It works even during radio silence. Thus, the reduced system complexity generally leads to lower electromagnetic visibility (electromagnetic signature) during crisis operations.
The device is designed and optimised from the outset – not every soldier in the field is a trained RF expert – to be reliably operational in no time at all, without the operator having to frantically adjust any measurement parameters “in the heat of battle.”
For the first time, the new SignalShark XT features a powerful octa-core CPU system with 16GB of RAM, a 512GB SSD, and 2.5Gbit Ethernet. With approximately four times the computing power compared to the standard version, tasks such as the simultaneous signal decoding and demodulation of 100 FM channels (instead of 16 as with the standard version), AI-based signal classification, and offline direction finding – e.g., to locate a swarm of drones – can now be easily accomplished.
Also, now possible with the new SignalShark XT are so-called machine learning and reinforcement learning AI applications, which achieve excellent results in signal classification when, for example, the user in the field does not have all the necessary decoders available. Bottom line, the SignalShark XT enables specific, tailor-made standalone solutions that in the past required large, complex, and complicated systems. SCPI remote control and VITA-49-compliant IQ streaming round out the new system’s integration potential.
