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58 Following our report in UST issue 3 about Spectracom’s Geo-PNT combined master clock and GPS/GNSS inertial navigation system, at the DSEI show the company’s director of solutions architecture, Hironori Sasaki, said, “The Geo-PNT is an innovative and efficient solution for applications that require precise data as well as an accurate time reference. “We see it as more applicable to secondary systems [surveillance systems, radars, steerable antennas, communications systems] where understanding your attitude at any given point and the orientation of your platform or sensor is critical, even when operating in GPS-denied environments.” Weighing 750 g and measuring 120 Every two years, the defence and security industry gathers in London for the DSEI show. It attracts more than 30,000 visitors and 1500 exhibitors ranging from UAV suppliers and ground station software vendors to sensor makers and sensor fusion x 100 x 55 mm, the Geo-PNT contains a GPS/GNSS receiver, an inertial measurement unit and an extremely accurate clock that acts as a reference for both time and frequency. The clock can be either an oven-controlled crystal oscillator, or a much more accurate chip-scale atomic clock (CSAC) regulated by the radioactive decay of a rubidium isotope. In the event of a lost or jammed GPS signal, the Geo-PNT can keep track of position, velocity and attitude using the IMU and the time signal from the CSAC or oscillator. In the Geo-PNT, precise time and frequency signals are available as 1 PPS (one pulse per second), IRIG-B (unmodulated Inter-Range Instrumentation Group B) time code, NTP algorithm developers, plus conference contributions from leading aerospace companies. If you couldn’t make it this year, here’s a selection of the editors’ picks. (Network Time Protocol) over Ethernet, 10 MHz and NMEA TOD (National Marine Electronics Association Time Of Day) messages as standard formats. Spectracom’s modular designs allow for additional formats and protocols as needed for custom applications. The Geo-PNT can also support SAASM GPS for military applications that require anti- spoofing resistance. Radar, comms transmitters and other ISR systems also need a precise frequency reference from the clock, as Sasaki explained. “Those devices transmit or receive at a very specific frequency, and fluctuations in frequency have negative effects on the performance of the overall system,” he said. “So they rely on devices like this to Our round-up of some of the highlights from the 2015 Defence and Security Equipment International exhibition Security review Attending DSEI is a must for anyone involved in the military supply chain Dec 2015/Jan 2016 | Unmanned Systems Technology