Detecting Neutrinos in the Antarctic Ice Shelf

1. Extreme environment: the radios are deployed outdoors in the antarctic where temperatures can reach -40 C and below.
2. Power consumption: Solar and wind are used to provide all the power needed at each station . It is imperative that all electronics consume as little power as possible.
3. Low noise: The radio pulses that UC Irvine is trying to detect are extremely weak, so all the surrounding electronics and communication equipment needs to be uncommonly quiet.

The engineers at Afar worked closely with UC Irvine to provide a solution that met these demanding requirements. In 2012 UC Irvine successfully deployed four detector stations, each with an Afar radio, communicating with another Afar radio at the top of Mt. Discovery (46 km away), which then relays the data to a radio at the McMurdo station (75 km).  

 

New 900 MHz and 2.4 GHz radios from Afar

(Download PDF brochure)


November 15, 2009 – Afar Communications announced today the introduction of 5 new radio models.  These new spread spectrum radios will provide the same versatility and robustness of the current pulsAR-24027 wireless bridge, but in addition will offer the following advantages:

• Choice between 900 MHz and 2.4 GHz ISM bands
• Higher RF transmit power (up to 27 dBm)
• Optional encryption of all data transmitted over the air
• Compliant with Power over Ethernet (PoE) IEEE standard
• Very low power consumption and sleep modes

The various models occupy different RF bandwidth allowing you to match the radio with your data throughput requirements while keeping the highest possible RF performance. 

The new models will become available in February 2010.  You can download a PDF brochure which includes the specifications for all the 5 new spread spectrum radio models.

Afar radios provide wireless telemetry for seismic activity monitoring in India.

Afar delivers wireless telemetry system for the NASCAR Nextel Cup

Santa Barbara, California, January 4, 2008  –  Afar Communications Inc. announced today the delivery of a wireless telemetry system to Sportvision, for deployment in all the NASCAR Nextel Cup race cars.  The system includes 8 fixed base radios that will be installed around the track, and 55 radios to be deployed in every race car. These radios collect and transmit GPS and other telemetry data which is then used in a TV production truck to generate various enhancements during  the live broadcasts.

This is the third such system delivered to Sportvision, which previously had purchased separate systems to cover the Indy Racing League and the NASCAR Busch series .  Those systems have been in operation since 2006.

There is a new twist with this system: during a NASCAR racing event there are times when race cars for the two series are on the track at the same time. Sportvision needed to operate both systems simultaneously with the 8 base radios for each system co-located on the same poles.  Afar upgraded the firmware in all radios to use a synchronization technique developed for our standard PulsAR Wireless Ethernet Bridge .  With this technique all co-located radios synchronize their transmissions and completely avoid self-generated interference .  For the 2008 season viewers will be able to enjoy uninterrupted enhanced TV coverage for both the NASCAR Nextel Cup and the Busch series.

Afar radio gets SRRC certification for operation in China

Santa Barbara, California, September 14, 2007  –  Afar Communications Inc. announced today that the State Radio Regulation Committee (SRRC) of the China Ministry of Information Industry (CMII) issued the Type Approval Certificate for the Afar PulsAR-24027 Wireless Ethernet Bridge .  This certification adds to the list of countries where the PulsAR-24027 has been approved by local agencies, which include the USA, Canada, Brazil, European Union, Taiwan, South Korea and Indonesia.

Afar obtained this certification in support of a deployment by Bombardier Transportation for a new fully Automated People Mover (APM) system for the Guangzhou Metro Corporation (GMC).    This system will be based on Bombardier’s CITYFLO 650 Automatic Train Control system, which uses an enhanced version of the Afar PulsAR-24027 radio for the wireless communications between the trackside equipment and vehicles .

The dual-lane, underground system for Guangzhou will serve the Zhujiang Xincheng Central District of Guangzhou City. Four of the system's nine stations will provide connections to Lines 1, 3 and 5 of the Guangzhou City metro network.

Bombardier Transportation's facility in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, will be responsible for the design and supply of 14 Bombardier CX-100 vehicles and the Bombardier CITYFLO 650 automatic train control system. 

Afar Communications Inc. wins bid to supply Wireless Equipment for SEPTA

Santa Barbara, California, April 14, 2007 – Afar Communications announced today that it has been selected to provide 140 of its Wireless Ethernet Bridge and accessories for the upgrade of Southeastern Pensylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) Light Rail Tunnel in Philadelphia.   

The system will be upgraded to Bombardier ’s CITYFLO 450  which uses a lossy-line (“leaky feeder”) in tunnel areas to communicate between trackside equipment and trains using 2.4 GHz Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum Radios.  Those radios will be provided by Afar Communications and consist of an enhanced version of our standard PulsAR-24027 Wireless Ethernet Bridge .

SEPTA ’s Light Rail Tunnel is 2.5 miles long and contains two main tracks for a total of five track miles.  According to SEPTA’s Deputy Chief Engineer, John LaForce, “The purpose of the project is to install a modern state-of-the-art Positive Train Control system, defined as a Communications Based Train Control (CBTC) to improve safety while maintaining efficient rail car movements.  Ridership in the tunnel is approximately 60,000/day utilizing a fleet of 112 light rail vehicles. The new CBTC system will support 60-70 rail cars/hour with 30+ rail cars normally operating in the tunnel during the worst-case peak hour under the present scheduling. In the event of a delay, the number of rail cars in the tunnel could be much greater than 30, however, the CBTC system will be capable of handling up to 75 rail cars/hr as well as multiple berthing of cars in all stations.”

Afar Communications will deliver the wireless equipment in June 2007 and the system is expected to be in operation, with the Afar radios, before the end of the year.

Local High School robotics team, sponsored by Afar Communications Inc., reaches final in the San Diego robotics competition.

  Santa Barbara, California, March 26, 2007  –  For the second year in a row the local Dos Pueblos High School Engineering Academy participated in the robotics competition organized by FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) .

FIRST was founded in 1992 by Dean Kamen, the inventor of the Segway .  FIRST’s vision is "to create a world where science and technology are celebrated… where young people dream of becoming science and technology heroes."  The program has grown every year and in 2007 more than 100,000 kids participated in the various robotics competitions around the nation.

In Goleta, the physics teacher at Dos Pueblos High School , Mr. Amir Abo-Shaeer, established an Engineering Academy to foster an interest for science, math and technology among its students.  For 45 days the senior class worked 6 days a week well into the night to design, build and test a remote controlled robot that would perform the specific tasks established by FIRST .  In March, among much fanfare, music, and loud cheering, the school participated in two regional competitions held in large sports arenas in Los Angeles and San Diego.  Over 60 high schools competed in each event and Dos Pueblos High School reached the semi-finals in Los Angeles and the finals in San Diego.

Afar Communications Inc. is a proud sponsor of the Dos Pueblos High School Engineering Academy and we congratulate its Robotics Team 1717 for this outstanding achievement.