Leaders of the Royal Netherlands Army needed reliable, long-range manpack HF radios for a broad range of tasks, such as national defense and United Nations peacekeeping duties. They found their answer in the RF5800H-manpack HF radio from the Harris Corp. RF Communications Division in Rochester, N.Y.
"We sent them our requirements, and Harris came out the best," says a Royal Netherlands army officer who wishes not to be named as a matter of policy. "It is a good product at a good price."
The RF-5800H radio, which is for military shelters, vehicles, and base stations in the Netherlands, features normal voice communications, as well as high-speed data communications, secure voice communications, and automatic link establishment (ALE).
The ALE feature is important to modern HF communications, which have worldwide reach in the 2-to-30-MHz frequencies. HF can be difficult to use because it is highly susceptible to natural and manmade electromagnetic interference from lightning, power lines, and other sources.
The ruggedized RF-5800H weighs 10 pounds without its battery, and combines advanced power management and custom application-specific integrated circuits to achieve long operating life on one charge. - J.K.
For more information on the RF-5800H, contact Harris RF by phone at 716-244-5830, by fax at 716-242-4755, by post at 1680 University Ave., Rochester, N.Y., 14610, or on the World Wide Web at http://www.rfcomm.com/.
