At the end of 2017, we promised that 2018 would be a special year. One year on and feedback suggests it has indeed been a special year.

During 2018, the RACOM family introduced our new ‘babies’ to the world; each of our flagship product ranges has had a new model added to the portfolio. In the case of M!DGE2 it will, in time, replace the previous model. RipEX2 and RAy3 however, will complement existing models in the family while adding new and exciting features to extend the capability of these products.

At first glance these may simply appear to be large improvements in the chassis, data speed and bandwidth. But true to RACOM’s philosophy, look a little deeper into the technical specification of these products and you will see hardware and software innovation that will ensure these products still offer cutting edge technology in years to come.

None of this would be possible without the close cooperation and open relationship we share with partners, distributors, customers and suppliers alike, many of whom provide input that help us shape these new products.

A big thank you from the RACOM family to everyone for sharing your experiences.

And of course we made sure that older siblings, too, were supported in their development. RipEX received a substantial firmware upgrade to support easy expansion of existing networks and more efficient data transmissions whilst RAy Tools continue to evolve to make it ever easier to plan, set up and configure RAy links.

Despite all this hard work we do not rest on our laurels. As highlighted at our Global Partner’s meeting, there are many features which are part of the road map for each product; some that we know are essential to the general development of the product and others which are feasible but would need to be commercially justified before we could vindicate the work required to turn them into a reality. And development work on future models is already underway to ensure continued growth of each of our product lines.

And thanks again to the dedicated work of our partners, penetrating their own markets. With their willingness to facilitate three way communications between RACOM, the partner and their end customers, we have managed to win prestigious projects in influential markets for all of our products. These include substantial projects in water and electricity distribution and dedicated projects for government agencies that will positively influence decisions made by other utility companies in these regions.

Without the quality of partners enjoyed by RACOM, this would not be possible.
A huge thank you to all partners for your continued support :-)

On other fronts we have established Zebra PCB, a joint venture with Gatema; both RACOM and Gatema are high tech manufacturers. As a result, Zebra PCB will focus on delivery of high-tech prototypes and smaller series of high-density multi-layer PCB with high numbers of different components.

Looking forward to 2019, the order book is in a healthy state, we continue to increase the number of markets where our products are supporting the world’s population, our staffing numbers continue to grow and market feedback confirms RACOM is on a strong footing.

Wishing everyone a happy time over the holiday season and a prosperous 2019.

The RACOM Partner meeting in Prague, when we introduced the next generation of all three of our flagship products, was the start of very busy quarter for RACOM Sales Team. They have been travelling extensively to support partners at a number of events and to increase market awareness of the technological advances our new products bring to their respective markets.

Even before our partners meeting in Prague, the attendees at EUTC, this year held in Malmo, Sweden, got a sneak preview of what our new generation products bring to the market and responded with favourable comments.

Immediately after the partners’ meeting, RAy3 samples and materials were dispatched to be available for viewing at ‘Kam kráčajú telekomunikačné sietě’ ISP conference & exhibition in Slovakia. With 300 attendees it was an ideal platform to introduce the latest generation Microwave radio to the Slovak and Moravian ISP markets.

One month later RAy3 was introduced at an ISP event in Hungary hosted by our partners there. II.COMGress is the largest meeting of the Hungarian ISP community in 2018 with representatives from every stakeholder in the industry represented.

Further South in Europe, we introduced our new Microwave RAy3 at an event hosted by our Spanish partners.  This generated a lot of interest in both our company and our products and we look forward to developing these discussions further over the coming months.

We have also been in Italy supporting Italian partners at the H20 Accadueo show, where our new RipEX2 and M!DGE2 units were received favourable. The show played host to over 300 exhibitors and 12000 visitors.

In France, EBDS showcased our new generation RAy and RipEX products at the Smart Grid show in Paris.

RACOM also chose to take a stand at European Utility Week, this year taking place in Vienna, Austria. Our presence proved of particular interest to integrators and B2B organisations. Although mainly from Europe, we also received visitors from Asia, Australia and U.S.

We received positive feedback and interests from all seven events, where our new products have been introduced during the last 2 months. The interest is much greater than expected, putting pressure on RACOM to increase and speed up their production.

We look forward to next year when we will again be active in the market, supporting partners and pushing our products deeper into their respective markets.

We are proud to inform you, RACOM and Gatema have established a joint venture company, Zebra PCB.

This new company offers delivery of assembled PCB’s, where Gatema will take responsibility for PCB production and RACOM for their assembly. The customers will get the opportunity to use services of two market leaders in these disciplines as a one-stop service.

Since RACOM and Gatema are high-tech manufactures, Zebra PCB will focus mainly on delivery of high-tech prototypes and smaller series of high-density multi-layer PCB with high numbers of different components in state-of-the-art cases. There is also a possibility to deliver (some) components, so the customer may enjoy a real one-stop service: to email PCB blueprints and to receive assembled prototypes within a few days.

Using the high levels of quality and control for which RACOM and Gatema are renowned as a benchmark, Zebra PCB will also guarantee the highest quality and reliability of assembled boards.

RACOM has a global reputation as manufacturer of state-of-the-art wireless communication products since 1989. Their best-in-class products set trends in their respective market segments and are best known for their performance and high reliability. The attainment of such high-performance parameters is fully dependent on the components and technology used in production. To help maintain this level of quality, RACOM has invested in a technological centre for SMT and hybrid assembly including a complete line for mounting PCBs with double-sided surface and hybrid assembly in accordance with the RoHS directive.

Gatema is one the leading PCB manufactures in Europe since 1994. They service 800 companies in fifteen European countries with all types of PCB’s, from simple double-sided to the state-of-the-art 16 layers boards on all possible materials. Gatema invest into technology and machines every year and its production continuously grows.

New generation of all three flag ships products RipEX, M!DGE and RAy will be publicly introduced at European Utility Week in Vienna, Austria, 6 – 8 November 2018.

Come to see our new state-of-the-art products which are changing borders and set new trends.

If you would not have a possibility to meet us in Vienna, please visit our new web pages to get more details.

For further information, don’t hesitate to contact us.

In early October, RACOM extended a hand of welcome to our Global family who joined us in Prague for a partners’ meeting.

Over 120 people representing 56 companies from 34 countries from all continents finally met in Prague.

RACOM used the meeting as a platform to give partners an exclusive introduction to the new generation of our flagship products RAy, RipEX and M!DGE, before they are officially launched onto the market.

With the excitement and expectation about what new and improved features would be introduced filling the air, it was only right we opened the meeting by introducing ‘our new babies’ as they were described by RACOM CEO Jiří Hruška – and there was no disappointment!

Feedback was all positive with the RACOM development team receiving high praise for their ability to provide products that push the boundaries of physics – and to say the products are future proofed is something of an understatement!

After an enjoyable lunch where the products’ potential was fully explored, centre stage was given over to RACOM’s partners. Various partners were invited to the stage to discuss specific applications and share their success stories with the other partners.

And what better way to end the day than to be guided through the late afternoon sunshine of Old Town Prague and join a private cruise on the Vltava River for some well-deserved R&R.

Informal networking continued during the cruise, the quiz, laid out to test partners’ knowledge of each other’s countries, was strongly contested, all present enjoyed music and good food and partners had time to share their experiences with RACOM products in a relaxed environment.

On the Friday morning, the Sales and Technical workshops were all well attended. Thanks to a long productive evening on Thursday they started a little later than scheduled.

We look forward to supporting the professional networks that were consolidated during the event and inviting all back at some point in the future to see how our ‘babies’ are developing and what impact they are making on the world!

A huge thanks to all our partners for joining us in Prague.

RACOM has been on the road again, spending quality personal time discussing market and product issues with current and prospective customers alike, ensuring that RACOM maintains its reputation as a market leader and innovator. Thanks to all who were happy to share their time with us.

Our travels started in Orlando, Florida at the Wireless Communications Expo (IWCE). IWCE’s conference program offers support with new technologies and the latest industry changes and trends. It is the most comprehensive program the communications technology industry offers in North America. Our VP Sales, Mark Sutton attended to support Simoco, who are partnering us in the US.

As part of its product portfolio, Simoco was exhibiting its Xm radio modem and also RAy microwave units and M!DGE routers. These products all generated considerable interest from all in attendance. The event proved to be an ideal vehicle to launch this new US partnership and allow RACOM to bring its product lines to a larger market.

Later in the same month, RACOM was back in the Americas, this time in Rio de Janeiro, attending UTCAL. The main event of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) for Utilities in South America, this year was generally considered one of the best ever. As a regular sponsor of this event we are now regarded as a key player with the customer base in Latin America, who appreciate the high levels of reliability and robustness we have delivered to the applications where our equipment is employed.

In May, we were again represented in the US by our partner Simoco at UTC Telecom and Technology in Palm Springs, California. UTC is an ideal platform for the best in the utility industry to discuss the latest technology, get up-to-date on key policies and connect with important industry professionals. The attendees appreciated the opportunity to find out more about our products at first hand and witness how closely RACOM works to support its partners.

Nearer to home we have also been busy. In late March we supported our partner Sabur at Automaticon, Warsaw. The most important trade fair for automation, control, measurement and robotics in Poland, the show helps our partner extend its market share and RACOM’s reputation for quality in this market.

Most recently our Product Management team attended the Critical Communication World event in Berlin. We were invited by CCW to deliver a Master Class titled ‘Private UHF data networks and their role in utility networks and critical infrastructure’.  The class was well received by the participants.

Collective feedback suggests we will have a busy year ahead of us.

UTC Telecom and Technology

7th – 11th May, Palm Springs, California, USA

RipEX, already the radio modem of choice in many SCADA networks and other applications, has once again set new standards in the market. The latest FW release offers yet more unique features to further enhance the capability of this adaptable radio modem.

These new features are available from 1.8 fw version:

Nomadic mode

Nomadic mode is an extension of the Flexible protocol, used for easy expansion of an existing network by adding a remote unit (Nomadic Remote). Routing is automatically established between Centre and Nomadic Remote. Any Nomadic Remote can be transferred to any other place within radio coverage and is automatically reconnected to Centre.

QoS – Quality of Service

This feature allows the user to prioritise the order in which packets from different applications and/or management connected via any interface (COM’s, Ethernet) are transmitted to Radio channel.

NAPT – Network Address and Port Translation

This is a technique in which private IP addresses and port numbers (assigned to devices behind RipEX) are mapped to one RipEX IP address. For example, it is ideal when all RTU’s in network have the same IP address.

In addition to the features listed above other miscellaneous improvements have been added.

Please see RipEX firmware release notes, RipEX web page and Flexible protocol Info sheet for all new features or contact us for more information.

AUTOMATICON Warsawa

21st & 22nd March 2018, Warsawa, Poland, meet us at Sabur Booth, Hall 1, A2/B1

UTC AMERICA LATINA
TELECOM & TECHNOLOGY SUMMIT 2018

4th – 6th April, Rio de Janeiro-Brazil, HOTEL WINDSOR