RACOM is working on joint research projects in partnership with Czech Universities to develop new properties for future generations of products in the wireless radio communications market. The research is in partnership with both Brno University of Technology and the Czech Technical University in Prague.

One project, funded over a four year period by The Technical Agency of the Czech Republic government, takes the title ‘Radio for Smart Transmission Networks’.

The projects are following two general themes:

• The next generations of Narrow band point to multi point high speed radio modems
• The next generations of Microwave point to point radios with particular focus on reliable communications in harsh environments, over long distances and reducing levels of attenuation related to specific propagation issues.

Through sharing ideas with other Research & Development groups we can increase the amount of research we can complete within a set time frame, further develop ideas with University research staff and ensure we can incorporate the latest cutting edge technologies into every new product we release. We are proud of our reputation as trend setters and use projects such as these to help introduce trend setting-ideas in our field.

In early December, RACOM also hosted a visit from 20 students from the Department of Radio Electronics, Electrical Engineering & Communications faculty of Brno University of Technology.

The students started their trip with a guided tour of our Surface Mount Technology facility in Blansko, where they learned about the production of PCB’s using SMT within a commercial environment. Afterward, it was on to Nové Město na Moravě for a tour of our Mechanical Production facility before touring our Hardware, Software, Production and QA facilities at RACOM Headquarters. The visit ended with a lecture from our R&D department using a real project to explain the development processes we undertake when designing a new product to take to the market.

The trip was an excellent opportunity for students to break from theoretical studies to witness, at first hand, the working environment within a ‘blue chip’ manufacturer, known globally for producing products using state-of-the-art technology. We hope the students took positive messages back with them and gained motivation from the visit to inspire their own career paths.

During general discussion after the visit, Mr Blumenstein from Brno University said, “The visit was very enriching for the students, especially helping make them aware there is a Czech company doing advanced research, using cutting edge manufacturing processes and successfully competing on the world stage.”

Students thanked RACOM staff for being so friendly, approachable and sharing valuable knowledge to help in their understanding.

In an interesting application which shows the diverse ways in which RACOM support ground breaking technologies, RipEX units are supporting the Airbus group with the development and testing of their electric aircraft, E-Fan, creating a bold new era in powered flight by bringing the advantage of electric aircraft into daily use.

As part of development and testing, a landmark was reached in July 2015 when the E-Fan aircraft successfully made a crossing of the English Channel; 106 years after Bleriot made the first successful powered crossing. A morning takeoff from the English coast saw the E-Fan reach a cruising altitude of 3,500 ft. in a bright cloudless sky. From takeoff at Lydd Airport to touchdown at Calais-Dunkerque Airport in France, the all-electric E-Fan demonstrator completed its 74 km crossing in 38 minutes.

To support the essential need for reliable transmission of telemetry data from the E-Fan, the Airbus group elected to use RipEX units to optimize the performance of this crucial role.

A static RipEX unit was positioned at each airport, one inside the E-Fan to send the telemetry data and a fourth in the plane that accompanied the record making attempt. This allowed the team to secure communication with two links simultaneously; one static and one mobile. Communication with the static units switched mid-flight from the radio in England to the RipEX unit at the airport in France. Large amounts of data were transmitted during the flight.

“Although I was alone in the cockpit, there were many people ‘flying’ with me today in this great success,” said Didier Esteyne, Aero Composites Saintonge’s E-Fan designer and test pilot. “It was the result of a fantastic team effort that brought much passion and the will to achieve.”

The E-Fan had already made more than 100 flights; preparations for this very special trip were extensive and included a dedicated test and verification programme, put together by French flight authorities, Airbus Group and its partners. During these flights Airbus were able to communicate between the airborne RipEX units over distances in excess of 35km using a tiny 10cm antenna on both planes.

“We are delighted that RipEX units play a vital role in obtaining certification which is of crucial importance for the future of safe, reliable and certifiable electric flight.” said Pavel Pejchal, head of RACOM’s Product management team.