Pentek Introduces Rugged Portable RF/IF High-Bandwidth Signal Recorder

Pentek’s SystemFlow software allows turnkey operation through a graphical user interface, while the SystemFlow application programming interface allows easy integration of the recording software into custom applications.

At the heart of the recorder are the Pentek Cobalt Series Virtex-6 software radio boards featuring A/D and D/A converters, DDCs, DUCs, and FPGA IP. This architecture allows the system engineer to take full advantage of the latest technology in a turnkey solution. Optional GPS time and position stamping captures this critical signal information within the recording.

The RTR 2727 has a portable, lightweight chassis with up to eight hot-swap solid state drives, front panel USB ports and I/O connections on the side panel. Its extremely rugged, 100% aluminum alloy case is reinforced with shock absorbing rubber corners and an impact-resistant protective screen. Shock- and vibration-resistant solid-state drives with combined capacity to 3.8 TB make the RTR 2727 a reliable, portable field instrument.

Available I/O includes audio and VGA video, RS-232/422/485 serial, multiple USB 2.0 and USB 3.0, eSATA, and dual GbE connections.

“The rugged nature of this portable recorder makes it ideal for the military field environment where shock and vibration comes into play,” noted Rodger Hosking, vice president of Pentek. “The RTR 2727 is light enough to take anywhere to acquire wideband RF or IF signals and then carry back to a field lab after the mission for immediate analysis or archival of the data. The recorded files are stored in the native Windows NTFS (new technology file system) format, allowing them to be immediately used without the need for post-recording file conversion.”

Ruggedized Construction

By using hot swappable SSDs, the recorders exhibit high immunity to shock and vibration for ground vehicles, ships and aircraft. The drive array capacity can be as large as 3.8 TB and supports RAID levels 0, 1, 5, or 6.

Ease of Operation

The built-in Windows 7 Professional workstation with an Intel Core i7 processor gives the user total flexibility in routing data to various drives, networks and I/O channels. Also, the user can install post-processing and analysis tools on the system itself to operate on the recorded data. The RTR 2727 is fully supported with Pentek’s SystemFlow software for system control and turnkey operation. The software provides a GUI with point-and-click configuration management and can store custom configurations for single-click setup. The software also includes a virtual oscilloscope and spectrum analyzer to monitor signals before, during and after data collection.

Pricing and Availability

The RTS 2727 starts at $39,995 USD. Delivery is 10-12 weeks ARO.