Home Projects Marine Tracker

The Challenge

Protection of coastal borders is increasingly necessary to help target smugglers and prevent illegal entry.

ATLAS Telecom has instructed Plextek as part of their next generation E-Passport programme to deliver a highly innovative marine tracker solution serving the evolving needs of the Critical Infrastructure and Coastal Protection Authority (CICPA). ATLAS Telecom awarded Plextek a contract for the programme’s first phase.

E-Passport advances the surveillance and reconnaissance operations for increased coastal security and safety, aided by autonomous notification of impending threats and behaviour pattern anomalies.

The Approach​

Plextek’s work includes the design and high-volume manufacture of a critical element of the end-to-end E-Passport solution; consisting of an advanced military grade hybrid TETRA GPS smart tracker device that provides life-saving features for rescue teams during emergencies.

The intelligence-driven marine unit has been designed to ensure highly resilient and secure communications with seamless operation, whilst also facilitating a high level of tamper resistance, power efficiency, and a robust marine enclosure, enabling full environmental protection under extreme conditions.

The Outcome

The project is ongoing, but Samer Jammoul, Managing Director at ATLAS Telecom stated: “We have chosen Plextek as a strategic partner for their strong track record in delivering highly resilient communications, and IoT technology solutions for mission critical applications”.

ATLAS Telecom has awarded Plextek an initial contract for the programme’s first and current phase, with further phases to follow.

We have chosen Plextek as a strategic partner for their strong track record in delivering highly resilient communications, and IoT technology solutions for mission critical applications

Samer Jammoul

Managing Director at ATLAS Telecom

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The Kootwijk VLF Antenna: A Numerical Model

A comprehensive analysis of the historical Kootwijk VLF (Very Low Frequency, which covers 3-30 kHz) antenna, including the development of a numerical model to gain insight into its operation. The Kootwijk VLF antenna played a significant role in long-range communication during the early 20th century. The paper addresses the challenge of accurately modelling this electrically small antenna due to limited historical technical information and its complex design. The main goal is to understand if the antenna’s radiation efficiency might explain why “results were disappointing” for the Kootwijk to Malabar (Indonesia) communications link. Through simulations and comparisons with historical records, the numerical model reveals that the Kootwijk VLF antenna had a low radiation efficiency – about 8.9% – for such a long-distance link. This work discusses additional loss mechanisms in the antenna system that might not have been considered previously, including increased transmission-line losses as a result of impedance mismatch, wires having a lower effective conductivity than copper and inductor quality factors being lower than expected. The study provides insights into key antenna parameters, such as the radiation pattern, the antenna’s quality factor, half-power bandwidth and effective height, as well as the radiated power level and the power lost through dissipation. This research presents the first documented numerical analysis of the Kootwijk VLF antenna and contributes to a better understanding of its historical performance. While the focus has been at VLF, this work can aid future modelling efforts for electrically small antennas at other frequency bands.