News Release!!
IAS COMMUNICATIONS, INC. ANNOUNCES SUCCESSFUL TEST RESULTS
Received on ARINC ORBCOMM Satellite Antenna
RICHMOND, British Columbia, Jan. 12 /PRNewswire/ -- The following was
issued today by John Robertson, President of IAS Communications, Inc.:
IAS Communications, Inc. wishes to announce a progress report on the
successful test results has been received from the ARINC engineer on
our new satellite antenna. The objective of this joint development
effort between ARINC, Inc. and IAS Communications, Inc. is to produce a
new antenna product designed to meet identified Dominium(R) market
needs. The specific markets targeted for this antenna are the
untethered trailer tracking, intermodal shipping container, and
military transportation segments. These markets require a simple,
low-cost tracking device and covert installation that includes an
unobtrusive antenna. The current "First Pre-Production Prototype" of
this development was delivered to ARINC, Inc., Colorado Springs,
Colorado on December 29, 1998. Since delivery, the antenna has been
under continuous testing.
New antenna technology was evaluated to determine technical
feasibility, production ability, and installation parameters and
issues. The new antenna for a "flat" (<=1/2 inch thick) antenna was
designed to meet specific Dominium(R) size, performance, and packaging
requirements. During 1998, prototypes were developed and tested by
TEAM, Inc. which is our joint venture research company in West
Virginia, 50% owned by IAS Communications, Inc. and 50% owned by
Emergent Technologies, Inc. (ETC). This project also included analysis
with respect to technical maturity, manufacturing and integration
issues, installation issues (new trailers via trailer manufacturers and
retrofits to fielded trailers), impacts on the existing and future
fielded system costs, and time to implement.
The new antenna for the Dominium(R) application is a dual-antenna
housed in one physical structure. It operates at the ORBCOMM frequency
band (137 - 150 MHz) for transmit and receive of low-rate data using
the ORBCOMM Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite system. It also operates
at the GPS frequency band for reception of GPS position data.
Current Status. The first delivered prototype meets all of the size
parameters for the desired antenna. The first prototype delivered to
ARINC for testing included only the ORBCOMM antenna in a "Brass-board"
package. The GPS antenna for the Dominium(R) application, however, has
been previously tested successfully at TEAM, Inc. in a different
antenna package. The performance of the ORBCOMM antenna in the first
prototype has been exceptional, and meets all of the Dominium
requirements for this antenna according to the ARINC engineers' report.
TEAM, Inc. is currently completing the development of 19 additional
prototypes of the combined antenna (ORBCOMM and GPS) for delivery to
ARINC in Colorado Springs for final acceptance testing. Production of
the Dominium(R) antennas is expected to start immediately after
successful testing. IAS Communications has received a purchase order
from ARINC to tailor the antenna package for use on shipping
containers.
IAS Communications, Inc. has granted ARINC an exclusive license to
market and sell the new antennas for ORBCOMM satellite applications
under the Dominium(R) product line to encompass the world-wide
inter-modal shipping containers market area for one year. ARINC,
founded in 1929 and headquartered in Annapolis, Maryland, provides
communications and systems integration engineering to business and
industry. ARINC's Dominium(R) product line uses the ORBCOMM low earth
orbit (LEO) satellite communication system, which provides global
communications coverage especially useful in remote areas that are not
serviced by conventional or cellular telephone or other terrestrial
communication networks. The Dominium(R) tracker unit is battery
powered and equipped with the Global Positioning System (GPS). It can
be programmed to automatically report its position and other
information like temperature, engine speed or load capacity, at any
desired time interval, or upon reaching a user-determined alarm value.
Dominium(R) also markets a data messaging line of products, which
integrates input/output devices for sending and receiving text
messages.
A subscriber installs the tracker unit on the asset to be tracked or
monitored for a variety of applications including trucks, truck
tractors, detached truck trailers, rail cars, ships and containers.
Dominium(R) currently provides service to national and regional
trucking companies and to national railroads. Container shipping
companies are currently evaluating the product for delivery in 1999.
The new antenna is a compact, low profile, donut-shaped antenna, flush
mounted on an application at a fraction of the height of the monopole
antenna used today. IAS Communications, Inc. holds the worldwide
rights to all commercial applications for this technology and ETC owns
the Military/Government rights.
ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
John Robertson
President |
