High-Data-Rate, Line-of-Site Network Radio for Mobile Maritime Communications (Using Harris WetNet ™ Technology)

This paper discusses the development of communication technologies to dynamically manage and insure interoperability with high capacity connectivity for maritime communication platforms. Many advanced sensing devices are being utilized in a wide array of data collection platforms including autonomous vehicles, both on the surface of the water and under it. The volume of data from these platforms is increasing significantly. The data is usually required to be disseminated, processed and displayed to the user in a real-time fashion. This paper introduces and describes an IP-based network radio system, called Harris WetNettrade, as a line-of-sight (LOS) long-range communication solution for marine platforms. This paper discusses the ongoing technology innovations of WetNettrade in the area of range extension, power management, protocol modifications, frequency conversion, network modeling, advanced encryption, and ocean RF propagation analysis (channel characterization) in the UHF band. The technical solution discussed herein involves the integration of an innovative OFDM wireless architecture and bandwidth efficient protocol