HIGH-POWER VLF
CEC is the worldwide leader in VLF transmitters and matching networks that meet the unique requirements of submarine communications. We have more high power VLF transmitters deployed than any other company with over 50 years of experience building and upgrading high power VLF systems. CEC’s solid state VLF transmitters are the result of significant R&D, and CEC has obtained multiple patents for its method of “wide banding” VLF transmissions.
- Meeting specific customer needs through field proven solid state modular design and construction
- CEC high power VLF transmitters support both STANAG 5030 and STANAG 4724
- High efficiency provides lower operating costs
- Innovative DSP technology improves RF transmission bandwidth and quality
- Modular construction makes for easy repairs and maintenance
Worldwide Navy forces rely on CEC’s high power VLF transmitters for communication with their submarine fleets.
CEC's patented technology combines the following to significantly increase transmission bandwidth.
- Adaptive Equalization - corrects for linear distortions
- Solid State Amplifiers - provided to operate into highly reactive loads returning reactive power to the DC power supplies
- Doubly Tuned Antenna Matcher - allows independent adjustment of the coupling between the primary and secondary resonances
- Adaptive Pre-correction improves the quality of the transmitted signal quality by improving SNR/MER.
- Higher transmitted SNR/MER increases coverage for the same transmitted power.
- Adaptive Pre-correction samples system output and compares to the ideal input. Correction is applied to match output quality to the ideal input.
- CEC’s Adaptive Correction will function with MSK modulation, any existing VLF MSK modulator, and any other modulation standard.
- Transmitted SNR/MER is typically not measured for most legacy VLF systems. Therefore, the improvement in SNR/MER can be very significant.
- Level of redundancy and availability can be customized based on customer requirements
- Onboard fault detection diagnostics for each amplifier
- DSP technology instantly bypasses a faulted module with no change in performance
- Comprehensive protection system monitors high-stress points throughout system, protecting transmitter from arcs
- Individual amplifier modules easily removed and serviced by one person
- Highly efficient air-cooled systems requiring no de-ionized water, anti-freeze additives or special equipment for safe and effective cooling
- Digital signal processing combined with solid state amplifier technology that recovers and reapplies reactive power significantly increases efficiency
- Legacy tube amplifiers are only 60% efficient in converting AC to RF power.
- CEC's solid state transmitters provide approximately 80% efficiency which equates to a 33% savings in operating costs.
Customized Solutions
CEC creates a unique system solution for its high power VLF transmitters, since system requirements and the associated antenna design, are never identical.
CEC considers all specific parameters associated with an existing or future antenna. CEC has proprietary software tools, refined with years of experience that model the performance of VLF antennas.
Based on the antenna performance, CEC can design the transmitter, and matching network, to achieve required delivered power and bandwidth over the operating frequency range.
Based on the custom design, CEC engineers, with software tool support, select the right hardware from CEC’s vast library of high power VLF transmitters, antenna tuning units and capacitors to build the design.
We tailor our approach to each site to create highly optimized, robust and efficient VLF systems.
