Antennas for Tactical Operators (TACOPANTS)
Training
The primary class we offer is: Antennas for Tactical Operators (TACOPANTS).
Antennas for Tactical Operators graduates will:
Understand the basic fundamentals of antenna operation, intuitively and quantitatively.
Be equipped to reliably and quickly establish communications in the field, under disadvantaged conditions.
Master a proven doctrine of field expedient antennas and methods minimizing Time To Comms (TTC).
Own a set of proven recipes for rapidly buildable and deployable improvised antennas.
Understand the tools needed in the field.
Antennas for Tactical Operators is an intensive, week-long, 45-hour course including lecture, lab work, and much hands-on construction. The class culminates with a comprehensive field exercise. Our primary focus is UHF SATCOM and LOS, although other bands will be discussed. Antennas for Tactical Operators is comprised of three modules:
Fundamentals of Radio Communication
TTC doctrine
antenna theory
radiation, polarization, multipath
VHF and UHF propagation
natural and man-made noise
noise mitigation
your friend the dB
impedance and matching
balance and decoupling
essential personal gear
the perils of digital modes
Gain Antennas and Reflectors
gain and patterns
flat sheet reflectors
corner reflectors
parabolic reflectors
stressed sheet semi-parabolics
improvised reflectors
Kraus helical
Yagi-Uda
HDTV antennas
Materials, Feedlines, and Connectors
conductors and absorbers
skin effect
RF connectors
adapter loss
feedline repair techniques
improvised feedlines
hasty impedance matching
Smith charts
Optional modules can be added depending on customer needs:
Contested Communications
survivable networks
jammers
how to mitigate DF
LPI / LPD and clandestine operations
Concealment
materials and techniques
using reflections
using man-made structures
body-worn antennas
covert antennas from locally available materials
Urban Operations
reflections
multipath
man-made noise
receiver desensitization
urban-specific covert techniques
WiFi, Bluetooth, Cellular
2.4GHz dipole
improving embedded antennas
reflectors
helicals
commercial satellite data / voice
DF
basics of direction finding
antennas for DF
field expedient techniques
SDR
introduction to software defined radios
basic DSP principles
building your own applications
VLF
High-Reliability low data-rate communications in no-satellite, contested environments
how propagation works at VLF
practical antennas for VLF communications
HF
HF propagation and the ionosphere
Hands-on building and testing of HF antennas
HF directional antennas
HF NVIS antennas
Antenna matching considerations at HF
ALE / multiband operation
SHF
antennas for SHF
propagation
rain model
bands: Ku, Ka, X
improving your out-of-bounds location
High North Environments
SATCOM at extreme latitudes
HF propagation at high latitudes
Temperature and weather effects
Ground conductivity considerations
Contested Environments
LPI / LPD and clandestine operations
Custom modules may be created for any requested topic. Please query us. We'll teach you anything. Ask about our daily specials!