Keep talking when the network is jammed, and own every future upgrade yourself

What does software-defined actually change for us operationally?

Waveform, band and mode live in software, so a single radio is reconfigured in the field as jamming, congestion or the coalition environment change, and the fleet is upgraded by update rather than replacement. The communications backbone evolves at the pace of the threat rather than the procurement cycle.

Why high frequency rather than only cellular or satellite communications?

High-frequency networks need no towers, no satellites and no subscriptions, so they keep working when commercial and space infrastructure is denied or down. That makes them the resilient backbone for contested operations and for national emergency and contingency networks.

Who holds the encryption keys and controls upgrades?

The buyer. Major-power radios often come with crypto custody and upgrade approval held abroad; here encryption stays under national control and field updates carry no foreign approval gate, so both the keys and the upgrade path remain sovereign.

Can we service and repair these radios ourselves?

Yes. The hardware and software are open-source and field-repairable, and the line includes an antenna analyser and RF field-test instrument for tuning, signal-strength checks and diagnostics, so the network is maintained in the field rather than sent abroad for service.

Do operators need an external computer to run voice and digital modes?

No. Voice and digital modes are handled on the radio itself with embedded compute, and remote operation, logging and spotting run over a local wireless link, so the radio is a self-contained networked node.

Why does open-source matter for a defence communications system?

An open, auditable design lets you inspect exactly what the radio does rather than trust a sealed foreign black box, and repair or adapt it in the field. It removes both the trust gap and the service dependency that closed-source radios impose.

What can you tell us about frequency coverage and power figures?

The line offers full high-frequency coverage across multiple platform classes from portable to integrated, and the envelope is configuration-dependent. Detailed figures are shared under a controlled briefing against your specific platform fit and mission rather than published.

Can these integrate with the command posts and platforms we already operate?

Integration with existing command-and-control systems, platforms and mission software is a design goal. Radio programmes succeed or fail on platform fit, waveform planning, key management and training. The specific interfaces are assessed during configuration so the radios fit your fleet rather than force a wholesale change.

What is a software-defined radio?

A software-defined radio puts waveform, band and mode in software rather than fixed hardware, so one platform can be reconfigured as the mission and the jamming picture change. Ours are hybrid HF transceivers: a 24-bit converter behind a passive front end and an eight-crystal roofing filter, with fully electronic transmit, receive and band switching. Voice and digital modes run on the radio itself, no laptop attached. They are working radios in daily use, not prototypes.

See: Architecture, modes and coverage of the HF transceivers, Software-defined and hardware-defined radios compared

Best HF radio for a military that wants no foreign export dependency

If your requirement names 4G ALE interoperability with a coalition HF network or certified national-release cryptography, an L3Harris AN/PRC-160(V) is hard to replace one for one, and we will not pretend otherwise. Where an open architecture is acceptable, ours covers 3 to 30 MHz at 4 to 25 W with SSB, CW, AM and the common digital modes on board, and the hardware and software are yours to audit, modify and repair. Worth noting too that an Australian option such as the Codan Sentry-H still carries a US ECCN classification, with ITAR approval possible on certain features. Read the classification line, not the flag on the box.

See: Against the AN/PRC-160(V) and the Sentry-H 6110-MP

Software-defined radio vs conventional hardware radio

A hardware-defined radio does what it was built to do, and changing that means new hardware. A software-defined radio changes behaviour by update, so the fleet evolves at the pace of the threat rather than the procurement cycle. The catch nobody mentions is who is allowed to write the update. Codan enables features through vendor-issued option codes and L3Harris sells waveform options as part numbers, so the radio you bought is a subset of the radio you hold.

See: The two radio architectures compared, Who is allowed to add a capability, vendor by vendor

Open-source HF transceivers for a national signals corps

The transceivers ship as open hardware and software under the GPL, so a national workshop can read the schematic, repair the board, change the firmware and add a mode without asking anyone. That is the difference between a working network in year ten and a queue behind a vendor who has moved on to the next product line. The antenna and RF analyser supplied alongside them exists for the same reason: antenna tuning and RF fault-finding done by your technicians in the field.

See: Open hardware, embedded compute and field repair, Open source read as a sustainment strategy

Do the radios support automatic link establishment?

Standards-based ALE is not something we publish, and we will not imply it. L3Harris states 2G, 3G and 4G ALE compliance to STANAG 4538 and MIL-STD-188-141D, and Codan carries FED-STD-1045 as standard with STANAG 4538 3G ALE as a paid option. If your network is built on standards-based linking, raise it with us before committing rather than after. It is on our own list of figures to publish.

See: ALE, data rate and encryption rows in full

Which digital modes run on the radio without an external computer?

SSB, CW, AM, FT8, RTTY, PSK31 and FreeDV, all carried on the radio itself. That matters in the field, where a laptop is another thing to charge, dry out and lose. An embedded Raspberry Pi handles logging, spotting and remote operation over Wi-Fi, and the whole set runs from standard LiPo batteries.

See: Modes, switching and embedded compute

How much transmit power do the transceivers produce?

From 4 W portable to 25 W integrated, depending on the platform. Both incumbents out-power us at the top: the AN/PRC-160(V) does 20 W PEP on HF and the Sentry-H 6110-MP does 30 W programmable in 1 W steps. On HF, antenna choice and frequency selection usually move the link budget further than the last few watts, but if your tender scores raw output, score it honestly.

See: Power, coverage and front-end rows compared

Can our own technicians repair these radios?

Yes, and the design assumes they will. Open hardware and software mean a technician can diagnose and fix a board rather than raise a warranty return and wait. Codan publishes a genuinely good MTTR of under 30 minutes, but that figure still assumes a supply relationship that holds and a depot that will accept your equipment. We do not publish reliability figures yet, and field repairability is a design intent rather than a certified number.

See: Repair, reliability and sustainment rows

Is an open-source radio secure?

Open design and secrecy of design are different things. An auditable radio lets your own cryptographers and engineers inspect what the firmware actually does instead of trusting a foreign vendor's assurance about it. We do not currently publish an encryption specification, so a buyer with a COMSEC requirement should raise it with us directly. L3Harris and Codan do publish certified encryption, and for classified traffic that is a real advantage worth weighing.

See: Encryption and crypto custody compared, Where crypto custody sits in a communications programme

We keep waiting on a foreign vendor to switch on features we have already paid for. Is there an HF radio where our own engineers can add a capability?

That waiting is a commercial and political decision taken abroad, and it is exactly what open hardware removes. Ours are GPL hardware and software, so your engineers can change the firmware, add a mode and extend the fleet without a licence key arriving from anywhere. The trade is that you take on more of the engineering yourself. For a country building sovereign signals capability, that is the work you wanted to do anyway.

See: Feature enablement compared: option codes against open source, Communications owned outright

Our front-line HF fleet is already American. What makes sense for the training, reserve and remote-administration networks?

This is where an open fleet fits without a doctrinal argument. Training networks, civil-defence links, reserve units and remote administration all need reliable HF, and almost none of them need coalition-certified crypto or 4G ALE. Ours cover the full 3 to 30 MHz band in SSB, CW and AM, so plain voice and CW working with your existing stations is straightforward. You keep the certified manpacks where they earn their price and stop paying option-code economics for the rest of the estate.

See: Interoperability and mode coverage in detail, HF networks for civil defence and remote operations

Our tender requires MIL-STD-810 qualification, a published receiver sensitivity and certified encryption. Can you meet it?

Not on the published record, and we would rather say so now than at bid clarification. L3Harris publishes MIL-STD-810H, immersion to 1 m and SSB sensitivity of -113 dBm for 10 dB SINAD; Codan publishes MIL-STD-810G, IP68 to 2 m and MTBF of 116,000 hours. We publish none of those equivalents yet. If your evaluation scores those lines, buy the incumbent and be clear about the strings that come with it.

See: Environmental and reliability rows, honestly marked

Is a radio made in Australia or Europe free of United States export control?

Not necessarily. Codan states an ECCN of 3A611.a under the US Export Administration Regulations for the Sentry-H, and notes that certain features may require ITAR approval when exported from the United States. That is an Australian radio carrying American conditions. The practical test is not where the factory is but which governments can lawfully stop a spare, an update or a feature from reaching you.

See: Export regime stated by each vendor

How does a country build sovereign signals capability rather than just buying radios?

By owning the design, the repair chain and the training, not only the hardware. Radio programmes stand or fall on integration: platform fit, waveform planning, key management and operator training, and every one of those is a place where a foreign approval gate can be inserted. We structure the engagement from requirements through fielding with training and support in region, and with open designs a national workshop can extend the fleet after we leave. The capability has to outlast the contract that bought it.

See: How a radio programme is structured and sustained, The secure-communications layer as a whole

Will these radios talk to the HF stations and partner networks we already operate?

For plain voice and CW, yes. They work across the full 3 to 30 MHz HF spectrum in SSB, CW and AM, so conventional HF interoperability is straightforward. Standards-based automatic link establishment is a different matter and one we do not publish, so if your network links on STANAG 4538 or MIL-STD-188-141D you should confirm the requirement with us before contract. Assume nothing on that point from any vendor, including us.

See: Mode and standards coverage across the three radios