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PathFinder Digital Releases Modem Agnostic Antenna Control (MAAC) Software Upgrade for Legacy TracStar/TracLRI ACUs

May 4, 2022

 Thousands of legacy VSAT systems with TracStar/TracLRI controllers have been fielded and are still operating in both the private sector and in military programs. While these terminals are still performing and critical to the programs' objectives, they become problematic when a program must adopt new modems with different operational parameters due to modem obsolescence. As a result, legacy antenna control systems such as TracStar/TracLRI ACUs often do not fully communicate with the new modems, and functionality is lost; this is especially true with newer OpenAMIP modems.

In order to enable legacy TracStar/TracLRI antenna control units to seamlessly interface with new modems such as the iDirect 8 and 9 series modems, PathFinder developed and recently delivered its Modem Agnostic Antenna Control (MAAC) software to enable the incumbent antenna control units (TracStar/TracLRI) and new iDirect modems to seamlessly interface, retaining all the functionality of the original configuration.

The MAAC software is an upgrade that can be uploaded to the TracStar/TracLRI ACU, providing intercommunications between the OpenAMIP modem and the ACU. No new hardware is required. The MAAC software supports OpenAMIP communications with the iDirect modems enabling direct point and reference modes of satellite acquisition, thereby extending the useful life of the VSATs without the program needing to sacrifice functionality.

The MAAC software is operated via a simple web portal enabling configuration and control of the antenna. Profiles are retained for both OpenAMIP and legacy modem configurations.