Phoenix International Introduces Iridium-Based Satellite Gateway For Remote Asset Tracking And Monitoring

October 11, 2010

Phoenix International, a John Deere Company, introduced a new addition to its product line of advanced integrated telematics solutions with its Satellite Gateway for tracking and monitoring assets anywhere in the world. The new Satellite Gateway incorporates the Iridium-based Quake Global Q9612 short-burst data (SBD) transceiver. The transceiver combines the global coverage of the Iridium satellite network with the low latency of the SBD service.  

“Iridium’s global coverage and low-latency, two-way SBD links provide an ideal solution for companies with equipment operating in places that are not reliably served by terrestrial wireless networks or other mobile satellite systems,” said Chuck Needham, Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Phoenix International. “We have added increased power conditioning and transient protection, and integrated the Iridium-based QUAKE Q9612 into a hardened package designed to meet the toughest requirements for vibration, shock, temperature, humidity and other environmental conditions.”  

The Phoenix Satellite Gateway is designed to be installed on a wide variety of off-road, on-road and fixed-site equipment. It operates on 12V or 24V vehicle electrical systems and has extensive built-in electrical safeguards. It interfaces with external devices through RS232 protocol and transmits data through the Iridium satellites, making it available to a customer’s backend application.

“There is growing demand for better real-time visibility over construction equipment, agricultural machines, generators, heavy-duty trucks and other equipment operating in remote areas, to boost productivity, reduce repair and maintenance costs, combat theft and optimize efficient asset management,” said David Wigglesworth, director of Iridium’s data services. “Machine-to-machine (M2M) is our fastest-growing area of business at Iridium, thanks to relationships with companies such as Quake Global and Phoenix International, who are developing value-added solutions around our SBD service for a wide range of applications.” 

“Quake Global is a committed Iridium partner and is very proud to have our Q9612 transceiver selected by Phoenix International for their satellite tracking application,” said Polina Braunstein, QUAKE President and CEO. “By coupling high performance hardware with Iridium’s robust global network, Phoenix International has developed a solution that can serve these industrial markets in exciting new ways.”