BY JAMES CARELESS

Communication in the Harshest Environments

Defending Canada’s Arctic sovereignty is now Job #1 for the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF). This priority was recently outlined in ‘Our North, Strong and Free: A Renewed Vision for Canada’s Defence’, the federal government’s long-awaited Defence Policy Update (DPU) that was released on April 8, 2024.

            “The most urgent and important task we face is asserting Canada’s sovereignty in the Arctic and northern regions, where the changing physical and geopolitical landscapes have created new threats and vulnerabilities to Canada and Canadians,” said the DPU. “This includes upgrading our continental defences to ensure they can deter threats or defeat them when necessary.”

TESTED BY DND

            When it comes to communications gear, INVISIO is ready to meet the High Arctic’s cold weather challenge, and they have the test results to prove it. During a recent CAF Operation NANOOK deployment in Canada’s North, INVISIO equipped some CAF soldiers with

INVISIO T7 rugged hearing protection headsets, INVISIO V50 and V60 wearable Push-to-Talk (PTT) communication hubs, and INVIOSIO R30 single button wireless remote PTTs. The soldiers used this equipment outdoors just as they would their regular kit, and proved that INVISIO tech can handle the cold.

            “The soldiers tested our equipment during a deployment at Resolute Bay, Nunavut,” said

Sébastien Martel-Laverdière, INVISIO’s Canadian Regional Manager. “They took [the unit] from inside warm, humid buildings to outside in the bitter, dry cold — time and time again — to see how it would hold up. Moreover, it wasn’t INVISIO who was doing the testing, but the Department of National Defence. And they weren’t trying to be gentle with our equipment: They were trying to break it, to see how much it could take.”

            As it turned out, the T7s, V50s/V60s, and R30s all weathered the worst of the Canadian Arctic, proving that they are ready to address Canada’s Top Defence Priority. But this fact comes as no real surprise, considering that the CAF already uses INVISIO X5 in-ear headsets and the V60 communications hubs to provide its soldiers with clear audio and hearing protection, under Canada’s Integrated Soldier System Project (ISSP). Internationally, the U.S. Army also uses this same equipment, as do the land forces in Australia, Denmark, France, and the UK.

            To put it mildly, the communications products made by INVISIO are built tough to handle the very worst of operating conditions — both natural (weather) and manmade (battlefield noise).

PRODUCT PORTFOLIO

            The INVISIO T7 is a prime example of this. It is a submersible, rugged and lightweight hearing protection headset that is available in three interchangeable variants: Interchangeable headband, neckband and helmet mount versions. Usable in altitudes ranging from 12,000 metres down to 10 metres underwater, the T7 provides its wearers with 28 dB SNR (signal-to-noise) hearing protection, wide area situational awareness and clear communication in all environments. Yet the T7 headset weighs only 347 grams, even though it has been tested and certified to the MIL-STD-810G standard.

            Meanwhile, the Racal RA5100 Tactical Communication headset which is made by a company under the INVISIO Group, is designed for extremely noisy in-vehicle and on foot situations. It provides 30dB SNR with Active Hearing Protection (ANR), which can be powered using its own battery or externally powered for reduced weight. “By a simple press of the Power button on their headset, they’re able to switch between situational awareness, where they can hear the noise around them, to Active Noise Reduction to block sounds such as a nearby engine,” Martel-Laverdière told CDR.

            The compact INVISIO V50 and V60s are INVISIO’s wearable Push-to-Talk (PTT) communication hub. The V60 connects the X5, T7, and RA5100 headsets to up to three devices like radios and smartphones being accessed by the V60’s user. The latest versions of this communications hub are the V60 II and the V60 II ADP (which bridges audio, data and power).

When used with either of the INVISIO X5 or T7 headsets, the INVISIO V60 II provides double hearing protection of 42dB SNR and 34dB NRR (noise reduction rating).

            “With the V60 II, you can actively transmit on four nets — so two dual net radios — and listen actively on six nets,” said Martel-Laverdière. “You can also activate Whisper mode where it will augment the gain for somebody that needs to be more quiet in the environment. And then there is our Radio Relay feature. It allows a signal being received on one 60 to be relayed to a second V60, thus serving as an audio bridge.

            Then there’s the INVISIO R30 wireless remote PTT, which comes with two PTT buttons and one Mode button for hands-free operation of the control unit. It also supports the remote operation of all INVISIO V-Series Gen II communications hubs by mirroring the key combos and modes of these control units. The R30 comes with a rail mount, cable ties and a MOLLE clip, with an internal, replaceable battery that has a battery life span of up to two years. It uses the Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) protocol for communication and is submersible to 20 metres.

INTELLICABLE

            One final standout product from INVISIO is the company’s IntelliCable. Because it contains advanced Flash memory chips in its wires, the IntelliCable can detect the parameters of connected devices and then alter its configuration to help them work together. “If we make firmware changes in our devices, we can make the changes on the cable remotely without the CAF or DND having to do anything,” Martel-Laverdière said. “We can just update everything. For instance, when we moved from Gen 1 to Gen II, we just did a software update on the cables so our users just could keep using them and save DND some costs in the long term.”

            “All of this advanced technology is available today to help Canada meet its defence commitments in the North,” concluded Martel-Laverdière. “Whatever the mission, INVISIO stands ready to help. We have proven this to be the case through our tests in Resolute Bay, and our other extreme weather tests around the world.”

James Careless is CDR’s Ottawa Bureau Chief