HF Radio Communications System Design Assessment Study. Task 3.2C. Technology Approaches for the Real-Life HF Environment.

High frequency equipment and system design have been largely ignored by the U.S. Army during the past ten years. This was in anticipation of achieving sufficient and effective communication via use of other frequencies and media. It is now apparent that hf is a more viable and useful tool than previously thought and deserves a role in the U.S. Armys communications system. The problem of now reinstituting hf as an integral part of U.S. Army communications is approached in this CORADCOM study. To better understand the real life hf environment the study team set out to make assessments from several different viewpoints the communications system, physical, propagation media, noise, EMIEMC, ECM and the U.S. Army fielded units in Germany. From these assessments the team was able to characterize the hf system in terms of required features and capabilities ECCM, Nuclear Survivability for equipment and communications link, Automated and Adaptive, Multi-Type Traffic, Multi-Range, Deployable, Securable, Compatible and Automated Frequency Management.