PLEXSYS Updates Sonomarc; New Chat Link, Operator Link, Weather Models, High Fidelity Terrain, and Renovated Instructor Link Interface

CAMAS, WA (October 1, 2018) – PLEXSYS announces version 4.5 of its popular sonomarc and PLEXComm communications software. This release includes two completely new products, Operator Link and Chat Link as well as a major upgrade to their Instructor Link product. Several modeling improvements have also been made, greatly increasing realism by adding Fresnel zones and Weather effects.

New Product: Chat Link

A major development in this release is the addition of text chat. PLEXSYS has added a chat server to sonomarc which allows communicating between sonomarc users over text. Private messages, notifications, chat rooms, passwords, and more are supported. Chat Link is available as a standalone application, as well as integrated directly into the renovated Instructor Link interface.

Renovated Instructor Link interface

With this new and improved Instructor Link, there is a single location to interface with all of your communications channels, the Canvas. The Canvas gives a common interface to all different item types such as Radios, Intercoms, Jammers, Public Address (PA), Party Lines, and Operator/Console monitor channels. Each item is presented as a box which can be tapped or clicked for the primary interaction. Every item has quick actions, comprised of common and item-specific actions. VOX, Hot Mic, and programmable PTT shortcuts are available for any item type. Whether using a touchscreen or desktop computer, Instructor Link provides a rich user experience. This renovated interface represents a new chapter of PLEXSYS innovation and usability.

New Product: Operator Link

PLEXSYS’ newest communications product, Operator Link, uses software with the same modern touch interface that powers the renovated Instructor Link; but this is designed for operators. Operator Link provides a touchscreen capable interface for operational use of radios, intercoms, console monitoring, and more.

Forthcoming features of the product will provide a training system for student-operators from various backgrounds (commercial aviation, military, and other industries). Operator Link paves the way for radio touch-panel integration as well as device-specific training and interfacing.

Updated Models for Weather and Terrain

In this release, voice communications are now impacted by atmospheric conditions and weather. Regardless of conditions such as clear skies, rain, high pressure, or El Niño, sonomarc has you covered. The maximum transmission distance is realistically altered based on atmospheric gases, clouds, fog, and rain. When there is a thunderstorm near the receiving radio, the result of lightning’s electromagnetic interference can be heard on the radio, based on the intensity of the thunderstorm. Weather data can be sourced via the industry-standard GRIB file format.

The propagation models have been updated to be more accurate and provide more realistic audio properties. Sonomarc’s integrated terrain server now performs a high-fidelity Fresnel zone calculation for modeling line-of-sight between radios. With this upgrade, radios will now react more characteristically when there is a mountain or hill between them, and radios will fade gradually as the terrain is approached, improving training realism.

Transmission Analysis Tool

As an industry first, PLEXSYS has created the first in-depth and easy to use end-to-end radio transmission analysis tool. This tool peers inside of the sonomarc radio models and tells the user what is happening. Internal sonomarc radios will give rich details, while external radios are limited to basic analysis, as their models are unknown. The tool will help users diagnose common issues immediately, without having to phone a friend.

Wide Area Network (WAN)

PLEXSYS has expanded WAN support to every sonomarc product. Now remote sites can easily connect to a sonomarc server over a WAN connection. This expansion allows for simplified deployment to remote sites.

Mission Package (MP) 17

PLEXSYS Military customers will see improved training with the upgrade of Distributed Mission Operations (DMO) support to Mission Package MP-17.

PLEXSYS’ engineering team supports customers with innovative feature updates and improvements that enhance the user experience and streamline training.

During all upgrades, PLEXSYS product development teams are empowered to make products more user-friendly. PLEXSYS product development teams are comprised of subject matter experts and of course, the brightest software engineers in the radio communication and simulation community. With every release, we try and look at things from the Trainee’s perspective to deliver a product that is intuitive and easy to use. Off the shelf, plug and play…you do not have to be an engineer to use it.