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Using radio to track and monitor

QuikTrak provides a vehicle, personal and asset tracking, monitoring and messaging network. Its patented system uses direct sequence spread spectrum radio technology (DSSS), which was originally designed for military applications and was developed in Australia with British Aerospace.

QuikTrak technology was inspired by a close encounter with a crocodile in the late '70s when Dr Michael Yerbury narrowly avoided disaster while tracking the man-eating beasts up close in Northern Australia using primitive radio direction-finding techniques. He concluded that there had to be a better way of remotely tracking objects.

In 1985 Dr Yerbury started Advanced Systems Research (ASR), and assembled a team to design and build the technology that has become known as QuikTrak. The QuikTrak technology was further developed under the stewardship of Lend Lease Corporation and eventually British Aeospace Australia, culminating in a prototype system becoming operational at the end of 1987.

QuikTrak Networks (QNL) was created in 1995 to capitalise on this new technology and a new commercial QuikTrak network was commissioned in Sydney. Since then, the system has proved its worth operationally, particularly in the effectiveness of its security applications where it has saved many millions of dollars worth of private vehicles and an equally large quantity of commercial cargoes.

In late 1999 QNL acquired the QuikTrak technology from British Aerospace, including all Intellectual Property and the Technology Centre in Adelaide. Shortly afterward, new QuikTrak networks were established covering the greater metropolitan areas of Melbourne, Brisbane and the Gold Coast. In May 2004 the management of QNL placed the company into voluntary administration while a buyer was found for the business.

In September 2004, Multi-Trak bought the business assets from QNL. Subsequently the listed entity was acquired and QNL then purchased all the shares in Multi-Track. Multi-Track is now the trading company in Australia and wholly owned subsidiary of QuikTrak Networks. In 2006, the Adelaide R&D network was expanded to become a commercial grade network.

QuikTrak Networks has constructed networks in Beijing and Johannesburg and is actively pursuing other international opportunities to bring the benefits of QuikTrak technology to the world.

It now has a wide range of applications for business, government and individuals, offering cost-effective security, monitoring and management of:

1. Home security and other static security monitoring.

2. Private cars.

3. Vehicle fleets.

4. Mobile and fixed plant and equipment.

5. Monitoring telemetry signals.

6. Personnel.

7. Other assets.

QuikTrak Networks Africa was registered as a local business in 2006, with the first of the ICASA licences being issued in late 2007, with a licence approved to operate in the 279-279,05 MHz, paging and 364-366 MHz receiving and type approval received on its products, QuikTrak Networks Africa established offices in Cape Town as well as in Johannesburg.

The technology

QuikTrak is a communications technology offering integrated monitoring, location and tracking and high-speed data communications for both mobile and fixed assets. It has been designed to provide complete secure, integrated alarm monitoring and asset location and tracking services in the modern urban environment at the least possible cost to the user. QuikTrak is not a navigation technology attached to a communications technology, it is a secure telecommunications technology with the ability to track within its network.

How QuikTrak tracks

* Assets to be monitored are fitted with QuikTrak transponder modems.

* Transponder transmits (uplink) in response to request from network (downlink signal) or in response to stimulus at asset.

* Distributed base-stations receive signals and measure time-of-arrival (TOA).

* TOA data plus any message data is relayed to Control/Processing Site (C/PSite).

* C/PSite calculates location using TDOA method (hyperbolic navigation).

* Location and message data is sent to appropriate user via landline, wireless or Internet.

* Users access network via terminals from which requests for location or message data to go to transponders are sent.

In the case of 'static alarms' there is no necessity to use the locating capability of the system but, in this case, the distributed QuikTrak base-station network provides a very secure, redundant receiver network for the reception of alarms under hostile conditions. Jamming of the network is rendered virtually impossible and the spread-spectrum transmission format makes the messages secure from interception or eavesdropping.

There are two types of base-stations deployed within a network, a receive only base-station and a receive plus forward link transmit (paging) base-station. Each of these base-stations are made up of two industrial grade PCs and a 19-inch sub-rack that contains a number of proprietary circuit card assemblies. In addition to this, a paging base-station also employs a paging exciter unit and a power amplifier and associated power supply. There may also be some associated filters and multicoupling equipment for the transmission system.

QuikTrak vs GPS

* Intelligence is in the QuikTrak network; not in the terminal.

* Network calculates the position, speed and direction.

* The transponders are small, simple and low powered.

* It is a completely covert and secure system.

* GPS systems operate the other way around.

* The network transmits signals, and the units calculate its position (higher per unit cost, higher power drain).

* Additional network needed to transmit the data to the user.

* GPS signals are easily jammed or scrambled.

* Low security application.

GPS is a very capable navigation technology. QuikTrak uses the same basic principles but is configured as a terrestrial-based security and tracking system:

* Much higher immunity to interference and jamming.

* Higher link margins.

* Does not necessarily require line-of-sight - works inside buildings.

* Lower terminal power consumption - better battery life.

* Fully integrated system leads to lower cost of service.

Personal tracking

* Location and messaging for personal use.

* Dimensions similar to a mobile phone.

* Display.

* Duress button.

* Man-down alarm.

* Security for lone workers.

* Personnel management for mobile workforce.

The products

Static alarm modem

QuikTrak Networks Africa have three x static modems which will soon be available to the market:

1. Rhino - A hardwired input modem, with a certain amount of bi-directionality. It will have LEDs on board that will indicate the network strength as well as an acknowledgment LED that will flash when the operator activates it from the control centre.

2. Leopard - This unit will be able to do contact ID, with the same features as the Rhino.

3. Eagle - An integrated unit which will plug onto the supplier's control panels, with full bi-directional communications via RF. The Eagle will maintain all the functionality of the Leopard plus it will have the capability to support full uploads and downloads of alarm logs and configuration files.

ADT Security has signed an agreement with QuikTrak to start using its network and product. As would be expected, ADT ran a number of stringent tests on the network as well as the modems, and put both the network and modem through various tests amongst other:

* Footprint verification.

* Area penetration.

* Indoor and outdoor db variation tests.

* Modem signal communication tests on the network.

On signing off the network and the modem for production Terry van Zyl, the national technical manager, had this to say in his report: "The performance of the network is way beyond any expectations in very densely built-up areas and inside huge buildings like shopping centres. The extensive testing around and inside all the main shopping areas in the planned footprint showed a surprisingly high penetration and signal strength, much better than conventional radio."

Regarding the modem, he said: "These are the kind of features that will make it much easier for the technicians to install and troubleshoot in the field. Much better than any existing technology Cannot wait for the final product."

The South African business

After an in-depth market study it was decided to introduce QuikTrak into the South African market. Not as a competitor to the current static (alarm) and mobile (vehicle) security companies, but rather as a service provider to these companies. With the patented DSSS technology, it made sense to offer the technology to the market via the service providers as a telecommunications company. The company is also offering the security industry the opportunity to merge both the mobile tracking and static asset monitoring and subsequent recovery.

(L to r) Bethuel Mkgadime, systems engineer; Clinton Lemmer, Ceo; & Selby Mchunu; network RF engineer

Advantages

* This newly introduced technology can now allow alarm monitoring companies to do vehicle tracking and vice versa, on the same network.

* Is highly immune to jamming.

* Has more effective signal penetration in built up areas.

* Does not necessarily require line of sight so works underground and in shielded areas.

* A bi-directional radio frequency communicative device.

* With mapping data loaded can pinpoint the static modem to its exact street location.

* As the network grows the same frequency can be used throughout South Africa, for potential clients to expand their business using RF, into a centralised control centre.

* Low power consumption.

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