When a satellite navigation signal is jammed or spoofed, a device can be left blind, and a maker of assured timing hardware has answered with an antenna that plugs in. NAL Technologies, which trades as Naltec, brought out PntGuard Syntrx on October 8, describing it as a retrofit that adds a backup positioning and timing reference while equipment already in place stays untouched.
Inside, the unit leans on a secure Iridium signal the company puts at roughly 1,000 times the strength of GPS, and that it says resists jamming and spoofing. On sensing interference, it re-tunes its own output so the connected device holds timing and situational awareness rather than dropping out.
Where the risk lands
Positioning and timing underpin a broad spread of systems. Tactical radios, satellite communications terminals, electronic warfare platforms and critical infrastructure are what Naltec built Syntrx for, and the same reference matters to power grids, financial networks and telecom operators that synchronize traffic across wide areas.
A trusted, resilient source is essential rather than optional, according to Naltec President Robert Bills, because accurate positioning, navigation and timing underpin nearly every fielded network, terminal and weapon system.
A maritime design goes ashore
Technology from PntGuard Maritime, an earlier Naltec product built alongside SGM Technology and Tschudi Shipping Company, is reused in Syntrx. SGM holds the exclusive maritime distribution rights. With the newer unit, ships at sea are no longer the only protected assets; fixed sites and mobile ones gain the same shield.
The interference problem has shed its theoretical label. Jamming and spoofing are routine around conflict zones, and a disruption’s origin often sits far from the equipment that depends on the signal.
Naltec puts the reach of its positioning and timing modules at more than 15,000 devices worldwide. PntGuard Syntrx starts commercial shipping in December.
