RA5500 Frontier1400 In-The-Ear Headset
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Overview
The Frontier1400 combines hearing protection, communication integrity, audio situational awareness, equipment compatibility and user comfort. The Frontier1400 specifically allows the user to control dual channel radio transmission from a small chest mounted box, allowing the radio to be carried in a back pack, which also provides control of the “Talk Through” capability .
Benefits
- Small, lightweight and compact
- Provides clear audible communications with no boom microphone
- Protects the users hearing against impulse and low / medium vehicle noise
- Allows the user to key two channels from a single radio source
- Comfortable enough to wear though operational missions
- Allows users “natural” awareness of their local sound environment
- Powered from the radio - no batteries required
Hearing Protection; Continuous and Impulse Noises
The Frontier1400 is a dual sided, lightweight, rugged, in-the-ear headset. It provides the means to listen to and key single channel communication, via a Secure Personnel Radio. It also provides passive hearing protection to the dismounted soldier when either dismounted or when being transported in low to medium-noise wheeled vehicles.
Frontier1400 effectively combats battlefield impulse noises such as weapon discharges and explosive detonations. For these noises, containing high frequency components with extremely high Sound Pressure Levels (SPL), the Frontier1400 can provide more than 40dB(A) of protection.
For continuous noises presented by wheeled tactical vehicles and air platforms, the Frontier1400 delivers in excess of 24dB(A) SNR.
For greater levels of protection, the Frontier1400 headset can be worn with additional passive hearing protection.
Talk Through (Audio Situational Awareness)
Dismounted soldiers need to maintain their natural hearing while being protected from sudden impulse noises. The Frontier1400 maximises their situational awareness by ensuring they are able to hear the sounds in their local environment.
The Frontier1400 meets this need by providing ‘Talk-Through’ functionality with peak noise compression protection using external headset microphones activated from the Frontier1400 switchbox. The talk-through microphones naturally reproduce local ambient sounds and conversation, at unity gain, from ‘outside’ the headset giving the user a near normal experience through the headset.
Impulse noise hearing protection, when the talk-through is selected, compresses harmful noises entering the system to a pre-set safe level controlling their reproduction in the ear piece. The communications signal integrity is maintained throughout, ensuring no audio data is lost.
This feature takes a small amount of power from the radio, requiring no batteries, but having little impact on radio battery life.
Compatibility with head worn equipment
The Frontier1400 has been designed to fit within the ear and have a very low profile. This makes the Frontier1400 compatible with all ballistic helmets and head mounted equipment, including protective eyewear.
Stability and Comfort
A key design objective of the Frontier1400 has been to maximise stability and comfort while fitted. The correct fitting of the headset is very simple and can be completed within a few minutes.
Frontier1400 offers a small, lightweight, robust package that does not use a boom microphone. The in-ear microphone detects the user’s voice from within the ear canal. This approach further improves the stability and comfort of the headset.
The headset is designed to be used with Comply Foam ear tips as standard while custom ear moulds are available as an option. Both of these solutions allow each earpiece to be fitted easily into the ear and offer comfortable use for the duration of mission profiles.
Communications Intelligibility
The Frontier1400 is a dual channel communication system designed for direct connection to a Secure Personal Radio. Radio communication is heard with channel A in the left ear and channel B in the right ear while the user’s voice is picked up from inside the right ear and keyed onto the appropriate channel using dual PTT switches on the switchbox. When transmitting both channels are heard in the left ear. This makes the system compact and removes the need for a boom microphone; ideal for minimising background, wind and external environment noise on outgoing communications as well as being less obtrusive for covert operations. The switchable Talk-Through facility allows for normal conversation and provides for good situational awareness.
The system comprises a headset, a switchbox/connection cable assembly and switchbox pouch. A top mounted connector on the switchbox provides the connection for the headset while the connection cable from the switchbox provides a direct connection to the radio. This level of connectivity provides for protection against snagging while the modularity allows for quick, single element, replacement if damaged or lost.
Alternative interface cables allow the system to be used with a range of military personal radios.
The inclusion of the dual PTT on the switchbox allows the user to conveniently and easily key outgoing radio communications through a radio that can now be worn wherever suits the user.
The only power needed is for the TT functionality and this is provided by the connected radio.
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