Aug 27 2014: Corrections made for Spec Items No. 3, 4 and 5. Please see below. Aug 26 2014: Scope The Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center Atlantic (SSC-LANT) is seeking information about commercial off-the-shelf (COTS), tactical, carry-on/carry-off Direction Finding (DF) systems for maritime platforms. The DF solution shall provide radio frequency (RF) coverage from 30 to 3000 MHz, with an objective of 2 to 6000 MHz, and passively produce lines of bearing (LOB) on at least one (objective of two or more) signal of interest (SOI) with a RMS value of 10. The DF solution (both antenna and receiver, if not packaged together) must be environmentally ruggedized to meet minimum temperature, shock, and vibration requirements. The total package should weigh less than 20 pounds (not including mounting solutions). Software interfaces for DF tasking and system status must also be available. Description of any calibration processes or required calibration tables to meet accuracy requirements must be provided. SSC-LANT is interested in information on systems currently available for tactical, maritime environments or easily adaptable from an existing system to these environments. Vendor must be able to demonstrate that the proposed system's operational capability satisfies as many of the listed requirements as possible. Test location, environment, and conditions are at the discretion of SSC-LANT. Responses should include availability, cost, and lead time of the solution, as well as whether a demonstration unit can be provided to expedite the decision making process. Partial satisfaction of requirements will be considered if a solution to meet the entire requirement is proposed. Requirements: Overall Specifications: 1. The DF system should perform at technical readiness level (TRL) 7 or higher. Lower TRL levels are acceptable if a well-defined roadmap to a higher TRL level is provided. 2. The DF system shall operate from 30 MHz to 3000 MHz, with an objective of 2 MHz to 6000 MHz. Solutions that cover a portion of the range may also be considered. 3. The DF system shall provide RMS accuracy of less than or equal 10 degrees. 4. The DF system shall achieve specified accuracy when the received power is greater than or equal to -100 dBm. 5. The DF system will have a DF resolution of less than or equal to 1 degree. 6. The DF system shall be able to initiate a DF measurement within 100 ms from an external tip-off. 7. The DF system shall support primary power of 10-36 VDC. 8. The DF system shall provide adapter for operating on 110-240 VAC at 48-63 Hz. 9. The DF system power requirement shall not exceed 30 watts when fully operational. 10. The DF system shall be capable of operating on battery power for at least 6 hours using standard military batteries (BB-2590, BA-5590, etc.). 11. The DF system total size (not including mounting) shall not exceed 4 cubic feet. 12. The DF system total weight (less mounting, but including a battery) shall not exceed 20 lbs. 13. The DF system shall include an electronic compass for orientation and calibration. 14. The DF system shall provide internal GPS and shall be capable of accepting external GPS and time synchronization inputs. Note that the DF system will be used on a moving platform and the GPS must maintain accuracy while in motion. 15. The DF system shall minimally support CW, SSB, Narrowband FM, Wideband FM, and AM modulation types. Support for additional modulation types should be described in the response. 16. The DF system receiver shall have adjustable attenuation. Interfaces and Control: 17. The DF system shall provide a user interface and a port (USB, RS-232, or Ethernet) to interface internal controls and data output. As an objective, an API to directly interface and control the DF system will be available. 18. The DF system shall provide BIT status and corresponding error codes. 19. The DF system shall be capable of receiving DF tips from an external source. 20. The DF system shall minimally provide LOB, frequency, timestamp, LOB confidence factor, and GPS data. 21. The DF system connectors shall be non-proprietary and positive locking. 22. The DF system shall be capable of sanitization by either not storing anything internally or having a process to erase all data. Environmental and EMI/EMC Requirements: The vendor shall provide information on the following environmental and EMI/EMC specifications, including the method, procedures, and test parameters to which the DF system was tested. Environmental ratings will factor into final product decision, but should not preclude a company from submitting information about a system if they believe future design and modification to the system would result in higher ratings. 23. Operational temperature. 24. Storage temperature. 25. Operational shock (MIL-STD-810F, Method 516.5). 26. Storage shock (MIL-STD-810F, Method 516.5). 27. Operational vibration (MIL-STD-810F, Method 514.5). 28. Storage vibration (MIL-STD-810F, Method 514.5). 29. Immersion (MIL-STD-810F, Method 512.4) and/or IP67 rating. 30. Salt spray and corrosion (MIL-STD-810F, Method 509.4). 31. Resistance to externally generated radio frequency interference (MIL-STD-461E). Additional Notes: This RFI is issued solely to serve as a market survey for information and planning purposes. The results of this RFI/Survey will be used to assess the market and inform our acquisition strategy. It does not constitute a Request for Proposal (RFP) or a promise to issue an RFP in the future. This request for information does not commit the Government to contract for any supply or service whatsoever. Responses to this RFI should be e-mailed to Carel Peacock (e-mail:
contact@example.gov, phone:
+1 (555) 000-0000) or mailed to: SPAWARSYSCEN Atlantic, Attn: Code 56220 (Carel Peacock), P.O. Box 190022, N. Charleston, SC, 29419-9022. Please provide three copies of any printed material that you submit via mail. E-mail your non-technical questions to the Contract Specialist at
contact@example.gov. If you are having trouble accessing the site you may have browser issues and talking to the webmaster will help to clear these issues. Please contact the SPAWAR Paperless Helpdesk for assistance at
+1 (555) 000-0000 or email at
contact@example.gov. Helpdesk Hours of operation are: Mon - Thurs: 7:00am - 4:00pm PST and Fri: 7:00am - 3:00pm PST. The web-address at the end of this announcement is a more direct approach to the announcement and documents; however, if you have security protocol issues with your browser, you will have to follow the steps above. Submissions are due NLT noon Eastern Time 19 Sept 2014.
