Air drop
Parachute insertion
A small parachute lowers each device into ground that is remote or difficult to reach. The device lands level and starts to work.
Field reconnaissance systems
Find out what is there before people go in.
We design, build and support small sensor systems for short reconnaissance tasks. The devices go in by air, ground or water. They observe, they report, and then they come back.
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Mode Reconnaissance
01 · The difference
Reconnaissance is not surveillance.
People often use the two words as if they mean the same thing. They do not. The difference changes the equipment, the plan and the result.
Task window30 days
- Plan
- Insert
- Observe
- Report
- Recover
A reconnaissance task has a start and an end. Devices go in, collect information, send a report and come out.
- The question
- What is in this area now?What changes at this place over time?
- Duration
- Hours to days.Weeks, months or longer.
- The area
- Often new, remote or difficult to reach.Known, and usually easy to reach.
- Equipment
- Placed for the task, then recovered.Installed, powered and maintained.
- The result
- A report that supports a decision.A continuous record or stream of alerts.
The two activities overlap, and many tools can do both. Our work is reconnaissance: we design for short tasks, difficult access and full recovery. We do not offer long-term surveillance as a service.
02 · How a task runs
Five steps. Then it is over.
Every reconnaissance task we support has the same shape. The details change with the terrain, the time available and the information you need.
03 · Ways in
Air, ground, water or on foot.
The same device family works on many carriers. We fit the mount, the power and the release method to the vehicles and aircraft you already use.
Unmanned aircraft
Carry and release
Multirotor aircraft carry devices on a release hook and set them down at a selected point.
Ground robots
Relay as it goes
A robot sets down repeaters behind it to keep its radio link while it explores tunnels, culverts and damaged structures.
Surface vessels
Water and shoreline
Uncrewed boats carry devices along coasts, rivers and lakes, or place them on the shore.
Vehicles
Mobile observation
A magnetic mount turns a support vehicle into a moving node for route and area checks.
People
Carried by the team
The Companion clips to a pack strap. It links each person to the mesh and to the map.
04 · Devices
Small, simple, and built to come back.
The core devices are rugged mesh nodes from Tarn Design and Production. We add sensors, mounts and software to suit each task.
Mesh node · Repeater
Repeater
A round, rugged node for air drop, tripod, vehicle or robot mounting. An internal battery gives long unplugged operation. Two standard 1/4-20 mount points.
Mesh node · Repeater, high visibility
Repeater, orange band
The same device with a high-visibility band. Recovery teams can find it quickly in grass, scree or snow.
Mesh node · Companion
Companion
A 95 × 55 × 30 mm personal node with a display, buttons and a strap clip. It connects a phone or tablet to the mesh.
Autonomous
Switch on, place, leave. The device runs, checks itself and recovers from faults without help.
Sensors and spectrum
Radio-spectrum observation as standard. Add acoustic, vibration, environmental or camera sensors when the task needs them.
Mesh network
LoRa links connect the devices to each other across difficult terrain. No fixed infrastructure is necessary.
Position
Satellite positioning on many models places each device on the map, and helps the team recover it.
Devices designed and made by Tarn Design and Production, Calgary. tarn.parts
05 · Applications
Typical reconnaissance problems.
These examples show the type of work we support. Each one starts with a question that needs an answer soon.
Spectrum analysis
- Question
- What radio activity is present in this area, and where does it come from?
- Approach
- Devices sample the spectrum at several points for a set period. They detect, classify and time-stamp emissions on board.
- Result
- A picture of the local spectrum: the bands in use, the types of emitter and their approximate locations.
Wildfire
- Question
- What are the conditions at the edge of the fire, where crews cannot see?
- Approach
- Nodes on short tripods, with solar power, go in ahead of the fire by hand, vehicle or air. They report conditions and keep a radio link open.
- Result
- Current information for incident command about conditions, access and change.
Search and rescue
- Question
- Where in this large area should the search effort go next?
- Approach
- Devices drop across the search area by parachute. They listen for signals and sounds, and they extend radio coverage for the ground teams.
- Result
- Fewer empty grid squares, better radio contact, and a map of what each device detected.
Confined spaces
- Question
- What is inside this tunnel, culvert or damaged structure?
- Approach
- A ground robot goes in and sets down repeaters behind it to keep its link. Each repeater also observes its own section.
- Result
- A map of the space and its conditions before any person goes in.
Environment and research
- Question
- What happens at this remote site during the study period?
- Approach
- Researchers place small nodes by hand for a set period. The nodes collect data with no person on site.
- Result
- Study data collected with little disturbance, and all equipment removed at the end.
Users include civil defence agencies, wildfire and search-and-rescue teams, research groups, environmental organisations and industrial operators.
06 · What we do
Design. Build. Integrate. Support.
We take a reconnaissance problem from the first question to the result in the field.
01
Design
We study the area, the time available, the access limits and the information you need. Then we select devices, sensors, power and insertion methods.
02
Build
We assemble, configure and test the system: devices, mounts, release hardware, firmware and data paths.
03
Integrate
We connect the devices to a map-based platform for your team, on your own network or as a secure service.
04
Support
We train your people, help plan the task, and work in the field with your team when the task needs it.
Illustration of the map view. The software is configured for each task.
03 · Integrate
One map for the whole task.
Devices in the field are only useful if the team can see them. We connect every device to a map view that shows status, position and results in one place.
- Live status.Battery, links and the latest report for each device.
- Your infrastructure or ours.The platform runs on your network, or as a secure service for authorised users.
- Standard tools where they fit.We configure established software when it does the job, and build only what is missing.
04 · Support
In the field with your team.
Support is not only advice by email. Our people can work next to your people for training, the first tasks and difficult conditions.
- Plan, place, recover.Help with the task plan, device placement, air-drop and vehicle procedures, and recovery at the end.
- Train for independent use.The aim is a team that runs later tasks alone, with us available when the task needs more people or deeper technical help.
Contact
Tell us about the problem.
Send a short description of the task. It helps if you include:
- 01The area, and how you can reach it.
- 02The time available.
- 03The information you need at the end.
Email info@recce.services
We reply with questions or a proposed approach.