Standard Technomad Military PA systems (MilPA1, MilPA2, MilPA3, and MilPA4) operate off of standard 110/120V AC power. A 10A circuit provides ample current. “DC” Technomad Military PA systems (MilPA1DC, MilPA2DC, MilPA3DC, MilPA4DC) systems operate from BOTH 110/120V AC AND from 24 volt DC power. The 24 volt system must be provided current of at least 65A to drive the PA continuously at full power (fewer peaks current is needed if you are not playing the system at full volume, or playing audio without heavy bass content). For vehicle mounted systems, we suggest a minimum alternator power of 100A.

Technomad Turnkey Military PA Systems are complete, ready-to-use PA systems which include IP56 rated weatherproof loudspeakers, a control rack with a mixer, amp, microphone, CD player, tripods, speaker cables, etc. They are delivered pre-wired, and ready to use. They are the best choice for all-around military audio use, because they can handle everything from voice paging to music playback to siren generation (with the optional Warning Tone Generator). Note that the Turnkey PA systems can handle very large areas – up to 1 mile radius from the PA system in the case of the Turnkey MilPA4. For some applications where you need to link a bunch of PA systems together, it may be unnecessary for EVERY PA system to have a microphone and CD player, warning tone generator, etc. In this case, you’d use Turnkey Modular PA Systems. There is an “Audio Source Pack” – a small rack containing the CD player, mixer, and hand-held microphone – which generates audio signal. You’d then send this signal to “Output Packs” – integrated packages of loudspeakers / amplifiers / tripods / speaker cables etc. – using either the Fiber Optic Link Kits or the Wireless Link Kits. In essence, the Audio Source Pack is the “brain” that provides audio to all the Output Packs. Another way to look at it is that the four Output Packs (Output Pack 1, Output Pack 2, Output Pack 3, Output Pack 4) are the exact same thing as the Turnkey PA Systems (MilPA1, MilPA2, MilPA3, MilPA4), but without the CD player and the microphone. The Output Packs need to be fed an audio signal to operate. Here are some applications where you might want to consider using the Modular PA approach: if you want to generate audio in a command post but you want install the loudspeakers cluster somewhere else, you’d select one Audio Source Pack, appropriate Link Kits (fiber optic or wireless), and an Output Pack with the range and coverage pattern you want. Or, if you want to create a permanently-installed base-wide PA system, you would use an Audio Source Pack to send signal (via the appropriate Link Kits) to several Output Packs installed around the facility. Note that for deployed applications, you still might want to select all Turnkey PA systems – that way if you need to reconfigure the base, or use the PA systems by themselves, any single PA system will be able to operate stand-alone and play CDs, generate sound from the microphone etc. Also, that way any Turnkey PA System can be used as the source of audio for the whole base if needed – a good level of redundancy. Technomad sales can help you determine if a Turnkey PA or Modular PA approach is right for you.

It is better to install speakers in a central cluster rather than at the edges of a facility pointing in.Click here to read why and see examples.

Technomad Military PA systems can be installed on any vehicle, ship, or building using the optional wall-mounting brackets. All Technomad Turnkey Military PA systems also include tripods for deployed / field use. Technomad military PA systems can be used virtually everywhere.

Technomad Military PA systems offer unmatched speech and voice clarity free of horn-mouth distortion and the compressed frequency range of other systems. The result: speech instructions are clear, intelligible, and natural sounding, even at the full operating power of the system. This is more than a luxury – clear speech is essential in emergency situations. Most horn based systems cannot provide the clarity, intelligibility and realism of a Technomad military PA system. This is critical not just for speech, but for Psyops and music playback applications as well. Choose Technomad Military PA systems for the best voice clarity available.

Yes! Technomad loudspeakers are designed for permanent installation and mobile use outdoors. They can be mounted to a vehicle or building without fear of weather damage (of course, proper installation instructions must be followed). The “control racks” – amplifier / mixer racks – can get wet when in case mode, but should be protected from moisture when in-use.

Technomad PA systems have useful ranges of up to 1 mile in radius. For a complete chart of SPL / Volume levels at different listener distances, please click here.

Yes. If your solar system charges a 24V battery rig, then the Technomad Military PA can be driven from the batteries (just as in a vehicle mounted system). Note that the length of time the system will operate is determined by the amp-hour capacity of the battery rig, the recharge rate provided by the solar panels, and by the type of audio the PA system is reproducing. Technomad Military PA systems require at least 65A of 24V current to drive them at full power with full-range audio. If you are playing audio without heavy bass content (i.e. speech, sirens) then the battery draw will be much less than 65A. Technomad Sales can help you design a solar power system to drive a Technomad PA.

Yes. Technomad offers optional wireless link kits which allow you to send audio from any audio source to one (or many) receivers – while preserving CD quality sound. The link kits are commonly used to relay audio from one “master” turnkey PA system to remote PA systems. Technomad Sales can help you design your wireless application. The system employs a proprietary digital audio encoding system with powerful error correction. The result is VASTLY better audio than typical analog military audio systems, especially narrowband systems. CD-quality sound is preserved throughout the wireless link. The system is available in an encrypted version if needed. Advantages of the digital wireless link over typical UHF military radios include: better speech clarity, excellent music playback quality, and excellent PSYOPS / sound effects playback quality.

In general, Technomad Wireless Link kits can be used around the globe without conflict with other military communications systems or local regulations. FCC identifiers for Technomad wireless link kits are NCBSL9000, NCBSL9101, and NCBSL9102. The typical radiated power from the wireless systems is 200 m W @ 2.4 GHz. It is spread-spectrum, digital, and frequency-hopping. The system uses the “WiFi” band (used world-wide without license requirements), but employs a proprietary digital encoding method with powerful error-correction.

MUCH better because many military audio systems only deviate by 2K to 5K from their carrier frequency, their audio bandwidth is very limited. This impacts speech clarity, destroys music quality, and renders the system useless for PSYOPS / sound effects / etc. In contrast, Technomad’s wireless systems provide CD-quality digital audio even at very long range.

Yes. Because Technomad’s wireless systems are designed to be robust and require zero programming to use, we do not employ a computer-based “zone-control” system. The operator can select any zone that needs to be addressed (or “all zones”) right at the Technomad control rack. The wireless receivers are pre-set to zones, and reproduce audio locally only when their zone is addressed or when “all zones” is selected. NOTE: the Technomad system also allows two transmitters to address one receiver – for example, if two guard posts need to send warnings to a central PA.

Yes, Technomad offers extremely high-quality wireless microphones, with either hand-held, headset, or lapel microphone elements. All microphone systems operate in the 710.2 MHz to 745.6 MHz range. Typical operating range is up to 100 meters.

Technomad Link Kits (wireless and Ethernet) are robust systems with embedded microprocessors. Here are some background notes regarding the technology we employ.

• PC-FREE architecture
• TCP/IP stack is by Lantronix (no Berkley TCP/IP code)
• no embedded Linux, WinCE etc under the hood
• very low power consumption (typ. 2-3W)
• small memory footprint – “static RAM design”
• no dynamic memory architecture, so no memory leaks or performance issues very high integration on silicon
• proven architecture, 15+ years in the market (the Lantronix stack)
• storage is flash-ram based (no hard-drives to fail)
• audio part and network part separated (DSP and separate network processor) for higher reliability than software solutions

Devices are password-protected to limit unauthorized access to configuration pages. Network operator typically imposes MAC-address security in addition (i.e. only allowing Technomad devices to ‘speak’ on Port 80 and UDP 3030 to authorized MAC-address devices).

YES – our systems are ideal for use on ships. The speakers are resistant to salt fog and corrosion, and provide clear speech and music for “standoff” warnings to small craft up to 1 mile away. The Military PA control rack should be operated in a dry location, but the loudspeakers can be permanently installed on-deck. The provided protective lids should be attached during extreme weather / hurricanes, etc. [More info on shipboard applications]

Technomad Military PA Systems are completely weatherproof. They are IP56 compliant. They are impervious to rain, snow, sleet, salt fog, UV radiation, insect attack, rough handling, and more. [See “torture testing” videos ] They are Mil-Spec 810F compliant, and are constructed from thick, one-piece polyethylene. No other commercial or military loudspeaker comes close to the physical and electrical reliability of Technomad.