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Why Customers Requiring Adaptability Choose TC

TC Communications prides itself on its ability to adapt to the needs of customers. While TC’s product line already addresses a wide array of telecommunications scenarios, in some cases, TC’s engineers rise to the challenge of customizing existing products or even designing new products, working closely with third parties and end users to meet specific requirements.

A Recent Success Story

In one recent example, a major military contractor approached TC Communications, looking for a new solution for their satellite communications (SATCOM) system used in aircraft operations. The previous setup involved two discontinued TC mode converters, the TC3021 and TC3022, which operated in discrete data bandwidths, different from each other. The contractor sought a mode converter that could combine both data rates of the TC3021 and TC3022 in the same unit, allowing for the transmission of slower data in one direction and faster data in the other direction.

TC engineers quickly developed a new product, a variant of the TC3024, which covered the full required bandwidth.

The TC3024 would be used to convert the fiber optic cable connecting SATCOM equipment in the cockpit to telemetry equipment from multimode to single-mode fiber. Converting to single mode would enable data to be transmitted over greater distances, allowing optical signals to travel distances up to 60 kilometers at data rates spanning 30 bps to 10 Mbps.

The customer application required data rates between 600 bps and 6 Mbps, which the newly designed TC3024 supported. However, during initial testing, the contractor found that the TC3024 wasn’t functioning within their system as they expected. While conducting field tests at the contractor’s lab, TC engineers discovered that the specifications for the TC3024 the contractor had given were different from the ones needed. What’s more, these specifications were outside the operating range of the TC3024 at that time.

TC engineers were able to redesign the optical circuitry of the existing TC3024 to broaden the operational range to meet the user’s requirements, allowing for the new range of data to be supported. Doing this achieved the goal of combining the dual data rate operation, eliminating the need for another unit, and making it more compact, as well.

Outstanding Results

About a month after TC engineers had completed their modifications to the TC3024, the military contractor’s lead electrical engineer on the project informed TC Communications that their team had successfully flight-tested both communication systems with military presence.

“The TC Communications equipment plays a vital role in the operation, video and payload communication of our aircraft,” they said. “The customer was very happy with the SATCOM link performance during the ground and flight portion. The TC Comm equipment performed flawlessly.”

The speed at which TC engineers were able to design a new product, troubleshoot and make modifications, as well as the high level of communication and coordination required between cross-functional teams like production and tech support, did not go unnoticed.

The lead engineer directly expressed their gratitude to TC management and engineers, thanking them “specifically, [for] all your hard work, hours and support this year. Your dedication is appreciated.”

TC’s Mission

Positive feedback like that is especially encouraging to hear, but it isn’t the reason TC as a company remains committed to providing incomparable products and customer support.

TC Communications aims to meet or exceed customer expectations with every interaction, because being helpful and providing high-quality solutions is ingrained into the company at every level. And by keeping operations, design, manufacturing, and support based in the United States, TC Communications can respond quickly while meeting the TAA and “Made in America” requirements for the use of federal funds.”

“At TC Communications, we strive to get the project done, even when it calls for redesigning the product to adapt to the customer’s application,” says CEO and founder Kai Liang. “We treat each customer’s application as an important project, not merely a deal.”