TEKI Questions & Answers

• What is TEKI?
• TEKI is a stand alone ESM System used to detect and identify maritime radars. TEKI gathers intelligence through passive “listening” to the maritime radar spectrum.
• What frequency Bands are covered?
• The ‘X’ (I band) and ‘S’ (E/F band) bands are covered.
• What is special about TEKI?
• TEKI is unique in that it is automatic and therefore does not require a dedicated trained operator.
• TEKI has an autonomous search sensor, which is a major advantage over traditional ESM systems and can fingerprint a radar to a particular vessel.
• TEKI is a force multiplier. Increased detection ranges provide greater coverage per patrol hour.
• TEKI stores target parameters in its data base; there is no need to approach vessels to re-identify targets.
• Is TEKI a Radar Warning Receiver?
• No, TEKI is an intelligence gathering tool not a self defence system.
• What was the requirement for TEKI?
• To provide an affordable, high sensitivity radar identification system designed for simple operation on small ships. TEKI was designed to be affordable in terms of initial acquisition cost and more importantly no crew training and operating cost.
• Who designed TEKI?
• TEKI was developed by the New Zealand Defence Technology Agency (DTA) for the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF).
• Who has the rights to the system?
• The Crown (NZ Government) has the rights to the entire system, hardware and software, except for one key algorithm. There are no ITAR or import restrictions on parts.
• Who builds TEKI?
• Marops Ltd, a New Zealand owned technology company specialising in maritime surveillance commercialised and manufacture TEKI under license from the New Zealand Government.
• Are there any export restrictions?
• TEKI is subject to the normal export restrictions from New Zealand.
• Is TEKI operational?
• Yes. The operational test and evaluation was completed in 2010 and the system is installed and operational with the Royal New Zealand Navy.
• What is TEKI’s target market?
• TEKI is optimised for installation on small vessels built for coastal and littoral environments or for remote autonomous surveillance from a static installation such as an oil or gas platform. TEKI brings a large navy capability to Coastguards, law enforcement and inshore patrol vessels for the first time.
• What are the crew requirements to operate TEKI?
• No operators are required to operate TEKI. The system was designed for autonomous operation with a very simple interface.
• Are there any interface requirements?
• Typical external interfaces include an NMEA GPS interface for the vessel’s heading, position, and time. The output from TEKI is normally fed to a geographic display/plotter. The output format is an ASCII string in XML format.
• What is the power requirement?
• Power supply is 115/230V 50-60Hz, 500VA maximum.
• How big is TEKI?
• TEKI was designed for small vessels and consists of a masthead 60cm antenna assembly under a watertight plastic radome cover, an RF feed to the power source and the below decks controller. The controller consists of approximately one ‘half- rack‘ of a 19” rack equipment, one industrial PC, two 1U Tuners and one 3U interface box. The system looks very much like an ordinary commercial radar head when installed.
• How does TEKI work?
• The antenna slowly and continuously scans the horizon. The rate of scan is slow enough to guarantee detection of any radar in range. It measures the characteristics of the radar pulse and compares them to a library of known radars. It continuously reports the bearing and identity of the radar it finds. Once started TEKI runs autonomously.
• Can a vessel be identified by name?
• Yes, if the contact is matched with details in the systems data base.
• Can the crew add to the data base?
• Yes, the crew can add contacts to a tactical data base while on a mission.
• What is the detection range?
• Typically twice the radar range or greater.
• How is the information presented?
• Bearing and identification information is distributed via TCP/IP and can be integrated for display pictorially on the vessels Command & Control system.
• Is the information displayed in real time?
• No, the antenna takes a few minutes to get a 360 degree picture.
• How precise is the information presented?
• The bearing accuracy is better than 2 degrees in X band and 4 degrees in S band.
• Has TEKI been environmentally tested?
• TEKI has been tested for the environmental conditions specified under IEC60945, with a reduced temperature range of 0 to 40 deg C for the “below decks” equipment. The external antenna meets the full temperature range.
• What does TEKI stand for?
• TEKI comes from the native Maori language of New Zealand. TEKI is short for Te Kupenga Irirangi that roughly translates to The Radar Net.