October 2, 2000 – Fort Lewis, Washington – The US Army integrated a large-scale ASTi digital communications system into the infrastructure of the I Corps, Battle Simulation Center (BSC). The ASTi installation provides critical links between simulated and live voice networks for use during brigade-level through division-level training. The system also gives the BSC the capability to route voice traffic from live radios and soldiers located at BSC workstations to central network logging devices, for after-action-review (AAR).

The installation is comprised of a networked series of ASTi Synapse Radio-to-IP bridges and Synapse Workstation nodes, and provides the capability to link as many as 12 live radio networks to 64 workstation operators via 16 virtual local network channels. More links can be established with Synapse nodes connected to the wide network.

ASTi provided the Army with a complete end-to-end solution, including Synapse processing nodes, microphones, speakers, audio cabling and hand-held terminal user interfaces.

To integrate the system, the customer only had to:

• interconnect the system components using standard network cables
• plug in microphones and speakers
• edit script files to enter system-preset information

This entire process was completed within two days of delivery, thanks to ASTi's true plug-and-play design.

ASTi's Synapse is a powerful voice communications system that bridges tactical radio transceiver (RT) communications to IP data networks. The Army is using the system to link live RT networks to other Synapse nodes on the network. Links are also established between live RT traffic and human operators located at network-based ASTi Synapse Workstations.

The Synapse Workstation is based on ASTi's networked, digital Intercom product line, and provides operator links to IP network communications nets. At Ft. Lewis, the operators connected to the Synapse Workstation will have access to each of the RT Nets from the Synapse system via a local IP network.

The Synapse Workstations can operate without the Synapse RT interface nodes, as a local or wide area digital network intercom system.