At IMS 2026, everything RF stopped by the Aaronia AG booth and met Tommy Goodson, a major business partner and regional distributor for Aaronia AG. Tommy demonstrated Aaronia’s direction-finding and counter-drone platform, RF Snap Connectors, a portable RF analysis tablet, and a custom-built Mini PC for remote RF surveillance applications.
Direction Finding and Drone Detection System
Goodson showcased Aaronia’s latest RF Direction Finding (DF) and Drone Detection & Mitigation workstation, AARTOS DF9, designed to detect, track, and locate RF transmitters, drones, and drone operators in real time. During the demonstration, the IsoLOG direction-finding antenna was used to monitor RF activity across a full 360° field of view. The system determines the direction of incoming signals and verifies the results using multiple analysis tools to improve measurement confidence.
The DF platform is based on Aaronia’s IsoLOG 3D DF antenna technology, which supports frequency ranges from 400 MHz to 8 GHz and up to 18 GHz depending on the model. The antenna provides 360° coverage without mechanical rotation and offers tracking accuracy of up to 1-3° when used with Aaronia spectrum analyzers. It can also achieve tracking speeds as fast as 8 µs and is designed for real-time spectrum monitoring, geolocation, and signal intelligence applications.
The antenna can be mounted on vehicles, deployed on portable tripods, carried by field personnel, or operated from fixed command centers. A dedicated software continuously scans RF activity, detects drone communications, tracks drone locations, and identifies the position of drone controllers. The system is intended for military, security, surveillance, and critical infrastructure protection applications.
RF Snap Connectors Speed Up RF Test Connections
Tommy also demonstrated Aaronia’s new RF Snap Connectors, a magnetic RF connector system designed to simplify and accelerate SMA cable connections. The system consists of two magnetic adapters that can be attached to standard SMA connectors and SMA cable assemblies. Once installed, the connectors automatically align and snap together through magnetic coupling, eliminating the need to repeatedly tighten and loosen threaded SMA interfaces.
The magnetic connection allows engineers to quickly connect an analyzer or RF cable while maintaining a secure connection. The product is intended for test setups that require frequent cable changes, repeated measurements, or rapid equipment reconfiguration. It is designed for very high durability, supporting approximately 20,000 mating cycles while maintaining low insertion loss and consistent RF performance.
The magnetic connector technology is available for multiple RF interfaces including SMA, N-type, 2.95 mm, 1.85 mm, and 1 mm connectors. The company states that the connectors enable tool-free connections, prevent thread damage caused by over-tightening, and use strong magnets to maintain reliable mating. Optional reverse-polarity magnetic protection is also available.
Portable RF Analysis Tablet for Spectrum Monitoring and Signal Hunting
Aaronia also demonstrated a new portable RF analysis tablet that combines spectrum analysis and manual direction finding in a single field-deployable platform. The tablet supports both Windows and Linux operating systems and features a modular design that allows different Aaronia spectrum analyzer modules to be installed directly into the rear of the unit. This enables users to create a fully integrated handheld spectrum analysis system. When paired with Aaronia’s log-periodic antennas, the platform can be used for manual direction finding and signal localization. Users can determine the direction of RF signals in the field, making the solution suitable for interference hunting, spectrum monitoring, and transmitter location tasks.
The platform is based on Aaronia’s SPECTRAN V6 Tablet architecture, which supports analyzer configurations covering frequencies from 9 kHz to 7.2 GHz. The latest rugged tablet version includes a 15.6-inch sunlight-readable touchscreen with up to 1500 nits brightness, an AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS processor, AMD Radeon 780M graphics, 64 GB LPDDR5 RAM, and extensive high-speed connectivity options. It is compatible with Aaronia’s SPECTRAN V6 real-time spectrum analyzers and is designed for demanding outdoor and industrial applications.
Custom Mini PC Supports High-Speed Spectrum Analysis and Remote Monitoring
Aaronia showcased a custom-built Mini PC developed to address the throughput limitations of conventional laptops used with high-performance spectrum analyzers.
Goodson explained that modern RF monitoring applications require significantly higher bus speeds and more high-speed interfaces than are typically available on commercial laptops. To solve this problem, Aaronia designed a custom motherboard featuring multiple Thunderbolt and USB interfaces along with higher internal data-transfer speeds.
The Mini PC is intended to work with Aaronia’s real-time spectrum analyzers, which support instantaneous bandwidths of up to 245 MHz and high-speed I/Q data streaming. Aaronia’s larger monitoring platforms can support bandwidths reaching 980 MHz for advanced RF surveillance applications. A rugged outdoor monitoring enclosure that integrates the Mini PC with an Aaronia spectrum analyzer for unattended operation. The enclosure is designed for 24/7 automated spectrum monitoring and can be remotely accessed through Ethernet or wireless communication links.
Potential deployment locations include airports, military facilities, critical infrastructure sites, and permanent RF surveillance installations where continuous monitoring and remote access are required. The underlying PC platform utilizes an AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS processor and includes interfaces like USB4, HDMI, 10G SFP+, multiple USB ports, and Ethernet connectivity to support high-volume RF data acquisition and processing.