GATR is coming off a great 2009… a larger facility was obtained and further expansion is in the works. The Company was also listed #259 in the Inc. 500 (one of Inc. 500’s Hottest Products) and also landed a $26M IDIQ contract… 2010 was certainly heating up!

GATR is an Inflatable Satellite Antenna System (1.8m- and 2.4m- diameter dish). The product’s uniqueness stems from the inflatable radome, or ball, with a flexible, parabolic reflector mounted at the equator. This design results in an extremely portable packaged antenna that, when inflated with normal air, produces a large-aperture dish (inside the ball), resulting in a precision satellite antenna for remote communications.

The GATR antenna performs like a rigid antenna of the same size, but with 10-15 percent of the packaged size of a conventional rigid antenna system. When the antenna is deflated, it fits into as few as two airline checkable cases. The system can operate on low power provided by solar, DC battery, or AC power. When the system is coupled with a higher-power transmitter, its performance is comparable to a large satellite truck system, such as those used in live broadcast television.

GATR has been adopted by Special Operations Commands, the Armed Forces, FEMA, the intelligence community, municipalities, and commercial customers. The GATR system enables customers to remotely establish critical communications with large-aperture antennas that are:

• Easy to transport (in as few as 2 cases and < 100 lbs. each)
• Quick and easy to setup (1 person, < 40 minutes)
• Stand-alone or can be integrated with existing equipment (i.e.; replace a 1.2m dish with a 2.4m inflatab
le antenna with minimal additional weight and volume)

In January, GATR reacted quickly to assist in Haiti’s earthquake recovery efforts by supplying antenna systems and support personnel. Other GATR systems were deployed by several organizations to setup high-bandwidth satellite communications in the wake of this disaster. One such effort was spearheaded by employee David Hoffman, who setup and established a link near the Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) hangar supporting InSTEDD’s search and rescue base at the Port-au-Prince airfield in Haiti, with bandwidth donated by GATR for emergency information systems.

Another GATR employee, Caleb Pal, departed to the Dominican Republic with two antennas and supported a group of physician’s as part of the Chandasha Foundation, with bandwidth donated by INTELSAT General. The effort also furthered the communication links throughout the island (phone, Internet, cellular connection, etc.).

“Part of our company philosophy is to turn our success into the ability to help others in crisis situations, like the humanitarian aid efforts in Haiti,” said Paul Gierow, President of GATR Technologies Inc.. “We were proud to participate in these efforts and will continue to support other situations as long as we are able.”

GATR also debuted and delivered the world’s first inflatable FCC-certified C-band satellite antenna system. The C-band product adds to GATR’s existing FCC-approved 1.8- and 2.4-meter Ku-band product line and expands coverage capability in remote areas. C-band typically requires larger-aperture antennas (2.4m or greater), which makes mobility a big issue.

“Our system combines the worldwide coverage of C-Band with the portability of our inflatable large-aperture system,” said Larry Lowe, GATR’s VP of Engineering. “It is a perfect combination for situations in remote areas of Europe, Asia, Australia, South America, and Africa. It is also perfectly suited for operation in the mountains of Afghanistan.”

No good deed goes unrewarded. GATR was named a winner in the R&D 100 Awards for Communications presented by the editors of R&D Magazine. The R&D 100 Awards are based on the 100 most technologically significant products introduced into the marketplace over the past year. In addition, GATR was also ranked, for the 2nd year in a row, in the Inc. 500/5000, Inc. Magazine’s exclusive ranking of the nation’s fastest-growing private companies. The list represents the most comprehensive look at a vitally important segment of the economy—America’s independent-minded entrepreneurs.

With orders for more than 50 systems in 2010, and 500+ documented deployments since its first deployment in 2005, GATR continues to grow. The Company is currently in the process of testing X-band (range tested and has already met the requirements for commercial X-band), and Ka-band (range tested), with the goal of becoming WGS terminal certified (Wide-band Gapfiller Satellite) in 2011. GATR also plans to add a smaller man-packable solution (~1m class solution) to its product line in the near future.

Enabling Communications Around the World™ — that’s GATR’s motto and one that continues to define the Company’s ever-increasing global success.