Side-by-side
McQ RANGER Unattended Ground Sensor vs GS-20 Underground Sensor
Spec comparison for two products on Aviation Souk. Both compete in perimeter-security.
perimeter-security
McQ RANGER Unattended Ground Sensor
by mcq
Hand-emplaced seismic/acoustic/magnetic UGS that classifies people, vehicles, UAS and aircraft and reports over 900 MHz mesh or Iridium satellite.
perimeter-security
GS-20 Underground Sensor
by vortex-systems
Buried seismic and magnetometer intrusion sensor with 5-Watt VHF reporting up to 35 miles line-of-sight
| Cost of ownership | McQ RANGER Unattended Ground Sensor | GS-20 Underground Sensor |
|---|---|---|
| Price tier | — | — |
| Lead time (weeks) | ?–? | ?–? |
| Delivery | — | — |
| Install | — | — |
| GCC airports deployed | 0 | 0 |
| Certifications | 0 | 0 |
Specs
Technical specifications.
| Spec | McQ RANGER Unattended Ground Sensor | GS-20 Underground Sensor |
|---|---|---|
| Sensing modalities | Seismic, acoustic, magnetic | Internal seismic (pedestrian) + internal magnetometer (vehicle presence and travel direction) |
| Target classification | Personnel, human speech, ground vehicles, watercraft, UAS, aircraft | — |
| Rural mode sensing | Seismic: people and vehicles; Acoustic: people and aircraft (long-range performance) | — |
| Urban mode sensing | Seismic: people; Acoustic: speech (for noisy environments); Magnetic: direction of travel | — |
| Sensitivity | Sensitivity levels configurable for mission | — |
| RF communications (standard) | McQ TNet, 902-928 MHz, 1 W transmit, 2 dBi antenna | — |
| RF communications (SAT) | Iridium Short Burst Data, 1616-1626 MHz, 1.6 W transmit, 2.8 dBic antenna | — |
| Battery life | 30+ days, mission dependent (inductively recharged internal battery) | 1+ year (deployment 3 months to 1 year or longer depending on configuration) |
| Recharging | Internal battery recharged with wireless charging pads via inductive charging coil (sealed enclosure never opened) | — |
| GNSS | GPS, Galileo, GLONASS | — |
| Encryption | AES 128 or 256 bit (available) | — |
| Display integration | TAK and other third-party displays; McQ map-based PC and Android displays with real-time detection data and command and control | — |
| Dimensions (standard) | 72.1 x 51.3 x 33.5 (body) mm | — |
| Dimensions (SAT) | 80.8 x 90.7 x 34.3 (body) mm | — |
| Height including antenna connector (standard / SAT) | 44.0 / 38.9 mm | — |
| Weight (standard / SAT) | 145 / 285 g | — |
| Operating temperature | -20 to +65 deg C | — |
| IP rating | IP67 | — |
| Kit part numbers | RA-K1001 McQ RANGER Sensor Kit; RA-K1103 McQ RANGER SAT Sensor Kit | — |
| Manufacturer quality system | ISO 9001:2015 registered company | — |
| External sensor inputs | — | PIR and contact-closure via configurable external connector |
| Sensor fusion | — | Up to 5 sensors |
| Radio | — | Built-in 5 W VHF, programmable RF output power, strong foliage penetration |
| Radio range | — | Up to 35 miles line-of-sight |
| Alarm codes | — | Up to 15 unique |
| Sensor address range | — | 1-9999 |
| Power | — | 8-20 VDC |
| Dimensions | — | 6.5 x 3 x 3 in |
| Enclosure | — | Watertight, corrosion-proof fiberglass-reinforced polyester with silicone foam gasket |
| Deployment | — | Buried (antenna only above ground) or above-ground |
| Output | — | Mechanical relay to trigger external devices (cameras, lights, sirens) |
| Security | — | Internal tamper switch |
| Timing | — | Real-time clock; programmable self-test messages and scheduled access windows |
| Networking | — | Stand-alone or networked; Coyote/Cub relay mode; compatible with legacy Vortex and Monitron systems |
Decide
Ask Aviation Souk to pick for your tender.
The AI weighs both products against your specific brief — airport, certifications, lead time, budget — and tells you which fits.
Ask the AI →