• DIGITAL WIDEBAND RECORDING SYSTEMS

      Brower, Alfred N.; DSPCon, Inc. (International Foundation for Telemetering, 2001-10)
      Historically, those interested in recording one or more channels with analog content of greater than or equal to 2 MHz, must use an analog recorder. In the last few years, advancements in analog-to-digital converter technology, performance enhancement in Digital Signal Processors (DSPs), and digital recording devices have made cost-effective, wideband recording applications possible through the use of all-digital techniques. This paper has three objectives: 1. It attempts to explain the benefits of a wideband digital recorder over the traditional analog variety. 2. It discusses the key elements of a wideband digital recorder. 3. It presents a realizable 10-channel, 30 Mbit PCM digital recorder solution. 4. It presents a realizable 14-channel, 2 MHz (bandwidth) digital recorder solution.
    • A FLEXIBLE MULTIFUNCTION TELEMETRY INPUT/OUTPUT MODULE

      Woicik, Richard; L-3 Communications Telemetry & Instrumentation (International Foundation for Telemetering, 2001-10)
      Many high-performance, reconfigurable data functions can now be integrated into a single PCI circuit board, making possible low-cost and complex systems using PCs or UNIX workstations. FPGA and PCI technologies are an excellent match to telemetry applications where commercial off-the-shelf solutions are desired, but customization is common and performance critical. A Multifunction Telemetry I/O (MFT) module was designed to exploit these technologies for both flight test and space telemetry ground systems. The reconfigurability of the module has facilitated evolutionary hardware enhancements as well as custom applications. These enhancements have been used both as building blocks for system integrators and for commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) graphic setup, processing, archiving, and display software. The MFT module includes a standard set of telemetry functions: up to two bit synchronizers, an IRIG time decoder, and two independent telemetry serial input and output channels. The MFT module is also available on a 6U VME board. This paper describes some of the proven capabilities and applications of this module.
    • Generating Spread-Spectrum Sequences by a Class of Chaotic Maps

      Chengquan, Au; Tingxian, Zhou; Yuxiang, Yang; Harbin Institute of Technology (International Foundation for Telemetering, 2001-10)
      Based on the fact that two topological conjugacy chaotic maps have identical dynamical behaviors, this paper proposes a method generating spreadspectrum sequences by creating chaotic maps topological conjugacy to Kent- Map, and analyses the correlation properties of the chaotic spread-spectrum sequences. The results of simulation verified the correctness of the theoretical analysis.
    • APPLICATION OF A STORAGE AREA NETWORK IN A HIGHRATE TELEMETRY GROUND STATION

      Ozkan, Siragan; Zimmerman, Bryan; Williams, Mike; DeShong, Monica; Avtec Systems, Inc.; Honeywell Technology Solutions, Inc. (International Foundation for Telemetering, 2001-10)
      A traditional Front-end Processor (FEP) with local RAID storage can limit the operational throughput of a high-rate telemetry ground station. The Front-end processor must perform pass processing (frame synchronization, decoding, routing, and storage), post-pass processing (level-zero processing), and tape archiving. A typical fifteen minute high-rate satellite pass can produce data files of 10 to 20 GB. The FEP may require up to 2 hours to perform the post-pass processing and tape archiving functions for these size files. During this time, it is not available to support real-time pass operations. Honeywell faced this problem in the design of the data management system for the DataLynx ä* ground stations. Avtec Systems, Inc. and Honeywell worked together to develop a data management system that utilizes a Storage Area Network (SAN) in conjunction with multiple High-speed Front-end Processors (HSFEP) for Pass Processing (PFEP), multiple HSFEPs for Post-pass Processing (PPFEP), and a dedicated Tape Archive server. A SAN consists of a high-capacity, high-bandwidth shared RAID that is connected to multiple nodes using 1 Gbps Fibre Channel interfaces. All of the HSFEPs as well as the Tape Archive server have direct access to the shared RAID via a Fibre Channel network. The SAN supports simultaneous read/write transfers between the nodes at aggregate rates up to 120 Mbytes/sec. With the Storage Area Network approach, the High-Speed Front-end Processors can quickly transfer the data captured during a pass to the shared RAID for post-processing and tape archiving so that they are available to support another satellite pass. This paper will discuss the architecture of the Storage Area Network and how it optimizes ground station data management in a high-rate environment.
    • AUTOMATED TESTING OF THE ADVANCED DATA ACQUISITION AND PROCESSING SYSTEM

      Heywood, James K.; Tybrin, Inc. (International Foundation for Telemetering, 2001-10)
      Software and techniques are described for testing the Advanced Data Acquisition and Processing System (ADAPS), the primary flight test telemetry system used at Edwards AFB, California. The software described acts as an additional simulation capability and moves the simulation definition process into a realm where data is formed by means of a high-order language. The potential for creation of more sophisticated simulated test data is thus enabled. Extension of the techniques described in this paper to applications other than testing is discussed.
    • Accountable Security Architectures for Protecting Telemetry Data

      Kalibjian, Jeffrey R.; CounterSign Software, Inc. (International Foundation for Telemetering, 2001-10)
      Today there are many security solutions available which can facilitate both protection and sharing of telemetry data. While the technologies behind these solutions are maturing [1] [2] [3], most products lack a consistent and coherent paradigm for enforcing who is able to access the secured data, what is done with it, and insuring it can be recovered if the person who secured it is disabled.
    • VELOCITY ERROR ANALYSIS OF COHERENT AND NON-COHERENT TRANSPONDING TRACTORY MEASUREMENT SYSTEM

      Chengfang, Huang; SWIET (International Foundation for Telemetering, 2001-10)
      This paper introduces two transponders combining coherent transponding and non-coherent transponding for multistatic trajectory measurement system and carrier Doppler frequency extraction principle, then derives each model of the velocity error for noise. The expressions of velocity error resulted by noise in coherent, IF-modulated and IF transform transponding configurations are also described. The conclusion is drawn: the system velocity error for noise is related to the transponder transponding configuration. And, the velocity error in coherent, IF-modulated and IF transform transponding configurations are compared in this paper.
    • NON-FEEDBACK HIGH SPEED ADAPTIVE EQUALIZERS FOR FQPSK AND OTHER SPECTRAL EFFICIENCY SYSTEMS FOR LEO SATELLITE TELEMETRY SYSTEMS

      Haghdad, Mehdi; Feher, Kamilo; University of California Davis; Digcom, Inc. (International Foundation for Telemetering, 2001-10)
      A non-feedback adaptive equalizer based on Feher Equalizer (FE) is presented and its performance is evaluated. By artificially adding notch/notches to the corrupted spectrum resulted from selectively faded LEO environments, an artificial symmetry is created and as a result the BER/BLER is improved. The location and the depth of artificial additive notches are based on the shape of the spectrum of the corrupted signal. By measuring the power in narrow bands around certain frequencies the existence of notches around those frequencies are predicted. Based on this information notches with proper depths are added to the main spectrum which results in more symmetry in the spectrum. The selection process of artificial notch/notches are based on the shape of the signal spectrum, which means that this equalizer unlike most conventional equalizer does not need any feedback. The nonfeedback nature of this equalizer improves the adaptation time over that of alternative equalizers The results presented in this paper are based on both MatLab simulations and laboratory hardware measurements.
    • Enhancement of Advanced Range Telemetry (ARTM) Channels via Blind Equalization

      Ye, Zhong; Satorius, Edgar H.; Jedrey, Thomas C.; Temple, Kip; California Institute of Technology; Edwards Air Force Base (International Foundation for Telemetering, 2001-10)
      The Joint Services Advanced Range Telemetry (ARTM) Program at Edwards Air Force Base has been evaluating FQPSK-B for possible upgrades to the existing telemetry equipment. It has been found in the wideband channel sounding experiments sponsored by ARTM that the in-flight fading channel can be modeled as a 3-ray multipath channel[1]. Delay spread for a typical in-flight channel is in the order of 300 nanoseconds. Furthermore, the pre-flight channel is characterized by much more severe multipath, in which the delay spread is in the order of microseconds covering one or more symbols when the FQPSK-B transceiver operates at a rate of millions of symbols per second. This adverse channel condition inevitably causes tremendous distortion in the received signals due to severe inter-symbol interference (ISI) from the multipath. This paper provides an assessment of the potential ability of blind equalization to reduce the FQPSK-B system susceptibility to degradation caused by dynamic frequency selective fading in the aeronautical telemetry environment. In particular, a blind equalizer applique that can be inserted prior to the demodulator without knowledge of the received signal such as carrier frequency, symbol timing and sequence, etc, is proposed. Since it is desired that the equalizer applique operate independently of the carrier frequency and given that the modulation of interest is constant envelope (PCM-FM or FQPSKB), we have selected the constant modulus algorithm (CMA)[2] cost function for implementation. Extensive tests on both simulated and recorded FQPSK-B data transmitted over different ARTM channels have been conducted and the blind equalizer structure has shown substantial improvements, even on the difficult ARTM pre-flight channels. The CMA adapts the equalizer coefficients to minimize the deviation of the output envelope from an arbitrary constant level. This paper depicts the pre-flight and in-flight channel conditions using time and spectral domain measurement. It quantifies the benefit of the blind CMA tapped delay line equalizer. Due to the extensive signal processing requirements associated with the very high sampling rate (100 MHz) of the FQPSK-B system, hardware implementation complexity is very high. Complexity reduction issues regarding the implementation of the CMA using Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) will also be presented.
    • Enhanced Flight Termination System Study - Phase II and III Status

      Arce, Dennis; Garza, Reynaldo; McAndrews, Thomas; Bourne Technologies, Inc.; Air Force Flight Test Center; TYBRIN Corporation (International Foundation for Telemetering, 2001-10)
      The Range Commanders Council (RCC) Range Safety Group (RSG) is conducting a study into the next generation of ground-based flight termination technology, known as the Enhanced Flight Termination System (EFTS) study. The study was initiated by the RCC in April 2000 with a scheduled completion of March 2002. The Government is performing the study with support from contractors and academia. This paper will discuss specific details of phase II and III of the EFTS study. The description of phase II will include details on the down-selected approaches and reason for the selection. The phase III description will include the methods of analysis, simulation, experimentation, and verification that are used to refine the phase II recommendations.
    • SWITCHING TO THE FUTURE OF RANGE COMMUNICATIONS AT EDWARDS AFB

      Gribble, Simeon S.; Switzer, Earl R.; Edwards Air Force Base (International Foundation for Telemetering, 2001-10)
      The Edwards Digital Switch (EDS) provides mission critical voice and time-spaceposition information (TSPI) communication switching capability to the Edwards Test Range. The present system has been in operation for about 10 years. The core of this system is based on widely used commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) time-slot interchange switches that were designed for a 40-year service life. The application layers of the system, comprising the command/control elements and the communications and user interfaces, were custom developed by the prime contractor to satisfy the performance requirements of the Air Force Flight Test Center (AFFTC). Problems with the current system include difficulty in obtaining replacement items for equipment developed by the prime contractor and higher than expected failure rates for this equipment. Based on experience, the service life for the equipment developed by the prime contractor appears to be about 15 years. Another problem is that lower cost packet switches are taking market share from the more traditional time-slot interchange switches. This factor tends to accelerate the obsolescence of the existing COTS equipment. Solutions are being investigated to update or replace the EDS. One solution is to reuse the existing COTS core equipment and replace the present application layers, preferably with COTS. Another solution is to replace the entire system with COTS or vendormodified COTS hardware and software.
    • PROTOTYPE FOR A COMMON RANGE DISPLAY ENVIRONMENT AT NAWC/WD

      Harris, Dan; NAWC/WD (International Foundation for Telemetering, 2001-10)
    • International Telemetering Conference Proceedings, Volume 37 (2001)

      International Foundation for Telemetering, 2001-10
    • PERFORMANCE OF SOQPSK AND MULTI-H CPM IN THE PRESENCE OF ADJACENT CHANNEL INTERFERENCE

      Hill, Terrance J.; Nova Engineering, Inc. (International Foundation for Telemetering, 2001-10)
      Multi-h CPM has been selected as the Tier II waveform for the Advanced Range Telemetry (ARTM) program, because it offers 50% better spectral efficiency than Feher-patented FQPSK, which is the Tier I waveform. Shaped Offset QPSK has been shown to be nearly identical in performance to Feher-patented FQPSK. Both the Tier I and Tier II waveforms must operate in the presence of adjacent channel interference in order to meet the range community's telemetry requirements. This paper presents an experimental characterization of SOQPSK and Multi-h CPM in the presence of adjacent channel interference, over a range of channel spacings and differential signal amplitudes. Quantitative results are presented which demonstrate the relative robustness of the ARTM Tier I and Tier II waveforms, with adjacent channel interference representative of a typical range environment.
    • AUTONOMOUS ACQUISITION OF ENVIRONMENTAL DATA IN A GLOBAL NETWORK ENVIRONMENT

      Grubinger, Michael; Strohmeier, Felix; University of Salzburg, Austria (International Foundation for Telemetering, 2001-10)
      This paper presents the results of a feasibility study undertaken by the University of Salzburg (Austria), investigating the autonomous acquisition of environmental data in a global network. A suggested application which is used as the basis of this paper is a volcano monitoring system which would be able to track the activity of a volcano and act as a disaster warning system. The background Volcano observation data required for such a system is covered, before discussing the concepts for sensor data acquisition, storage and processing. A final analysis is then presented of the opportunities for the transmission by packet radio (both terrestrial and satellite).
    • FOUNDATION INITIATIVE 2010: THE FOUNDATION FOR RANGE INTEROPERABILITY

      Rumford, George J.; Vuong, Minh; Bachinsky, Stephen T.; Powell, Edward T.; U.S. Army White Sands Missile Range; U.S. Army Simulation, Training, and Instrumentation Command; Science Applications International Corporation; Science Applications International Corporation (International Foundation for Telemetering, 2001-10)
      Foundation Initiative 2010 (FI 2010) is a joint interoperability initiative of the Director, Operational Test and Evaluation. The vision of FI 2010 is to enable interoperability among ranges, facilities, and simulations in a timely and cost-efficient manner and to foster reuse of range assets and future range system developments. To achieve this vision, FI 2010 is developing and validating a common architecture with a common range object model, a core set of tools, inter-range communication capabilities, interfaces to existing range assets, interfaces to weapon systems, and recommended procedures for conducting synthetic test events and training exercises. During FY 01, the project is developing the second Test and Training ENabling Architecture (TENA) Middleware Prototype as a basis for range communication. FI 2010 will advance a simulation-based acquisition or a ‘distributed engineering plant’ methodology to streamline weapon system acquisition. Benefits from the FI 2010 products include cost effective replacement of customized data links, enhanced exchange of mission data, organic TENA-compliant capabilities at test sites to be leveraged for future test events, and instrumentation system reuse. Through FI 2010, future inter-range operations, instrumentation development, and range capability sustainment will cost less and incur less risk.
    • AN OBJECT-ORIENTED PC-BASED SYSTEM FOR TSPI COLLECTION AND DISTRIBUTION

      Paulick, Mike; Thomas, Tim; TYBRIN Corporation; Eglin Air Force Base (International Foundation for Telemetering, 2001-10)
      The Range Instrumentation and Control System (RICS) is a PC-based client/server application designed to collect time-space position information (TSPI) from remote radar test sites and distribute it in real-time across a wide area network (WAN). The system architecture is composed of two main parts - the Data Interface Adapter (or DIA, which runs under VxWorks and is implemented using C/C++) and the RICS console PC (which runs under Windows 2000 and is implemented in Java). CORBA is used to provide communication between the RICS console and DIA. This paper describes the design of the system, focusing primarily on the DIA software.
    • SMART DIVERSITY RECEIVERS FOR DYNAMIC, MULTIPATH, FREQUENCY SELECTIVE FADED FQPSK AND OTHER SYSTEMS

      Aflatouni, Katayoun; Feher, Kamilo; University of California; Digcom, Inc. (International Foundation for Telemetering, 2001-10)
      Design, performance Test and Evaluation (T&E) of a novel smart diversity receiver, based on Feher Diversity (FD) patents over multipath, fast dynamic frequency selective fading channels is presented. A hardware simulator for construction of a frequency selective fading channel has been implemented in laboratory to resemble a telemetry aeronautical channel model, namely the two-path channel model. As an illustrative example, the block error rate (BLER) of a 1 Mb/s rate IRIG 106-00 and CCSDS standardized Feher’s patented quadrature phase shift keying (FQPSK) [1][2] with and without diversity in multipath frequency selective fading channels has been tested and evaluated. The experimental results clearly indicate significant performance improvement with the proposed diversity technique even in cases of severely distorted channels.
    • NON-COHERENTLY DETECTED FQPSK: RAPID SYNCHRONIZATION AND COMPATIBILITY WITH PCM/FM RECEIVERS

      Park, Hyung Chul; Lee, Kwyro; Feher, Kamilo; Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology; University of California; Digcom, Inc. (International Foundation for Telemetering, 2001-10)
      A new class of non-coherent detection techniques for recently standardized Feher patented quadrature phase-shift keying (FQPSK) systems is proposed and studied by computer aided design/simulations and also verified by experimental hardware measurements. The theoretical concepts of the described non-coherent techniques are based on an interpretation of the instantaneous frequency deviation or phase transition characteristics of FQPSK-B modulated signal at the front end of the receiver. These are accomplished either by Limiter-Discriminator (LD) or by Limiter-Discriminator followed by Integrate-and-Dump (LD I&D) methods. It is shown that significant BER performance improvements can be obtained by increasing the received signal’s observation time over multiple symbols as well as by adopting trellis-demodulation. For example, our simulation results show that a BER=10^-4 can be obtained for an E(b)/N(0)=12.7 dB.
    • Enhanced Flight Termination System Study Overview and Status

      Cronk, Steven G.; Tobin, Maria A.; Sakahara, Robert D.; Edwards Air Force Base; NASA (International Foundation for Telemetering, 2001-10)
      The Range Commanders Council (RCC) Range Safety Group (RSG) is conducting a study into the next generation of ground-based flight termination technology, known as the Enhanced Flight Termination System (EFTS) study. The study was initiated by the RCC in April 2000 and scheduled to be complete in March 2002. The Government is performing the study with support from contractors and academia. In addition to the RSG, the Telemetry Group, Frequency Management Group, Telecommunications and Timing Group of the RCC support the study. Additionally, the National Security Agency is providing key support along with vendors who design, build, and test range safety systems. This paper will describe the background, goals, and current status of the study.