Paradigms Optimization for a C-Band COFDM Telemetry with High Bit Efficiency

Abstract

Systems using single carrier modulations for flight test transmissions perfectly fit noisy and time selective channels. However, the densification of the airport environment now makes the aero channel also frequency selective due to multiple reflections on surrounding buildings, especially while taxiing and taking off. Obviously, this has a direct consequence on hardware resources and user data rates. In such a context, COFDM represents an appealing solution thanks to its inherent robustness to multipath fading channels. But a direct application of an off-the-shelf COFDM standard is not straightforward as these standards are designed for specific channels whose characteristics are quite different from the aero one. That is why we made an experiment at Toulouse-Blagnac airport to jointly sound the channel and qualify a COFDM waveform. This paper then describes the construction of the waveform and the results of the channel sounding. From this, different standard paradigms are compared.