NTIA-REPORT-79-14

Aircraft Obstruction of

Microwave Links

R. E. Skerjanec

R. W. Hubbard

u.s. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Juanita M. Kreps, Secretary

Henry Geller, Assistant Secretary

for Communications and Information

January 1979

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ABSTRACT

1. INTRODUCTION

2. PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION

3. MEASUREMENT CONFIGURATION

4. RECEIVED SIGNAL LEVEL ANALYSIS

5. IMPULSE RESPONSE ANALYSIS

5.1. Hartsfield-Atlanta International Airport

5.2. O'Hare-Chicago International Airport

6. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

7. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

8. REFERENCES

APPENDIX - Explanation of Impulse Test Data

REFERENCES

iii

Page

1

2

3

10

20

29

34

38

44

47

47

48

57
LIST OF FIGURES

Page

Figure 2.1. Plan view of Hartsfield Atlanta

International Airport. 4

Figure 2.2. Atlanta transmitting antennas. 5

Figure 2.3. Atlanta receiving antennas on control

tower. 6

Figure 2.4. Profile of Atlanta path. 7

Figure 2.5. Plan view of O'Hare Chicago International

Airport. 8

Figure 2.6. Chicago transmitting antenna configuration. 9

Figure 2.7. Chicago receiving antennas. 11

Figure 2.8. Chicago microwave path. 12

Figure 2.9. Profile of Chicago path. 13

Figure 3.1. Block diagram of the PN probe trans~

mitter at 8.6 GHz. 15

Figure 3.2. The theoretical line spectrum of a

pseudo-random binary signal. 15

Figure 3.3. The measured power spectrum (in dB) of the

transmitted signal of the PN probe operating

at a clock frequency of 150 MHz. The

center frequency is 8.6 GHz, and the

frequency scale is 50 MHz per division. 17

Figure 3 .4. Block diagram of the PN probe receiver.

Figure 4.1. Aircraft fades for select periods.

Figure 4 . 2 . Aircraft fade (Atlanta) .

Figure 4 .3. Aircraft position in microwave path.

Figure 4 .4. Aircraft position above microwave path.

Figure 4.5. Aircraft position below microwave path.

Figure 4 . 6 • Long duration fade at Chicago.

Figure 4 .7. Aircraft orientation at Atlanta.

19

21

23

24

25

26

28

30

iv
Figure 4.8. Multiple short duration fades at

Chicago.

Figure 4.9. Multiple'mixed fades at Chicago.

Figure 4.10. Time expanded fade at Chicago.

Page

31

32

33

Figure 5.1. A typical response measured over the

reflected (Channel B) link at the

Atlanta airport without aircraft

interference. 35

Figure 5.2. The impulse response measured at the

Atlanta airport with a DC9 aircraft in

the microwave beam. The time separation in (a) is 100 ms. The data rate in

(b) 50 impulses per second. 35

Figure 5.3. Examples of the impulse response measured

at the Atlanta airport with 727 aircraft

intercepting the microwave beam. In (a)

the aircraft was approaching Runway 27R,

and in (b) it was approaching Runway 27L.

The time between responses is 100 ms in

each case. 37

Figure 5.4. A sequence of impulse responses measured

over the Chicago-O'Hare RML link with

no aircraft interference. 37

Figure 5.5. A typical response measured over the

Chicago-O'Hare link with an aircraft

obstruction. 40

Figure 5.6. A sequence of impulse responses measured

during an obstruction fade. Multipath is

seen in the fourth trace from the top. 40

Figure 5.7. Multipath observations over the ChicagoO'Hare link. 42

Figure 5.8. An obstruction fade without multipath. 43

Figure A-I. Time and frequency domain displays. 49

Figure A-2. The theoretical transfer function of a

multipath channel. 52

v

AIRCRAFT OBSTRUCTION OF MICROWAVE LINKS

R.E. Skerjanec and R.W. Hubbard*

Conversion to digital transmission has renewed the

concerns about what effects aircraft obstruction of

microwave links have on user quality. This is of

particular concern where it is necessary to install a

telecommunication system that crosses runways and

taxiways where the frequency of obstruction may be

great.

A limited measurement program at 8 GHz at Atlanta

and Chicago Airports was undertaken to determine

if a condition existed that could cause excessive

error rates on digital systems. Measurements were

made of the received signal level together with

the impulse response of the transmission medium.

Measurement results indicate that during takeoff and

landing, aircraft can cause signal level fades to

20 dB. Modern system margin is usually sufficient

to cope with such fades.

The impulse response measurements at Atlanta did not

reveal any delayed or distorted pulses that would

indicate excessive multipath and frequency selective

fading. However, slight distortion from taxiing

aircraft at Chicago was observed. The implication

of this detected distortion is reflected in the

potential of a distorted asymmetrical frequency

response within the 15 - 20 MHz passband of a microwave digital receiver.

Key words: Microwave propagation; impulse response;

digital transmission; aircraft

obstruction

*The authors are with the Institute for Telecommunication

Sciences, National Telecommunications and Information Administration, u.S. Department of Commerce, Boulder, Colorado 80303.
AIRCRAFT OBSTRUCTION OF MICROWAVE LINKS

1. INTRODUCTION

Recurrent situations arise when it is necessary for a

variety of reasons to establish a line-of-sight microwave link

at or near airports. Engineering questions often arise because

of this situation. Do aircraft, when they are near the microwave link, cause a disturbance in the transmission of information? If so, what are the engineering trade-offs available to

the designer? The superficial answer may be that there is

little or no effect on analog information transmission when the

user terminal has a longtime constant or persistence or the

refresh rate is not critical. This .type of effect may not be

important but because of the apparent lack of published data, it

is quite possible that expensive overdesign has resulted.

Recent trends in wideband microwave transmission have been

toward digital transmission. Data rates of interest are in the

12 to 50 Mb/s range. If such a system were implemented across

a runway,the expected short disturbances could have a more

profound effect than they might have with analog information.

The Army Communications Command contracted the Institute

for Telecommunication Sciences to perform a limited measurement

program to obtain data on an established system and to form

some conclusion on whether a design problem exists and what its

magnitude may be or whether it could be ignored. The basic

question to be addressed was whether a large aircraft in its

normal operation was sufficient to cause near total microwave

beam blockage or sufficient multipath to cause phase and

frequency distortion to result in a significant disturbance

in the information baseband.

A measurement program was undertaken at two locations.

The international airports at Atlanta, Georgia and Chicago,

Illinois both had microwave links crossing active runways and

taxiways. Permission was granted by the Federal Aviation

Administration Regional Offices to utilize these links.

2
2. PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION

The microwave links of interest were established to remote

airport surveillance radar (ASR-7) video to the control tower

for use in airport control. A plan view of the microwave links

at the Atlanta airport is shown in Figure 2.1. The direct path

goes from the ASR-7 radar site to the control tower and is

0.8 miles (1.3 km) in length. The indirect route goes from the

ASR-7 site to a passive reflector on a water tower at a height

of 40 ft (12 m) and then to the control tower. Those distances

are approximately 2.6 (402 km) and 2.3 miles (3.7 km) respectively. The transmitting antenna is approximately 19 ft (5.8 m)

above ground level and the receiving antenna on the control tower

is approximately 265 ft (80.8 m) above ground level. A view of

the transmitting antenna is shown in Figure 2.2 and the receiving antenna in Figure 2.3. The relative locations between the

runways and taxiways and the microwave terminals are shown in

Figure 2.4 for the link that goes directly from the radar to the

control tower. In examining this figure, one should be aware of

a large vertical exaggeration and in fact the left-most runway

is only 90 ft (27.4 m) below the microwave beam. For perspective, the tail height of a-Boeing 747 aircraft is 63 ft (19.2 m)

above ground.

The physical orientation of the two links is such that

the probability of the same aircraft intersecting both microwave routes is nearly zero. When aircraft land from the east,

the approach may intersect the indirect route but aircraft

taking off from the east are normally not airborne at the direct

microwave route. If operations are from the west, the landing

aircraft are normally down and rolling below the microwave beam,

whereas the aircraft taking off will on occasion intersect the

direct microwave beam.

Similarly, the Chicago, Illinois airport is shown in

Figure 2.5. The transmitting antennas are shown in Figure 2.6.

These antennas have a horizontal separation of approximately

95 ft (29 m) providing horizontal space diversity rather than

3
SCALE 1: 24 000

l 0 1 MILE

=-=;; e-+3 e=-+3

Figure 2.1. Plan view of Hartsfield Atlanta International

Airport.
U1

Figure 2.2. Atlanta transmitting antennas.
Q'\

Figure 2.3. Atlanta receiving antennas on control tower.
1~250 ---".,

120B --

1150

CONTROL

TOWER

-1

(J)

I

>

0

.0

I)

-.J ."

4.

(

.~

t:

0

orf

...,

0

>

.....•

W

11 r2Ilt?J

105~

10210 R T

R-Runway

T-Taxiway

R T

-- R T

---

9521 21 0.5 1. fZJ 1. 5 2.0 2.5 3. fZJ 3.5 4. fZJ 4.5 5. f(J

Pc~h Di.~ano. X 100~f~

Figure 2.4. Profile of Atlanta path.
Plan v·lew of O'Hare

RTR-ORO e

o

9l MM

022R lOC

). ~A~S(R. · ·0· · . · 27ll0C

.

/

_ "'O~7"'""w,'£~~ -- -

Figure 2 .5

8
Figure 2.6. Chicago transmitting antenna configuration.
route diversity described above for the Atlanta airport. The

receiving antennas are the two side-by-side dishes near the top

of the tower in Figure 2.7. A view of the path is shown in Figure 2.8 from ground level near the transmitting terminal. The

radar microwave link (RML) tower can be seen behind the center

of the aircraft. A profile view is given in Figure 2.9 showing

the relative locations of the runways, taxiways, and antenna

terminals. The runway on the left of the figure is approximately

40 ft (12 m) below the microwave path. This provides the opportunity for the tail sections of the jumbo-jet class of aircraft

to intersect or partially obstruct the microwave path.

The path is so oriented that it crosses the runway near

the middle as shown in Figure 2.5. Operations from either

direction would affect the system in a similar way. That is,

aircraft taking off would normally be airborne by the time they

reach the microwave path. They normally have sufficient height

to clear the path, although a small percentage do intersect. On

the other hand, aircraft landing have touched down by the time

they reach the microwave path but the clearance is such that

there would be some effects from the aircraft tails.

3. MEASUREMENT CONFIGURATION

With permission and access received from the Federal

Aviation Administration, measurements were made at the Chicago

and Atlanta commercial 'airports. The measurements were made

from a twofold approach. The first was to gather path amplitude

variability data from the AGC circuits on the existing RML-6

systems. The purpose of this segment was to obtain the pathloss data over a dynamic range commensurate with a standard

microwave receiver and to obtain these data within the limitation of the AGe response time of the receiver system.

The second approach was to utilize a channel probe that is

a separate stand-alone element containing the transmit and

receive functions and requiring only the use of the transmission lines and antennas of the existing FAA system.

10
Figure 2.7. Chicago receiving antennas.

11
12

00

N
92J~

I

in 850 •>0

..f10

RML ..., 8~0

TOWER

ta-

.... c

I

u-:s

c0

.... 750 0>•

R-Runway

.-f W

T-Taxiway

7~0

R

T

T -..

650l

I

67

8

t

01

2

3

4

5

Pa~h Di.~ano.X 1000~t

Figure 2.9. Profile of Chicago path.
The received signal level data and the baseband noise were

recorded on an FM analog tape recorder and monitored by an

appropriate strip chart recorder. The tape recorder was capable

of recording changes of 625 Hz. This can be translated to a

time constant of 1.6 ms for full scale changes. Measurements

were to be made for a one-week period at'each of the two airports. Recording of the parameters was accompanied by visual

observation of the various aircraft at Atlanta. The recording

facilities at Chicago were beyond sight of the runways so visual

observations could not be made.

A wi~eband channel probe system developed at ITS for evaluating multipath conditions in microwave and other radio propagation links was used in the test program (Linfield et al., 1976).

Th~s system transmits (in the normal operating mode) a

wideband pseudo-random binary bit stream as a test signal,

which results in a radiated signal at 8.6 GHz that resembles

psuedo-random noise (PN). The binary code is generated from

a 9-stage shift register with feedback, providing an optimal

length psuedo-random stream of 511 bits. The bit stream is

clocked at a rate of 150 MHz.

The following is provided to convey the probe operational

details, including power budget, spectrum and frequency assignment considerations.

Figure 3.1 shows a block diagram of the psuedo-random noise

(PN) probe transmitter. The reference source is a 5 MHz stable

oscillator that is used to develop both the IF (600 MHz) and

the rf radiated signal.

The 600 MHz IF signal is bi-phase modulated with the PN

binary sequence, which is clocked at f == 150 ~1Hz rate.

The 5 MHz reference frequency is multiplied to an rf of

8 GHz, and is mixed in a double-balanced circuit with the

600 MHz IF signal. This produces a do~ble~sideband suppre~sed

carrier signal with the two sidebands centered at 7.4 GHz and

8.6 GHz. The rf filter shown in the block diagram of Figure 3.1

14
8.0 Glfz.

600 MH~

{~.• n",n.d-paU ~.... .·TW,T..... .. 8.6 GH'I

Fl1ter .

150 MHz

Figure 3.1.

Figure 3.2.

Block diagram of the PN probe transmitter

at 8.6 GHz .

...

. ',~ "368.t I·4U( '\

\

,

The theoretical line spectrum of a pseudorandom binary signal.

15
is used to pass only the upper sideband, and reject the lower.

Therefore, the radiated signal is centered at the 8.6 GHz

frequency.

The spectrum of a PN binary signal is a line spectrum,

with power concentrated at frequencies given by K/N6Twhere

N = length of PN sequence in bits

6T clock period (l/f)c

K = harmonic number.

From this, it is seen that the power occurs at intervals

of 1/N6T. The envelope of this line spectrum ha~ the shape of

(sinx/x)2, with nulls occuring at intervals of 1/6T. The

primary power is thus concentrated in the first lobe of the

envelope, with the first null at

1/(6T) = f = 150 MHz.

c

This spectrum function is illustrated in Figure 3.2. The PN

signal bi-phase modulates the 600 MHz IF signal, producing the

spectrum of the PN signal centered around 600 MHz. The spectrum

of the radiated signal is the double-sided spectrum of that

illustrated in Figure 3.2, centered at 8.6 GHz.

The rf filter is designed to shape the final spectrum

around 8.6 GHz, attenuating the secondary lobes of the

(sin x/x) 2 envelope. The spectrum as measured over a transmission link, is shown in the photograph of Figure 3.3, taken

from the display scope of a spectrum analyzer.

The maximum power capability of the probe transmitter is

that of the TWT amplifier used in the final stage. This is

rated at approximately 15 watts. However, this power level

was not required- on any of the test links. The transmitter

power was held to the minimum level that was commensurate with

the path loss and the receiver sensitivity for each link.

The radiated signal of the probe system resembles a random Gaussian noise with fairly uniform power density. The

power is distributed over an approximate bandwidth of 300 MHz.

Therefore, if this signal were detected by a narrow-band system,

16
Figure 3.3. The measured power spectrum (in dB) of the

transmitted signal of the PN probe operating

at a clock frequency of 150 r1Hz. The center

frequency is 8.6 GHz, and the frequency

scale is 50 MHz per division.

17
it would not normally be a serious source of interference. It

would result only in a slight increase in background noise

level in the narrow-band system.. For example, .assuming complete

uniform power density over the proposed 300 MHz bandwidth, and

the maximum power from the transmitter of 1.5 watts, the power

per unit frequency would be approximately:

Trans. Power Density 1500 mW!300 MHz

-6 5 x 10 mW/Hz.

Using the gain at 8.6 GHz for a 6 £t (I.E m) parabolic antenna

(41.5 dB), the above power density would result in an ERP

density of:

ERP Power Density = 5 x 10~6 x 14,125

:::: O. 07mW/Hz.

The re,ceiverof th,epr,obe system is sh'own in Figure 3.4 in

bl,Q·ck ,dia,gram form. The re;ceived signal is correlated with a

CO~ and quad-phase replica of the transmitted signal, at the

IFof 600 MHz. 'The relative phas,esof the r·eceivedcomponents

are then determined from the quadrature signals developed by the

:correlation detectors. Th·ese qu.adra·ture fun·ctionsare s,quared

and combined in the receiver to provide a directcrutput of the

impulse magnitude. The output of the receiver is the impulse

response of the transmission channel. The 600 MHz IF signal

ismonit"ored with a power meter, and is record,ed through

a log converter amplifier for received signal level (RSL)

measurement. All four of thes·eoutput signals are recorded on

analog magnetic tape for £uture analyses. The quadrature or

magnitude impulse response functions ar·emonitored in real

time on an oscilloscope during measurement. In addition, the

RSL is recorded on a strip-chart recorder fbr direct comparison with the impulse data.

The receiver is designed for self-calibration~ A locally

generated 8 ,.6GHz PNmodulated signal is fed to the rf head of

the syst,ern, .andmeasure,dwi tha powe r meter at the ;600 MH z IF

18
RSL

Ih(tll

2

Log

Amplifier

81 ...hi(t)

L---4---__---1"__ hI' (t) I "

Power

Mt~teI'

Integrator

Integrator

:t .... Sync.

PN

Generator

IF

Amplifier

Frequency

Synthesizer

600 11Hz

H.F

Arnpliiier

5 },,'U-Iz

StClGle

Clock

)-.

8.6 GHz

1~)O MFlz !

---

Figure 3.4. Block diagram of the PN probe receiver.
for a reference level (both RSL and impulse magnitude). Step

attenuators in the rf head are then used to calibrate the

receiver over the dynamic range. Transmitter power is measured

directly with a power meter at the 8.6 GHz output of the TWT

amplifier. All line losses at both the 8.6 GHz rf and 600 MHz

IF were measured prior to link measurements, and accounted

for in the system cali~ration.

The recorded data included the following:

1. Co-phase impulse

2. Quad-phase impulse

3. Power impulse

4. Sync. pulse

5. Time code

6. IF RSL

These data were recorded on magnetic tape for playbackapd

analyses in the ITS laboratories.

4. RECEIVED SIGNAL LEVEL ANALYSIS

As detailed in the previous section one phase of the data

acquisition was the recording of the AGC voltages on the FAA

RML-6 receivers. The segments of strip-chart recordings in

Figure 4.1 are a time compression of select periods during data

acquisition at Chicago and Atlanta. This figure is intended to

illustrate the density of aircraft-microwave beam intersections.

The Atlanta data indicates about four occurrences per hour as

typical and Chicago data indicate a frequency of up to eight

per hour. Further, in the same figure one can get a feel for

the variance in the depth of fades.

As a first step in the analysis, the strip-chart recordings

were reviewed and each case of a significant fade was time

tagged and the depth of fade hand scaled from the chart. The

depth of fade in this case is defined as the difference in

signal level between that immediately prior to the aircraft

detection and the minimum signal level.

20
I' I'

I , I' 'i Ii •

r--· L. t T ; , ~'- f:

l .... 1 ; .i ( ~, . ~,., "'..; r---+---+----r----r--+--~---. ---t ..

t-:-;:.::;~~~.:...:.4~~+L-~!..f' Of+-1--+~--+-+-+---+--~--t-----t~

r

l ~:-:::-:i--:-:-:-r:r:-:-:-:r-:-~~~~. t-l:_:+--+--+-......--+-+--..--~--t----t--...... F=-! r:

~.;;: .

Time (hrs)

I' " i! " it r , I

-+--~--+--++--+--+-+-l--t-+- o

:::> H-r .-.-+---+-o--......-...;-~-+---+---+--

E-t Ii:. Htt-----+--+--+-----+-----+-?----+--

H +----r---+--+-----+----+-~_+____

P4 +----+--+---+---+--+---+----+---

A _.- I ~\ ~\ : -r" !\

Ii 1 L.._ I \, -j i r.

t·:.-·

I:LI ++-':_:--+--+-- o " ~,l' . H) .

H +-;:-..-+----+-'---+---+-+--+---+- P4 " Ic:::"'f +--+--+----+---+---+-

-+----+------t-----1~-+__+----t-

.... "'1

I ; Ic I' Ii • • •

Time (hrs)

Figure 4.1. Aircraft fades for select periods.

21
For the recording period between 11 July 1978 and 14 July

1978 at Atlanta Hartsfield Airport, 87 cases of fades caused by

aircraft were identified on the strip-chart recording. Of

these, 38 were detected on the A Receiver, the direct link

between the radar and tower. The median for this data group is

6 dB and the mean is 7 dB. The deepest fade detected was on the

order of 18 dB.

In addition to recording the AGe voltage, the combiner control voltage driven by a baseband noise sensor in the RML-6

equipment was monitored. No direct means was readily available

to calibrate this function but as a function of received signal

level, output changes were not detected until the input signal

level dropped to -45 dBm to -50 dBm. This is used as an indication of excessive noise in the baseband. Only on the occasion

of the three deepest fades was any measurable change noted, and

then only approximately a 5-dB increase in baseband noise. The

general appearance for the Atlanta configuration is that fades

do occur but at moderate depths and with little disturbance to

the baseband signal-to-noise ratio.

Figure 4.2 shows the characteristic of the deepest fade

(18 dB) that was recorded at Atlanta. The A Receiver designation is for the direct link from transmitter to receiver. The

duration is about 0.5 s with the bottom displaying two distinct

nulls. These null pairs will be shown later to be common and

possibly suggestive of separate fuselage and tail obstructions.

The leading edge of the fade shows about 13 dB change in 1/8 s

suggesting an approximate fade rate of 100 dB/s.

Figures 4.3 through 4.5 are taken to illustrate three

aircraft positions with respect to the microwave path. The

view is from the control tower toward the transmitting antenna

marked by the arrow in all three figures. In Figure 4.3, the

aircraft is completely obstructing the transmitting antenna

causing one of the observed fades. Figure 4.4 illustrates an

aircraft near but above the microwave path resulting in a

limited shallow fade. The L-l011 jumbo jet in Figure 4.5 can

22
It: ; ;

.j .j

.;. :\:; ~lt J~i •.j

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23
24
N

U1

Figure 4.4. Aircraft position above microwave path.
...

----.....---r~

t::: ~.

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32
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5.1. Hartsfield - Atlanta International Airport

The Atlanta airport has two microwave RML links as illustrated in Figure 2.1. The direct path crosses both runways on

the south side between the radar site and the control tower.

Due to a potential interference between the FAA operating

frequency and the 8.6 GHz test frequency of the probe, it was

not possible to instrument this link. Very little data could be

obtained from this configuration in any event, since the arriving and departing aircraft were rarely in the microwave beam.

They either passed under the beam on landing, or passed above

the beam on takeoff.

The probe was installed on the reflected (Channel B) path,

and the obstruction measurements were obtained from aircraft

intercepting the reflected path between the water tower reflector and the control tower (see Fig. 2.1). This path proved to

be almost ideal for the experiment, as landing aircraft approaching Runway 27R intersected the beam approximately 0.5 miles from

the end of the runway. Occasionally, an aircraft approaching

Runway 27L could also be observed, but these events were rare.

Estimates of aircraft position, elevation, and speed on approach

to Runway 27R would place them directly in the microwave path.

This was also observed visually for most of the data obtained.

The traffic pattern on 14 July 1978 was such that most of

the measured responses could be directly identified as to the

type of aircraft.

All of the data for 14 July 1978 were played back from the

magnetic tape recordings and scanned in the laboratory. No

multipath was ever observed in the impulse responses from this

configuration. Each aircraft caused only a power-fade response,

with depths as reported in Section 4. The link itself displayed

some slight ground reflections which are shown in Figure 5.1.

The first surface reflection is seen as a distortion in the

trailing edge of the response in this figure, and a smaller

reflection is seen beyond the main response. The delay times

are on the order of 3 ns and 7 ns respectively, as the base

34
TIME

Figure 5.1. A typical response measured over the reflected

(Channel B) link at the Atlanta airport

without aircraft interference.

1~4~-----1 SEC

.::'1'.:.1

::::1:: .'

I I I I I I

"·:1

I I I I I I

l.r! rl!,:il:tt.llt:t:tL:: . :1:: :·;:L: : :::·Ll:i~:i I:tl ~l·"

'Ir1 I: 1Lt lllll~ tI :11 J1J1: 1LIf +1 1J t111 ti t t:11 :J :;:: :·1 >:!:. ':,:::'

(a) (b)

Figure 5.2. The impulse response measured at the

Atlanta 'airport with a DC9 aircraft in

the microwave beam. The time separation

in (a) is 100 ms. The data rate in (b)

50 impulses per second.

35
width of a clear channel response would be 13.6 ns (1 em in the

figure). The response is linear in magnitude, so that the two

reflected components are approximately -6 dB and -20 dB with

respect to the direct response. These reflections are seen to

be very stable in all of the following figures for the aircraft

obstruction measurements.

A typical response with an aircraft intersecting the reflected path (Channel B) beam is shown in Figure 5.2. Part (a)

of this figure shows a time sequence of the impulse response

observed when a DC9 aircraft was approaching 27R for a landing.

The data rate was 10 impulses/s, so that the time between each

response of this figure is 100 ms. A flat fade in the response

is seen, which is on the order of 15 dB between the top trace

and the fifth trace down. Note that the typical double null

discussed in Section 4 is also visible in this response sequence.

Part (b) of Figure 5.2 is a slow playback on a strip chart

recorder of another measurement made later the same afternoon~

The aircraft was again a DC9, and the envelope of the impulse

response is seen to display the double null characteristic.

The fade depth is less in this example than that in Part (a),

and the data rate for this measurement was 50 impulses/s.

Figure 5.3 presents two more examples of the impulse

response with obstructing aircraft in the beam. Part (a) is an

example of the response where a 727 aircraft was on a landing

approach to Runway 27R. Part (b) is an example of the response

for a 727 aircraft that was on a landing approach to Runway 27L.

In each case, we note the absence of any multipath with the

exception of the surface reflected components noted for Figure 5.1. The sequence is not long enough in these photographs

to illustrate the extent of the power fade in time. However,

the duration of the fades were noted and discussed in Section

4. Note in example (a) however, that the double null is again

evident from the sequence.

In all of the responses seen in Figures 5.2 and 5.3 that

the magnitude relationship between the direct and surface

36
Time

(a) (b)

Figure 5.3. Examples of the impulse response measured

at the Atlanta airport with 727 aircraft

intercepting the microwave beam. In (a)

the aircraft was approaching Runway 27R,

and in (b) it was approaching Runway 27L.

The time between responses is 100 illS in

each case.

Figure 5.4.

Time

A sequence of impulse responses measured

over the Chicago-O'Hare RML link with no

aircraft interference.

37
reflection remains relatively fixed. This fact indicates that

the surface reflection must lie between the radar site and the

passive reflector since the aircraft would not normally disturb

the reflection if it were on the reflected leg of the path.

From these measurements, we conclude that the obstruction

of aircraft within the geometry for the AtlantaRML causes only

a power £adeto the microwave system. Theabsenc~ of ~ny multipath from the aircraft indicates that no frequency selective

fading will result, and the performance of any digital system

could be predicted on the basis of flat fading over the duration

of the obstruction.

5.2. O'Hare - Chicago International Airport

The two microwave links at Chicago O'Hare airport are sideby-side, providing a space diversity path as discussed in

Section 2. The PN probe was installed on the northern-most

link (Channel A) to minimize the potential interference to the

FAA operating frequency. The most significant impulse response

data were recorded on 19 July 1978, when the air traffic wasoperating on Runway 14R toward the southeast. The likelihood of

obstruction by the entire aircraft on these links is much lower

than that for the Atlanta airport, as noted in Section 2. Many

more smaller disturbances were observed, probably due to the

tail structures of aircraft penetrating the microwave beams when

taxiing on the surface or when rolling on Runway 14R. However,

a deep fade in the signal was observed occasionally. These

deep fades have been interpreted as cases where the full aircraft has intersected the beam. Direct observation of the

activity on the runway and taxiways was not possible due to the

link configuration. This area was blocked from view at the

receiver site (see Fig. 2.5).

The microwave path was essentially clear of any surface

reflections, as shown in the sequence of responses in Figure 5.4.

These responses are typical of a clear channel response, again

with a base width of 13.6 ns and a time separation of 100 ms.

38
A complete scan of the impulse data recorded on 19 July 1978

was made in the laboratory. The deep-fade obstructions were

found to display results quite similar to those observed in

Atlanta. In general, the impulse response did not show any

multipath when the aircraft was in the beam. A power fade with

depths of the same order of magnitude as observed in the Atlanta

data was the significant feature. However, occasionally a response was observed that contained a strong multipath component

during an obstruction fade. This observation is discussed in

more detail below, and a conclusion is given based on other

observations from the data.

Figure 5.5 presents a typical response measured at ChicagoO'Hare. Part (a) presents a sequence of impulse responses

recorded during the aircraft blockage shown in the accompanying

record of the RMLsignal fade shown in Part (b). The impulse

data correspond to the Channel A (upper) RML record. The fade

is seen to extend over a period of approximately 100 ms, which

is consistent with the impulse record where the separation

between responses is 100 ms.

An example of a deep obstruction fade where multipath was

observed is shown in Figure 5.6. The fourth response from the

top of the photo displays a strong multipath component. The

delay is between 3 and 4 ns, and the cusp in the response

indicates that the component is near opposing phase with respect

to the direct response. These features are discussed in greater

detail in the appendix to this report. Similar cases were seen

fora few other obstructions measured at O'Hare. To attribute

the multipath to the aircraft causing the obstruction is

contrary to all of the observations made at Atlanta, and to the

majority of the obstructions measured at Chicago-O'Hare. In

addition, the configuration for the Atlanta measurements would

be rnoreconducive to multipath from the obstructing aircraft

since the flight path and the microwave path intersect at a

more oblique angle. The possibility of a reflection from the

vertical tail of the aircraft would be greater in the Atlanta

39
.;~

~~~W

1-

S-+:

.m: ..

·-tt ::1 +:r ."

,-1-' -+-"... --" t + +··t -

HTime

(a) Impulse response

at 100 ms intervals.

":

:. :

"'~----....-.(-ol •5 SEC ...... -+-

(b) FAA/RML signal records.

Figure 5.5. A typical response measured over the Chicago0' Hare link '{vith an aircraft obstruction.

Figure 5.6. A sequence of impulse

responses measured

during an obstruction

fade. Multipath is seen

in the fourth trace from

the top.

Time

4-0
case than in the O'Hare configuration, where the intersect

angle is nearly 45°. For these reasons, we do not believe

this multipath was caused by the same aircraft that caused

the deep-fade obstruction.

In order to determine the possible cause of the multipath,

the data for the entire recording period at Chicago-O'Hare were

played back from the magnetic tapes. The RML signals were tranicribed on a strip-chart recorder, and the impulse response

data were monitored on a storage oscilloscope. In this

analysis, there were many cases of severe multipath observed

in the impulse reponse at times when there were no (or only

minor) disturbances seen in the RML records. Periods of

observed multipath were flagged on the ID1L chart record using

the event marker pen of the recorder. An example of this

process is shown in Figure 5.7. Part (a) of this figure is a

short section of the strip chart record showing periods of

strong multipath that occurred both before and after a deep

obstruction fade. Part (b) of the figure is a sequence of

impulse responses measured approximately 15 s prior to the

deep fade shown in (a). -This sequence is typical of the

multipath observed at other times, and the detail of the

response is seen to be similar to that found in the one

response shown in Figure 5.6. A close examination of the

records for all of the O'Hare data indicates that any multipath

seen during an obstruction fade was correlated with periods of

multipath observed before and after the obstruction. For

example, another event is illustrated in FigureS.8. Note that

very little multipath has been flagged on the ~ML record for

this eyent, and the impulse response shown in (b) for the

obstruction fade indicates no multipath.

As a result of the above analysis, we conclude that the

multipath seen at O'Hare must be from aircraft moving on the

surface of the airport, and not from the same aircraft that is

directly intersecting the microwave beam. Using a mean delay

of 4 ns for the primary multipath component, the ellipsoid for

41
--.iii- • • •

I I . , I I'

.- -+ +

t

I '":lUI Plno9

- -_.

....-- --7"--

iI

f

I

I I

I

I I

·::t:

..j..., : ..•.. . .. ..,

..,

"'-

.. r+

;: -

: .... :

: . +

'.

.- l~~~:Tl.+tIr·-- t f't.

:: ... : ,. :·f"';'·· :

r" •.~. :

Q

P

8 +. J. H

...:i :.t

'":-- ,:::C

~.

H· n

(a) Sample of the RML records where the times of observe·d

multipath is indicated by the event marker (top trace) .

(b) An impulse response

sequence measured

at the time indicated

by the arrow in (a).

Time

Figure 5.7. Multipath observations over the ChicagoO'Hare link.

42
I

I 1

I I

I

T

I I

r

I

I I

II

r r

".'1-'" . - ~.~

t-H--

I I 1 T T r r r

-. ..,

""" T LlL ! . . : : ~.~,.+ : ::~ •T ::::h

..~.

.-- ..

1----,.-

.:':

--; H-.i:

f-';' ++

-~I 20 SEC I

(a) A sample of the RML record where very little multipath

was observed. Multipath was seen at times shown by the

event marks in the top trace.

(b) The impulse response

sequence measured

,during the deep

obstruction fade in (a).

Figure 5.8.

Time

An obstruction fade without multipath.

43
the locus of the reflecting points can be drawn around the path

shown in Figure 2.5. In the horizontal plane, the ellipsoid

is on the order of 120 to 125 ft (36 to 38 m) on e~ther side of

the path at the location of the runway and two taxiways (see

Fig. 2.9). It is noted that the tails of large jet aircraft

are high enough to penetrate the ..Im~c. ~~a1ec.. b.e. aI\1 a~.any of these

locations. The most likely Orig~9J\q~/~1;Ah~,\~~~ot~~I?at~woUldb~/" from aircraft on the inner taxiway and the terminal ramp area,

as the orientation of the tail structure is more likely to be

nearly parallel to the path. However, aircraft turning from the

runway onto the two taxiways near the microwave beam could also

produce the multipath. These conclusions are consistent with

the data, but, of course, cannot be considered to be final or

absolute.

The most important aspect of the multipath seen in the

O'Hare measurements is its effect on digital transmission

over a microwave circuit of this type. The multipath is severe

enough to cause significant frequency-selective fading in the

transmission channel of high data rate systems, with the

associated degradation of the bit-error-rate (BER) performance.

These matters are discussed in more detail in the Appendix. The conclusion to be drawn is that extreme care must be

taken in the design of such a microwave link. Even though

approaching or departing aircraft on the runway appear to cause

only a flat power fade when intersecting the beam, other aircraft

on the surface of the airport could cause very significant

problems to a digital transmission. The eng~neering for a link

of this type must include adequate clearance for all surface

aircraft and other structures.

6. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

The primary objective of this program was to determine if

aircraft obstruction of a microwave link was sufficient to

cause a break in service to the subscriber. This program

utilized two 8 GHz systems that were established by the FAA at

44
Atlanta and Chicago airports. The configuration examined was

for aircraft in motion; i.e., take-off, taxi, or landing. The

case of stationary aircraft was not addressed. The intent of

the program was to determine if a problem may exist and to

what degree rather than being a comprehensive, detailed measurement and analysis program in a controlled environment.

The results of this limited effort indicate that in a

normal operational mode such as take-off, it is possible for

aircraft to intersect a microwave beam and further to provide

a degree of blocking sufficient to cause an observable signal

fade. However, in the examination of nearly 200 cases, no

fade was detected to exceed 20 dB and there was no indication

of an enhancement of noise in the baseband to be of any concern.

Systems designed with a 30 dB to 40 dB fade margin should more

than tolerate the observed disturbances with no detectable

degradation in customer service.

Having observed no pulse distortion at the Atlanta airport

during the aircraft-caused fades indicates no frequency selective components within a 300 MHz bandwidth. This provides

substantial support for the observed fades as being characterized as "flat" fades where the necessary band fades uniformly

and equally. This fact minimizes any potential for baseband

distortion or data stream disturbance.

There were also no observations at Atlanta of delayed

pulses that would indicate discrete, strong multipath characteristics. This type of distortion could potentially cause

second order effects on the data formats. Since there were

none detected, confidence builds in stating that aircraft

obstruction is not a significant problem. The test results

indicate no significant first order effects that could cause

baseband distortion. This does not preclude the existence of

higher order, more subtle effects. This program did not address

such problems nor did it eliminate the possibility of their

existence.

45
On the other hand, some observations at the Chicago airport

indicate a potential delayed component possibly caused by aircraft taxiing through a critical point on a system with low

ground clearance. The detected delayed pulses were in the 3 to

5 ns range and relatively fixed. Two simple interpretations may

be approached. As discussed in the appendix, the effect on a

digital system operating with a 15 to 20 MHz bandwidth may be

the distortion of the amplitude response to the degree of some

asymmetry on the received spectrum. The effect of this asymmetry on digital system performance is not fully understood yet

and requires additional experimental effort (discussed in more

detail in the appendix.) A second simple view assumes that

digital system intersymbol interference becomes excessive with

delays greater than some fixed percentage of a bit interval

(OT Tech. Memo 74-182, Farrow and Skerjanec, limited distribution). For the sake of this discussion consider a quarter of a

bit interval to be the limit. With the 5 ns delay, the highest

supportable data- rate translates to 50 Mb/s. If the distortion

criteria were one-half of a bit interval, the usable data rate

becomes 100 Mb/s. This is to say that with the fixed delay

detected at the Chicago airport and with the above assumptions,

it may be possible to achieve a satisfactory system with data

rates up to 50 Mb/s. These cases are for fixed phase differences

and for a specific multiplex timing recovery system. These

assumptions may be voided for variable phase cases and for other

clock recovery and decision making technique.

From an engineering point of view certain criteria should

be set in order to assure that the design choices are made to

minimize the probability of intercepting an aircraft. Typically

microwave links that traverse runways are short to the degree

that variable atmospheric effects are negligible. The choice

of terminal placement should be considered in light of minimizing the probability of intersection with aircraft movement.

The terminal ends should not be closer than necessary to the

nearest runway. The best choice would be across the middle of

46
a runway and avoiding paralleling of taxiways. Further, one

should avoid crossing areas where aircraft stop while waiting

for takeoff, gate access, etc. Finally, the terminal antennas

should be sufficiently high to clear the tail section of the

largest aircraft expected to operate at that airport. This is

to exercise the available choices to assure the smallest

probability of aircraft path and microwave path intersection.

System availability should not be affected by the shallow

fades caused by aircraft. If the path is sufficiently short to

not be affected by the atmospheric variability, diversity protection need not be considered for other than equipment

availability.

7. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The authors wish to recognize the u.S. Army CommunicationsElectronics Engineering and Installation Agency for financial

support for the program and in particular the personnel in the

Electromagnetics Engineering Office at Ft. Huachuca, Arizona.

We wish to thank the Federal Aviation Administration for granting access to and use of their communications systems. The

cooperation and assistance were greatly appreciated from the

Great Lakes Region and Mr. A. Qualiardi, O'Hare Radar/ARTS

Section Chief and his personnel at Chicago and the Southern

Region and Mr. J. Bryant, Manager, Airways Facilities Sector

and his personnel at Atlanta.

8. REFERENCES

Linfield, R.F., R.W. Hubbard, and L.E. Pratt (1976), Transmission Channel Characterization by Impulse Response

Measurements, OT Report 76-96, August.

47
APPENDIX - EXPLANATION OF IMPULSE TEST DATA

This section is provided to aid in the interpretation of

the impulse test results and in the translation of these results

to other systems. The primary objective of the ITS probe is to

transmit a band of frequencies sufficiently wide to encompass a

significant portion of a microwave band to allow detection of

many of the shorter delays and distortions. The receiver

portion of the system indirectly detects the amplitude response

of the same frequency band.

In the ideal case, it would be desirable to transmit an

infinitely short pulse such that its transform includes all

frequencies as shown in Figure A-I(a). Figure A-I contains in

the right column a series of short pulses presented in the time

domain. In the left column is the frequency spectrum corresponding to each pulse or pulse pair in the right column. The

amplitude, frequency, and time scales are not shown since the

figure is for illustrative purposes only. If the two pulses

maintain a fixed delay but their amplitudes vary with respect

to each other, the depth of the null or nulls in the spectrum

will vary as displayed in Figure A-l(b). As the difference, A,

increases, the spectral null becomes shallower. If, on the

other hand, there are two pulses present separated by some time

delay T, the spectrum will be sinusoidal in shape as shown in

Figure A-I(c). If the relative amplitudes are fixed, but the

time delay, T, allowed to change, the null positions change

and become more dense as the time delay increases. This is

illustrated in Figure A-I(c).

The discussion to this point has been for very wide bandwidths. Even for a pulse with a finite width such as that

realized from the ITS probe, the bandwidth is approximately

300 MHz. The question at this point is what such a measurement

would tell about a system operating with a bandwidth of 10% of

this value or less. This may be illustrated by the frequency

bands superimposed on the spectra in Figure A-I(b) and (c). If

48
Frequency

fl f2

Frequency

j

f3 f4

(b)

Time

Time

fS f6

Frequency

Fre9uency Domain

T

Time Domain

Figure A-I. Time and frequency domain displays.

49
the operating digital system were constrained between f

l

and f

2

,

the system would experience fading that would have the appearance

of flat fading. The amplitude response in this case can be seen

to be flat, or nearly so, and symmetrical. If the system limits

were between f 3 and f 4 , the fading would not be as deep as the

previous case but the pass band would contain a sloped response

as a function of frequency and would be asymmetrical. Finally

in the third case, Figure A-l{c), a system operating between f S

and f 6 would experience sloped amplitude responses with changes

in direction of the slope as well as change of direction within

the band. In the latter two cases, the fading is frequency

dependent in that all frequencies are not attenuated uniformly.

Finally a fourth case can be imagined that consists of varying

time delays and relative amplitudes so that one has a combination of those effects illustrated in Figure A-l(b) and (c}.

This in fact may be the case in most physical situations when

multipath is a problem.

The effect of this frequency variable response within the

passband of a receiver and detector is not fully understood yet.

Experimental efforts are underway at Bell Labs and Collins Radio

(Barnett, 1978; Rockwell International, 1978) to determine a

quantative measure in terms of bit error rate performance as a

function of the slope of the frequency response. Considerable

experimentation and analysis is still necessary to provide

sufficient engineering guidelines to cope with such problems.

In order to provide some indication of the impact of the

multipath observed at Chicago-O'Hare airport, we present the

following brief analysis. In this development, we will refer

to the generalization presented (where possible) with values

from the measured data.

The mean value of the delay of the multipath component was

measured to be 2 to 4 ns. Also the delayed signal was approximately of the same magnitude (and sometimes greater in magnitude) as the more direct signal. As an illustration, we choose

so
to model this transmission channel as a two-path channel with

equal magnitudes for the two paths. Thus, the impulse response

would be that illustrated in Figure A-l(b) where A=O and the

delay T=2 to 4 ns. The ~ourier transform of the impulse response yields the frequency transfer function H(f) of the

channel. The transform in this case is a sinusoid as illustrated in Figure A-I with a frequency period of 500 MHz for

T=2 ns and 250 MHz for T=4 ns. On a logarithmic power scale,

this transfer function is similar to a cycloid with deep nulls

along the frequency axis as illustrated in Figure A-2. The

location of the nulls is given by

f = niT n (A-I)

where n is an integer (>0), and is odd for a reflection with

phase reversal and even for a delayed component in-phase with

the direct path. For the case considered here, where the

reflection is assumed to be from the surface (or tail) of an

aircraft on the airport ramp or taxiways, the reflection would

have a phase reversal, and n would be an odd integer. The

spacing between frequency nulls is given simply from

6f = liT. n (A-2)

Let us assume an operating frequency for the microwave link

to be 7.4 GHz. We first need to determine where the frequency

nulls of H(f) fall with respect to the operating frequency.

Using (A-I) for a value of f = 7.4 GHz and; a delay of 2 ns, n

we find that n must have a value of 15. Thus, the nearest null

to the operating frequency is found as

f = = 7.5 GHz, (A-3) n 2 ns

and subsequent nulls will occur at 500 MHz intervals. The

value of n corresponds to the Fresnel zones; in other words,

the reflection at 7.5 GHz in the channel would be from the

15th Fresnel zone ellipsoid.

In a similar manner, we find that for a delay T=4 ns, the

transfer function H(f) has a null at f = 7.25 GHz (n=29). n

51
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"_F' IWI__tlli±'!'t' I += L~'r - ...~ ....t~-T-=~ -" +__ 1 .. . , -' .. -. • = - - .. ,_.t ~t. -t~.- - .. -·i-J···r--t -'- - - -' --l· -H-- --f- , , -+-, ----. ·····t-t-r·J -+-~-t+l--r-+- -.,..+ ·__L : +-"t--+---t- -40

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i.O 7.2 7.4 7.6 7.8

FREQUENCY - GI-Iz

Figure A-2 o Tlle tl'leoretical transfer function of amultipath channel.
This transfer function has a null-spacing of 250 MHz. Both of

these channel functions are plotted in Figure A-2, identified

by the value of the integer n and delay time T. Also drafted

on this figure for illustration is the signal spectrum of the

microwave system at the 7.4 GHz operating frequency. We have

assumed a spectral bandwidth (BW) of 30 MHz, typical of a

digital transmission system operating in this frequency band.

At first glance, one might conclude that the multipath

structure considered here, which results in the frequency transfer functions of Figure A-2, would have little or no effect on

the operating system. In a static situation, this conclusion

would be correct. The transmission channel in both cases would

cause only minor distortions across the signal spectrum. The

operating system is well removed in frequency from the deep nulls

in the transfer functions, and the frequency selective fading

within the signal BW is at most 2 dB across the BW. This aspect

of performance degradation in a digital system does not become

critical until the spectral slope distortion becomes considerably greater. This matter is discussed in more detail below.

The most critical consideration in the multipath structure

which we have depicted is a result of the dynamics of the channel. For example, the physical situation we are modeling here

involves reflections from moving aircraft. Thus, the channel

transfer function is not static, but becomes a time-variant or

dynamic function; a time-variant filter in our communication

system. For the conditions shown in-Figure A-2, let us assume

that the reflection point (on a moving aircraft) has changed

positions over a short time span such that the original delayed

component shifts from a delay of 4 ns to 2 ns. The frequency

transfer function in the dynamic view becomes very difficult to

depict; however, it can be visualized as "elastic". For example, consider the functions in Figure A-2 as stretching or

relaxing in an elastic fashion. The nulls of the function thus

change position along the frequency axis, and the shape of the

function changes. As can be seen in Figure A-2, the slope of

53
the function as it approaches the cusp of a null will also

change. In addition to this dynamic change, we must keep in

mind that the value of the integer n is also changing as the

time delay changes. The dynamics of this change can be visualized by considering the entire H(f) function shifting along the

frequency axis either to the right or left. This change is

most critical in considering the dynamic effects on system

performance. For example, if we assume a slight change in

delay-time from 4 to 3.8 ns, the frequency transfer function of

the channel shifts between the two dashed-line functions in

Figure A-2. Note that the null corresponding to n=29 in these

two functions has moved from 7.25 GHz to 7.63 GHz. Thus, this

null has passed through our system pass~band as the time delay

changed. In the case we are modeling here, we note that the

latter change will cause a frequency null to pass through the

operating system BW a total of 8 times as the delay changes

from 4 to 2 ns. This will obviously cause severe frequency

selective fading within the signal bandwidth, as well as power

fading across the complete BW during times when the null or cusp

of the filter characterstic passes our operating frequency.

The rate at which the distortions impact on the signal BW is

a direct function of the rate at which the time-delay between

the signal components changes. However, it is also important

to observe that even if the time-delay change is linear with

time, the rate of change in the frequency transfer function is

non-linear. For example, if the time delay is changing from

2 ns to 4 ns (increasing) the initial nulls that pass the operating frequency will do so at a higher rate per unit time than

the later ones.

The actual impact on (degradation of) a microwave digital

transmission system, caused by the multipath structure considered above, is very difficult to assess analytically. To begin

with, the resulting bit error rate (BER) will depend somewhat

on the type of system used and on the actual digital transmission rate. A simplified view of the transmission rate

54
dependence can be gleaned by considering a 5 MHz signal BW in

Figure A-2 in comparison with the 30 MHz shown. It is obvious

that the frequency selective distortions would be less severe in

a 5 MHz BW, and the frequency nulls would cause fading across

the signal BW that more nearly resemble power or attenuation

fading. Most digital systems will perform differently under

.thes~ two classifications of signal distortions. The most

straightforward techniques that can be used to evaluate system

performance under varying channel conditions, and different

system characteristics and parameters, would be through laboratory simulation processes. Without benefit of such stu~ies, or

actual digital system tests in the multipath channel, it is

almost impossible to predict the performance under the dynamic

conditions measured or postulated for the microwave link at

Chicago-O'Hare airport. However, the multipath observed over

this link occurred a significant amount of time, and the impact

on a digital transmission link can be gleaned from the discussion given below.

Based on the measurements made and presented in this report,

the most important recommendation that can be made is that the

proposed microwave links be engineered and tested so that they

exclude any possibility of multipath interference on the airport

surface. Measurement results from the Atlanta airport indicate

that multipath is not a problem with aircraft in the microwave

beam; at least within the geometries of the two test configurations. Thus, the important criteria is to avoid the surface

type multipath observed at Chicago-O'Hare.

There have been some recent efforts to determine the

degradation caused by frequency selective fading to a digital

system. Even though these measurements are made only in a

static or semi-static sense, they are significant enough to

report here. With respect to actual over-the-air performance

tests, Barnett (1978) has reported results that convey the

importance of frequency selective fading, or what Barnett terms

the in-band linear amplitude dispersion. In his measurements,

55
Barnett used a number of narrow-band (slot) filters within the

signal BW of a 78 Mb/s, 8 PSK system, operating at 6 GHz.

Observing the power in the two filters at the extremities of

the pass-band provides a rough measure of the amplitude dispersion caused by the characteristic of the frequency transfer

function of the channel. He reported that a slope on the

order of 0.2 dB/MHz across the BW of his system was sufficient

-3 to cause the BER performance to degrade to 10 ,or below this

threshold value. An in-band slope of this value (or greater)

would occur for the cases shown in Figure A-2 below the levels

marked with the short cross-lines. Thus, for example, if the

transmission of interest were operating at 7.45 GHz in a static

channel that has either of the response characteristics shown in

Figure A-2, the performance would be degraded to the order

reported by Barnett. It thus becomes clear that the performance

in a dynamic channel can only be treated on a statistical basis.

The measurements performed in the current project at Atlanta

and O'Hare airports do not form a statistical sample that is

sufficient to predict long range performance. The fact that a

dynamic multipath structure was observed is, however, sufficient

to raise a genuine concern, and to serve as a cautionary example

in the design of future digital systems in an airport environment.

It should be pointed out here that the synopsis given in

this Appendix applies only to a single non-diversity link, and

one which uses no other adaptive process. It has been shown

(Anderson, et al., 1978; Rockwell International, private communication, 1978) that both space diversity and some form of

adaptive equaliz~tion in the microwave receiver can significantly

improve the system performance in multipath environments.

However, detailed studies need to be made under controled

dynamic conditions (preferably simulated) to document the potential improvements that have been observed under quasi-static

conditions.

A step beyond understanding the foregoing effects is the

need to know the frequency of occurrence, the duration of such

56
occurrences, and its total impact on system availability. The

effects discussed above are not continuous occurrences but

rather appear somewhat infrequently and are of short duration.

In short, there is a time factor that weighs heavily in the

determination of system impact.

REFERENCES

Anderson, C.W., S. Barber, and R. Patel (1978), The effect of

selective fading on digital radio, International Communications Conference, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, June.

Barnett, W.I. (1978), Measured performance of a high capacity

6 GHz digital radio system, International Communications

Conference, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, June.

57

FORM OT-29

(3-73)

u.s. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE OFFICE OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS

BIBLIOGRAPHIC DATA SHEET

1. PUBLICATION OR REPORT NO. 2. Gov't Accession No.3. Recipient's Accession No.

NTIA Report 79-14

4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE

Aircraft Obstruction of Microwave Links

5. Publication Date

Januarv 1979

6. Performing Organization Code

9103533

9103534

7. AUTHOR(S) 9. Project/Task/Work Unit No.

R.E. Skerjanec and R.W. Hubbard

8. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME AND ADDRESS

National Telecommunications and Information

Admirlistration, Institute for Telecorrrrnunication 10. Contract/Grant No.

Sciences, Boulder, Colorado 80303

11. Sponsoring Organization Name and Address 12. Type of Report and Period Covered

USACC/CEEIA

Fort Huachuca, AZ

NTIA Report

13.

Final

14. SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES

15. ABSTRACT (A 200-word or less factual summary of most significant information. If document includes a significant

bibliography o-t literature survey, mention it here.)

Conversion to digital transmission has renewed the concerns about

what effects aircraft obstruction of microwave links have on user

quality. This is of particular concern where it is necessary to

install a telecommunication system that crosses runways and taxiways

where the frequency of obstruction may be great.

A limited measurement program at 8 GHz at Atland Chicago Airports was undertaken to determine if a condition existed that could

cause exces error rates on digital systems. Measurements were

made of the received signal level together witthe impulse response

of the transmission medium.

(Continued)

16. Key Words (Alphabetical order, separated by semicolons)

Microwave propagation; impulse response; digital transmission;

aircraft obstruction

17. AVAILABILITY STATEMENT 18. Securi ty Class (This report) 20. Number of pages

[K] UNLIMITED. Unclassified 68

D FOR OFFICIAL DISTRIBUTION.

19. Security Class (This page)

Unclassified

21. Price:

L'SCOMM-DC 29716-P73
15. ABSTRACT (Continued)

Measurement results indicate that during takeoff and landing, aircraft can cause signal level fades to 20 dB. Modern system margin

is usually sufficient to cope with such fades.

The impulse response measurements at Atlanta did not reveal any

delayed or distorted pulses that would indicate excessive multipath

and frequency selective fading. However, slight distortion from

taxiing aircraft at Chicago was observed. The implication of this

detected distortion is reflected in the potential of a distorted

asymmetrical frequency response within the 15 - 20 MHz passband of

a microwave digital receiver.

*u.s. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE: 1979-0-678-478/298