1. AERONAUTICAL TELEMETRY
Darrell Ernst
Gerhard Mayer
February 2005

2. Introduction
WRC Agenda Item 1.5
The Aeronautical Telemetering Community
The International Consortium for Telemetry Spectrum
The ICTS Position
A Video about Flight Testing and Agenda Item 1.5

3. WRC-07 Agenda Item 1.5
consider the spectrum required to satisfy justified wideband aeronautical mobile telemetry requirements and associated telecommand above 3 GHz;
review, with a view to upgrading to primary, secondary allocations to the mobile service in the frequency range 3-16 GHz for the implementation of wideband aeronautical telemetry and associated telecommand;
consider possible additional allocations to the mobile service, including aeronautical mobile, on a primary basis in the frequency range 3-16 GHz for the implementation of wideband aeronautical telemetry and associated telecommand, taking into account considering d) above;
designate existing mobile allocations between 16 and 30 GHz for wideband aeronautical telemetry and associated telecommand,

4. Future Data Rates “Prediction is hard, especially about the future”
Data rate for one vehicle
“Prediction is hard, especially about the future”

5. Implications for the Spectrum
Bandwidth needed for one vehicle
Current B/W Allocation = 215
Multiply data rate by efficiency factor for each modulation type:
PCM/FM=2.4 Hz/bit Tier 1= 1.2 Hz/bit Tier 2= 0.8 Hz/bit

6. Sounding rocket launch sites
Region 1
Kiruna, Sweden
Formosa Bay, Kenya
Coronie, Surinam
Biscarosse, France
Salto di Quirra, Sardinia
Aberporth, Wales
Zingst, Germany
Emba, Kazakhstan
Region 3
Anna Plains, Australia
Chandapore, India
Sonmiani, Pakistan
Chiu Peng, Taiwan
Shuang Chenghzi, China
Changwon, S.Korea
Malute, Pakistan
Wake, Marshall Islands
Region 2
Tortuguero, Puerto Rico
Punta Lobos, Peru
Ft.Yukon, Alaska
Nanoose Bay, Canada
Mar Chiquita, Argentina
Wallops, USA
Stromfjord, Greenland
Poker Flat, Alaska

7. Science Missions Requiring Wideband TM
Existing LEO-satellite data collection platforms only for narrow band data transmission (e.g. Argos, Orbcomm) available
Onboard storage capacity limited by space and weight, data compression & reduction of science data onboard critical
Data required on ground mostly in near-realtime
Therefore:
High-resolution science instruments, like imaging sensors, spectrometers, carried as Balloon, Sounding Rocket or UAV- payload need wideband telemetry links to fulfill their future missions

8. Telemetry Inevitable in Global Missions
Platforms on balloon, sounding rocket and UAV required for In-situ-measurements & calibration of satellite and groundborne instruments
Examples of important disciplines :
Geophysics
Atmosphere, Land , Sea, Ice Research
Biology
Animal behaviour & wildlife research
Remote Medical Supervision
patient monitoring e.g. at expeditions („bush telemetry“)

9. Science and Telemetry Goes Global…
Local changes of environmental parameters have a world-wide impact
Wide-area telemetry networks needed to collect data from e.g. remote field stations, balloons, buoys, sounding rockets, UAV
Specific ranges for launching, science observations and data collection worldwide available

10. Electromagnetic Spectrum
ICTS MISSION:
To Ensure the Future
Availability of
Electromagnetic Spectrum
for Telemetering

11. International Foundation for Telemetering Board of Directors
ICTS
Chair
S. Lyons
ICTS
Secretary/Treasurer
ICTS
Vice Chair
G. Mayer
D. Holtmeyer
Region I (Europe/Africa)
Coordinator
J. M. Berges
Region II (Americas)
Coordinator
M. Ryan
Region III (Asia)
Coordinator
V. Crouch
Region I
Members
Region II
Members
Region III
Members

12. Aeronautical Telemetry
Time for the Cinema!
Aeronautical Telemetry

13. If it is ORANGE it is flight test measurement
What is Telemetry?
Telemetry : The process of measuring at a distance.
Aeronautical telemetry: The process of making measurements on an aeronautical vehicle and sending those measurements to a distant location for analysis
Vibrations
Velocities
Flows
Pressures
Temperatures
If it is ORANGE it is flight test measurement

14. End Slide
THANK YOU!
Questions?

15. Current Band Allocations
X=Permitted G=Government Only NG=Non-Government Only

16. Current Band Allocations (Concluded)
X=Permitted G=Government Only NG=Non-Government Only

17. Spectrum Encroachment
WARC 92
US Alternative
BBA 97
2390
2350
2200
2250
2300
MHz: Unmanned
MHz: Manned
MHz: Manned and Unmanned Vehicle (S Band) Telemetry
OBRA 93
BBA 97
WARC 92
1525
1500
1435
1460
1485
One A/C can easily use
over 20MHz of spectrum
for a single mission
Terrestrial DAB (Canada),
CARIBSS, MediaStar
Spectrum Losses
MHz
: MHz:
MHz: OBRA 93, BBA 97
Principal TM Bands
MHz: Manned L Band
Spectrum Encroachment
MHz: Terrestrial DAB (Canada), CARIBISS, MediaStar
Add in all of the missions that must take place on a given day
China Lake
Edwards
Point Mugu
One F-15 mission used to take just 3 MHz of bandwidth
Now they fly with 2 aircraft (6 MHz)
Add in two to four ITVs (up to 8 MHz for a total of 14MHz)
And video TM on at least one aircraft (for a total of 19 MHz)
MHz: Manned Vehicle (L Band) Telemetry

18. TELEMETERING APPLICATIONS
The use of telemetry spectrum is common to many different nations and many purposes
National defense
Commercial aerospace industry
Space applications
Scientific research
The primary telemetering applications represented by ICTS are
Range and range support systems
Land mobile
Sea ranges
Air ranges
Space-based telemetry systems
Meteorological telemetry

19. ICTS SOCIETAL MEMBERSHIP
Aero-Sensing
Aerospace and Flight Test Radio Coordination Council
Aerospatiale Airbus
Airbus
Australian Department of Defence
Boeing Company
British Aerospace
Dassault Aviation
Eurocopter
European Telemetering Standardization Committee
French Department of Defense
German Society of Telemetering
IN SNEC
MITRE Corporation
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
New Mexico State University
Sandia National Laboratories
SEE
Spanish Department of Defense
United Kingdom Department of Defence
United States Department of Defense

21. Techniques for Mitigating Spectrum Growth
Potential Gain
Limitations
Command Link
Significant reduction of data quantities
Receiver volume & power, duration of test
Networking
Reduce channel inefficiencies
Destructive & short duration tests
On-Board Processing
Significant reduction of transmitted data
Unexpected events
Data Compression
Potential to reduce amount of transmitted data
Link layer compression has no advantage
On-Board Recording
Off-loading of data not needed real-time
No data if platform does not return to ground intact
Modeling and Simulation (M&S)
Reduced flight data collection
Validity and accuracy of M&S
In-Band Telemetry
No independent telemetry link
Data link not always available
Real Time Spectrum Management
Efficient use of available spectrum
Predictable behavior of algorithms has not been verified
On-Board Test Engineer
Reduce data transmission to ground
Only feasible on large manned aircraft
Directional Transmit Antenna
Increased signal strength, spectrum reuse
Volume, cost of antenna

22. that any spectrum allocated to the mobile service above 3 GHz (to include aeronautical telemetry) is not a substitution for existing allocations used for aeronautical telemetry purposes below 3 GHz, the requirement for which will continue,
b) that the future technologies and performance expectations for airborne platforms contemplate a need for real-time monitoring of large data systems with multiple video streams (including high-definition video), high-definition sensors, and integrated high-speed avionics;
c) that the 2000 Radiocommunication Assembly approved Question ITU-R 231/8, titled: "Operation of wideband aeronautical telemetry in bands above 3 GHz", with the target date of 2005;
3 consider possible additional allocations to the mobile service, including aeronautical mobile, on a primary basis in the frequency range 3-16 GHz for the implementation of wideband aeronautical telemetry and associated telecommand, taking into account considering d) above;
c) that there is also a need to accommodate telecommand operations associated with aeronautical telemetry;
d) that those studies will provide a basis for considering regulatory changes, including additional allocations and recommendations, designed to accommodate justified spectrum requirements of aeronautical mobile telemetry consistent with the protection of incumbent services,
to conduct, as a matter of urgency, studies to facilitate sharing between aeronautical mobile telemetry and the associated telecommand, on the one hand, and existing services, on the other hand, taking into account the resolves above.
a) that there is a need to provide global spectrum to the mobile service for wideband aeronautical telemetry systems;
a) that a number of bands between 3 GHz and 30 GHz are already allocated to the mobile service, without excluding the aeronautical mobile service, on a secondary basis;
a) that there are emerging telemetry systems with large data transfer requirements to support testing of commercial aircraft and other airframes;
1 consider the spectrum required to satisfy justified wideband aeronautical mobile telemetry requirements and associated telecommand above 3 GHz;
2 review, with a view to upgrading to primary, secondary allocations to the mobile service in the frequency range 3-16 GHz for the implementation of wideband aeronautical telemetry and associated telecommand;
designate existing mobile allocations between 16 and 30 GHz for wideband aeronautical telemetry and associated telecommand,
b) that there is an identified need for additional spectrum required to meet future wideband aeronautical telemetry demands;
Resolves that [WRC-07/a future competent conference] be invited to:
Consideration of mobile allocations for use by wideband aeronautical
The World Radiocommunication Conference (Geneva, 2003)
that there is a need to protect existing services,
ADD COM7/353/7 (B13/361/7)
telemetry and associated telecommand
RESOLUTION [COM7/5] (WRC-03)
Considering
Recognizing
invites ITU-R
Noting
Res 230 AI 1.5