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General Disclaimer One or more of the Following Statements may affect this Document This document has been reproduced from the best copy furnished by the organizational source. It is being released in the interest of making available as much information as possible. This document may contain data, which exceeds the sheet parameters. It was furnished in this condition by the organizational source and is the best copy available. This document may contain tone-on-tone or color graphs, charts and/or pictures, which have been reproduced in black and white. This document is paginated as submitted by the original source. Portions of this document are not fully legible due to the historical nature of some of the material. However, it is the best reproduction available from the original submission. Produced by the NASA Center for Aerospace Information (CASI) • X-523-09-506 r, t It r X-2 EFFECTS OF SPACECRAFT INTERFERENCE ON A 136 MHz PCM TFUMETRY DATA LINK RALPH E. TAYLOR THOMAS J. KARRAS S NOVEMBER 1969 f d FAQ,` ^ ,y^ l O ^ f --- GODDARD SPACE FLIGHT CENTER GREENBELT, MARYLAND N70- 1`1047 Mp • = IACCE^810 Nw^1 UMDERI1 0 ^j L at - J / J~ 'RACE 1 !CODE) UtASA CA OR TIKX Oft Au NUMBER) ICATL3 TI 6 X-523-69r-506 EFFECTS OF SPACECRAFT INTERFERENCE ON A 136 MHz PCM TELEMETRY DAT'k LINK R.Jph E. Taylor Thomas J. Karras Advanced Development Division Information Processing Division Tracking and Data Systems Directorate it November 1969 GODDARD SPACE FLIGHT CENTER Greenbelt, Maryland CONTENTS Page ABSTRACT . iii I. INTRODUCTION . 1 II. SPACECRAFT RFI PREDICTION AiODEL . 2 II; . EVALUATION OF SPACECRAFT RFI . 6 A. Description of IPD Data Evaluation System . 6 B. OSO-5(F) Tape Sample Analysis . C. STADAN Station RFI Report Analysis . 17 IV. CORREL.'1TION OF PREDICTED, REPORTED, AND T,", PE -OBSERVED SPACECRAFT RFI . 26 V . OSO-5(F) 136 MHz TELEMETRY DATA LOST OR DEGRADED. 30 VI. CONCLUSIONS . 35 REFERENCES . 36 ILLUSTRATIONS Figure Page 1 Radio Link Parameters for RFI Prediction Program. 3 2 Flow Diagram, Spacecraft Interference Prediction ComputerProgram . 4 3 The IPD PCM Tape Evaluation System . 4 IPD Tape Evaluation Analysis for Ft MYRS OSO-5(F) Tape No. 32 . 9 5 IPD Tape Evaluation Analysis for SNTAGO OSO-5(F) Tape No. 28 . 11 &RECEDING NAGEC 7 B6.AAIK v ►10T Eta 6 ILLUSTRATIONS (Continued) Figure Page 6 IPD Tape Evaluation Analysis for SNTAGO 080- 5(F) Tape No. 39 . 13 7 IPD Tape Evaluation Analysis for MOJAVE OSO- 5(F) Tape No. 12 . 15 8 STADAN-Reported Spacecraft RFI Events in 136.0- 1.36. 5 MHz Region for January-July 1969 (7 Months) 19 9 STADAN-Reported Spacecraft RFI Events in 136.50- 138.00 MHz Region for January-July 1969 (7 Months) . 20 10 Percentage Real-Time and Playback Data Affected by Spacecraft RFI in Fourteen (14) OSO-5(F) Passes . 32 TABLES Table Page I STADAN Station-Reported Spacecraft RFI for AIMP-E (3-Week Period) . 2 II STADAN Station-Reported Spacecraft RFI for IMP-5 (1-Week Period) . 22 III STADAN Station-Reported Spacecraft RFI for OSO-5 (3-Week Period) . 23 IV STADAN Station-Reported Spacecraft RFI for ERS-28 (3-Week Period) . 24 V Summary of Typical Station-Reported Spacecraft In+arference in 136 MHz Band . 25 VI Comparison of STADAN Report, ADD Predicted, and IPD Observed OSO-5 Spacecraft RFI Start/ StopTimes . 27 vi TABLES (Continued) Table Page • VII Correlation of Predicted, Observed, and STADAN-Reported Start/Stop Times for Space- craft-Type RFI . 28 VIII Spacecraft Parameters Inputted to OSO-5(F) Spacecraft RFI Prediction Program . 29 IX IPD Analysis of OSO-5(F) Magnetic Tapes Containing Lost or Degraded Data . 31 X OSO-5(F) Real-Time/Playback Lost/Degraded Data Due to Spacecraft RFI, in 14 Tapes . 33 XI Summary of OSO-5(F)* Lost and Degraded Data Due to Spacecraft RFI for One Week Sample of 173 Tapes . 34 F Vii EFFECTS OF SPACECRAFT INTERFERENCE ON A PCM TELEMETRY DATA LINK I. INTRODUCTION The quantity and quality of the data retrieved prom a spacecraft-to-earth 136 MHz telemetry link are at tiji.es affected by either co-channel or adjacent- channel types of radio-frequency interference (RFI) from similar space- craft operating within the same frequency band. There are presently about 45 spacecraft, supported by the National Aeronautics and Space Administrations (NASA), Space Tracking and Data Acquisition Network (STADAN), each trans- mitting in the 136-138 MHz space research band. The STADAN-supported spacecraft employ both pulse-code modulation (PCM) and pulse-frequency modulation (PFM); reference 1 analyzes the effects of spacecraft-type RFI on the Interplanetary Monitoring Platform (IMP-F) space- craft 136 MHz PFM system. This report analyzes typical PCM/PM (phase modulated) data samples, obtained while tracking the Orbiting Solar Observatory 080-5(F) spacecraft, that were processed by the Information Processing Division (IPD). A total of 14 analog-recorded tapes, covering a 7-day randomly selected interval, were ex- amined for suspected spacecraft-type R VI. These 14 analog tapes were either reported by the STADAN stations (RFI Reports) as having spacecraft-type RFI or predicted by the Advanced Development Division (ADD) using the RFY Predic- tion Model (Reference 2) . The IPD processed tape samples have been correlated with the STADAN reported and ADD predicted spacecraft RFI; there is good agreement between each of the three areas. Each of these aspects are discussed separately. A significant amount of spacecraft-type RFI was observed and verified to be in the tapes and is described herein. 1 II. SPACECRAFT RFI PREDICTION MODEL Based upon known orbital elements (Reference 3), a given spacecraft's orbit can be predicted several weeks ahead in time with reasonable accuracy; these predictions normally include range and aspect angle referenced to a given earth station. A computer program (Reference 2) was consequently developed that predicts station-received signal power levels, based on predicted range and known link parameters, according to Frii's propagation equation: Pto G ta Gro ^o S = (1) A (4 R o)2 Pto = Spacecraft antenna input power, watts Gto = Spacecraft antenna gain, above isotropic Gro = Station receiving antenna gain, above isotropic X o = Operating wavelength Ro = Spacecraft-to-station range (same units as X0). STADAN stations at times experience RFI due to the simultaneous appear- ..,nce of multiple spacecraft having overlapping 136 MHz emission spectrum. A RFI can result rrom two or more spacecraft present simultaneously within the t main lobe, or from an interfering spacecraft transversing a station 's antenna side lobe while the spacecraft being tracked is positioned within the main lobe (see Figure 1) . For a steerable antenna (e. g. , 85 foot diameter dish), the spacecraft being tracked is assumed positioned perfectly within the main lobe at the maximum gain point; whereas RFI can appear at any point in the radiation pattern. Both the main lobe and side lobes are input to the computer in one degree incre- ments; the desired power level, S, and interference power level, I, being simul- taneously determined at two-minute time intervals. Interference-to-signal ratios, I/S, are then computed from equation (1) for all spacecraft. The magnitude of the predicted I/S ratio is an indication of the amount of spacecraft RFI present, an interference condition being defined as existing when the interference power level, I, is 20 db, or less, below the tracking signal level, S. The computer flow diagram, for the RFI prediction model, is shown in Fig- ure 2. Also show, is a proposed interfacing of the RFI model into an operational systemwithin the T&DS Directorate. The I/S ratios, values of I and S, are simul- taneously printed and identified, for each spacecraft for each time reading. 2 • INTERFERING ly SPACECRAFT SPACECRAFT, I BEING RACKED, S O'ge^N —► P ►` P to Gto STADAN STEERABLE ANTENNA (85-FT. DISH) `, MAIN BEAM G Z SIDELOBE S _ P to Gto ►o ko LS TO (4 n Ro) Z RECEIVER I P tr GU GO ?^2 (4 n R,)2 I Figure 1. Radio Link Parameters for RFI Prediction Program Prior to computing the I/S ratio, a spacecraft visibility search sub-routine eliminates spacecraft below a minimum restricted elevation angle (i.e., 10 de- grees and below), and a frequency search is made based upon the criteria: When fo - fi I S 2° + Bi (2) RFI is present if S> -20 db. 3 S STATION DATA: SPACECRAFT DATA. • GEODETIC COORDINATES • 8 R(jUWE R MEAN Ott NOkAD f)RBi TAI • ANTENNA PATTERNS IN FA Ef I EN FS E POC H TIME 6 DRAG READ 1* INCREMENTS TERMS PUNCHED • TRANSMIT CARRIER FREQUtNCY • RESTRICTED ELEVATION CARDS ANGLES (, • 10° & BELOWI • SPECTRAL BANDWIDTH • THRESHOLD SFNSITIVITY • RF POWER LEVEL • I/$ CRITERION COMPUTE ORBIT & RFI PREDICTIONS • IBM 380/91 OR 95 COMPUTER WRITE RFI ON DISK PERFORM WRITE STATION- MAGNETIC ORDERED SORT TAPE FOR SC4 20 . It ON-LINE PRINTER SC4020 (IBM 360/91) PLOTTER RFI • PREDICTION PRINTOUT I OPERATIONS I IPD O I CONTROL (IRFI PREDICTION ^ I CENTER I SUMMARY L--,-..._^^ a PROPOSED '--' J 135 MM FILM) & PAPER CHARTS). I • STATION I STADAN STATIONS SCHEDULING ANALOG TAPES & STATION REPORTS Figure 2. Flow Diagram, Spacecraft Interference Prediction Computer Program 4 0 The bandwidths, B,, and B i , are the emitted spectral bandwidths of the respective tracking and interfering spacecraft; whereas f 0 and f are the re- spective carrier center frequencieb. An ideal, uniformly flat, emitted spectral bandwidth is assumed in order to simplify computations; the spectrum is assumed symmetrically centered about the carrier frequency. The computed signal levels are compared to the station's receiver threshold sensitivity to eliminate weak signals, below threshold, from the printout.