11.5.6 Avionics- Fundamentals of Comms Flashcards
What is radio telephony?
Sophisticated radio data communication evolved from morse code.
What is HF?
High frequency and sat com- long range
What is VHF?
Very high frequency- short range (line of sight) comms
What is Data Comm, ACARS, ARINC Communication and Reporting System?
Data in/out
What is ADS-B?
Automatic dependant surveillance broadcast- data and telemetry
What electromagnetic energy has the longest wavelength?
Radio
What electromagnetic energy has the shortest wavelength?
Gamma rays
What is 1 cycle per second in Hz?
1
How many cycles a second is 1MHz?
1 Million
What is a TEM wave?
Transverse Electromagnetic wave
What is a Transverse Electromagnetic wave?
When the oscillations are perpendicular to the direction of the waves propagation
Which way are radio waves polarised?
In the electric field (E)
What does a radio transmitter use a oscillator for?
Create the carrier wave for the station
What are sky waves?
Radio waves that travel from transmitter to receiver via the ionosphere
What are ground waves?
Radio waves that travel through the troposphere from transmitter to receiver
What two classifications of ground waves are there?
Surface
Space
What is a surface wave?
Travel along the contour of the Earth by diffraction.
What is a space wave?
Travel through the air directly to the receiving antenna in ‘line of sight’ or can be reflected from the surface of the Earth or other obstructions.
What three factors must be considered in the transmission of a surface wave to reduce attenuation?
Electrical properties of different surface types
Polarity
Frequency
What is the best and worst surfaces for conductivity on earth?
Worst- Jungle
Best- Sea water
How is the amount of induced voltage reduced therefore reducing the attenuation?
Polarised waves
Lower frequency= longer wavelength
What four layers does the Ionosphere have?
D,E,F1 and F2
What is the range of the D layer?
30 to 55 miles
What happens to the d layer after sunset?
It disappears due to rapid recombination.
What happens to radio waves in the ionosphere?
They speed up so tend to bend back towards earth.
What is critical frequency?
Maximum frequency that will refract just enough to return to Earth
What is the skip distance?
Skip distance is the distance from the transmitter to the point where the sky wave first returns to Earth
What is the skip zone?
Zone of silence between the farthest extent of ground wave transmission and the point where the sky wave first returns to Earth
What does the d layer reflect?
VLF waves
What does the e layer reflect?
HF
What is a CME and what is it caused by?
Coronal Mass Ejection- caused by geomagnetic storms.
What is an antenna?
A transducer, converts electrical power into electromagnetic waves
What is the simplest and most common antenna?
Dipole
What is modulation?
Process of encoding information from a message source in a way that is suitable for transmission
What are the two categories of modulation?
Continuous and pulse
What is amplitude modulation?
amplitude of high frequency carrier wave is varied.
What is angle modulation?
Angle of carrier wave is varied