EQPS Flashcards
How fast do radio waves travel?
300,000,000m per second
What is a cycle?
Wave travelling from 0, up and down back to 0
What is amplitude?
The maximum displacement or value attained by the wave from its mean value during a cycle
What is a Hertz?
1 oscillation/cycle
What is the frequency of a wave?
The rate of oscillation
What are the wavelengths for VHF?
1-10m
Equation for velocity:
Frequency x Wavelength
What use of radio waves is made in the provision of ATC?
Voice comms
Nav VOR/NDB
Surveillance systems
Weather radar
Data transfer
Advantages of FM:
Resilience to noise
Low power modulation
less battery power needed
What is attenuation?
A radio wave reducing in strength with range or time from the point of transmission
What is ducting?
refraction due to a temperature inversion
What are the common contents of a CPDLC message?
Flight levels
lateral deviations
route changes
clearances
routine delivery of messages
Advantages of AM:
ATC can override pilots
Heterodyne
What medium do we use for transmission of radar data?
Short distance Co-axial & Fibre optic
Long distances radio link
telephone link
What means do we use to communicate in ATC?
RTF
Direct controller to controller communication
Landlines
Interphone
intercom system
mobile phone
ATOTN
Air traffic operational telephone network
what is SELCAL?
Selective calling
RTF is replaced by ‘coded tones’ sent over RTF channels
What frequency does SELCAL use?
VHF and HF and code is found in flight plan
What is the AFS?
Aeronautical Fixed Service
A telecommunications service between specified fixed points provided primarily for the safety of air navigation and for the regular, efficient and economical operation of air services
What is MOTNE?
MET Operation Telecomms Network Europe
“A channel of AFS for the exchange of
aeronautical meteorological information”
What is OLDI?
Online Data Interchange
A protocol for co-ordination and transfer of current flight data between adjacent air traffic control units.
What is Radar?
Radio Detection and Ranging
How does radar work?
A pulse of electromagnetic energy reflects off an object
Which part of the Waveband spectrum is used by radar?
1mm - 100cm
What factors affect choice of Radar system?
Attenuation of particular wavelengths
Which wavelength is used for Primary approach?
3cm-10cm
Which wavelength is used for primary area radar?
23cm - 50cm
What causes clutter?
Ground objects
weather
What are the 3 basic blocks of a primary radar system?
Transmission
Reception
Display
How does the transmission block work?
Trigger unit sends a series of pulses to the modulator which is an ON/OFF switch for the transmitter, the transmitter sends a series of pulses to the aerial
How does the reception block work?
The signal reception block detects reflected signals and the boosted clean signal received is displayed on the situation display
What is PRI?
Pulse repetition interval
What factors affect radar coverage?
Attenuation
Ducting
Atmosphere
PRF
Transmitter power
Anaprop
Pulse length
How do we remove unwanted returns?
MTI
CP