C and Ku Band Two Way Satellite Time Transfer Comparison Experiment

R. Beard, I. Galysh, O. Oaks, P. Landis, W. Reid, M. Largay, M. Ehnert, R. Eisenhauer, W. Hanson, A. Clements, L. Nelson, J. Durden, L. Brownhill, J. Wright, C. Duffy, J. Kasik, J. Buisson

Abstract:	In the development of a new time dissemination capability for the U.S. Air Force Eastern Missile Test Range, the satcom channels to be used became an issue in terms of performance over different links and available coverage. A primary advantage of C band is that satellite coverage is more widely available in remote areas where Ku coverage is limited or not available at all. To investigate the performance issue, a Two-Way Satellite Time Transfer (TWSTT) experiment was performed to obtain comparative data over both C and Ku band. Time transfers between two sites using atomic frequency standard clocks were performed over both links to compare results in a controlled experiment. The objective of the experiment was to determine the relative precision of TWSTT over the frequency bands. Time transfers were performed between a station located at Rockledge, Florida and the NIST facility at Ft. Collins, Colorado, for a period of approximately ten dats. GPS receivers were used in common-view mode referenced to the same clocks as an independent comparative measure. Tests were conducted over a wide range of temperature variations and weather conditions. Observations were obtained during snow, heavy rain and sun with temperatures from 8 to 90 degrees Fahrenheit at the two stations. Analysis of the resultant data shows that time transfer over the two links performed equally, with residual RMS results of apporximately 5 nanoseconds.
Published in:	Proceedings of the 29th Annual Precise Time and Time Interval Systems and Applications Meeting December 2 - 4, 1997 Sheraton Long Beach Hotel Long Beach, California
Pages:	253 - 264
Cite this article:	Beard, R., Galysh, I., Oaks, O., Landis, P., Reid, W., Largay, M., Ehnert, M., Eisenhauer, R., Hanson, W., Clements, A., Nelson, L., Durden, J., Brownhill, L., Wright, J., Duffy, C., Kasik, J., Buisson, J., "C and Ku Band Two Way Satellite Time Transfer Comparison Experiment," Proceedings of the 29th Annual Precise Time and Time Interval Systems and Applications Meeting, Long Beach, California, December 1997, pp. 253-264.
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