Pseudolite Battlefield Navigation System Outdoor Test Results

Jeffrey L. Tuohino, Michael G. Farley, John C. Weinfeldt

Abstract:	PL systems offer many potential benefits to GPS receiver operation. These range from extending GPS navigation capability into extreme electronic counter measure environments to enabling rapid acquisitions by providing accurate timing and frequency information. PLs counter interference by supplying signals of higher power at the receiver antenna. This is achieved by placing PLs relatively close to the receivers as compared to the longer distances with satellites. The potential relative ease of deployment and low cost make PLs a compelling solution to address GPS receiver vulnerabilities. These additional capabilities extend to legacy user equipment with only a software upgrade. There are, however, a number of fundamental challenges that must be overcome to provide a robust PL navigation system. These issues range from the effects of high power PL signals (e.g. near-far problem, interference with non-participating receivers, and co-site interference) to the effects of short geometric ranges to the PLs (e.g. extended Kalman filter instabilities, dual navigation solutions, and poor Dilution of Precision (DOP) problems). Underscoring these issues are the severe GPS system time synchronization requirements needed to obtain an accurate navigation solution. The tests performed during the CECOM demonstration address these issues to the extent possible with the prototype PL systems previously developed by Rockwell Collins. There were two series of tests: outdoor testing with radiated RF and laboratory testing. Table 1 describes each test performed. Testing was performed in the Autumn and Winter of 1998. For the demonstration, Rockwell-Collins was a subcontractor of CSC under the C3TE&I contract with the US Army CECOM.
Published in:	Proceedings of the 12th International Technical Meeting of the Satellite Division of The Institute of Navigation (ION GPS 1999) September 14 - 17, 1999 Nashville, TN
Pages:	1483 - 1490
Cite this article:	Tuohino, Jeffrey L., Farley, Michael G., Weinfeldt, John C., "Pseudolite Battlefield Navigation System Outdoor Test Results," Proceedings of the 12th International Technical Meeting of the Satellite Division of The Institute of Navigation (ION GPS 1999), Nashville, TN, September 1999, pp. 1483-1490.
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