B4_TM_Tour_TAIP_-_updated.pdf

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TEST SITE B-4A

EGLIN OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE SERVICES

(E-OMS) INDUSTRY DAYS

4 JUNE 2014

(STANDING IN THE PARKING LOT OF B-4A TO THE RIGHT OF THE

24FT ANTENNA MOUNT, WITHIN VIEW OF B-4B, AND THE GRMIC)

WELCOME TO TEST SITE B-4. THE ANTENNAS YOU CAN SEE

AT THIS SITE, B-4A, AND THE SISTER SITE ACROSS THE WAY

(POINTING TOWARDS B-4B), B-4B, ARE PART OF THE TELEMETRY

GROUND STATION RECEPTION CAPABILITY AT EGLIN. THESE

ANTENNAS TRACK AND RECEIVE SIGNALS FROM TEST ARTICLES

THAT OPERATE ON AND OVER THE EGLIN LAND AND WATER

RANGES. ONCE RECEIVED BY THE ANTENNAS, THE SIGNAL IS

DEMODULATED ON SITE, RECORDED AND THE RESULTING DATA

STREAM IS SENT OVER THE TELEMETRY NETWORK, TO A

CONTROL FACILITY ON THE MAIN BASE. AT THE CONTROL

FACILITY, THIS DATA IS USED IN REAL TIME TO MONITOR THE

PERFORMANCE OF THE TEST ARTICLE AND THE HEALTH OF

ONBOARD SAFETY SYSTEMS.

EGLIN’S TELEMETRY CAPABILITY CONSISTS OF 15 ANTENNA

SYSTEMS, SPREAD ACROSS 8 SITES, AND TWO MOBILE UNITS.

THREE ANTENNA SITES, C-12, D-1C AND THE NEW A-5 (EMERALD

BREEZE) SITE ARE UNMANNED. EACH OF THE TELEMETRY

ANTENNAS HAS THE CAPABILITY OF RECEIVING UP TO 8

INDIVIDUAL STREAMS OF DATA, IN ANY ONE OF THE THREE ARTM

MODULATIONS. THE NORMAL FREQUENCY BANDS OF OPERATION

INCLUDE L AND S-BAND. ADDITIONALLY, FOUR ANTENNAS HAVE

BEEN MODIFIED TO ALLOW FOR C-BAND RECEPTION.

ALL THE FUNCTIONS ASSOCIATED WITH THESE SYSTEMS

ARE NORMALLY OPERATED THROUGH THE NETWORK. EVEN

WHEN LOCALLY CONTROLLED, THE SYSTEMS ARE OPERATED

FROM A WORKSTATION CONSISTING OF A PC AND 4, 24”

MONITORS. ALL OF THE EGLIN RANGE TELEMETRY SYSTEMS AND

THE ASSOCIATED TELEMETRY RECEPTION EQUIPMENT CAN BE

REMOTELY OPERATED FROM ANY POINT ON THE RANGE

INFORMATION GRID. THIS IS IMPORTANT BECAUSE BOTH OF

THESE SITES ARE OFTEN EVACUATED DUE TO THEIR PROXIMITY

TO THE B-70 TEST RANGE. DURING THE EVACUATIONS, THE

TELEMETRY SYSTEMS ARE OPERATED FROM A CENTRAL FACILITY

LOCATED ON EGLIN MAIN.

THE TRACKING CAPABILITY OF THESE ANTENNAS RELIES

HEAVILY ON THE ABILITY TO SLAVE TO TSPI SOURCES SUCH AS C-

BAND RADARS AND INSTRUMENTATION PODS. THESE SLAVING

SOURCES PROVIDE THE INITIAL POINTING INFORMATION TO THE

ANTENNA THAT CAN THEN ACQUIRE THE TARGET AND BEGIN TO

TRACK IT USING ITS OWN, INDEPENDENT TRACKING CAPABILITY.

OCCASIONALLY, THESE SOURCES ARE NOT AVAILABLE AND THE

WIDE BEAM ACQUISITION AID ANTENNA, INTEGRATED INTO THE

ANTENNA FEED (POINTING TOWARDS THE TIP OF THE SOUTHERN

B-4A ANTENNA), IS USED TO ACQUIRE THE TARGET. ONCE THE

TARGET IS ACQUIRED, THE ANTENNA THEN IS SWITCHED BACK TO

THE HIGH GAIN MODE.

ALSO LOCATED AT THIS SITE IS THE MOBILE TELEMETRY

CAPABILITY. THIS CAPABILITY CONSISTS OF TWO SYSTEMS, THE

PALLET TM AND THE GRMIC. THE PALLET TELEMETRY SYSTEM IS

A SELF-CONTAINED, CLIMATE CONTROLLED 2FT X 3FT X 3FT

ENCLOSED TELEMETRY UNIT. THIS SYSTEM IS DESIGNED TO

OPERATE IN REMOTE LOCATIONS WHERE A CLOSE TO IMPACT,

NON-MOVABLE ANTENNA SYSTEM IS REQUIRED. THE FLATBED

TRAILER YOU SEE TO THE LEFT (POINTING TOWARDS THE GRMIC)

IS THE GRMIC, GULF RANGE MOBILE INSTRUMENTATION

CAPABILITY. THE GRMIC UNIT CAN PROVIDE LONG RANGE

MOBILE TELEMETRY CAPABILITY AND CAN BE REMOTELY

OPERATED. IT CONTAINS THE FULL CAPABILITY OF A TELEMETRY

SITE AND CAN BE COUPLED WITH SATCOM OR OTHER MOBILE

NETWORK CAPABILITY TO PROVIDE TELEMETRY DATA TO EGLIN

FROM ANYWHERE THERE IS NETWORK COVERAGE. THE GRMIC

CAPABILITY ALSO INCLUDES THE 8FT TELEMETRY ANTENNA YOU

SEE PARKED BEHIND IT.

THE ANTIQUE TELEMETRY VAN AND OLDER 8FT ANTENNA

PARKED BESIDE THE NEW TRAILER (POINTING TOWARDS THE OLD

TM VAN) IS IN THE PROCESS OF BEING DISPOSED.

SOMEWHAT UNIQUE TO THE EGLIN TELEMETRY SYSTEMS, IS

THE NEWLY ACQUIRED ABILITY TO PERFORM DIAGNOSTIC AND

PERFORMANCE TEST MEASUREMENTS ON BOTH THE RECEIVERS

AND THE ANTENNA TRACKING SYSTEMS INDEPENDENTLY. THESE

TESTS ARE USED TO GAUGE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF A SYSTEM

AND CAN BE USED TO DETERMINE THE ABILITY OF AN ANTENNA

TO TRACK SPECIFIC TEST ARTICLE FLIGHT PATHS.

IT IS ANTICIPATED THAT TELEMETRY AS A WHOLE WILL BE IN

A STATE OF FLUX FOR THE NEXT FEW YEARS. THIS IS PRIMARILY

DUE TO RECENT GOVERNMENT FREQUENCY REALLOCATIONS

AND TECHNOLOGY ADVANCEMENTS. NEW SYSTEMS AND

COMPONENTS WILL MOST LIKELY NEED TO CONTINUE BEING

INTEGRATED WHILE DAILY MISSION OPERATIONS CONTINUE.

THIS CONCLUDES THE TOUR OF THE B-4 TELEMETRY SITES.