Overview

ATCRBS, the Air Traffic Control Radar Beacon System, is a secondary surveillance radar system developed
for use within the air traffic control system for more precise position reporting of planes. It is used in
conjunction with the primary radar, which is used to determine the presence of planes in the airspace.
ATCRBS supplements this positional information with positive identification and altitude information,
allowing controllers to track each plane more precisely and efficiently.

History

Developed in 1956, ATCRBS was the first air route surveillance radar system developed and purchased
for the purposes of air traffic control. The technology was based closely on that of the military's IFF
(Identification Friend or Foe) system.

IFF

The IFF system was developed and used by Britain's Royal Air Force during WWII in the air defense of the
British Isles. The primary purpose of the system was to distinguish between hostile and friendly targets
on radar. The basis for the system was a ground-based transmitter, the interrogator, that broadcast a
radio signal to the aircraft, and a transponder on the aircraft that could receive and reply to this signal.
Interrogations within IFF used very specific types of signals, or modes. Aircraft participating in IFF would
be equipped to respond to recognize and respond correctly in these modes. If a plane did not respond
correctly to the IFF interrogation, the system determined that the target was an enemy aircraft.

Identification Friend or Foe Systems

IFF Systems

ATCRBS

The ATCRBS system operates with many of the same principles and components as IFF. It is also an
interrogation-based system that is comprised of a ground-based interrogator and an on-plane
transponder. ATCRBS also uses signals that are modeled closely on those used in the IFF system, and
shares the same frequency bands. On the ground, an ATCRBS sensor sends out an interrogation signal
(using the 1030 MHz frequency band) from a rotating antenna to aircraft flying in its sector. Aircraft that
are equipped with transponders receive these interrogations and send back a reply (using the 1090 MHz
band). There are two primary types of interrogations; Mode A interrogations are used for plane
identification information, and Mode C interrogations are used for altitude information.

Mode A and Mode C: The Straight Scoop On How It Works

Plane Talk
Problems

ATCRBS uses a rotating antenna to send out interrogations. Interrogations are being sent continuously as
the antenna rotates. As a result, an aircraft that flies through the antenna beam will be interrogated
several times, up to 20 times per sweep. Each time, the transponder in the airplane sends back a
separate reply. The result is excess communication between ground sensors and airborne transponders,
causing interference and overload in the 1030/1090 MHz channels.

The non-specific nature of ATCRBS interrogations also leads to an increase in interference and overload
on the channel. As traffic increases, the number of airplanes at a given time within the ATCRBS antenna's
interrogation beam will also increase. Consequently, the ground station will receive more and more
replies, causing the 1090 MHz channel to become overloaded with replies. When these replies overlap,
interference occurs, and the ground station receives garbled signals which it is unable to use. This
problem partially derives from the fact that the original military system on which ATCRBS was based was
not designed for the scale of civilian aviation. IFF only had to handle a limited number of planes at a
given time. ATCRBS, using IFF's system, therefore becomes increasingly ineffective as civilian air traffic
increases.

Parts of the system[edit]

The system consists of transponders, installed in aircraft, and secondary surveillance radars (SSRs),
installed at air traffic control facilities. The SSR is sometimes co-located with the primary surveillance
radar, or PSR. These two radar systems work in conjunction to produce a synchronized surveillance
picture. The SSR transmits interrogations and listens for any replies. Transponders that receive an
interrogation decode it, decide whether to reply, and then respond with the requested information
when appropriate. Note that in common informal usage, the term "SSR" is sometimes used to refer to
the entire ATCRBS system, however this term (as found in technical publications) properly refers only to
the ground radar itself.