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SCA Based APCO PROJECT-25 Waveform Implementation on the SDR-4000

Conference Paper · June 2010

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 Wireless Innovation Forum European Reconfigurable Radio Techonologies 2010

SCA BASED APCO PROJECT-25 WAVEFORM IMPLEMENTATION

ON THE SDR-4000

Murat CEVEN, H. Ercument ZORLU, Hamza OZER, Harun KARABALKAN,

Ibrahim OLCER, (UEKAE - TUBITAK , Kocaeli, TURKEY;{ceven, ercument, hozer,
karabalkan , iolcer}@uekae.tubitak.gov.tr)

ABSTRACT SDR-4000 is set to 96 MHz. After that the received IF

In this paper, an SCA based waveform (APCO P25) has
been designed and implemented on an SCA certified
paltform. The waveform consists of two sub-modules,
transmission (Tx) and receive (Rx) modules. Each module
is represented by their UML models and a detailed
description of underlying components is given the paper.
Deployment properties of P25 application on the available
signal processing resources and devices providing required
data flows are described.
1. INTRODUCTION
signal is digitally downconverted, filtered and decimated
to obtain baseband IQ samples on the FPGA processor. The
baseband application occupies the computing resources of
the GPP of the SDR-4000. The data flow between FPGA
and GPP is established by the QuicComm Device (QC
Device). It is developed by using QuicComm library. The
audio processing, including the vocoder, is performed on
PowerPC Processor (PPC) Executable Device where the
voice message is analyzed or synthesized respectively by
using P25 application. Ethernet Device (Eth. Device)
transfers audio data to and from the host laptop. The host
laptop sends or receives the audio data to speaker or from
microphone.

Software Communications Architecture (SCA) is gradually

playing a major role in Software Defined Radios (SDRs),
especially during the last few years. SDR provides a variety
of features. The key features are portability,
reconfigurability and interoperability of the SDR systems
[1]. Reconfiguring a system with a little effort, a new
system could comfortably be obtained from the same
hardware components. That is the major advantage of an
SDR system. SCA is a software architecture, which
facilitates to procure the big advantage of SDR, given
above. SCA describes how the combination of hardware
and software components of a system can be made to work
in cooperation with each other in an SDR [2]. In this study,
Figure 1. Deployment of the P25 waveform
an SCA based P25 waveform has been developed and
(Phase-II) on the SDR-4000.
deployed on an SCA certified platform (SDR-4000) and a
host laptop, as shown in Figure 1. OS system of the
platform is Integrity, the ORB is ORBExpress and the
coreframework is SCARI GT.
2. APCO PROJECT-25 WAVEFORM
The received RF signal is downconverted through an RF
Front-End, then the IF signal is sampled and digitally APCO Project-25 (P25) was developed within the standards
downconverted to baseband on the SDR-4000 FPGA process driven by the P25 Steering Committee, which is
processor, before being processed by the P25 application. In made up of customer representatives from federal, state, and
our study we tested the developed waveform with a legacy local public safety organizations and agencies [3]. In case of
hand held radio, whose RF frequency is 160.1 MHz. The emergency, P25 users are able to communicate with other
RF Front-End downconverts this signal into 15.1 MHz IF agencies and mutual aid response teams. The standard
frequency. Sampling frequency of the ADC on the enables system migration which is backward compatible
Copyright Wireless Innovation Forum ERRT 2010 189 with existing systems, and allows forward compatibility
with next-generation radios. Through employing APCO 4. RX MODULE
P25, designing scalable systems from single channel
conventional to regional trunking is possible. P25 systems The developed P25‘s Rx UML model is given in Figure 3.
can be configured in voting, multicast, and/or simulcast Automatic demodulation of both APCO P25 Phase-I and
designs, and still include the talk around capability required Phase-II signals is intended in the receiving module.
by public-safety agencies. Also P25 enables 12.5 kHz Incoming RF signal is first downconverted to known IF
systems migration to 6.25 kHz or equivalent spectral signal by using RF Front-End. ADC module converts
efficiency performance [4]. analog signal to digital and then FPGA processor
downconverts the IF signal to baseband and sends the
samples to GetData component through QC Device.
3. TX MODULE PreambleSearch component is used for frame
synchronization. Providing the frame synchronization,
Zeligsoft modeling tool is used to develop UML models of captured frames are decoded and detached into enciphered
the waveform. P25‘s Tx UML model is given in Figure 2. voice blocks by FrameDecomposer component. The
The transmitter module generates both APCO P25 Phase-I cryptographic encoded voice part is decoded by Decipher
and Phase-II signals upon corresponding request. component and then voice blocks are decoded by
Microphone, collecting the incoming voice, is connected to VoiceDecoder component. The decoded voice data is sent
the audio input of the host laptop and sends the voice to to PlayAudio component where audio samples are
SDR-4000 via Ethernet Device. Ethernet Device transfers transferred to host laptop via Ethernet Device. Host laptop
the data to VoiceEncoder component where the data is plays the voice data by using a speaker.
encoded by IMBE vocoder. The VoiceEncoder component
not only encodes the voice data as specified by APCO P25
Common Air Interface (CAI) to reduce the data rate to
4.4 kbit/sec, but also performs the error correction coding
(channel encoding) and interleaving processes. The
Encipher component encodes the data by using crypto
algorithms. In FrameBuilder component, following the
addition of frame synchronization and network
identification bits, APCO P25 frames are constructed as
defined in the CAI. In Modulator component, if Phase-I is
selected then the corresponding C4FM modulated signal is
generated, else if Phase-II is selected CQPSK modulated
signal is generated. SinkData component sends baseband
complex samples, generated in PPC Executable Device, to
FPGA through QC Device where it is upconverted to IF.
After D/A conversion, the data is transmitted through RF Figure 3. P25 Rx module’s SCA model
Front-End.

5. CONCLUSION

In this work, an SCA based APCO P25 waveform is

implemented and ported on an SCA certified platform. The
waveform composed of a Tx and an Rx modules. The Tx
module can produce both Phase-I and Phase-II modulation
of the APCO P25 standard. The Rx module automatically
detects and demodulates both modulations of the APCO
P25 signals. The implemenations are deployed into the
platform. The basedband processing of the waveform (the
SCA based operations) runs on the GPP of the platform.
The FPGA processor of the platform is utilized for digitally
Figure 2. P25 Tx module’s UML model. downconverts the IF signal into baseband and upconverts
the baseband signals to IF. The laptop is used both for the
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control/configure of the system and playing/capturing of
audio signals. The communication or data transfer between
those processors are done by using developed SCA based
ethernet and QC devices. The developed waveform is
experimented with a legacy hand-held APCO P25 radio.
The communication results are satisfactory. As a result, a
SCA based SDR is developed by using a generic hardware
which is the main purpose of SCA and SDR concepts.

6. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

The implementation of APCO P25 waveform is a part of

development of an SDR testbed project developed for
TUBITAK with the grant number 106A013. The main
scope of the project is to establish a test center to test and
evaluate SCA based SDR products. One of the main
objectives of this project is to develop a universal test
platform which will provide the necessary test infrastructure
and advanced R&D facilities for software defined radio and
Software Communication Architecture (SCA) compliant
waveform development in the 1.6 MHz - 2.6 GHz
frequency band. SCA compliant APCO P25 (Phase-II) is
one of the test waveforms which will be run on the test
platform by deploying on GPP and FPGA modules.

7. REFERENCES

[1] Walter H.W. Tuttlebee, "Software Defined Radio:

Enabling Technologies," John Wiley and Sons Ltd., 2002.

[2] Joint Tactical Radio System, “Software communications

architecture specification-Final”, Version 2.2.2, Sp ace and
Naval Warfare System Center, San Diego CA, 15 May
2006.

[3] Telecommunications Industry Association. APCO

Project 25 System and Standarts Definition. Arlington :
Telecommunications Industry Association, 1995. TIA/EIA-
102.A

[4] Telecommunications Industry Association. Project 25

FDMA Common Air Interface New Technology Standards
Project Digital Radio Technical Standards. Arlington :
Telecommunications Industry Association, 1998. TIA/EIA-
102.BAAA.

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