RF Communication

 A radio frequency (RF) signal refers to a wireless electromagnetic signal used as

a form of communication, if one is discussing wireless electronics. Radio waves
are a form of electromagnetic radiation with identified radio frequencies that
range from 3kHz to 300 GHz. Frequency refers to the rate of oscillation (of the
radio waves.)
 RF propagation occurs at the speed of light and does not need a medium like air
in order to travel. RF waves occur naturally from sun flares, lightning, and from
stars in space that radiate RF waves as they age. Humankind communicates with
artificially created radio waves that oscillate at various chosen frequencies.
 RF communication is used in many industries including television broadcasting,
radar systems, computer and mobile platform networks, remote control, remote
metering/monitoring, and many more.
While individual radio components such as mixers, filters, and power amplifiers
can be classified according to operating frequency range, they cannot be strictly
categorized by wireless standard (e.g. Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, etc.) because these
devices only provide physical layer (PHY) support.
In contrast, RF modules, transceivers, and So Cs often include data link layer
support for one or more wireless communication protocols. These products are
organized by wireless technology and can be browsed under the "Solutions" tab.
• Circuit diagram
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A ground station is an important part of any autopilot system, especially for the
development of new and untested autopilot controllers. A
ground station’s design must focus on its ability to display any and all information
that is relevant to the user, in a way that is quick, clear, and
efficient. This is necessary because a number of flight scenarios require the
ground station user to rapidly make decisions and draw conclusions
based on the information displayed. A ground station should also allow for the
uplink of data to the autopilot, such as control variables or flight
coordinates, in a way that is intuitive for the user. Otherwise, configuring the
autopilot and setting flight coordinates could be a complex and laborious process.
Radio communication system
A radio command system contains a means of accurately determining
the missile position in relation to the control station, the target, and the
desired trajectory. A computer is usually used to determine the error
between the actual missile position and the desired position. A
command transmitter is located at the control point, and a receiver is
contained in the missile. The receiver activates the missile control
circuits when it receives command signals from the transmitter. This
equipment makes it possible to follow the missile' s flight and correct for
errors which would cause a missile.
• Block diagram of active homing guidance system
 Preset guidance..
• Preset guidance may be used when the target is beyond the range of control
points, or when it is necessary to avoid countermeasures that might be
effective if the missile were guided by outside signals.
UAV Navigation
NTRODUCTION
1. General. A datalink is a means of transmitting information from one point to another.
When the transmission is accomplished using a wireless means, the datalink may also be
referred to as a 'radio link' or 'radio modem'.
2. Datalinks in the UAV Navigation System. Used to connect the autopilot to the Ground
Control Station (GCS). The datalink allows the transmission and receipt of information between
the aircraft and the GCS as follows:
Uplink: commands from GCS to autopilot.
Downlink: telemetry information from autopilot to the GCS.
3. A standard setup for wireless data transmission consists of two radio modems: the onboard
and the onground segments. These will both work on the same frequency and will usually have
the capacity both to transmit and receive data.
4. Communications Logic. Datalink manufacturers will usually use their own
proprietary communications logic for their products, each manufacturer's products
having a different startup, handshaking procedure, buffer size, number of retries for
bad packets etc. However, the transfer of data via this proprietary procedure is
transparent to the autopilot and to the rest of the system.

Generic radio modem (left), TELEM05 (right)

• 5. Types of Datalink. There are three basic types of datalink:
• Simplex: communication in one direction only (e.g. from GCS to autopilot).
• Half Duplex: communication in both directions, but not simultaneously.
• Full Duplex: simultaneous communication in both directions.
• 6. The VECTOR autopilot can make use of a half or full duplex datalink when
using RS-232, RS-422 or Ethernet protocols.
• 7. The type of communication used by the datalink depends on the transmitter and
the protocol used. The UAV Navigation system can be used with a datalink which
transmits telemetry using half duplex communication. In this case, although
the VECTOR uses the datalink as if it were full duplex, the datalink must have an
internal logic with a buffer which is capable of managing the data and sending it as
half duplex.
8. Frequencies. Datalinks may use different frequencies, depending on their
intended purpose. These frequencies are strictly regulated and controlled in each
country. See 'Local Radio Frequency Regulation' for further information.
SELECTION OF A DATALINK
9. The first step in selecting a datalink is to identify the permitted frequencies in the
country where the equipment is to be used.
10. Next, the range of operation should be considered.
11. Datalink Characteristics. When using a third party datalink, UAV Navigation
recommends the following characteristics for optimum performance:
• 12. Connection Type. RS-232 (COM_DBG, COM_0 y COM_1 in VECTOR) and
Ethernet are preferred.
• 13. Connection Speed. The UAV Navigation system requirement for the datalink is
115200 bps for a serial connection. The normal data throughput of the system is around
4000 bytes/s downlink and 1000 bytes/s uplink average, so the datalink selected should
ideally ensure delivery at these speeds.
• 14. Retries. Datalinks may split longer telemetry messages and may also need to make
some retries in order to communicate an entire message correctly. The ideal average
packet size for the UAV Navigation system is 50 bytes. By way of
orientation, the TELEM05 datalink offered by UAV Navigation splits data transmitted
into a maximum packet size of 178 bytes, and will make a maximum of 2 retries when
transmitting. These parameters are normally (but not always) configurable in a datalink.
• 15. Datalink Manufacturers. There are multiple manufacturers on the market; UAV
Navigation recommends contacting a manufacturer with the minimum specification
shown above in order for the manufacturer to propose the best solution for a particular
platform.
• 16. Other Peripherals. In addition to the considerations above, the payload and the
complete communications setup should be taken into account because these systems may
have an impact on datalink performance. See also Camera Setup for further information.
• 17. Finally, UAV Navigation has a long history of working with the best datalink
manufacturers around the world. Our engineers will be delighted to make
recommendations and to assist in selection of a suitable datalink.