Global Navigation Satellite System

(GNSS) Overview and Spectrum

Implementation

International Civil Aviation Organization

Spectrum Seminar
Cairo, Egypt
June 4-6, 2006
 Basic GNSS System

• Core Constellations
– GPS
– GLONASS
– Galileo (under development)
• Augmentation Systems
– Aircraft-Based Augmentation System (ABAS)
– Space-Based Augmentation System (SBAS)
• Uses geostationary satellites
• India, Japan, Europe, US
– Ground-Based Augmentation System (GBAS)
– Ground-Based Regional System (GRAS)
Satellite Navigation … Basically Multilateration

Multilateration:
a c By knowing your distance
from at least 3 points of
known-position, you can
determine your own
b position.

For Satellite Navigation: a, b & c are satellites, and a fourth

is needed to solve for clock variations.
 GNSS Ranging and Timing
Actual Path

Earth’s
Ionosphere
Assumed Path

•Approach: tarrival – ttransmitted ~ distance from satellite

•Assumes straight path of radio frequency signals
•Earth’s ionosphere actually disrupts/bends that path

•Augmentations correct for that bend using dual-frequency

measurements
•Currently not possible directly in aircraft; some signals not protected.
Satellite Navigation’s Mission
SBAS/GBAS Implementation
SBAS/
GRAS

GBAS
Satellite Based Augmentation System
(WAAS used as example)

L1,
L2

FAA288-021
Ground Based Augmentation System
(GBAS) Architecture

Pseudolite

Pseudolite
Processor GBAS
Reference Station
GNSS
Receiver (Integrity
Pseudolite
VHF Accuracy
Transmitter
Availability)
Monitor
Status
 Planned GNSS Modernization
• Addition of satellite constellations
– Galileo, additional GLONASS satellites
– Improves user availability
• Addition of civil signals
– 1164-1215 MHz band
– Facilitates user ionospheric corrections
– Possible broadcast of integrity signal
• May limit need for external augmentations
• Increased power, improved coding
– Better resistance to interference
 GNSS Frequency Bands
Frequency (MHz) Function

108-117.975 GBAS/GRAS broadcast link

1164-1215 GPS L5, Galileo E5, future

SBAS, GLONASS L3
1215-1240 GPS L2 (site-by-site ground use
only)
1559-1610 SBAS, GPS L1, GLONASS,
Galileo E1
 Spectrum Issues
• GNSS signals are very weak
– ~ 50,000 times weaker than the minimum specified
edge-of-coverage DME signal
• Aviation spectrum managers must be constantly
watching to ensure spectrum incursion from in-
band/adjacent band systems does not cause
interference.
• One example: ITU Footnotes 5.355 and 5.359
– Allow fixed service in GNSS bands in some countries
– Countries encouraged to remove their names from the
footnotes.