It’s quite hard to believe that mankind has advanced from horse and buggy to landing on the moon in less than a century. Now, instead of walking for days on end to reach our destination… we fly! There was a time when this was considered impossible, and now look how far we’ve come. This exponential growth from the dawn of automobiles to space exploration, is unlike anything in recorded history. Constant improvement through innovation and optimization is key to staying on the heels of cutting-edge technology.
Control Non-Payload Communications (CNPC) for Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), Unmanned Ground Vehicles, RF Communication Systems, Electronic Warfare, and Software Defined Radios are essential to maintaining control and transferring data effectively. As the distance between two communication systems grows farther, the signal strength is degraded. This poses a huge problem to long range CNPC capabilities. To add more complexities, the effects of fading, multipath, and other phenomena are ever present. Signal loss at catastrophic levels may lead to the destruction of property, or worse, personnel. Improving link margin by adding bidirectional amplifiers (BDA’s) to the signal chain can greatly improve the range of communication, as well as overall system integrity.
The importance of high fidelity CNPC in the National Airspace System (NAS) is one not to be overlooked. Signal loss of an UMA being piloted remotely, flying around manned aircraft or over densely populated areas could be devastating. Without line of sight (LOS) or beyond line of sight (BLOS) communication linkage, there would be a loss in control of the UAS. There is no need for a full system revamp if efficiencies in current systems are subpar. There are custom tailored solutions to increase the reliability of communication linkage when operating in this airspace.
NuWaves RF Solutions is a premier RF solutions company that provides quick turn implementations. The CNPC spectrum of 5030MHz – 5091MHz for example, is targeted for the UAS community. To enhance operation in this bandwidth, a BDA can be added in the signal chain to boost link margin and keep noise figures low. For this, NuWaves RF Solutions C15RX01-C044 BDA is the perfect choice. The size, weight, and power (SWaP) of this module allows it to keep a small footprint while optimizing system performance and reliability. For more information on this product and other RF modules, visit NuWaves RF & Microwave Products page to learn more.