Verifying solutions used to mitigate GNSS interference, jamming, and spoofing
Cellular communications infrastructures require precise time coordination for network management, time synchronization, and location-based services. To counter interference, jamming, and spoofing by nefarious actors, global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) use controlled reception pattern antennas (CRPA) paired with GNSS receivers. The phased array antenna system directs beam lobes toward satellites while positioning nulls in the direction of jammers and spoofers. Advanced signal processing helps differentiate between genuine GNSS signals and non-genuine signals.
Simple signal generators can simulate GNSS signals from multiple satellites to determine basic GNSS metrics like time to fix and position and time accuracy of simple receivers. However, testing a CRPA system to determine performance and robustness is more complex. That requires simulating GNSS signals from different spatial directions, including propagation effects. The solution must consider potential sources of interference, jamming, and spoofing. It must incorporate real-time baseband GNSS emulation and the ability to present time-synchronized, phase-coherent signals to the device under test (DUT).
CRPA-enabled GNSS receiver test solution
Testing CRPA-enabled GNSS receivers requires real-time baseband GNSS emulation and the ability to present time-synchronized, phase-coherent signals to the DUT. A partnership between Syntony and Keysight provides the solution. The Syntony Constellator simulates all GNSS constellations, ionosphere and troposphere models, required attenuation, and Doppler shift models with changing jamming and spoofing scenarios. These baseband signals then stream optically into the Keysight M9484C VXG microwave vector signal generator, which upconverts them to the GNSS carrier frequencies. The M9484C supports four time-aligned, phase-coherent outputs with frequency coverage of up to 110 GHz and bandwidths to 5 GHz in a single chassis, using direct digital synthesis architecture. Users can synchronize multiple chassis to support any channel count needed for a DUT, enabling testing of CRPA devices with seven or eight antennas.
The M9484C VXG is the vector signal generator capable of generating signals up to 54 GHz with 2.5 GHz of modulation bandwidth per channel. The VXG vector signal generator helps you deliver the next frontier of wireless technology such as 5G and satellite communications with a fully integrated, calibrated, and synchronized solution.
