Summary
Airborne measurements of ATCRBS fruit (asynchronous replies from ATCRBS transponders) are described. These measurements were undertaken to provide a more firm basis for assessing the interference impact of ATCRBS fruit on airborne 1090 MHz receivers (as in BCAS). Fruit rate measurements were performed with an instrumented aircraft flying along the East Coast from Boston to Washington and in the Los Angeles Basin. The results of these measurements are reported here, with fruit rates given as a function of altitude, geographical location, and receiver threshold, for receptions on both top-mounted and bottom-mounted aircraft antenna. The highest observed fruit rates, approximately 10,000 replies/sec, occurred in the LA Basin. To complement the measurements, a first-order fruit prediction model is defined. Predictions of this model are compared with the measurements, generally showing favorable agreement in absolute fruit rate, in power distribution, and in the functional dependence on traffic density.