Publications

This report describes the MIT Lincoln Laboratory Transportable Measurements Facility (TMF), a special purpose beacon interrogator patterned after the Discrete Address Beacon Sensor. This van-mounted experimental beacon system includes all ATCRBS/DABS reply processing and monopulse processing, but not other DABS processing. It was developed to collect data at various locations in the United States so that candidate DABS sensor antenna and processing could be evaluated in a real environment. The TMF has been installed and operated at: Logan Airport (Boston), Deer Island, MA (near Logan), Washington National Airport (DCA), Philadelphia Int. Airport (PHL), Clementon, NJ (near Philadelphia), Los Angeles Int. Airport (LAX), Brea, CA (25 miles east of LAX), Salt Lake City, UT (SLC), Layton, UT (near Salt Lake City), Las Vegas Airport (LAS), and Green Airport (Warwick, RI).

A special-purpose digital hardware processor, which implements the ATCRBS Reply Processing algorithms designed for use in the Discrete Address Beacon System (DABS) has been developed and used in two DABS-related programs. This report gives a detailed functional description of this processor as implemented by Lincoln Laboratory. With minor modifications it could serve as the ATCRBS Reply Processor for a Beacon Collision Avoidance System.