Rohde & Schwarz is launching its EVSD1000 VHF/UHF nav/drone analyzer at Airspace World 2023 in Geneva, Switzerland this week.
The R&S EVSD1000 VHF/UHF nav/drone analyzer is a signal level and modulation analyzer for medium-sized drones. According to Rohde & Schwarz it is the only instrument that combines measurements of instrument landing systems (ILS), ground-based augmentation systems (GBAS) and VHF omnirange (VOR) ground stations in a single box.
Terrestrial air navigation systems, such as landing systems or en-route navigation systems require test and measurement capabilities able to ensure public safety while mitigating aircraft risks, delays and costs. The analyzer provides accurate and efficient drone inspection of the terrestrial navigation and communications systems used in air traffic control.
The analyzer is suitable for drone-based ground station testing in the perimeter of an airport. At 1.5 kg, the instrument’s weight allows usage of a medium-sized drone to perform measurements on ILS/VOR systems in line with the ICAO standards.
The mechanical and electrical design of the analyzer has been optimized for drone-based, real-time measurements of terrestrial navigation systems with up to 100 measurement data sets per second.
The analyzer provides high-precision signal analysis in the frequency range from 70MHz to 410MHz, a critical requirement for drone-based terrestrial navigation signal measurement systems. This also includes the needed measurement repeatibility to ensure that results from drone measurements can be compared to flight and to ground inspections in line with ICAO standards.
Using the drone analyzer can reduce runway blocking times compared to manual methods,in turn reducing costs while providing the necessary measurement repeatability, measurement precision and GNSS time and location stamps. While streaming measurement data during a drone flight via the data link to a PC on the ground, the analyzer can buffer this data internally to ensure that no results are lost if the data link is lost. This ensures gapless measurements and easy reporting.