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The Effect of Helicopter Rotors on GPS Signal Reception

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 August 2005

Gary Brodin
Affiliation:
University of Leeds. Email: [email protected]
John Cooper
Affiliation:
University of Leeds. Email: [email protected]
David Walsh
Affiliation:
University of Leeds. Email: [email protected]
Jeff Stevens
Affiliation:
ARINC Engineering Services, LLC

Abstract

This paper presents the results of an experiment to investigate the impact of helicopter rotor blades on GPS signal reception. An offshore transport helicopter was equipped with a measurement system including a TSO-C129 compliant receiver and a custom research receiver. GPS signals passing through rotor discs of this aircraft were found to suffer a reduction in received signal strength, leading to potential navigation and RAIM availability concerns. The phenomenon will vary between installations and receiver types. Test procedures to identify the occurrence of the phenomenon in operational GPS installations are presented, together with possible in-service monitoring programs to assess the impact on the navigation function.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
© 2005 The Royal Institute of Navigation

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