UHF SATCOM Wideband Interference Mitigation
Navy SBIR FY2010.3


Sol No.: Navy SBIR FY2010.3
Topic No.: N103-230
Topic Title: UHF SATCOM Wideband Interference Mitigation
Proposal No.: N103-230-0158
Firm: Research Associates of Syracuse
111 Dart Circle
Rome, New York 13441
Contact: Skip Mansur
Phone: (315) 339-4800
Web Site: www.ras.com
Abstract: SATCOM is a critical component of the C4ISR infrastructure that allows commanders to control the battlespace. While the UHF band offers many advantages, it is prone to narrowband and wideband interference. It is critical to eliminate large signal saturation and ADC device overload prior to any digital signal processing. This is particularly important for shipboard receivers, which often operate in the presence of powerful co-site interference. Robust signal processing is also necessary to extract the desired signals in the presence of large interference. Two primary processing approaches are proposed: time-frequency grid excision suitable for wideband processing, and an adaptive filtering technique that exploits temporal and/or spatial diversity of the interference. RAS proposes a multi-pronged interference mitigation concept utilizing interference suppression at RF to prevent receiver saturation followed by additional interference rejection through digital signal processing in the time and frequency domain. Interference avoidance techniques including RF channel selection, spectral RF filtering, time-domain blanking, and sidelobe-blanking are all unsatisfactory. An all-digital solution to the RF interference rejection is not practical with current receiver technology when the required instantaneous dynamic range becomes excessive. The combined approach provides the ability to detect low-level SATCOM signals in the presence of interference
Benefits: Our solution will be targeted towards COTS hardware with an open architecture approach for NAVY applications such as MUOS/JTRS. The key benefit is increased UHF SATCOM bandwidth under both own-ship and terrestrial interference conditions, thereby improving situational awareness and ultimately survivability.

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