AIRCRAFT RADIO SYSTEMS BY JAMES POWELLPreface The cockpit and equipment racks of modem aircraft, large and small, are becoming filled with ever more sophisticated systems. This book attempts to describe a certain class of such systems, namely those which rely for their operation on electromagnetic radiation. The subject matter is complex and wide-ranging, hence not all aspects can be covered in one volume. In deciding where the treatment should be light or aps nonenistent, [have asked myself two Questions: (1) which aspeets ean most usefully be covered in a book: and (2) at which group of people involved in aviation should a book covering such aspects be aimed” ‘The answer to (1) must be “describe the theory’ One can. and indeed must, read or be told about how to operate the systems: how to navigate using the hho to solder, crimp and change items: how to use test equipment, ete, but proficiency is impossible without practice, On the other hand gaining an understanding of how a particular system works is more of a mental exercise which can be guided in a book such as this. This is not to say that ore practical matters are neglected, since it would. hot help one’s understanding of the theory of operation not to see, at least in words and pictures, how a particular system is controlled, presents its information, reacts to the environment. etc Having decided the main line of attack the more difficult question of depth of treatment must be angwered: in other words which group should be satisfied Pilots need a superficial knowledge of how all the systems work: maintenance engineers on the ramp and in the hangar a more detailed knowledge: workshop engineets must have an understanding oF the circuitry for perhaps a limited range of equipments: while designers should have the greatest depth of knowledge of all, It is virtually impossible to draw dividing lines, but itis hoped that i! enough theory is given to satisly the aircraft radio maintenance engineer then the book might be useful to all groups mentioned. The deptit of treatment varies, it being impossible to cover everything, or indeed anything, to the depth J would have liked. In particular few details of circuitry are given since T feel most readers will be more interested in the operation of the system as a whole. Nevertheless, some circuits are given purely as examples. Should the reader need circuit knowledge, the equipment maintenance manual is the best place to find it, assuming he knows the system and he has «a basic knowledge of electronics The state of the art of the equipment described is also varied. I did not see the point of deseribing only equipment containing microprocessors, since the vast majority of systems in service do not use thest as yet On the other hand if the life of this book is not to be too severely restricted, the latest techniques must be described. Within the pages that follow, analogue, analogue/digital, hardwired digital and programmable digital equipments all find a place As stated previously, the book is aimed primarily at the maintenance engineer. However, I hope several groups might be interested. This poses problems concerning the background knowledge required. For what I hope is a fairly substantial part of the book, any reasonably intelligent technically minded person with a basic knowledge of mathematics and a familiarity with aircraft will have no difficulty that two or perhaps three readings will not overcome ‘There are parts, however, where some knowledge of electronics, radio theory or more sophisticated mathematics is needed. In three chapters where the poing gets a bit tough, I have relegated the offending ‘material to an appendix. Some background material 's covered in Chapter 1, in particular, basic radio theory and a discussion of digital systems in so far as coding and computers are concerned, If you aze one of the few people who plough all the way through the Preface to a book, you may have decided by now that this book is concerned with theory and litle else, That this is not so may be clear if L outline briefly the contents of each chapter. An Introduction saying a few words about the history and function of the system is followed by a fairly thorough coverage of the basic principles. In some chapters the next item is a discussion of the installation, i.e. the units, how they are interconnected, which other systems they interface vilwith and any special considerations such as cooling, positioning, type of antennas and feeders, ete. This, together with & description of controls and operation, puts some practical meat on to the bare bones of the theory which continues with a consideration of the block diagram operation. In certain chapters the order: installation — controls and operation ~ block diagram, is reversed where | thought it was perhaps to the reader's disadvantage to break up the flow of the more theoretical aspects. A brief look at characteristics, in practically all cases based on ARINC publications, and testing/maintenance concludes each chapter, Most chapters deal with one system: none of them is exclusively military. The exceptions are, in reverse order, Chapter 13 where 1 look at the current scene and review some systems we should see in the next few years: Chapter 12 which is a bringing-together of some of the previously covered systems; Chapter 6 covering Omega, Decca Navigator and Loran C: Chapter 2 which covers both radio and non-radio communications; and Chapter 1 where some chosen background material is given J should point out that this is not a textbook in the sense that everything is examinable in accordance with some syllabus, The reader will take from the book however big a chunk he desires, depending on his background knowledge, his profession, the examinations he hopes to take and, of course, his inclination. Some will have, or end up with, an understanding of all that is included herein, in which case hope the book may be seen as a source of reference. Acknowledgements A number of manufacturers have given valuable assistance including the supplying of material and granting permission to reproduce data and illustrations. Without the generosity of the following, this book would have been of very limited use Bendix Avionics Division Boeing Commercial Aeroplane Company British Aerospace vu Communications Components Corporation The Decca Navigator Company Limited Field Tech Limited Hazeltine Corporation IER Electronics Inc King Radio Corporation Litton Systems International Inc., Aero Products, Division Marconi Avionics Limited MEL Equipment Company Limited RCA Limited Rockwell-Collins (UK) Limited Ryan Stormscope Tel-tnstrument Electronics Corporation (TIC) Although [am grateful to all the above, { must reserve 4 special word of thanks to Mr Wayne Brown of Bendix, Mr A.E. Crawford of King and MrT. C Wood of RCA, who arranged for the dispatch of several expensive and heavy maintenance manuals in reply to my request for information. These manuals, and indeed all other information received, were used in the preparation of this book and continue to be used in the training of students at Brune! Technical College, Bristol, England. [also wish t» thank all my colleagues at Brunel who have helped, often unwittingly, in conversation, In particular my thanks go to John Stokes, Clive Stratton and Peter Kemp for proof-teading some of the chapters and also Leighton Fletcher for helping with the illustrations. May | add that, although [ received technical assistance from the above, any mistakes which remain are obviously mine. 1 would be grateful to any reader who might take the trouble to point out any errors, Finally, my thanks to Pauline Rickards, whose gers must be sore from typing: to the publishers who displayed great patience as the deadline for the submission of the typescript came and went; and, most of all, to my wife Pat and son Adam who showed event more patience and understanding than Pitmans, Bristol, England 1.