Measurement of Pulsed Aircraft Radio Altimeter In-Band and Out-band Interference Threshold Power Due to Sub-6 band 5G Mobile Communication Systems

5G Sub-6 mobile communication systems have recently introduced frequency bands that are close to those of the aircraft radio altimeter (RA) band, which are allocated between 4.2 and 4.4 GHz. To investigate the coexistence conditions of aircraft RAs and 5G mobile communication systems, electromagnetic interference (EMI) susceptibility characteristics of the RAs are required. Firstly, the specification of the pulsed RA and measurement set-up based on RTCA DO-155 test procedures are discussed. Next, measurement conditions such as altitude and interference signal frequency are explained. Finally, the interference threshold values of RAs are discussed based on the measured results. The interference threshold power declines with increasing altitude and the measured altitude range is between 50 and 1,500 feet. Under the same test conditions and for the same product number RA, the variations in interference threshold power exceed 10 dB. For inband and out-of-band interference tests, the minimum interference threshold values are -57.7 and -86.8 dBm/MHz, respectively.

Automated summary

This study investigates the coexistence conditions of aircraft radio altimeters (RAs) and 5G mobile communication systems. The electromagnetic interference (EMI) susceptibility characteristics of the RAs were measured to determine the interference threshold values at different altitudes. The results show that the interference threshold power decreases with increasing altitude, and there are variations in interference threshold power for different products under the same test conditions.