Aeroflex Adds Capability to Simulate WAAS LPV Approaches

April 1, 2013 - By GPS World Staff

Aeroflex Incorporated, a wholly owned subsidiary of Aeroflex Holding Corp., has announced its capability to simulate WAAS (Wide Area Augmentation System) LPV (Localizer Performance with Vertical Guidance) approaches by adding this new feature to their GPSG-1000 Portable GPS Simulator.

Aeroflex has developed the capability of simulating WAAS LPV approaches to expedite and validate the installation of WAAS-enabled navigation systems in aircraft. The GPSG-1000 offers the following features to installers of these systems:

Ability to perform structured, repeatable dynamic motion tests (actual flight) of a WAAS/LPV installation,
Ability to check and validate the sensitivity and dynamic range of an airborne GPS receiver, either statically or while in motion,
Reduce aircraft down time and flight demonstration time required by FAA,
Additional support data for documenting proper FAA processes of WAAS/LPV system upgrades or installs without leaving the hangar.

New orders for the GPSG-1000 are ready for immediate delivery. For existing GPSG-1000 customers, a no-charge software upgrade will be available by mid-April 2013.

The FAA created the WAAS program in 1992 to provide the necessary integrity to utilize GPS signals for precision approach. The WAAS consists of a network of precisely surveyed wide area reference stations (WRS). These reference stations monitor GPS satellites to determine errors in the GPS satellite signal. Each reference station relays the information about the GPS satellites to the WAAS wide area master stations (WMS). The master station then develops corrections to the GPS position information and provides timely notification of unreliable GPS data. These corrections are sent to ground uplink stations (GUS) where they are transmitted in the form of a WAAS correction message to a Geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO) satellite. The WAAS signal is then broadcast to users on the same frequency as GPS. This WAAS corrected signal provides three-dimensional guidance to aircraft.