Why and When Use RASS-S Tools ?

The higher complexity of radar systems and the changing environmental situations at radar sites, as well as the ever increasing air traffic have made the total quality control of the ATC-systems an extremely important and difficult task.

A scientific approach asks for a top down analysis of all the elements in the radar chain to verify the operation of each module separately plus most radar engineers want tools and methods to measure a radar in its operational environment. That is exactly what RASS-S can offer.

The RASS-S (Radar Analysis Support System for Sites), developed in recent years by Intersoft Electronics NV is a radar manufacturer-independent system for evaluating the different elements of a radar by connecting to signals which are already available and this under operational conditions.

The RASS-S system consists of five major instruments:

• The Radar Field Analyser (RFA);
• The Radar RF Testset (RFT);
• The Radar Video Recorder (RVR+RVI);
• The Extended Data Recorder (RDR);
• The Radar Gyroscope & Inclinometer (RGI).

Optional tool:

• The Didactical Test Interrogator (DTI).

What can RASS-S do for you ?

The Radar Field Analyser (RFA) allows you to determine the in-field Uplink antenna diagram. Analysis tools will lead you to the causes of errors. It will also serve you to measure your receiver's response curve and the alignment of the two or three receiver channels. The same set-up is used to determine receiver frequency response and STC or DSTC curves.

The Rf Test Set (RFT) is a general purpose RF measurement device with a two channel Rf output and two channel RF input. The tool helps you to determine defective LVA columns, measure Rf elements, line transmission lines, rotary joints, etc.
Its 3D scan option allows the antenna evaluation of complex PSR antennas, while the IF option is used for evaluation of the IF signals found in such radars.

The Radar Video Recorder (RVR) was conceived to record all types of SSR or Mode S radar video signals. The system has three analog and eight digital channels to record radar video. This can be done either in window-based mode where a limited "pie" of video is recorded as a whole or in "compressed" mode where all SSR and Mode S video is recorded in a compressed format. Special analysis tools create links between radar plot or track data and the recorded video. This allows you to recall any video on any "suspicious" plot or track message, simply by clicking the correct link. For PSR radar evaluation, a set of clutter recording and analysis tools operate from RVR recordings.

The Extended Data Recorder (RDR) is used you to passively or actively record 6 lines of serial radar data. We currently support unnumbered HDLC, LAPB or X25.3 connections of a wide range of radar data formats (such as Asterix, RDIF, Aircat, Eurocontrol, CD ...). Tools are provided to analyse the recorded data for protocol errors or convert the data directly into a display format. The RASS-S software also allows you to record data on a LAN, using TCP-IP or UDP-IP based protocols.

The software controlling the RASS-S equipment shares the same top-down conceptual idea. The "RASS-S6 Toolbox” consists of a number of functional menus accessible through buttons. Each of these controls a set of tools and corresponds to a specific element in the radar chain, starting with the antenna down to and including the data modems delivering the plot and track data to the control centers. A special set of tools qualify the plot and track data output and allow a detailed analysis of these data towards resolution and probability of detection parameters. GPS measurements can be used to verify the radar’s accuracy.

In short: support for the recording and playback of all the important signals in the radar chain is provided and the RASS-S system Toolbox helps the radar engineer to get an accurate and total overview of the actual quality of every element of the Primary or Secondary Surveillance Radar (also Mode S) for which (s)he is responsible. If only a specific part of the Radar should be assessed it might be sufficient to purchase only the relevant part of the equipment and in so doing spread the investment over time.

What is new in RASS-S6 v 6.1?

The RASS-S6 v 6.1 toolbox, released January 2004, has been programmed using the latest versions of LabVIEW 6.1® and benefits from many of its improvements. In general, the processing speed and performance of the tool have been increased significantly. Furthermore, most windows have increased size, aiding in the visibility of the data. The HMI, controls and looks further contribute to the ease of use. The Toolbox was split in two distinct sections, one for Secondary radar and one for PSR radars. To the latter were added many customer requested Primary (Search) radar test functionalities.

The RASS-S6.1 tool was developed on the Windows® XP platform. As with previous important releases, the user can benefit from many improved and new software features using the same subset of hardware tools.

A summary of the new features offered by version 6.1:

• Split between SSR and PSR functions;
• Direct and easy access to all recorded files from within toolbox;
• Fruit Analysis tools (RTQC) (Environment Monitoring, Influence of Mode S stations on FRUIT;
• Pd and Accuracy calculation on life data-sets (Radar Comparator);
• PSR Clutter recording and analysis using RVR;
• New formats in Protocol Viewer ;
• TCP-IP and UDP-IP LAN recording and replay functions;
• Reference Extractor (SSR Video Recording) improvements;
• ADSB Tool set (Generation of ADSB FRUIT, Generation and Analysis of Asterix Cat 21 data);
• Transponder Test function using RFA;
• Transponder power monitoring ;
• RFTS self Calibration function;
• IQ Pulse vector voltmeter with Phase and amplitude alignment procedure for PSR receiver testing;
• Static VPD measurement for PSR antennas using RVR;
• Target injection for non-pulse compression PSR radars using RFA (with full scenario control, similar to RES);
• Multi radar scenario data generation using coverage map information (Generates ASTERIX streams on LAN or Serial ports).

click to enlarge