The new class of Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS) satellite frequency converter products from Advantech Wireless Technologies are designed to provide accurate GPS timing and position for critical applications such as air traffic control and aircraft precision landing — these products are compatible with the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay System (EGNOS).

This new line of products will extend the range of Advantech Wireless Technologies’ WAAS and EGNOS Satellite Frequency Converters to cover higher C-band, from 6.6 GHz and up to 7.075 GHz. They are projected to up convert and down convert L1 and L5 GPS signals to/from C-band GEO satellites in order to provide higher precision landing and timing for aircrafts and other critical applications.These frequency converters are designed to meet very stringent frequency stability requirements, exhibit very low phase noise, and experience no parametric drifting over time.

Cristi Damian

Cristi Damian, the company's VP of Business Development, said that without EGNOS and WAAS systems, precision aircraft landing at our airports is basically impossible. This is a critical service carried out by GEO satellites to augment the GPS satellites’ constellations. A number of satellite master ground stations in North America and Europe provide these services by constantly calculating the errors due to GPS signals’ propagation effects and transmit compensated values to landing aircraft. Dependence on GPS services continues to grow and these systems need to operate continuously. With the lower C-band satellite spectrum now being allocated to 5G services, these frequency converters will allow WAAS and EGNOS services to easily be transported to higher C-band frequencies in the range of 6.6-7.025 GHz, with minimum CAPEX. GPS augmentation services carried by GEO satellites, are often unthought-of, but every day they avoid accidents, and save lives.