One of the key factors in ensuring safety in air traffic control (ATC) applications is to provide a high level of availability for the ground-to-air communication system. The R&S®GV4000 multi-link controller was developed to achieve this goal. It provides n+m redundancy for R&S®Series4200 radios, which ensures higher availability levels at lower costs compared to the traditional 1+1 redundancy.

In the past, most ATC systems used 1+1 redundancy, where each main unit had a dedicated backup unit. Today, more and more ATC authorities are employing systems with n+m redundancy, where n main units operate with m non-dedicated backup units.

The R&S®GV4000 controls the status of up to 16 main radios and two backup radios. If a radio failure occurs in any of the 16 main radios, the R&S®GV4000 automatically switches over to one of the two standby radios. Detailed mathematical calculations show that n+m redundancy can reduce system downtime by a factor of up to six compared to standard 1+1 redundancy. The results of these calculations have been confirmed through years of field experience with systems using the R&S®GV4000 in n+m applications.

The use of n+m redundancy significantly reduces the number of radios needed. As a result, considerably less space is required at each radio site, and procurement and operating costs are lower. No modifications to the voice communication switch are needed to implement n+m redundancy with the R&S®GV4000 in existing ATC systems.

Key Facts

Level of availability meeting or exceeding that of traditional main/standby solutions

Reduction in the required capital investment and ongoing maintenance costs

Less space required at each radio site

Flexible approach for site-specific solutions

Features & Benefits

Increase in radio channel availability

- n+m redundancy with automatic switchover

- Priority concept for switchover of radios

Reduction in system costs and rack space

- Reduction in capital investment and ongoing maintenance costs

- Reduced space requirements

Flexible integration into existing ATC systems

- Optimal solution for each radio site

- Integration into remote control and monitoring systems

Field-proven technology

- Monitoring and control of radios via SNMP

- Capability to operate with analog signals, including E&M

- Simple configuration with extremely easy-to-use setup software

Specifications

General data

Power supply          

AC supply                                                     101 V to 127 V AC,

                                                                      202 V to 253 V AC

                                                                      typ. 15 VA (max. 60 VA), 47 Hz to 63 Hz

DC voltage                                                    nom. +24 V DC, typ. 500 mA (max. 2.5 A)

                                                                      +19 V to +31 V DC, negative pole to ground

DC and AC voltages                                      automatic AC/DC switchover

Electrical safety                                             EN 60950-1:2006

EMC                                                              ETSI EN 301489-1 V1.6.1 (2005-09),

                                                                      ETSI EN 301489-22 V1.3.1 (2003-11),

                                                                      EN 55022:1998 + A1:2000 + A2:2003,

                                                                      EN 61000-3-2:2000 + A2:2005,

                                                                      EN 61000-3-3:1995 + A1:2001 + A2:2005

Environmental data

Protection against foreign bodies                  IP30 in line with EN 60529

Temperature range operation                        -20°C to +55°C

                                   storage                       -40°C to +70°C

Maximum relative humidity                            EN 60068-2-3

                                   during operation         95% at +40°C (without condensation)

                                   during storage            95% at +40°C

Vibration                                                        EN 60068-2-6

                          without shockmount             0.3 mm double amplitude, 2 g

                                                                      10 Hz to 55 Hz, total test duration 30 min

Shock                                                             EN 60068-2-27

                        without shockmount               30 g for 11 ms, 18 shocks/three positions

Maximum altitude above sea level                 EN 60068-2-40

                        during operation                     3500 m, test condition 700 mbar

                        during transport/storage         5000 n, test condition 550 mbar

                                                                      -40°C, test duration 2 h

Mechanical data

Dimensions (W x H x D)

including handles                                           483 mm x 88 mm x 502 mm

                                                                      (19.0 in x 3.5 in x 19,8 in)

from rear edge of front panel                         483 mm x 88 mm x 445 mm

                                                                      (19.0 in x 3.5 in x 17.5 in)

Weight           for the three models                 approx. 8 kg (17.6 lb)

Hardware and software for R&S®GV4000 configuration tool

Hardware        processor                               Intel Pentium D/AMD Athlon or better

                        RAM                                      1 Gbyte or more

                        hard disk                                20 Mbyte free disk space

                        interface                                 1 serial port (RS-232-C)

                        cable                                      null-modem cable to connect the R&S®GV4000

                                                                       with PC with the R&S®GV4000 configuration software

Software          operating system                   Windows XP SP2 or later,

                                                                      Windows Vista

                        other software                        VC++ 2008 SP1 Redistributable (vcredist_x86.exe) and

                                                                      Adobe Reader 8.0 or later for viewing online software manual