Chronos TechnoIogy Limited

Stowfield House, Upper Stowfield, Lydbrook, Gloucestershire GL17 9PD

T: +44 (0) 1594 862200 F: +44 (0) 1594 862211
www.chronos.co.uk
GPS RE-RADIATING SOLUTIONS
from Chronos TechnoIogy
APPLICATION NOTE
What is GPS?
The Global Position System is a constellation of 24 satellites that have been placed in
orbit at 11,000 nautical miles above the earth. At this altitude they appear to move
across the face of the Earth. The satellites take 12 hours to complete one orbit of the
earth. For this reason they have been placed in orbits that allow world-wide coverage
and at any one time at least four satellites are visible to a GPS receiver.


When the GPS satellites transmit their signals back
to Earth the public signal (known as L1) is broad-
cast at 1575.42 MHz at a power level which is far
too weak to be received through walls, roofs and
even dense foliage. n fact with some GPS receiv-
ers even just covering the antenna with a hand will
inhibit its ability to receive the signal.




The GPS receiver decodes the signal from the satellites and can then accurately work
out its position to within a few metres using a triangulation method. f there are enough
satellites in range it can also work out its altitude. The reason that the receiver may not
see enough satellites is because trees or tall buildings may be blocking the signal from
one or more satellites.

What is GPS Re-radiating?
n order to use a GPS receiver indoors the signal has to be received outside and then
rebroadcast inside since the GPS signal is too weak to penetrate buildings. The receiv-
ing antenna has to be placed where it has the best possible view of the sky. This will
enable it to see as many satellites as possible. For this reason it is normally placed at
roof height or even on a pole that is higher than the roof. The signal broadcast into the
building will contain the position information relating to the external antenna location.

The amplifier in the GPS re-radiating kit provides a signal that is capable of being broad-
cast at a level higher than the minimum level required by GPS receivers thus ensuring
excellent coverage in buildings .


TYPICAL APPLICATIONS:


AeropIane Servicing
All navigation systems fitted in planes
have to be tested on a regular basis.
Where GPS is fitted, even if it is only a
back-up, it too has to be calibrated in
order to ensure full functionality. When a
plane is serviced or stored in a hangar, in
order to provide a functional test on the
GPS a re-radiating solution can be
implemented.



Chronos TechnoIogy Limited
Stowfield House, Upper Stowfield, Lydbrook, Gloucestershire GL17 9PD
T: +44 (0) 1594 862200 F: +44 (0) 1594 862211
www.chronos.co.uk
Version 5 Feb 2007
CTLan003
However in order to calibrate a GPS system fitted into a plane the engineer needs to
show at what point the system will cease operating.

For this reason Chronos is able to provide a hood that fits over the plane's GPS antenna.
The re-radiated GPS signal is fed directly into the hood. A variable attenuator is fitted in-
line with the hood enabling the engineer to decrease the signal level. This enables an
accurate measurement to be made of exactly when the GPS will go "out of lock and
provides a repeatable test of its operating tolerance.

Car Show Rooms
The GPS antenna is installed on the roof of the building and a re-radiating kit inside the
showroom. The GPS signal is taken via the roof antenna and retransmitted inside giving
the ability to demonstrate the in-car GPS navigation system to customers without having
to take the car outside. The solution can also be used for servicing and repair
departments.

FormuIa One Pits
Chronos has supplied this solution to a Championship
winning Formula One Racing Team enabling them to
monitor and test their F1 racing cars inside the pits
where a clear view of the sky is obstructed by the
building. The solution is portable and has been used at
several F1 circuits throughout the world including
Silverstone and Monza.
GPS Re-Radiating Kit
The GPS signal can be re-radiated using amplifiers to anywhere in a car plant, showroom
or hangar so that even quite large indoor spaces or shadowed areas can receive the
signal.

VehicIe AssembIy
Chronos has supplied a GPS re-radiating system to a major UK car manufacturer. This
takes the GPS signal via a roof antenna and then re-transmits it inside the plant to enable
the in-car GPS navigation systems to be tested on the assembly line. Normally during
manufacture the GPS navigation system would be compromised because of not having a
direct line of sight to the GPS satellite network. This means that while still on the
production line the in-car GPS has been tested without the need to wait until the vehicle
can be driven outside the production facility.

Services
Chronos Technology provide a full range of accessories for distributing GPS signals
including complete re-radiator kits, antennas, amplifiers, splitters, attenuators, filters and
cables.
n all cases Chronos can also provide a full installation service from designing the layout
and distribution of the solution through to comprehensive after sales support using the
Chronos "Spares Support Plan. This starts with a site survey which ensures that even
before commencing an installation the antenna, cable run and re-radiators will all be
placed at optimum points.
For further information please call Chronos Technology on the contact points below or go
to www.gps-world.biz for more technical data and a quotation.
Ongoing product development programmes mean that all specifications may be subject
to change without notice.