21 July 2017

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 PRIMARY RADAR
• Provides velocity and heading of target
• Scanner rotates and sends out a beam of energy
than await the echo signal calculates the time taken
for the signal to return
• Two dimensional display will be shown on the PPI
and is called a blip
• Blip shows range and bearing of aircraft from the
ground station

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Primary Radar Principles

RADAR SCANNER

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 Set Backs

• Controller Cannot Readily Identify One

Aircraft From Another Which Are Flying
Close To One Another

• Cannot Separate Aircraft Flying In The

Same Location But Different Altitudes

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 SECONDARY SURVEILLANCE RADAR
( A Mandatory Equipment In An Aircraft)

• Ground station is the interrogator transmitting on

1030 MHz
• Aircraft Is The Transponder Transmitting On 1090
MHz
• Intermediate Frequency Is 60 MHz Above

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 Cont…

• Once interrogated, the transponder will reply with a 4

digit identification code

• Altitude is only provided when requested

• Operates on the “L” band (1000 MHz)

• Primary and Secondary radar antenna are

synchronized and are located on the same platform

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 1 or 2 X TRANSCEIVER
1 X CONTROLLER
1 X “L” BAND ANTENNA
1 or 2 X ALTITUDE ENCODER

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ALTIMETER
THE ALTITUDE SOURCE WILL BE
FROM AN ENCODING ALTIMETER
0 5 50 OR
1 0 1 3
A CENTRAL AIR DATA COMPUTER

CENTRAL
AIR DATA
COMPUTER
188.88
188.88

TRANSPONDER
TRANSCEIVER

TRANSPONDER
CONTROLLER

OMNI
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By: Mohd Ezwani Kadir ANTENNA 10
 TRANSCEIVER
Consist of:

• Electrical circuits required for transmit and receive function

• Monitoring circuit
• Validity check circuit
• Receiver receives the 1030MHz and decodes it
• Transmitter encodes a series of carrier wave modulated
pulses and transmit on 1090MHz back to transponder

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 CONTROLLER
• Only 1 controller that can be switched from system 1 to 2
• Stby 1/2 – selection of system 1 or 2 for operation
• Alt 1/2 – source of altitude information, either 1 or 2
• Mode – selection of mode of reply (A, B, C, D, S)
• Alt rptg – automatically selects mode “c” for altitude reporting
• Ident – when pressed, an “ident” pulse is transmitted that will
cause a blip on the ppi for 18 ± 2 seconds
• Code – displays 4 digit code from 0000 to 7777 is displayed
• Code dials – selection of each digit from 0 to 7

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Transponder Controller

Code Display Window

Code Selection Dials

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 ANTENNA

• Omni-directional Type

• Located On The Bottom Fuselage And Free From

Obstructions

• May Be Rod Type Or Blade Type

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COAX CABLE TO TRANSMITTER / RECEIVER

AIRCRAFT SKIN

COLLINS
DIRECTION OF
FLIGHT

Transponder Antenna

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 Altitude Inputs
• From either encoding altimeter (old version) or central air data
computer (new version)

• < 2700kg aircraft – encoding altimeter (pressure altimeter)

pressure is converted into digital signal proportional to altitude

• Blind altimeter, with no visual display can be fitted behind the

instrument panel on the bulkhead

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Standalone Altitude
Encoder
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 SSR GROUND STATION

• Primary And Secondary Are Mounted On The

Same Platform And Synchronized With One
Another

• Both Transmits Narrow Beams

• Two Replies, One Echo And One Unique Code

With Altitude Reporting

• Mode “A” Interrogation For Aircraft Identity

Mode “C” Interrogation For Aircraft Altitude
Mode “B” And “D” Are Not In Use Currently
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 SECONDARY PRIMARY
SURVEILLANCE
RADAR
RADAR -SSR

SYNCHRONIZER

SSR ATC RADAR PRIMARY

VIDEO SIGNAL DISPLAY RADAR VIDEO SIGNAL

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MODE “A” INTERROGATION PULSES

P1 TO P3 is 8 µ seconds apart
pulse width is 0.8 µ seconds
P1 to P2 is 2 µ seconds

MODE “C” INTERROGATION PULSES

P1 TO P3 is 21 µ seconds apart
pulse width 0.8 µ seconds
P1 to P2 is 2 µ seconds

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 Interrogation Duration
Mode “A” may be transmitted twice and once in
mode “C”

P2 is reference signal on the main lobe only

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 SSR INTERROGATION PULSE SPACING

P P
P
1 3
2

P P
P
1 3
2

P P
P 3
1
2

P P
P
1 3
2

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 FALSE SIDE LOBE INTERROGATIONS

AIRCRAFT’S
POSITION
SHOULD BE
Side Lobe SHOWN
Interrogations HERE

FALSE POSITION
SHOWN ON THE
PPI DUE TO
SIDE LOBE
INTERROGATION

MAIN
INTERROGATION
LOBE

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 Interrogation Duration
• P2 is the maximum side lobes amplitude

• P1 same (within 10 dB) as the side lobe (P2), the

interrogation is ignored by aircraft

• Primary echo are displayed on the PPI but secondary

information is displayed only if the aircraft is fitted with
a transponder

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SSR INTERROGATION PATTERN

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 Displayed On The PPI All The Time But
Dims Until The Next Scan

Categorizing:
• Without Transponder – Circular Dot
• With SSR Reply – Single Or Double Dash
• Military Aircraft – Star

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 Local Airways
Information
Aircraft Superimposed
Transponder With On The Ppi
“Ident” Pulse

Echo “Blip” From

Proper Reply Aircraft Without A
From Transponder Transponder
Equipped Aircraft

Military Aircraft

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 TYPICAL OPERATION
• Select code and turn on system
• Ground station interrogates on 1030 MHz and the primary
radar detects the aircraft
• Transponder checks for validity and decodes the pulse
• Transponder encodes the reply (depends on modes and
type of response) and transmits on 1090 MHz
• ATC (interrogator) decodes the reply pulses and displays
the primary and secondary replies on the PPI

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 How Does The Transponder Operate

• SSR interrogation (ground ) on 1030 MHz

• SSR transponder (air) on 1090 MHz
• Interrogation pulses are sent thru’ the duplexer
(antenna switch)
• Transponder filters and amplifies the signal mix with a
fixed injection signal (LO), producing an IF signal, IF
signal is amplified and applied to the detector
• detector circuit is a combination of side lobe
suppression circuit and checks for validity of signal
(P1 and P2 levels)

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 8 µs
2 µs
0.8 µs

P1 P2 P3

MINIMUM 10 dB

VALID INTERROGATION FROM MAIN LOBE

8 µs
2 µs
0.8 µs

P1 P2 P3

INVALID INTERROGATION FROM SSR SIDE LOBE

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• 1st P1 and P2 is checked for levels and then the p1
and p3 is checked for spacing (8, 17, 21, or 25 µs)

• Pulse decoder receives the valid interrogation only

or else is shut off causing no reply

• Pulse decoder measures time between p1 and p3

for type of interrogation mode

• Trigger from pulse decoder, triggers the mode

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 SELECTOR AND ENCODER

• If in mode “A” and “C”, an Ident pulse is also

included
• if mode “C”, aircraft altitude is included
• Encoder also formats the reply pulses for correct
sequence
• Encoder selects the pulses according to the
setting on the window (max 12 pulses)
• 4 sets of “on/off” pulses A, B, C and D
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 REPLY PULSES
FRAMING PULSES

0.45 µS 3 µS
1.45 µS

F1 C1 A1 C2 A2 C4 A4 B1 D1 B2 D2 B4 D4 F2
20.3 µS

FRAMING PULSES “A” LOGIC PULSES “D” LOGIC PULSES

“C” LOGIC PULSES “B” LOGIC PULSES

EXAMPLES:
A1 + A2 + A4 = 7
A4 , B1 B4 , C1C2C4, D2D4 = CODE 4576

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 EXAMPLE:

CODE 7777
(1ST DIGIT) A1,A2,A4 = 7
(2ND DIGIT) B1,B2,B4 = 7
(3RD DIGIT) C1,C2,C4 = 7
(4TH DIGIT) D1,D2,D4 = 7
Total # of pulses=4096 codes

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 MODE “A” REPLY PULSE ALLOCATION

NUMBER PULSE 1 PULSE 2 PULSE 4

0 0 0 0
1 1 0 0
2 0 1 0
3 1 1 0
4 0 0 1
5 1 0 1
6 0 1 1
7 1 1 1

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 7700 for emergency, it makes the symbol brighter and
wider on the PPI

 7600 for total radio failure

 4321 for light aircraft flying in an uncontrolled and

crowded airspace

 7500 for hijack code

 Gilham code used to format altitude reading from -

1000 feet .The pulses show 100 feet increment

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 ALT C4 C2 C1 B4 B2 B1 A4 A2 A1 D4
-1000 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
0 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0
100 0 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0
500 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0
1000 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0
10000 0 1 0 1 0 1 1 1 0 0
50000 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1

SAMPLE MODE “C “ REPLY PULSES

GILHAM’S CODE

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• Unpressurized aircraft < 10,000ft, “D” pulse may not be
used
• It produces an identification pulse when requested
• The “ident” button should be pressed to transmit this
pulse
• “Ident” pulse appears only at the end of the mode “A” or
“C”
• duration of pulse 18 ± 2 seconds
• pulse spacing from leading edge of F2 is 4.35 µs

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 IDENT PULSE

0.45 µS 3 µS
1.45 µS

F1 C1 A1 C2 A2 C4 A4 B1 D1 B2 D2 B4 D4 F2
20.3 µS 4.35 µS

IDENT PULSE

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 If idented (SQUAWKED), then the
aircraft symbol will appear expended
on the PPI
normally ident button is pressed only
when squawked (squawk means,
“select transponder code “ or “I have
selected transponder code”)

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When the transponder transmits, a
suppression pulse is applied to
other “L” band equipment (e.g.
DME, Tacan etc)
has its own validity and monitoring
circuits

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 Max interrogation is 2000, but most
ground stations interrogates about 400
times
If more than 2000 interrogations, then the
sensitivity is reduced and it replies only to
the strongest 2000 interrogations

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 RANGES

Depends On:
Altitude
Terrain Between SSR And Aircraft
SSR’s POWER OUTPUT

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 RANGES
Light aircraft
125w for a range of 100 NM at an altitude of
10,000 feet

Large aircraft
1000 w for a range of 200 NM at an altitude of
30,000 feet

type of transmission – line-of-sight

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 TROUBLE SHOOTING

Normal defects are reported by the atc controller

QUESTIONS FOR THE PILOT

• what did the ATC controller report?

• Are both systems powered?
• Does the problem occur on both systems?
• has other SSR’s reported of similar defect?
• Is problem on both modes, “A” and “C” ?
• Is problem on all codes or certain codes only?
• If the transponder has a reply light, was it operating
normally?
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 Question time
1. What is the maximum pulse the encoder can select?

2. What is the purpose of detector circuit?

3. How long and when ident pulse will appears on ATC PPI?
4. What is the pulse spacing between P1 and P2?
5. What is suppression pulse?

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 END OF ATC
TRANSPONDER

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