Multiple Telemetry Site Signal Source Synchronization

SBIR topic DAF27BZ01-NV003 (U.S. Department of Defense – Air Force), Phase I and II. Open to U.S. small businesses. Opens: October 28, 2026. Closes: November 25, 2026. Flight test missions that traverse multiple Test Ranges (e.g. hypersonic vehicles/weapons, cruise missiles, long-range weapon systems etc.) or that require different test support infrastructures (e.g. sea range, targets, threat simulators, etc.) at remote Test Ranges, require telemetry receive stations along the flight paths to receive real-time telemetry and then relay that data via ground networks to the control room monitoring the mission. In past mission pre-flight scenarios, remote telemetry receive site to control room links were checked individually. This was accomplished with a local bore sight signal simulator that transmitted a known test pattern at the center frequency of the actual test article. The telemetry receive site would receive the radio frequency signal, demodulate/decode it, then send the data via Internet protocol (IP) networks to the control room. In the control room the received data was verified to be correct as the bit pattern received could be compared to the bit pattern transmitted. This was accomplished for each local and remote telemetry receive site prior to the mission.During the test, each local and remote telemetry receive site would send data to the control room and a manual switch would be accomplished between each data source based on data quality that was determined manually. Note, this selection was not automated.With the invent of best source selection using data quality metrics transferred over IP networks via data quality encapsulation [1], no longer is election of multiple data sources done manually. Telemetry receivers now assess received data quality and assign a bit error probability to a packet of data prior to sending it to the best source selector in the control room. A best source selector (BSS) inputs these multiple streams, performs time…