Kauai Test Facility (KTF) Telemetry Receiving and Recording

Kauai Test Facility Telemetry Receiving and Recording


KTF TM antennas pointing at the NTW-FM3 launch vehicle shortly after takeoff

Acquisition and tracking data sources for the KTF telemetry receiving antennas are derived from the 20 ft autotracking antenna, propagated state vectors, data from PMRF radars, calculated nominal trajectories, or the target's on-board navigation system via telemetry (or a combination of these).

Antenna Systems

20 ft Parabolic Dish Autotracking Antenna, L-Band and S-Band (lower and upper)
15 ft Parabolic Dish Autotracking Antenna, L-Band and S-Band (lower and upper)
15 ft Parabolic Dish Antenna, S-Band (lower)
Dual Helix Antenna Array, P-Band

Telemetry

The KTF Telemetry ground station is housed in the Launch Operations Building (LOB). Telemetry receivers, diversity combiners, PCM decommutators and FM/FM discriminators, decryption hardware, and recording equipment are configured as needed to process test data for both real time and playback purposes. PCM decommutators are used in conjunction with computing assets in the computer room to generate displays for real time decision making and monitoring. Test data can be transmitted real-time or post-test to or from PMRF assets via fiber optic cable.

Analog recorders are equipped with direct and FM wide-band group II electronics for recording and reproducing telemetry signals. Rotary head recorders are also available for recording PCM telemetry at bits rates up to 20 Mbit/s per stream.

A range timing system makes IRIG A, IRIG B, IRIG E, IRIG G, and datum slow codes available for timing purposes.

Areas are available in the LOB for user-provided telemetry processing equipment.