NETEX UWB test results

The goal of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency´s (DARPA) Networking in Extreme Environments (NETEX) program is to create a wireless networking technology for the military user that enables robust connectivity in harsh environments and support its integration into new and emerging sensor and communication systems. Phase 1, resulted in a thorough understanding of the effects of ultra wide band (UWB) system operation on existing military spectrum users based on modeling, simulation, and measurements. In order to accomplish this task, the DARPA Advanced Technology Office (ATO) procured a set of UWB emitters and broadband antennas to use as interference sources and contracted with the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWC AD) Electromagnetic Environmental Effects (E³) Division to provide candidate victim systems from the existing (legacy) US naval aircraft and shipboard inventory for testing. Testing was conducted on seventeen legacy systems during October 2002 through March 2003. The purpose of this paper is to provide a brief overview of the results of these tests. This paper will provide a brief discussion of the UWB emissions as described by the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and describe the generic UWB emitter used for these tests. It will then provide a discussion of the results as they apply to the purpose of the NETEX program.