MODE S TRANSPONDER DESIGNED WITH A SOFTWARE DEFINED RADIO

!"#$%&'(%)*#+,()*+-+.$&/0+12%03(%$4/56+78'4*8*%5*)9+
William Coady Jorel Ngounou Omar Yeste René Jr. Landry
William.Coady@lassena.etsmtl.ca Jngounou@elv.telecom-lille1.eu Omar.Yeste@lassena.etsmtl.ca ReneJr.Landry@etsmtl.ca
+ + + +
Département de génie électrique
LASSENA (Laboratoire Spécialisé en Systèmes Embarqués, Navigation et Avionique )
Table 2: Contained fields in DF messages of Level 2 transponder [2]
RESEARCH PROBLEM

For some years now, aerospace and aviation industries have

been demanding for a new approach using a single generic
system, which could be reprogrammable and universal, replacing
multiple radios and antennas present on aircraft.

The Mode S technology was first developed by MIT Lincoln

Laboratory as a modernization for previous Air Traffic Control
Radar Beacon System (ATCRBS). It has already proved its Figure 5: GNU Radio flowchart of the transmitter, built with basic blocks
benefits in comparison to ATCRBS (modes A and C), as shown in MODE S TRANSPONDER DESIGN available in GRC software
Table 1. The most significant ones are the possibility of selective
interrogation for aircraft, drastically reducing response garbling
The architecture of our transponder is shown in Figure 2. The
(see Figure 1), and the increase of data types transmitted so that
more information can be acquired from the aircraft.
first path of our prototype (the receiving one in the top), concerns RESULTS
detection of interrogations, the most critical task.
The GR-AIR-MODES program [3], designed by Nick Foster, was
Table 1: Comparison of Mode S technology with ATCRBS system To manage transition from detection to transmission, we have
used as a ground receiver simulator to verify that our messages
created exceptions (one by UF type) that allow interrupting the
have been transmitted without being corrupted by the transmission
!"#$%&'()(*+, -./+0&'()(*+, detection routine, to swift our Mode S transponder program to channel (in our case, the UHF channel). It’s a real-time program
:))#*&&*&+$;$/4$<4* •  =>?@ •  ,(#*+5A$%+B@+8/44/(%
transmission mode. These exceptions enable the transmission very useful to make tests. In order to recognize easily our replies,
path (composed of some basic GNU Radio blocks, shown in all DF messages generated by the prototype contain the ICAO
C/8/5&+*%0(2%5*#*)+ •  1DE7"F+G$#<4/%GF+*50H •  1DE7"+$%)+G$#<4/%G+/&&2*&+&(4;*) Figure 4) with the generated message we want to transmit as the
address ABC123. We see in Figure 6 below some type of our DF
•  I%46+<$&*)+(%+8$/%+<*$8+ •  .$&*)+(%+8$/%+<*$8+$%)+
source of the flow-graph. messages decoded by the GR-AIR-MODES program.
-*4*03;*+/%5*##(G$3(%
)/#*03(% $/#0#$JK&+$))#*&&

•  ,(#*+5A$%+N>+)/S*#*%5+
7%L(#8$3(%+*M0A$%G*) •  NO+$4352)*F+$/#0#$JK&+7PQR" /%L(#8$3(%F+/%042)/%G+:"TD.-+
&6&5*8+(%*&

To build a system like this, the Laboratory of Specialized

Embedded Systems, Navigation and Avionics (LASSENA) of the
École de Technologie Supérieure has chosen to take a relatively Figure 6: Decoding of Mode S messages sent from the transmitter
new approach in the field. This approach, Software Defined Radio section
(SDR), is mainly used in various communication systems for its In Figure 6, we can observe messages received and decoded by
flexibility and high performance, thus will be implemented for our GR-AIR-MODES. Therefore we can conclude that the “Replies
system in SDRs N210 manufactured by Ettus Research. generation logic” block and the whole transmitting path works
Figure 2: Receiver and transmitter section of the Mode S transponder correctly.
based on GNU Radio blocks

MODE S MODE S TRANSPONDER MODEL: Figure 2 presents the two

main sections of a Mode S transponder. This block diagram is
implemented with the GNU Radio software. The block “Replies
Mode S or mode “selective,” is a new way to interrogate an generation logic” is linked to a C++ program that allows
aircraft by using a distinctive address so that only a particular generation of any DF message of a level 2 Mode S transponder.
airframe will respond. Many years ago, mode A and C were
developed for airframe identification and altitude reporting. This
was and still is an important component of air traffic control and
air space management [1].

Aircraft equipped with 1st Generation transponders ! Aircraft equipped with Mode S transponders !

!"#$%&"'"%($)*+" Figure 7: Configuration of Transmitter/Receiver for tests

in LASSENA’s labs
,-./01.-" 5*!678*9*<<<===*
5*!678*9*:::;;;*

.&*%$/0&"/$*
.&*%$/0&"/$* Figure 3: Example of the DF21 message form
CONCLUSION
!"#$%%&'()&"*
+(,"*-$(+*
!"#$%%&'()&"* after generation and PPM modulation
+(,"*-$(+*
At this stage, we have demonstrated that it is possible to
.&">1$2$3)4$*
,"#$%%&'()&""
1$2$3)4$*
,"#$%%&'()&"*#&**
implement Mode S technology in an SDR. One of the most
O+:/#L#$8*+++++++++ !"#$%&"'"%($)*+"
significant benefits of SDRs is the ability to reconfigure by software
#*&'(%&*+

! ++ ++ + !++ the parameters required (reducing costs).

++
ATCRBS
SSR ! Air Traffic
Management
!! Mode S
SSR !
Figure 4: USRP B100 with a USB After the implementation of the SDR Mode S prototype on USRP
cable (hard SDR in) and an B100, our next step is to implement our prototype on an embedded
ATCRBS system: With this system, when Mode S system: In case of selective antenna (hard SDR out) for SDR, such as USRB E110. This type of SDR can run standalone
more than one aircraft are within the line-of- interrogation sent by SSR, only the concerned sending any generated message operations for embedded applications, thanks to its Real-Time
sight of antenna beam, each airframe aircraft (one which have the same ICAO
responds and replies may interfere with address contained in interrogation) will reply, Operating System (RTOS), Embedded Linux. Work on our Mode S
each other. In that case, a garbling even if other aircraft are located within the
transponder with a SDR is continuing, with initial results already
phenomenon appears. interrogation beam. In addition to limit the
garbling phenomenon, the Mode S METHODS very promising.
The problem is analogous to attempting to technology allows airframes equipped with it
listen to several conversations at the same to now report much more information, as
time. As such, the capacity of the ATCRBS capability and location for example. To generate these DF messages, we firstly create a program
was being taxed to its limit [4].

Figure 1: ATCRBS vs. Mode S system

written in C++, in order to concatenate concerned fields of the REFERENCES
messages together. Afterwards, we dumped the final message in
a binary file, ready to be read by the GNU Radio. The GNU Radio
To deal with Mode S technology implementation within a SDR, a [1] Stamper, Wes. December 2005. Defense Electronics magazine,
then converts the binary file into a float-valued baseband signal “Understanding mode S technology”
first objective of our project is to create a part of program that which is sent to the USRP. Finally, the USRP transmits Mode S
recognizes and treats a Mode S interrogation, to respond only if [2] DO-180-E “Minimum Operational Performance Standards for Air
messages by modulating a 1090-MHz carrier with the output of Traffic Control Radar Beacon System/Mode Select (ATCRBS/Mode S)
it contains the specific prototype’s ICAO address. the SDR, as it is shown in Figure 2. Airborne Equipment”, RTCA, Inc. p.78.
A second task is to implement all Downlink Format (DF) [3] Foster, Nick. 2012. « GR-AIR-MODES ». <https://github.com/
The duration of Mode S messages is either 64 µs or 120 µs (as bistromath/gr-air-modes>.
messages corresponding to a Level 2 Mode S transponder we see in the example of Figure 3), where 8 µs correspond to the
shown in Table 2, to be able to respond when we detect an preamble and 112 µs correspond to the data block modulated in
interrogation. PPM.
© Laboratoire Spécialisé en Systèmes Embarqués, Navigation et Avionique(LASSENA), 2013