Spectral Analysis of ELT Signals for SARSAT

Search and rescue satellite-aided tracking (SARSAT) relays the emergency locator transmitter (ELT) signals of distressed aircraft to an earth station for spectral analysis. Of considerable importance are the characteristics of the spectrum of the ELT signal since the probability of locating the downed aircraft is closely related to the quality of the ELT signal spectrum itself. In this paper, it is shown that the spectrum can be adversely affected by a number of factors including the phase and frequency characteristics of the carrier and their interaction with the amplitude modulation. Two new models are proposed which greatly reduce the self-generated interference produced by ELT units presently being used.