Further analysis of the CV-580 and B-727 aircraft RF coupling experiment data

Radio Frequency (RF) coupling research of a moderate size aircraft cavity was conducted on the Federal Aviation Administration´s (FAAs) CV-580 research aircraft by Veda Incorporated under two Grants for the FAA Technical Center´s Aviation Security Research and Development (R&D) Office. This paper discusses the refined results of our analysis of over 500 digitized spectrum data files and many additional observation notes. The results presented are based upon further refinement of the digitized date with corrections for cable loss, amplifier gain, and antenna factors. These corrected data are correlated to test points and configurations in order to provide better insight into the overall RF coupling behavior of the CV-580 aircraft. This analysis emphasizes the aircraft receiver in-band frequency susceptibility, primarily the microwave frequency bands used for aircraft Global Positioning Satellites (GPS) and Satellite Communication (SATCOM) navigation. This report also includes VOR, VKF, UHF and DME navigation and communication frequency bands. The evaluation is focused on coupling behavior from inside the aircraft cavity, coupling through the windows, to the aircraft receive antennas. Several window effects were analyzed at different frequencies and polarities, including full and partial window shielding configurations. Leakage into receiver cables from an inside source is also discussed