CAST releases GPS wavefront generator

CRPA and Attitude Determination Receiver Testing

The CAST-5000 by CAST Navigation produces a single coherent wavefront of GPS RF signals to provide repeatable testing in the laboratory environment or anechoic chamber. The system generates up to seven independent, coherent simulations that reference a single point. With an intercard carrier-phase error of less than one centimeter, the CAST-5000 is extremely accurate, the company said.

The system generates a wavefront of GPS when its GPS RF generator cards are operated in a ganged configuration. Each generator card provides a set of GPS satellites coherent with the overall configuration. Several RF generator cards may be utilized together, ensuring phase coherence among the bank of signal generator cards.

The CAST-5000 is the only Controlled Reception Pattern Antenna (CRPA) tester that allows a full end-to-end test of the antenna system. The CRPA antenna, antenna electronics and the GPS receiver can be tested as a unit with or without radiating signals.

CAST-5000 Features

• Generates single coherent wavefront of GPS
• 6 degrees of freedom (DOF) motion generation capability
• Complete SV constellation editing
• Post-mission processing via ICD-GPS-150/153
• Differential/relative navigation
• Antenna pattern modeling
• Waypoint navigation
• RAIM events
• Multipath modeling
• Spoofer simulation
• Satellite clock errors
• External trajectory input
• External ephemeris and almanac
• Several iono and tropo models
• Modifiable navigation messag
• Modeled selective availability
• Time-tagged satellite events
• Selectable host vehicle parameters