Assessing Telemetry Receiver Data Quality Metrics Using RCC 118-22 Test Procedures

A Data Quality Encapsulation (DQE) protocol for improving telemetry link quality has been standardized in IRIG 106. A receiver periodically inserts a Data Quality Metric (DQM) in the recovered data so that downstream equipment, such as a Best Source Selector (BSS) or Antenna Control Unit (ACU), can improve overall link quality. A comprehensive set of test procedures has been published in RCC 118-22 V2 R2 to quantify DQM performance over channel conditions typically encountered in aeronautical telemetry environments. This paper examines each test and presents measured results comparing the block DQM Bit Error Probability (BEP) estimate versus the actual measured Bit Error Rate (BER) from a receiver under test. The objective is to verify that the current test procedures and associated support equipment are sufficient for accurate and efficient receiver DQE testing. This is a crucial step towards realizing the tremendous potential DQM can provide for telemetry systems.