Sky Converter User Manual

Sky Converter User ManualOverviewIntroductionApplicabilityCopyrightsGetting StartedConceptsReceiverProcessorDispatcherModifierConverterTransmitterMain windowMain ToolbarViewsInput ViewConversion ViewOutput ViewMessagesConfigurationDisplayInputDispatchModifierSAC/SIC ModifierTimestamp ModifierFake Distress Squawk SuppressionConversionOutputASTERIXLAN

Overview

Introduction

Sky Converter is a Mode-S & Mode-A/C radar format converter.

SkyConverter

Sky Converter receives plots and/or tracks from radar, modifies data contents and converts data formats according to predefine rules, and then distributes to downstream users.

Sky Converter is typically used as a radar front end processor, and can be used in scenarios listed below:

Applicability

This document is based on Sky Converter version 1.x.

Copyrights

Sky Converter is a product of SinoATC, please contact info@sinoatc.com for more information.

Getting Started

Concepts

Sky Converter in general has three modules: receiver, processor and transmitter.

Receiver receives input data from upstream system, such as PSR, SSR or ASR.

Processor modifies and/or converts radar data according to predefined rules.

Transmitter sends output data to downstream systems.

Receiver

Receiver works with LAN interfaces and uses UDP multicast protocol.

It receives message from LAN and send it to processor for further processing.

User can specify hardware interface, multicast address and UDP port in configuration.

Legacy interface like RS232/HDLC can also be supported by using Serial-LAN adaptor.

Processor

Processor is the core module of Sky Converter, it decodes, modifies and converts data packets received from Receiver, and send generated data packets to transmitter.

Processor consists of three components: dispatcher, modifier, and converter.

Dispatcher

When a message is received from LAN, receiver will remove all headers used by low level protocols, and send message payload (we call it data packet) to dispatcher.

Dispatcher will try to decode and extract ASTERIX data block from data packet.

For each extracted ASTERIX data block, three actions would be applied according to configuraiton.

Different action can be applied per each ASTERIX category, so this function can also be used to filter out unneeded categories for downstream system.

Modifier

Data block eligible for "process" will be decoded to a series of data records. Each data record will be sent to Modifier for further processing.

Modifier is like a pipeline, it has a series of sub-modifiers, data record will be sent to each sub-modifier and processed one by one.

Each sub-modifier has specific function, and will modify (or not modify) data record according to predefined configuration. The output of first sub-modifier is the input of the second sub-modifier.

Once a data record has passed all sub-modifiers, it will get out of pipeline, and be sent to converter.

Modifier works on data record, it may modify content of data data record but it will not change category of data record.

In current version of Sky Converter, following sub-modifiers has been implemented.

Converter

Converter receives data record from modifier, convert it to another category, and send it to transmitter.

For each ASTERIX category, different conversion actions can be selected, by in general there are two actions.

Transmitter

Transmitter works with LAN interfaces and uses UDP multicast protocol.

It obtains ASTERIX data records from processor, assembles them into ASTERIX data block, and sends data block to LAN.

Transmitter can send one ASTERIX data block to up to ten (10) destinations.

User can specify hardware interface, multicast address and UDP port in configuration.

Legacy interface like RS232/HDLC can be also supported by using LAN-Serial adaptor.

Main window

The main window of Sky Converter is shown as below.

Main Window

As a GUI application, it composes of a main menu on top, a tool bar with different buttons below the main menu, a status bar on bottom, and switchable views in the center.

Main Toolbar

The main toolbar functions can be put into several groups.

Main Toolbar

Tool ButtonFunction GroupDescription
StartProcess ControlStart processing.
StopProcess ControlStop processing.
InputView SwitchSwitch to input message view, original messages received is shown in this view.
ConversionView SwitchSwitch to conversion view, data records sending to pipeline and out of pipeline will be shown in this view.
OutputView SwitchSwitch to output message view, processed messages will be displayed in this view.

Views

In the center of main window, it displays switchable view. There are three views.

Input View

Input View

All messages received from LAN will be shown here, if received message contains ASTERIX data and can be correctlly decoded, the decoded message will also be shown in this view.

Conversion View

Conversion View

All data records eligible for processing will be shown in this view.

On the left it shows original data records beforing entering processor.

In the middle it shows processed data records output from processor.

Statistical information is displayed on the right.

Output View

Output View

Assembled data blocks and data packets are shown in output view, they will be sent to LAN to external systems.

Messages

At the bottom of main window, there is a message window showing systems messages.

This window can be closed.

Configuration

Display

Configuration Window - Display

Title

A free text can be filled in this field, it will be displayed in the title bar of main window, and also in OS desktop components (e.g. Windows taskbar). It helps user to distinguish when multiple instances are running.

Show Clock Calibration Warning

When selected, a warning message will be shown before stat processing.

Some system functions relies on host computer system clock, it is used as a reminder.

Only Update Visible View

When selected, only the UI of current visible view will be updated.

This is used to reduce system load.

Input

Configuration Window - Input

LAN Interface

Physical LAN interface which will be used to receive messages.

The interfaces are reported by OS and only active interfaces supporting multicast are listed here.

Mcast

Multicast address of input messages.

System will join this group after starting process.

Port

UDP port of input messages.

System will listen on this port after starting process.

Dispatch

Configuration Window - Dispatch

Dispatch

Dispatch actions for each category of data block.

Three actions can be selected for each category.

Categories not listed will apply to action specified in "Other Categories".

Undecodable message will apply to action specified in "Unknown Message" and always be dropped.

Modifier

Modify settings include several pages, one per each sub-modifier.

SAC/SIC Modifier

Configuration Window - Modify - SAC/SIC

Modify SAC/SIC

This sub-modifier will be enabled when selected.

Change SAC/SIC to ??/??

New SAC and SIC that will be used.

Timestamp Modifier

Configuration Window - Modify - Timestamp

Modify timestamp to current time by using system clock

This sub-modifier will be enabled when selected.

Fake Distress Squawk Suppression

Configuration Window - Modify - Distress Squawk

Suppress Fake Distress Squawk**

This sub-modifier will be enabled when selected.

Apply to Squawk

Only selected squawk will be detected and suppressed, including

Suppress first ? alerts in last ? seconds

System will apply suppression action to first data records in a period, this is used to avoid suppressing real distress squawk.

Typical setting is to suppress first 1 alert in 3 radar rotations (12 seconds or 15 seconds).

Action

Suppression actions.

Conversion

Configuration Window - Conversion

Format Conversion

Data record conversion actions for each category.

CAT034

CAT048

Other Categories

Output

Output settings include several pages.

ASTERIX

Configuration Window - Output - ASTERIX

Maximum ASTERIX message size

Maximum size of each data block.

When a new data record is created, if current data block has enough space to hold it, it will assembled into current data block. If current data block has no enough space, data block will be sent out, and data record will be assembled into a new data block.

Maximum data records per data block

Maximum number of data records in one data block.

When a new data record is created and assembled into current data block, if number of data records in this data block has reached maximum number specified here, the data block will be immediately sent out.

LAN

Configuration Window - Output - LAN

CH

Message will be sent to selected channels.

Interface

Physical LAN interface which will be used to send messages.

The interfaces are reported by OS and only active interfaces supporting multicast are listed here.

Mcast

Multicast address to send messages.

System will join this group after starting process.

Port

UDP port to send messages.